Hey, y'all! I didn't realize "Dirty Sine Rack" & "Magic Sine Distorter" were not in the original rack pack. I just uploaded a new "Add-On" pack that contains those 2 plus 6 other Custom Ableton Racks I use here, Cheers: gumroad.com/l/MagicRackAddOn
You're right, that last skrillex routing tutorial did help a lot. I've been referencing and using that technique and it helped my music significantly. This tutorial was also awesome. Knowing about that gap to help create separation and clarity is key. I wish I was shown this 10 years ago lol.
Question: to achieve this space in the spetrum is best to eq it all out on individual tracks/instruments or can it just be carved out at the end on the master? Thanks
I've been mixing hiphop records for almost 20 years. Usually all the advice on youtube is very generic. This video was everything and some more! Salute and Thank you for all the information in this.
Thanks so much for this video man. I've been fed a lot of misinformation over the years by producers who think they know everything and "your frequency spectrum should pretty much be a flat line from left to right" was something I believed up until now. This is a game changer cos I've always struggled with mixing mids.
A lot of these separations and dips are done with multiband compressors, and turning up or down different ranges. In some of these you can basicslly see what frequencies the multiband cross overs were set to.
I've been using span for a while to see what I'm lacking or what frequencies are way too much in my mix, so it's nice to know that I was on the right track so far, thanks for the tutorial!
Thanks so very much this is exactly what I needed, I am doing a Diploma of Electronic Music Production and I was asking the Teachers about exactly this
whoah, this is gold bro! I was noticing the other day that dipping the eq between 100-300hz range on my master, as well as in certain individual tracks was adding clarity and punch. After watching your video here it really put some things into perspective! I'm going to be aiming for this curve in my mixes now. Thanks for adding another missing piece to the puzzle for me!
yes! Was about to comment this myself lol. It is quite literally, the "root" of the "mean square". The "mean square" is the mean (average) of the data points after they are individually squared. The RMS is the square root of that value.
this will work only with this analyzer with those specific settings. The block size, or "resolution", doesn't matter too much in this situation since you are zoomed out to see the full spectrum of the track, but what matters more is the slope degree which is at the default position 4.5. if you move that knob it will take the whole graph and kinda tilt it to one side or the other. this is often useful when trying to match other songs to yours, or to calibrate against pink noise. for example, I like to leave it at 3 instead of 4.5 because when playing pink noise, it will show completely horizontal instead of the natural slope of pink noise. then, when i'm mixing, i want to make sure that the graph look horizontal, when in fact its sloped like pink noise, which is pleasant and natural to the ear and its relatively easy to make changes based on that flat state. hope that helps.
the "dip" in the analyzer happens only at 4.5 slope and kinda disappears when working on a slope of 3. so don't try this trick on a different analyzer i you don't know its slope degree or if it isn't configurable. just trying to help here because I know it can get quite frustrating.
Awesome brother thanks for the help, this is the most crucial step which is required after a mix is done, I always wondered how to use span to it's fullest and using your tips reminded me that my mix is tight, thanks a lot :D
just wanted to swing by 2 years later and say this is for me personally the single most helpful video I've seen on making electronic music. So much of what is hard about starting, at least for me, was the like 'yeah this sounds not half bad in my poorly acoustically treated living room, but i bet it sounds TERRIBLE in a club'. this just clears up the mystery. im a better visual learner and since i watched this a year ago ive been using SPAN with every song i buy. sometimes i sit down and just play a bunch of songs i like in ableton at -6db and watch the SPAN, its literally almost a hobby for me lmao. anyways, thx man, great vid/great advice
Dude I sat next to you at the Getter and Dodge Q&A seminar! I remember talking to you about how Getter and Ghastly migh have made that pan sound in 666 lol.
Hey man! found your video 2 days ago by accident. I wondered if my latest track maybe had some "mud" between the 200-300 range, and it had! so i literraly just pulled up a eq on my master and pulled down these frequencies and to match the sub level, i boosted the highs... & turns out.. THAT MAKES THE WHOLE TRACK SOUND SO MUCH BETTER?! basically i'm really gratefull that i still go on youtube to learn, and find people like you, that really know some good shit! Thanks for this
Yeah, SPAN is the best. It was the only plugin that shows LUFS that worked on my 15-20 year old + master rig. This was very helpful, I've been using it for about 5-6 weeks now, so it showes me alot of those things I have been wondering how to do since I first got it. You'r music is awesome. Stay awesome :D
This + the magic templates. I just produced my first track on the hybrid template and holy sh*t it sounds immersive, punchy, and clear. Thxx for the knowledge 👍
Didn't realize SPAN was that useful in end production and overall mix evaluation. Was mainly using SPAN for getting Kick and Bass in the right places. Thanks man. Good tips.
The bad mixes, was a good part. Learning to find the problems. My stuff sounds more like the EDM bit.. ugh.. need to learn to mix and master asap!! Thanks!!
This tutorial is actually solid! I’ve observed what Span was showing me for 2 of my best sounding tracks and they were both showing a similar curve with the subs and highs being at a comparable level, a separation between the sub and the kick’s frequency ranges (the kick being closer to 80 Hz) and the dip for me occurs between 300 to 600 Hz before going back up. I make neuro-ish DnB so my tracks do have the low mids a bit higher and the dip occurring in the higher mids
AHEEEEE!!! Just listened to your most fantastic EP 'Spellbound', the production level is so so so so high, love 'Late Night Beats'!! Holy moly it makes my face melt :) Great work man :D
this is incredibly useful and also technically basic from a fundamental standpoint.... most if not everyone involved in sound design and engineering should be aware of LUFS. Thanks Ahee!
I watch the ableton eq8 frequency all the time, and I look at a couple of other analysers, so I thought that I was comfortable with them already - but this is so much more precise! I'll definitely be using this technique on everything I do, and i'm worried about checking my previous mixes with this system 😂
A reason for big separation between lows and mid ranges in EDM is so Dj’s can mix out the bass end easily on their boards and rest of track sounds same and allows for smooth transitions and extended blending of tracks. I’ve heard about that but never seen it presented graphically like this. Awesome vid! Oh and RMS == root mean square .. not sum 🤓 RMS .. root mean square
One thing you didn't mention to start is that you have the spectrum analyser set to RT AVG (real-time average) so what you're actually seeing is that the 80-600 hz "dip" represents that that area of the frequency spectrum is more dynamic overall, NOT that there's an actual dip there as far as how loud instruments in that range are.
Hey Thank you! I've found that getting mixes to look like this shape does make it sound amazing on huge sound systems. So any way to get this shape is the goal of this video. Cheers :)
Thank you so much for sharing this video! I've been told so many times that a spectre should more resemble a pink noise spectre, but that could be wrong as we can see. Thanks for pointing out all that tips, it's been like an insight to me. (The first great advise for me was "use SPAN" before, but that was just a starting point.)
Thank you so much for the info in this. My mixdowns are great but i could never figure out how to see "what i was hearing" Will definitely start using this ;-)
Cool vid on reading the spectrum analyzer. Just wanted to mention any analyzer can be used, but each has its own kinda shape because of different readings. Also your music is hot!! I liked it a lot. Cheers
When I was first learning mixing and mastering, I was told to go for as flat of a curve as possible. I always had the natural dip int the low mids, so I'd boost at the necessary frequencies to achieve that. I think I'll no longer be accommodating for that anymore. Thank you.
The Gentle Giant so much of what I learned in music school ended up being correct for traditional mixing for bands, but shortsighted for mixing heavy electronic music. Tho I’d still say learn the rules and then learn to break them!
holy shit i've been struggling with my mixing for at least 2 years, but after this video my sound went up like crazy. i've been trying to compare my stuff to others using built-in ableton spectrum but that didn't help. Lifechanger!
Eyyyy was literally just dealing with a bass sound dropping out when played on my blue tooth receiver in my car. I realized in Ozone Imager the same phase meter and tightened up the stereo towards the middle. It popped right back in and sounds faaantastic :D
Damm and I always thought my mixes were mixing some frequencies in that area. Turns out they were just fine the whole time. I couldnt put my head around why the mix sounded good but was still missing so much energy.. Lol. Great tutorial.
Thanks for the tutorial Ahee, another really valuable 1 I've been watching my favorite tracks through span today I have a question about the separation between lows and highs What methods do u use to create the separation? I'm unsure if i should be using eq to cut some of the low- mid frequencies or opting to use sounds more sounds with higher frequencies and or balancing volume
For those wondering how to get the low-mid dip, EQ the master channel using minor subtractions. I personally like using Parametric EQ 2 for this. If you find that subtracting certain frequencies takes too much instrumentation away, re-work the instruments within that frequency! Just remember, although this video has some great advice, take everything with a pinch of salt because the same thing that might work for a track will not always work for other tracks.
Hey, y'all! I didn't realize "Dirty Sine Rack" & "Magic Sine Distorter" were not in the original rack pack. I just uploaded a new "Add-On" pack that contains those 2 plus 6 other Custom Ableton Racks I use here, Cheers: gumroad.com/l/MagicRackAddOn
thanks for the videos AHEE you are an awesome teacher!
Swweet! Thanks dude!
Thanks dude :)
Thanks for the vid, man...awesome!
Great vid!!!!!
Thank you for sharing!
I've returned after a year to say I agree with Ahee, and this tip was one of the best ive got from any tutorial or teacher. shoutout ahee
same here!
You're right, that last skrillex routing tutorial did help a lot. I've been referencing and using that technique and it helped my music significantly. This tutorial was also awesome. Knowing about that gap to help create separation and clarity is key. I wish I was shown this 10 years ago lol.
Same man, that's why I'm sharing this now. :) Maybe share with any producer friends, I want to push the culture forward.
@@OfficialAHEE yah good idea! I'll share this right now
@@OfficialAHEE thanks bro
@@OfficialAHEE SHARE THE VID LINK PLZZZZZZZ?
Question: to achieve this space in the spetrum is best to eq it all out on individual tracks/instruments or can it just be carved out at the end on the master? Thanks
I've been mixing hiphop records for almost 20 years. Usually all the advice on youtube is very generic. This video was everything and some more! Salute and Thank you for all the information in this.
Thanks so much for this video man. I've been fed a lot of misinformation over the years by producers who think they know everything and "your frequency spectrum should pretty much be a flat line from left to right" was something I believed up until now. This is a game changer cos I've always struggled with mixing mids.
why the hell should it be linear if the rumor is not linear
A lot of these separations and dips are done with multiband compressors, and turning up or down different ranges. In some of these you can basicslly see what frequencies the multiband cross overs were set to.
I've been using span for a while to see what I'm lacking or what frequencies are way too much in my mix, so it's nice to know that I was on the right track so far, thanks for the tutorial!
Seriously helpful .. just fixed an old track I couldn't figure out what the problem was in the first drop, appreciated 🙌
Another top notch video! Thanks for referencing my tune
Thanks so very much this is exactly what I needed, I am doing a Diploma of Electronic Music Production and I was asking the Teachers about exactly this
whoah, this is gold bro! I was noticing the other day that dipping the eq between 100-300hz range on my master, as well as in certain individual tracks was adding clarity and punch. After watching your video here it really put some things into perspective! I'm going to be aiming for this curve in my mixes now. Thanks for adding another missing piece to the puzzle for me!
Rms stand for "root mean square".
lol... ik
yes! Was about to comment this myself lol. It is quite literally, the "root" of the "mean square". The "mean square" is the mean (average) of the data points after they are individually squared. The RMS is the square root of that value.
this will work only with this analyzer with those specific settings. The block size, or "resolution", doesn't matter too much in this situation since you are zoomed out to see the full spectrum of the track, but what matters more is the slope degree which is at the default position 4.5. if you move that knob it will take the whole graph and kinda tilt it to one side or the other. this is often useful when trying to match other songs to yours, or to calibrate against pink noise. for example, I like to leave it at 3 instead of 4.5 because when playing pink noise, it will show completely horizontal instead of the natural slope of pink noise. then, when i'm mixing, i want to make sure that the graph look horizontal, when in fact its sloped like pink noise, which is pleasant and natural to the ear and its relatively easy to make changes based on that flat state. hope that helps.
the "dip" in the analyzer happens only at 4.5 slope and kinda disappears when working on a slope of 3. so don't try this trick on a different analyzer i you don't know its slope degree or if it isn't configurable. just trying to help here because I know it can get quite frustrating.
Awesome brother thanks for the help, this is the most crucial step which is required after a mix is done, I always wondered how to use span to it's fullest and using your tips reminded me that my mix is tight, thanks a lot :D
This was SUPER helpful dude! Instant results using Span. Thank you for the tips!
Big up bruh u just opened my mixing abilities thanks a lot
this is gold. thank you for that!
just wanted to swing by 2 years later and say this is for me personally the single most helpful video I've seen on making electronic music. So much of what is hard about starting, at least for me, was the like 'yeah this sounds not half bad in my poorly acoustically treated living room, but i bet it sounds TERRIBLE in a club'. this just clears up the mystery. im a better visual learner and since i watched this a year ago ive been using SPAN with every song i buy. sometimes i sit down and just play a bunch of songs i like in ableton at -6db and watch the SPAN, its literally almost a hobby for me lmao. anyways, thx man, great vid/great advice
Finally got span and I can see I have some work to do lol
Just watching this is giving me that itch to go mix my music lol. Thanks for the tips. Love learning something new
Dude I sat next to you at the Getter and Dodge Q&A seminar! I remember talking to you about how Getter and Ghastly migh have made that pan sound in 666 lol.
yuja. I remember that 👽🙌
My favorite ableton tutorials right here. I can see that this is your passion and it is very inspiring. Thank you.
You made my 15 years old hobby become a possible dream carreer, thank you!
Hey man! found your video 2 days ago by accident. I wondered if my latest track maybe had some "mud" between the 200-300 range, and it had! so i literraly just pulled up a eq on my master and pulled down these frequencies and to match the sub level, i boosted the highs... & turns out.. THAT MAKES THE WHOLE TRACK SOUND SO MUCH BETTER?! basically i'm really gratefull that i still go on youtube to learn, and find people like you, that really know some good shit! Thanks for this
Great video. Any chance you could do a tutorial on how to fix the mix once you've identified issues using Span? Thanks.
I'm literally in the middle of a mixing block. I will most definitely be trying this!
One of the most helpful tutorials I have ever come across. Thank you so much.
Yeooooo, dope video AHEE! Good to meet you in Baltimore this past weekend my G!
Yeah, SPAN is the best. It was the only plugin that shows LUFS that worked on my 15-20 year old + master rig. This was very helpful, I've been using it for about 5-6 weeks now, so it showes me alot of those things I have been wondering how to do since I first got it. You'r music is awesome. Stay awesome :D
Dude! Your walkthrough and explanation is so helpful. Thank you so much.
This + the magic templates. I just produced my first track on the hybrid template and holy sh*t it sounds immersive, punchy, and clear. Thxx for the knowledge 👍
This just took my entire world and leveled up the production game for me. Thank you
always enjoy the ahee tutorials, glad you decided to do more
this is a really cool way to show and talk about mixing. thanks for the upload
Didn't realize SPAN was that useful in end production and overall mix evaluation.
Was mainly using SPAN for getting Kick and Bass in the right places.
Thanks man. Good tips.
My mixing has greatly improved after watching this video. Thank you so much!
Thank you for this, and btw, that remind me the PS2 start sounds lol 2:26
The bad mixes, was a good part. Learning to find the problems. My stuff sounds more like the EDM bit.. ugh.. need to learn to mix and master asap!!
Thanks!!
Such a helpful tool for getting cleaner mixes!! Very useful information for any serious producers, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
Very nice tutorial, helped me allot!!
Only have 1 question (sorry i'am not smart)
11:13 Why is the dip so important?
Would love to see a comparison with the mixes for other types of music, like rock, pop or other radio friendly types.
This tutorial is actually solid!
I’ve observed what Span was showing me for 2 of my best sounding tracks and they were both showing a similar curve with the subs and highs being at a comparable level, a separation between the sub and the kick’s frequency ranges (the kick being closer to 80 Hz) and the dip for me occurs between 300 to 600 Hz before going back up. I make neuro-ish DnB so my tracks do have the low mids a bit higher and the dip occurring in the higher mids
AHEEEEE!!! Just listened to your most fantastic EP 'Spellbound', the production level is so so so so high, love 'Late Night Beats'!! Holy moly it makes my face melt :) Great work man :D
Your EP sounds good AHEE! Nicely done.
Some great info in this video, thank you so much for sharing. ... Your track sounds light years ahead of the stuff you played previously, wow.
Bruh. One of a most informative vid I've seen. You got yourself a sub
this is incredibly useful and also technically basic from a fundamental standpoint.... most if not everyone involved in sound design and engineering should be aware of LUFS. Thanks Ahee!
I watch the ableton eq8 frequency all the time, and I look at a couple of other analysers, so I thought that I was comfortable with them already - but this is so much more precise! I'll definitely be using this technique on everything I do, and i'm worried about checking my previous mixes with this system 😂
Nice video! Great tips, you’re very good at following the edm formulas for the different dance music genres
First vid I've seen of yours. Very well said. Also your tracks are fire. Keep it up.
I'm a newbie at mastering and this is the most helpful information I've received
Very helpful. Interested in exploring more of your tutorials about separating/ defining out frequencies.
Really love your style of music, awesome!! Some great native / tribal sounds! Thanks for the explanation!
Bro sick EP, would love to get just to this level already!
A reason for big separation between lows and mid ranges in EDM is so Dj’s can mix out the bass end easily on their boards and rest of track sounds same and allows for smooth transitions and extended blending of tracks. I’ve heard about that but never seen it presented graphically like this. Awesome vid!
Oh and RMS == root mean square .. not sum 🤓
RMS .. root mean square
you really shouldn't mixed based on what helps a DJ.
@@AnymMusic I dunno. DJs are who help you get your songs into the clubs
Love your album!!! sounds frikin awesome!!!!!!!
Thank you!! This is sooo helpful!!
Thanks for this! I have been using your racks for a while and one of my mentors pointed me towards this video, super helpful.
Great video! Would love a tutorial/tips & tricks on reverb. How to get depth and seperation.
This video has helped me SO much. Not sure where I would be without this insight. I love you man and I love your tunes!
hi! thanks for the SPAN tutorial.. may I know where is the mixdown tutorial you mentioned at the end? 15:43
Looking forward to incorporating this into future tracks! Thanks!
I appreciate the tips! Good luck with your work.
Actually, your music happens to sound better than the other musics. Glad I found this! Thanks!
One thing you didn't mention to start is that you have the spectrum analyser set to RT AVG (real-time average) so what you're actually seeing is that the 80-600 hz "dip" represents that that area of the frequency spectrum is more dynamic overall, NOT that there's an actual dip there as far as how loud instruments in that range are.
Hey Thank you! I've found that getting mixes to look like this shape does make it sound amazing on huge sound systems. So any way to get this shape is the goal of this video. Cheers :)
Official AHEE at least read to the comment man, ur analysis is wrong
@@xamogxusx His analysis isn't wrong, it's just missing the comparison between peak and average level
Looking back, I should have said lower average overall, it's not necessarily more dynamic, it's just logical for the mix to sound balanced if it was
Nice this is super helpful also your tracks slap bro
Great video thanks for making it so simplified it really helps
Woah thank you for sharing so much amazing insight.
You're amazing Ahee
Thank you so much for sharing this video! I've been told so many times that a spectre should more resemble a pink noise spectre, but that could be wrong as we can see. Thanks for pointing out all that tips, it's been like an insight to me. (The first great advise for me was "use SPAN" before, but that was just a starting point.)
This is still awesome! Appreciate you man!
Well described man, nailed how to analyse things using SPAN!
Thank you so much for the info in this. My mixdowns are great but i could never figure out how to see "what i was hearing"
Will definitely start using this ;-)
Awesome man, thanks for all those pro insights
Cool vid on reading the spectrum analyzer. Just wanted to mention any analyzer can be used, but each has its own kinda shape because of different readings. Also your music is hot!! I liked it a lot. Cheers
When I was first learning mixing and mastering, I was told to go for as flat of a curve as possible. I always had the natural dip int the low mids, so I'd boost at the necessary frequencies to achieve that. I think I'll no longer be accommodating for that anymore. Thank you.
The Gentle Giant so much of what I learned in music school ended up being correct for traditional mixing for bands, but shortsighted for mixing heavy electronic music. Tho I’d still say learn the rules and then learn to break them!
with span you can press ctrl to listen certain freq range. Helpful for lookin problem areas. nice vid btw!
holy shit i've been struggling with my mixing for at least 2 years, but after this video my sound went up like crazy. i've been trying to compare my stuff to others using built-in ableton spectrum but that didn't help. Lifechanger!
Ableton's spectrum sucks lol. Yes use Span (and also Ozone but that ain't free).
Eyyyy was literally just dealing with a bass sound dropping out when played on my blue tooth receiver in my car. I realized in Ozone Imager the same phase meter and tightened up the stereo towards the middle. It popped right back in and sounds faaantastic :D
JVCKPOT I’m gonna do a phase tutorial here soon & that’s exactly the fix I use all the time 🙌👽
Can’t imagine how screwed some of my mixes will sound in club systems 😂 thanks for the tips man I appreciate the time u put into your videos!
good video bro, thanks
thanks for the video! really helpful span tips!!
Damm and I always thought my mixes were mixing some frequencies in that area. Turns out they were just fine the whole time. I couldnt put my head around why the mix sounded good but was still missing so much energy.. Lol. Great tutorial.
@1:45 you meant to say "root mean square" not 'root mean sum', great tutorial, I am going back to check my mixes...aaaaaaand, now I see the problem.
This is the business, please continue as the human you are.
Thank you for this . Loving ur videos thank you for the help.
Yeah you get a sub for this one. Extremely insightful . Almost feel guilty learning this stuff.
Thanks for the tutorial Ahee, another really valuable 1
I've been watching my favorite tracks through span today
I have a question about the separation between lows and highs
What methods do u use to create the separation?
I'm unsure if i should be using eq to cut some of the low- mid frequencies or opting to use sounds more sounds with higher frequencies and or balancing volume
I'd also love to see a follow up tutorial covering this! Thanks for your priceless tuts and killer new ep, Ahee!!
I would also like to know more about this. Very informative btw. Thanks!
For those wondering how to get the low-mid dip, EQ the master channel using minor subtractions. I personally like using Parametric EQ 2 for this. If you find that subtracting certain frequencies takes too much instrumentation away, re-work the instruments within that frequency!
Just remember, although this video has some great advice, take everything with a pinch of salt because the same thing that might work for a track will not always work for other tracks.
Jake great thanks!!
Nice mixes on your project!
10/10 video great work man
Great video! 🔥
Thank you , my mind gets more clear idea on mixdown :D
Great videos man keep grinding these unreal tutorials
this video saved all of my mixes, thanks!!!
This helped me soooo much! Thank you!!
But like wait your music is HEAT
Fantastic video, your music is awesome!!
Aye man, thanks a lot for the vid, span just took my mixes to a higher level! Appreciate ya!🤘🏻
Dude, thank you so much for showing me this SPAN plug in.
This is like the discovery of the microscope to me lol
Thank-you brother Thank-you Thank-you
Thank you for trying this demo
Awesome video dude super helpful and dope original music I'ma go check you out rn!