Mixdown Tips

[spyromus]

Here I share MY VISION of this problem. I would very much like to see any corrections and comments to it because gurus here know definitely times more than me.

I believe these phase shifts will always be there. Mainly it happens when you apply filtering and wipe some harmonics out of the sound, but what filtering happens in case of compression?

Well, I thought none until I started to think of it in this way. Your bass sound is usually wider in terms of frequency range occupied, right? It has low-mid, sometimes mid and even higher harmonics (if it's really bright). Your kick is mainly low. Now (for simplicity sake) let's consider the mix of the kick and the bass as one sound. Without compression it has the low range seriously boosted because the low range from the kick and bass are added.

At this point if both samples have no phasing problems, the cancellation doesn't take place and we hear everything (it's just the headroom is terribly wasted and the low is much louder than everything else). Here's the time for compression. With it, you lower *all harmonics* of your bass when the kick comes in. It looks exactly like filtering for the final bass+kick sound, and you know "filtering = phase change". (a lot of setting the stage and so fast climax, heh, but I think it was worth it)

One idea I was toying with in my mind is that the multi-band compression may do the right thing here. Unless you need exactly that House effect when the whole bass sound jumps up and down when the kick drops in, you may try using it. The idea is to compress only that narrow low range of the bass sound frequencies that is overlapping with the kick sound while leaving everything else untouched. What it is supposed to give is that you virtually substitute the frequencies from the bass with your kick. IMO, it will do a finer effect (again, unless you specifically need something prominently jumping) and do a lesser harm to the phase (still a little change will take place, I believe).

Again, take this with a grain of salt. These days I'm just trying to understand the mechanics behind the sound better, as I grew increasingly tired of hitting the walls with my head over the last few years. Hope it helps or if nothing else, gives you another perspective on this.

[Ingemar]

I liked your post Torque, a very good compliment to the numerous guides that will make you reach stardom(tm) floating around the net.

I forwarded it to internetdj.com here http://www.internetdj.com/modules.php?o ... 7&forum=21

[Techelon]

ok, these are good tips and tricks thanks,
i try to produce on cubase sx, the next question will probably sound idiotic but i'm still producing since 1 year or so, you say cut some 20hz 200 hz,...
how do you do it with cubase.
thx

[hydrogen]

ok, these are good tips and tricks thanks,
i try to produce on cubase sx, the next question will probably sound idiotic but i'm still producing since 1 year or so, you say cut some 20hz 200 hz,...
how do you do it with cubase.
thx

ha... i don't even know cubase... but you'll probably want to find something like this in there... its called an EQ.



you can use the lo to dip the 20hz. and the parametric mids to dip the 200hz.

There should be one of these per track and so you'll probably need to turn them on because they'll be off by default.

Somebody else might have more details, but you should find this on your own. Consider it excersise.

Good Luck.

[jessejames]

Jeff which EQ is that? Looks nice.

[hydrogen]

Its the eq from cubase... Here is a tutorial from sound on sound...

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep05/a ... setech.htm

There are so many different EQ's. The ableton EQ8 is pretty nice. Waves Native are pretty good too. They all have similar features and get the job done.

[sidney frost]

nice

[Monotek]

thank you guys for these tips