Hey guys,br
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What I’m having abit of an issue with ATM, is knowing where to set the db peak of my kick drum in the mix, I know some people recommend to have your kick peaking at -6db and then to work around the kick like that, but I find the mix constantly and easily rising above 6 db,br
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The other trick which a couple of mastering engineers have mentioned to me is setting your kick to peak at around -10 to 12db and working on the track from there, this seems like the best way to me because I’m finding my leads and drums can sit better in the mix without over peaking,br
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Cheers
Another option is to set the kick at 0db and place a limiter on it so that it will never clip and then mix everything else around it. I found this technique out from Alex in the Squatters video (in the Artist Series). I defo recommend watching it mate, he gives LOADS of really good advice on mixdowns etc… 
I currently set my kick peaking at -8dB and mix everything else around it from there.br
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Although i am flexible and will move my kick level up or down as required when continuing to work on the track, and when strapping a mastering limiter on the end which will naturally alter the overall balance of the various sounds in the track.br
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One thing i would say though, is that alot of what happens to the levels of the master once you started adding in other elements, depends greatly on how good you are at mixing, and a big part of that is choosing sounds that work really well together in the mix.br
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I find that the better i get at mixing, the more and more stuff i can add to the track, without the master level peaking over about -4dB, even when i set the kick to -8dB.br
Taken from a blog by Dom Sweeten and very good advice!br
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Mixing tracks – a basic approach to setting up your projectbr
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There are many guidelines that can help you mix your track – too many to point out here with a huge varying number of methods and tricks that will help you get a balanced and sweet sounding mix.br
Over the past few months I have been working on a few projects that I’ve been sent by aspiring producers who have sent me their Logic Pro Projects to mix and tweak. Having the complete Project means I can delve inside the track and sort out any problems, replace elements where needed and generally process individual parts that need it.br
This is what has triggered me to put down a few pointers and guidelines that can be followed when building a track up.br
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Having seen how some people put things together and the methods they use to get certain results has proved how the saying ‘less is more’ is even more true.br
Over complicating things can very easily hold you back in the creative process and achieving the final result while mixing and applying EQ.br
Too many times I have sat trying to unpick tracks that are badly set up before I can begin to work on them. From a customers point of view, this will cost. Providing a track in the correct way will speed things up hugely and help to keep costs down. More on how to package up the project folder another time.br
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While centered around dance music production, these technique can also be applied to all forms of music and the production process.br
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Starting Out.br
Start as you mean to go on and set some initial levels.br
Leave the master output fader at zero, do all your levels using the individual channel faders and busses.br
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Get a kick and bass and have them peaking together at around 3/4 (somewhere between -3dB and -6dB).br
This will mean all the other elements will naturally fall into roughly the correct area around them.br
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Avoid going into the red as this will just distort the signal and you will not be able to use other processes such as compression effectively.br
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Once you have started to add other elements it will become obvious how they sit in the mix, keep an eye on the faders and the levels as it will be a good indication of which elements are then the factors that push your mix level higher.br
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Lets say for example you now have the following parts in your track:br
- Kickbr
- Bassbr
- A few individual drumsbr
- A loop or twobr
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You should now be able to see how having them all play together affects the overall output level.br
Drop things in and out by muting them. Which elements are the main peak level munchers?br
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This is a good time to adjust your channel faders to accommodate the above.br
If your output is getting pushed into the red, then bring things down a little until it sits nicely within the 3/4 area. Simple!!br
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Moving On.br
You may notice at this stage that certain channels are bouncing around quite a lot. This is a natural effect of sounds.br
All sounds will have transients and peaks, some more than others. These transients will be the main factor that determine your overall peak level.br
Any sound that has a sharp attack (drums for example) can quickly push your peak level into the red. It’s then up to you to control things at their source, on individual channels where needed, or on busses to minimise the adverse effect of those peaks using compression, limiting and enveloping.br
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From here in you will in no doubt be quite possibly getting into a mess as you add things to try. Crafting tracks can be a creative process that is often held back by getting bogged down in thinking about levels, peaks, eq, compression and limiting so be careful not to over complicate your processing by religiously adding compressors and limiters to all channels. You can always do this later once the main elements are all in. Yes, you may have to use compressors as you go for either creative techniques and some producers like to write through a compressor as it shapes the sound heavily in a way that is intended.br
Just think why you are adding a compressor or limiter, does the sound actually require it?br
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Quick Mix.br
When you are on a roll there is nothing worse than things that slow you down. By having a few things on hand as you go, it can keep things rolling.br
Set a couple of reverbs up that can be used on send busses, one short room reverb and a longer spacial reverb. These can quickly be added to sounds to help you get an idea of the mix early on. You can replace them later for individual sounds as required.br
Try using filters on buss channels that you can group things into. This is a great way to add transitions over sections on selected grouped parts.br
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I have seen a fair few mixes that incorporate far too many elements that crown the mix and serve not enough purpose. Tiny percussion hits that get lost in the mix will just eat up your headroom and crowd the spectrum. Use things sparingly. If your track is going to be played on a sound system then remember that everything is exaggerated. A track can quickly become muddy and over complicated. Remember those tracks you hear at a festival that reduce to a kick and a single sound?br
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A few things to try anyway.
Hi mate where did you see the The Squatters video for studio series i can’t seem to find it?
I think its this one off the top of my head but both of them are well worth watching!br
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Nice read Brendan. Thanks
Def a nice read that. It makes perfect sense really… the kick/sub/bassline tend to, i feel take up most of the volume and its always best to work around those elements. Adding sounds that add to the overall volume is a good way just to turn everything down before peaking into the red. I always leave between -3db -6db on the master channel before the proper mix down/mastering stage.
For the kick pre-plugins/fader around -18dB RMS, than you have plenty headroom. br
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The level I adjust on the source, in my case Battery for the the drums, all my drums peak around -10dB or -18dB RMS. br
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This also the record level for my, hardware synths, into my RME FW800. And again I adjust the level on the source, output, amplifier sustain level or oscilator(s) level(s). Depends on the sound I am after and synth I use.br
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VST synths I don’t use them so much, but I will do the same thing.br
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From there I balance the faders in my DAW, the kick stays on zero. This way I never overload into my plugins and masterchannel. This gives me always a clean mix, even with analog hardware synths.br
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