10 Mixing Tips That Changed My Life
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
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MY GEAR:
DAW (Music making software): Logic Pro and Ableton Live
Studio monitors (speakers): Yamaha HS8's
Headphones: Audeze LCD X (open back)
Camera: Canon 80d
Computer: Mac Studio with M2 Ultra chip and 2 TB hardrive
Midi controller (keyboard): Komplete Kontrol 61
Interface: Scarlett Clarett 2 pre
Desk: a cheap one from ikea
Chair: also a cheap one from ikea
My favorite plugins that I use the most:
XFER Serum
Sylenth 1
Nexus 3
Kontakt
RC 20
Valhalla Shimmer
Valhalla Vintage Verb
Shaperbox 3
XFER OTT
Fab Filter Saturn 2
Fab Filter Pro C 2
Arturia Pigments
Baby Audio Comeback Kid
Output Thermal and Portal
LABS Soft Piano
Hardware that I use behind the scenes but not in videos:
Elektron Octatrack (my fav)
Elektron Digitakt
Korg Minilogue XD
1) 0:25 Remove the sub bass frequencies from every sound except the kick and bass
2) 1:34 Build a freelance mixing business
3) 3:02 Use a reference plugin to compare your mix to a professional mix
4) 6:21 EQ your reverb
5) 8:18 Balance in mono
6) 9:37 Don't mix your song the same day you made it!
7) 10:28 Consolidate layered instruments
8) 12:04 Mix a song of yours and then hire a pro to mix she same song
9) 13:04 Invest in studio monitors or studio monitor headphones
10) 14:15 Mix for other people - even if you have to do it for free for a while
You saved me time thank you 😇
Jeez I’ll stop watching now thanks. Lol
GOAT
should have a mention to panning though can't do much without understanding how a soundscape works to a degree especially for live let alone studio
@@harrythompson6977 most people mix in mono live.
"Don't mix your songs the same day you made it"
This one, I feel really hard. Once I've spent a few hours working on something, it genuinely feels as if I can't tell what sounds good anymore. It is surreal how different the song sounds to me from this point, and the point that I come back to it a day later
@dj Kplus you're still going to have to mix the entire song at the end.
I usually run a 1-2 hour timer to remind to get off, do smth else for a bit and return again, switch audio outputs and have a listen
@dj Kplus that's what I do. It's something about hearing it improve as I record it
Yep, producers block sucks real bad. I tend to do hour on hour off. You dont realise how much you over-do yourself with production until you hear back the next day or after 2 - 4 hours of rest.
I learned this the hard way. And I used to not use reference tracks too. And I wondered why nobody took me seriously even though I put hours and days into everything.
Wow, cutting unnecessary low end and reverb has already been a huge difference on my one song I've tried. Thank you!
Hi Bro, cutting the reverb means putting a EQ in the mixer chain After the reverb or there are ways to cut the reverb Just by tweaking some features in the reverb plugin itself ?
@@iAmJoshC most reverb plugins should have a "high cut" and "low cut" feature - if yours doesn't, I suggest switching to something else.
there are a lot of really nice freebies out there, just have to do some digging :)
@@AshrZ It's true but especially when you are still learning it's helpful to actually visualize what are you cutting . I might be wrong but usually many reverbs have a knob but it's not like a surgical EQ in specific frequencies. The knob usually does a generic LowCut / Highcut
yeah, totally fair
Dont start doing it on everything now, be careful, new technics are addicting.... only cut if needed, Filter Slopes cause aliasing and phasing or something. I heard anything more than 6db slope causes phase (canceling/loss of energy dip) ....Learn what you can do (tools/mixing), then only do what you need/want to. Lots to learn
I really needed this. I've been at this game since the early nineties back when you could still get reel to reel tape at Radio Shack, and I knew most of these tips.
But as I got older, burned out, started a family, etc, I stopped cold turkey for a few years and my studio brain muscle atrophied. When you record and mix every day, it's like walking the same path through a jungle. It gets easier, better, faster as you create a beaten path. Your gear works, everything is compatible, the creative juices are flowing, and all your vast knowledge is right there at the front of your brain.
But when you stop walking that path, the jungle takes back over and covers the path. You can literally get lost going someplace you used to be able to go blindfolded.
These 10 tips are waking up a dormant part of my brain.
"I got older, burned out, started a family" UH OH STINKY LELELELELELELELE
welcome back
My man - appreciate that these are not just little hacks but are more about principles. Solid stuff my dude.
I agree! It’s also great to see other producers encourage each other in the comments section. So refreshing
My man...my dude...you've got it all Nathan. You might like to ad "on point", "thanks for the heads up" and or "bro" a little more in future, ok? Keep it up.
Hi @Alex_Rome, all this above mentioned was happend after replying You and Nathan's collab video. I am very depressed by this issue. No offence Rome, I am just telling so that others won't become victims like me.
@prod lucas Are you a mask wearer Lucas?
Damn anything nathan is hyped on must be good!!
This was extremely informative, thank you! 🙏
I'm a rock guy. But the tips you give in this video are cross-genre and applicable to all styles of music. Thanks for sharing these great tips.
This is by far one of the most honest mixing video tutorials I’ve ran across. The tips are genuine! Thanks man👍🏽you deserve it all for your hard work and dedication.
Great tips ! A/B comparison is king.
Personally, the main thing that I learned from mixing is that it is always good to plan 3 or 4 mixing sessions for a single song, with enough time between each to be able to "forget what I've done". 😄
gonna give this a shot! Thanks!
absolutely correct
I do this exact thing as well. You get tunnel vision when you mix for too long. The next day you hear your mix and think "wtf" lol
okay chester LOL
A/B everything!!
I love how simple u are, stright to point and approach that non boring. Your channel is golden bro ! Im learning A LOT from you
Very good video man. I was just blazing through my morning studies watching this. Great breath of fresh air when youve been heads down working in smoky studios for weeks. Artists can have you forgetting the simple things. Money's coming in and work is stacking up it's important to remember to stay true to your quality and work ethic.
Exactly what I needed to give me a mixing advantage. I get overwhelmed with tools, but you have narrowed that down for me very much! Subscribed brother 👍🏻 thank you!
I learnt the majority of these tips over many years but you are doing gods work in this one video. This is so helpful for anyone just starting out and they may not even realise it.
Thank you Alex for always sharing the best tips, you’re truly a lifesaver. Gonna go mix this beat I’ve been working on and this video is just what I needed.
This video is great for not just beginners, but those on the intermediate level and are looking to move on up!
Thank you, and you have won yourself yet another subscriber!
one of the best videos I've seen for mixing, thank you especially for the tip about reverb not allowing you to get your tracks loud
DAMN! so many gems in this one. Thanks a ton Alex, these advices really opened up my perspective. I'll be sure to keep these in mind moving forward :) Thanks again!
You have taught me more in 20 mins than the last 10 years. Seriously. I just make music at home for myself but always had issues with the final mix. Thank you! Subbed immediately!
Love Alex Rome tips and videos.He knows his stuff and i love how you can see how excited he gets by creating hot track or sound
I'm not using a reference plugin and have good monitoring already, but all of these tips are great and you really managed to pin point things I personally have recognized being great areas of improvement. Love the fact that you highlight things like consolidating tracks, which can affect the end result much more than one might realize. Or the nuance in the first tip when you point out "if you have too many instruments adding..." instead of saying "do this every time" Just great!
Great info, brother! Your number one tip is my ultimate number one mixing technique that I use and teach on occasion in both live and studio mixing scenarios. I'll even go much farther than 80hz, reducing each instrument to it's most effective range. This I find helps to place each object in its proper place in the overall sonic painting. Subscribing now!
8:27 this right here. I didn’t realize how good it can make your stereo mixes until I had to do mono mixes of a couple of our tracks.
After I bounced it I put it back into stereo and pressed play. Aside from some percussion it sounded fantastic. Mostly because to bring the character back to the sounds, I had saturation on almost every track and group.
Some of these things, especially eq’ing reverb and giving yourself a day after writing before mixing, are things I recently learned from experience. Very good video man, keep it up
I really appreciate that these tips are thoroughly explained and meaningful. So many videos are just fluff, but these tips make a difference.
I love how baby muppets voices are now considered to be the "lead vocals" in music.
Haha well said
#11: quit wacking off during mixing.....unreal how much a difference this can make.
BRO THIS MADE ME LAUGH SO HARD MY SOUL LEFT MY BODY💀💀💀
Lol
Dead ass though 🤣🤣
my man
omg 😂😂
Bro actually gave the best tips that I gotta write down now
Mate, I'm on 9.44 and you gave more valuable knowledge during this time, then hours of other tutorials. Appreciate you work. Thank you.
every reverb does *not* have an EQ module, however you can create your reverb as a send/aux track and process the reverb on its own which is very useful even when the reverb does have filters or an EQ
Yeah, it's a great way to get some really creative sounding reverbs too. Or to gate them.
i prefer to always send my reverb to a send incase i wanna add more layers to it. for sure helps
Sorry, noob question but what does sending a reverb to a send mean? Literally putting it on its own channel and side chaining to it?
@@TheRealMacAndCheese Well most DAWs literally call it a send function afaik, but you're pretty much correct, yeah. You create a channel with nothing on it except for a plugin chain, and you send the dry audio (or processed depending on your goals) into it, so you can manually mix it, duck if necessary, widen up only the reverb etc
@@radiofloyd2359 OH OK, so putting the reverb literally on its own channel and mixing from there.
Great tips dude! I definitely agree with Tip #7 to consolidate layers or create stems, however you like to work. My one added advice to anyone doing this is to make sure to either create a separate "save as" or project alternative (in Logic Pro X) for when you start doing mixing or stem bouncing that's separate from your production session. Especially if you're going to delete the original tracks like you showed in this video because you can't get those back if you end up needing to make changes later one. You can always go back to the production session or you can simply hide the tracks and make them inactive in whatever fashion your DAW provides for that.
Does creating a Track Stack not have the same effect as creating stems for the purpose of consolidating layers?
i usually only watch will darling’s EDM tips channel, no one else seems to compare. but MAN this is a great video, super insightful. really appreciate you putting this together! subscribed!
Ok I've been producing for almost two years now and this is one of the best music production videos I've seen. Thank you so much!
Another tip with the reverb… use as a send and side chain the reverb to the audio your using the reverb send on… it helps let the sound punch through before the reverb kicks in… gives more control and sounds super clean👍
THAT IS CALLED PRE DELAY, almost. all delay has a pre delay knob, no need for side chain. But if your reverb is suuuper long sidechaind + pre delay + eq is a good idea.
@@dhruvalance1323 side note we are talking about reverb not delay
figured this out on my own i feel so smart
@@dhruvalance1323 pre delay and side chaining are very different
@@FreshBagelz yes they are!
Awesome tips! One more great tip I learned is to make sure your song is sound great on mobile phone speakers or airpods since most people will use those to listen to it. I had a moment when my song sounded great on my Audio Technika studio headphones but then on airpods it was very average.
Wholeheartedly agree with everything you’ve said in here. Good to have the reassurance that I’m doing the right things! Thanks for sharing
I never really spend so much time on mixing, but your videos made me want to do it. Your tips are very helpful and when I try to apply it on my mix it does sound so so much better!
Please keep uploading videos like this, it's really helpful to me as an amateur producer, It's hard to find a great teacher.
I always learn something new from you sir, i appreciate 🙏
❤️ from Africa Uganda 🇺🇬
Alex my man, your second tip alone might’ve just given me the confidence to change my life forever. I’ve never met you, but yet you’ve impacted me massively. Much love, best wishes ❤️
This video was life-changing for me Alex thank for the packs and the knowledge broski 🙏🏻
I learned most of this by now, I'm just so glad someone pointed it out. This is awesome.
About equalizing reverb: Not always, but it's generally a good idea to send the wanted signal to a reverb "bus" or "aux" channel. In a digital audio workspaces this will enable you to process the reverb any way you like since you can insert anything into that bus. It also makes it pretty handy to automate the effect. Now back to EQing the REV. In the insert chain, you might want to put an EQ plugin before the reverb. With this EQ you want to do everything Alex here said, HPF and LPF around those frequencies. But with reverb there might occur this phenomenon called "the double attack". This is usually something you might not detect while listening to a single track + rev, but if you have a mix full of reverbed stuff, it will affect the clarity of the mix. So basically what any reverb plugin does, is that it "copies" the signal, processes it and plays it back. And since there is always a delay involved, the "attack area" which varies around 5kHz depending on the sound source, gets doubled AND delayed, so you might want to EQ down the Attack area from the reverb too. This is something you usually can't do from the plugin itself, so that's why a separate channel for REVS and delays etc are not a bad idea.
Big THANK YOU for all that game fam
A lot of great advice. Especially regarding low cutting everything. It really allows a thick, tasty bass to cut through.
And I'll definitely try the balancing in mono trick. Thankfully Reaper has a 'MONO/STEREO' button on the master fader panel.
Bro do you got an instagram or email
This was so helpful thank you , it is crazy how producing music yourself is like a whole other universe! always more to learn !
Usually when Ive seen videos like this they're all very vague and just brush over the tips. However with this one I feel like I've actually learned useful information because of the way you explain your thoughts. Thanks!
Used to think references wouldn't be useful in terms of overall volume, never thought about using it solely to listen for specific parts/instruments within a mix. For example bringing the hihats out in your mix really improved it and I mean drastically. Thanks for this, really gonna have to start using this from now on :)
Just a few comments, when mixing with reference track, you have to take into account that the reference track is probably also mastered, if you match your volumes pre-master with the mastered reference, when you hit the mastering stage with compression and limiters, that mix will go off mainly on high end and low end. I recomend doing that process with at least 1 compressor and 1 limiter set on desired lufs on your master chain, and then you compare and adjust, that will give you a sense of what it will sound like when squashed like the reference track.
The other thing is that ATH-M50 headphones are definetly not flat, to make your headphones really flat you have to use Sonnarworks plugin.
It is called Sonarworks Reference 4 and removes unwanted coloration from your speakers and headphones
I never use refence tracks. They are somebody elses mixes and songs.
@@torchbearer3784 the point of a reference isn’t to just copy the mix lol. you’ll see few very few mixing or mastering engineers not using a reference. Saying “I don’t use references cuz it’s someone else’s song hurr durr” just shows you don’t understand what they are even for and that somehow putting yourself at a disadvantage because of misguided principles makes you feel superior. Which you know, more power to ya.
All of his other tips were pretty good but that’s not how you really use a reference track. You’re using it to check your frequency response and RMS across the entire spectrum which is particularly useful when mixing for a certain sound and doubly so for mastering, when you want to compare the actual real world levels and bring a song up to commercial standards in terms of loudness without destroying the mix.
Side note I absolutely love the rampant attitude of “well actually I know how to do it right” or “you should and shouldn’t do x y or z” that exists in the music production community coming from people that do not and never will be paid for their audio work telling people that do in fact get paid for their work how to do things. The irony is amazing. It’s similar to how people talk about cooking. Mfers that can’t scramble an egg always want to tell people what is and isn’t the right way to make a dish or how to prepare food lmao.
Having flat headphones or monitors doesn’t really matter. Either your setup is perfect or it isn’t, with pretty much no in between. Whatever gear you know the best is the best gear for you. A shitty pair of $10 headphones will yield an infinitely better translating mix than reference monitors if you know those shorty headphones inside and out and how to compensate for their frequency response. People constantly parrot the “use flat monitoring” thing ad nauseam but leave out the fact that learning and adjusting to a flat response takes a lot of time.
It’s the same reason why a lot of professionals can bang out a near perfect mix with a pair of normal AirPods on a noisy plane. They know those AirPods, how to compensate for their frequency response, and how to make mixes translate well from them.
No I’m not saying don’t use or worry about having reference gear, I’m saying most people parrot that sentiment without understanding why or what is actually best or most practical in application. If you have 2 sources of reference no matter what they are you can make a good mix with skill and knowing those sources well.
The best mixes I’ve personally ever done were with ab old turtle beach Xbox headset with bass so loud mids so muddy you’d think you were listening to literal mud. I also had them for like 12 years and knew them perfectly. Even to this day with only 1 driver working in them I still pass every mix I do through them despite having a pair of adams and several reference headphones. You’ll notice a lot of professionals have a poopy but well internalized set of cans or speaker to test mixes and it’s probably a pair they’ve had or decades
That reverb tip was great thank you! Really love how you always break stuff down
I'm finishing up some recipes since about 4 5 hours ago and already the tips I've learned change tonight's sessions already. Thanks.
Make sure you have any tracks you consolidate correctly processed before you do. I also tend to save the whole mix with a note in the save file name like ‘cnsld hh’. That way if i need to go back again to something I consolidated, i can go back 1 generation before that note & pull out the old tracks i need. Saving many versions and giving yourself clues to what you did can be hugely helpful later on.
I'm not really experienced with mixing or mastering, but I do think I have a good tip for people. When you're mixing, close your eyes and try to mentally isolate every instrument. If you can't hear all of them, there's an issue with your mix.
I love that you have a top 10 list...but then you actually demonstrate. Well done.
This is the first time that I’ve watched a mixing video and understood the concepts. This was so helpful and educational; thanks!
The tip about mixing a day after you’ve made the song is so true, the last song I mixed took me 11 mixes to get right and I still think it could improve. But hey, it’s a learning curve and a fun one at that. Patience is key 🔑
Hey everyone. I may have breezed over some topics without explaining them well enough as I was trying to keep the video short and digestible. If you'd like me to clear up any of these tips, reply here with your question and I'll get on it!
How did you start the mixing freelance business?
@@BeatsByEverest mostly cold calling and emailing artists and small recording studios. I also had a small following here on RUclips and Instagram from which I got a lot of ghost production and post production work.
@@AlexRome Thank you so much for the response!
Hey. Appreciate the vid! If you balance in mono will this not then make the sound overpowering when listening back in stereo?
@@jbettellJust asked the same question? I am not a big fan of that idea, especialy in todays music. I agree that the kick should be in mono but for other instruments....
Maybe I just came across this at the right time in my mixing journey, but I can't think of another video with such consistent and useful tips across a top ten! This video made me excited to mix again. Such good content, thank you!
This IS Definetly what i've been doing all this years and i do really get very nice mixdowns because of every single thing you said, i never took the time to make a video explaining it like this but im REALLY really happy this exists, thanks for this Alex, im shring this video to everyone, everyone should too..
Life changing tricks for me were:
-Try to get the balance in mono, it's easier.
-Try not to use the Solo button, the whole picture is what matters.
-Get it mastered by another studio.
-Rise the prices (a lot) and give your 100% on every project.
Do they increase my mixing skills by 20%?
always
*at least
wow, you just helped boost my confidence and drive significantly. I've always assumed myself to be a terrible mixer and thought i'd been avoiding it entirely aside from the bare minimum but it turns out I've intuitively been doing half of these things for years. Dope!
jesus i’ve seen 100s of videos on producing & mixing. this by far is the most informative and useful thank you for dropping this for free!! Love you
LOL the part where you're just like 'so here's a song I completely ripped off, I'll just be matching my mix with this'. If you've made something remotely original unlucky I guess
Bro what?
First 5 tips are game changer, can’t wait to test on my songs.
Last 5 tips are something I truly believe in, so I think I’m on the right way.
Thanks for your content.
holy.. these are ACTUALLY all priceless tips. i been doing music a long time and so i know 90% of the advice i see around is clickbait garbage but these are all genuine and amazing tips.
You've really given me a lot to think about here! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!
Gosh I love this guy, as well as his dedication to his M50X. There was a time when I was also very proud of owning my M50X until I got something more expensive. Thanks Alex for making this video, I started loving this content the moment you talked about your freelance endeavor. I didn't know there were so many people looking for help. And yes, from the end of the video, your point about having emotional attachment to your own song is so much TRUTHH ...
Alex Rome. Alex Rome. Alex Rome. Repeating it three times so I remember it. That as absolutely brilliant. A gift. Just what I needed at just the right moment.
I'm doing adiploma course for music production and im suprised because the only thing I learnt from this was the reference plugin, it seems really useful and I feel I could use it. Investing in a course is really useful but im glad you're putting out this content for free its amazing. My teachers are really good and explain everything in and out of mixing and cover freelancing and everything
I've been doing home producing for years now strictly for myself. Clicked on this video on a whim and surprised how much I learned. Thank you sir!
so glad I'm at a level where I knew exactly what to do to get that original sounding like the reference - maybe a concept for a future video about developing skills as a producer? great tips here Alex, appreciate the pace/edit of this video as well, seen so many other mix videos that get caught in the weeds a bit
The SoundID Reference plugin and the translation output is pretty cool to hear your mix emulated on different speakers
after browsing through so many channels. Yours is by far the best. The explaining thod is so great and detailed even complex stuff is
I loved those tips Alex, thank you for giving me a new way of seeing mixing!
truly these tips are valuable. loved this. gonna apply right away
This is the best mixing advice I have heard just on the aspect of thinking about mixing approach.
a no-frills, informative, neutral, and incredibly informative and helpful video regarding improving one's mixing skills--AND you're the like, ONLY other musician i know that uses Logic?!?!? AHHH!!!!!! subbed IMMEDIATELY.
Great video! Even telling us things we need to hear but can’t admit. I’m saving this video to constantly remind myself of these principles.
I am so glad I came across your video. I had so many issues with sounds becoming muddy and I couldn’t figure out why. Thanks.
I really like the idea of using a reference plug in. I’m definitely going to start doing that. Thanks for the info
I would like to add a couple of rules to this already awesome video:
1. Save often! This will keep you from losing tons of work from a system crash or freeze. You can't rely on the DAW's recovery feature alone.
2. Save a different version of un-consolidated tracks before you get down and dirty. Comes in handy for mistakes and also for poaching stuff I did from one song to help in the production of another.
3. Make personal presets. I have been able to make my own custom starting points because I tend to use the same tricks. This will also save you time for Rule 1 of this video. Having a low cut already sorted at 32hz lets me just plop it on my channel and drag away!
Great video!
That was epic! Thanks for all this ideas! Keep it up, you are doing a great job on this platform and not only!
Great video! I’m guilty of many of the mistakes you mentioned. I can’t wait to incorporate your tips.
Refreshing to watch a mixing video with solid, useable content. Thankyou.
You are correct about people having too much emotion tied up in their own songs. Also taking a break from recording to mixing. Great advice.
I like the way you take your time to explain with examples. You've earned yourself a subscriber. I will save up for your course. Thanks Sir. Really appreciate. I am a beginner trying to learn audio engineering.
so reeaaaaal. realest ever since then, for mixing, when you master the mix its fine for mastering just reference your song for the levels
Your tutorials rock. Thank you for this great compilation of essential tips!
The reverb tip was such an eye-opener. I had never even thought about eq-ing that
That's such a nutritionally dense tutorial, Alex. Wonderful, thank you very much.
Great video! The part about mixing your own stuff is crazy accurate!
Dude these are literally the best tips I’ve heard from anywhere on mixing
Thanks for the clarification it taken me 2 years to realise this but seeing this video has given me knowledge I'm heading in the right direction. Subbed what fantastic content for a short video. Thank you
one of the most useful vids i came accross in a long time. Good stuff bro
Nathan James Larsen was the person who suggested I follow you , Alex. I just gotta say “THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!” to both of you. I really enjoy your explanation of how you quit doing auto body work to mix and produce full time as well as the fundamental information for producing. Awesome video! ✌️
I cannot explain how helpful you are, thank you
This one the most valuable mixing videos I’ve ever seen
Some great ideas in here, nice work! My tip would be to swap the M50's for a set of open back AKG K702's or similar. The M50 is quite detailed but definitely not flat, and being closed back creates its own little deceptive environment. The AKG's took my mixing up a notch after I started using them, going between them and my Neumann KH120 studio monitors, and were a very worthwhile upgrade (and not expensive).
This is the best mixing video iv ever seen, cuz it actually improved my skillz, thank you!
Glad that I already do the majority of these tips since. Thank you 🙏🏾
I really liked your presentation. Mixing has so many subtle details. Thanks for your insights. I still struggle with boxy low mids.
Great straight forward audio engineering lesson, thanks Alex!