Hi all.
I have noticed that when I add the lead to a tune the other elements of the track, in particular the bass and little sounds hidden in the drums, tend to loose their effect on the track, and become less recognizable. Of course I expect the lead to be predominant but not to completely put in the shade the more delicate elements of the track.
Please help me to understand where I’m making a mistake.
Matt
Panning
Check to make sure that there isn’t a great majority of sounds down the center. Sometimes, a simple pan to the left or right can make all the difference.
EQ
This is SO difficult, and takes SO long to learn, but be sure to also EQ your sound to sit in a relatively narrow range in the frequency spectrum, and at an area that isn’t overly occupied by something else. For example, is your lead sound interfering with the open hats, or the shaker, perhaps? If so, EQ everything so it is tightly placed in the mix and avoids anything else.
Compress
When you have set the panning and EQ to taste, lightly compress the sound so that you get the most punch with the least amount of dynamic peak. This will make each sound more present in the mix and help it avoid being swallowed by the kick or other low-frequency items.
For example, a good way to practice getting used to all of these things is to mix a kick with hats. That’s it. Notice that the hats are perceived to be louder when the kick breaks? If this is obvious, work with the above techniques to control the sound so that the least amount of dynamic change occurs in the hats when the kick drops or brakes. When you are able to achieve this, you’re on your way to fixing other sounds in your mix!
By the way, this is why most people side chain EVERYTHING to the kick. We are most sensitive to the mid-range frequencies, from ca. 500Hz to about 3.5kHz. Unfortunately, the sounds we all have problems controlling lie outside that range on either side of the spectrum, so our tendency is to BOOST those areas based on our perception of them being too quiet, or out of balance. I find that the Ableton compressor “mix gel” preset is an excellent start to balancing those pesky frequencies in the high and low ranges.
Remember, music is a four-dimensional space. You have left and right (panning), high and low (frequency/pitch), front and back (level/volume) as well as the time it takes one sound to occur (or effects placed on it, like delays and reverbs). Make a mental image of a cube and try to visualize placing your sounds in that cube based on your ranking of the sounds with regards to importance and sound characteristics. See if that helps!
Cool Jamie! 
Thanks ICN! Just trying my best to help out.
What I tend to do is attempt to make my track into a big chord.
Just off the top of my head… but you’ll get the idea:
So if I’m working in Am… So usually looking at the Notes of:
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, G#
I’ll have the kick at 55hz (A1)
Bass around 65hz (C1)
A 2nd bass sound at 82hz-ish (E2)
and so on… I dunno - Thats just rough now… usually stay around those notes to whatever sounds cool… but will move them up or down logically to find a place. where they are out of the way of everything else - if possible.
So if there is a synth sound later playing around 523hz (C5)… I might move another sound that is playing at the same time up to 698hz (F5), 784hz (G5) or 880hz (A5).
Depends what dosent sound too Chipmunk-y. Might lower it either.
I’ll EQ it & SC it of course… but helps I think if you can find the right sound & put it in the right place. Other notes can be great too of course… but thats the basis of where I begin.
Voxengo Span helps me double check where the Freq’s are mainly hitting & their musical pitch
http://www.voxengo.com/product/span/
I have this chart taped to my desk:
JamieinNC has hit the nail on the head.
Haha! I’m a bit dense this morning, Roben…What does the picture mean? Is that coal?
[quote]Roben (27/04/2011)[hr]JamieinNC has hit the nail on the head.
[/quote]
Nail heads are usually made out of lead.
Ah! Gotcha… Are they really?
+1 for a Cryptic Crossword Forum :D
Hah! I was wondering not more than one hour ago how long it would take this thread to get hijacked! Let’s rest assured I wasn’t disappointed by the results. Haha…
[quote]JamieinNC (27/04/2011)[hr]Hah! I was wondering not more than one hour ago how long it would take this thread to get hijacked! Let’s rest assured I wasn’t disappointed by the results. Haha…
[quote]ICN (27/04/2011)[hr]+1 for a Cryptic Crossword Forum:D[/quote][/quote]
Yeah
Hah!!!
Introducing… The Bot-Snuggie! For truly anti-social, porn-addicted trolls everywhere!
I’d like to see every one of the Red Hot Chili Peppers try and fit their members into THAT sock!
[quote]TheAnt (27/04/2011)[hr][quote]JamieinNC (27/04/2011)[hr]Hah! I was wondering not more than one hour ago how long it would take this thread to get hijacked! Let’s rest assured I wasn’t disappointed by the results. Haha…
[quote]ICN (27/04/2011)[hr]+1 for a Cryptic Crossword Forum:D[/quote][/quote]
Yeah
[/quote]
How to make a Crossword like: The Times.
How the fk did a thread on lead turn into sock jobs??! :laugh: :laugh:
I have no idea, but it certainly is a heck of a lot more fun than wrestling with EQ!
Some interesting tips that makes what im gonna say sound pants.
I found when i first started producing i would make the kick and the bass far too loud then when adding other elements to the track they would get lost fighting against the kick and the bass.
Now i start a track with lower kick and bass levels and find it easier to add more to the mix.
Nah… Thats a good one Mate… Gotta get your levels right.
Usually I start off with the Kick around -6 and the bass about -10ish or whatever.
Good tip, Sid!
[quote]5id (27/04/2011)[hr]Some interesting tips that makes what im gonna say sound pants.
I found when i first started producing i would make the kick and the bass far too loud then when adding other elements to the track they would get lost fighting against the kick and the bass.
Now i start a track with lower kick and bass levels and find it easier to add more to the mix.
[/quote]