[quote]jonsloan (16/08/2010)[hr]hey ICN, apart from the multi channel wave display - which looks really useful - does it anything more than Ableton’s built in analyzer?[/quote]
Yes you can freeze span and I think its more accurate
Damb right Slender - The Hold button. Great feature.
How do you zoooooom in?
The slide-y bar at the bottom of the waveform… goes from Left to Right.
Put it on Lo_Freq Setting & it makes it a bit clearer or slower or something.
[quote]Mussi81 (16/08/2010)[hr]How do you zoooooom in?[/quote]
I usually put my face on the screen 
haha!
[quote]Mussi81 (16/08/2010)[hr]How do you zoooooom in?[/quote]
ha ha i was looking at the wrong vst lol
what a ****
TIP MAKE SURE USING THE RIGHT VST!
Brilliant!
As you probably all know you can equalize at different stages:
- each individual instrument in solo on its way to the multitrack
- each individual instrument in solo during mixdown (a little eq)
- each instrument relative to eachother during mixdown
- entire mix in the mastering stage
Don’t use any effects like reverbs, echoes before the equalizing stage !
- Bass zone 40-200Hz
Instruments Bottom 40-100Hz:
Bass-Kick-Floor Toms-Vocals-Piano-Organ-Cello/Double Bass/Percussion (bongos-congas)
Instruments Fullness 100-200Hz:
Bass-Kick-Snare-All Toms-Vocals-Piano-Guitars-Organ-Cello/Double Bass/Horns/ Percussion (bongos-congas)
– decide which instruments should take care of the bottom 40-100Hz
*MAKE SURE
– if you didn’t at the second stage “each individual instrument in solo during mixdown (a little eq)” solo each
instrument and clean them up by throwing away all unnecessary frequencies
– solo the instrument which sounds the best to your opinion
– check this one together with the worst sounding instrument and get them sounding as transparent as possible
together and listen in mono (one speaker)
– now you have a good transparent foundation and add the next instrument and make them sound transparent as
well with the three together. Repeat the same steps with all the following instruments and listen in mono. You will
see that you will getting to know the bottom of your mix very well and that you will treat each added instrument
serving the others
- Muddiness zone 200-800Hz
Instruments:
Bass-Kick-Snare-All Toms-Hi Hat Cymbals-Vocals-Piano-Guitars-Organ-Cello/Double Bass/Horns
If you didn’t at the second stage “each individual instrument in solo during mixdown Most of the mudd is in the
280-350Hz range.Repeat all the steps of 1) from “solo the instrument which sounds the best to your opinion”(Mixing each instrument relative to eachother in the third stage)
- Midrange 800-5 Khz
Instruments:
Bass-All Toms-Hi Hat Cymbals-Vocals-Piano-Electric Guitar-Strings
– Check the Piano for muddiness in this range.
– Check the folowing instruments for presence: Bass-All Toms-Vocals- Piano
– Check the following instruments for irritation: Hi Hat Cymbals-Electric guitar-Strings
Repeat all the steps of 1) from “solo the instrument which sounds the best to your opinion”
- Highs 5-8 Khz
Instruments:
Bass-Kick-Snare-Toms-Hi Hat Cymbals-Vocals-Piano-Guitars-Organ-Strings/Horns/ Percussion
This range is for the high ends of Bass Kick and Toms and clarity for the others.
In this range you can get real presence for the snare.
Repeat all the steps of 1) from “solo the instrument which sounds the best to your opinion”
- Hi Highs > 8 Khz
Instruments:
Hi hat Cymbals-Vocals-Piano-Guitars-Strings
Here you can get the sparkling and hisses of the instruments.
IN THIS WAY YOU WILL GET TO KNOW ALL THE FREQUENCIES OF YOUR MIX IN DIFFERENT AREAS.
Get rid of unnecessary frequencies of your instrument before
mixing together !
The reason I set up this step to step guideline is to start your mix as clean as possible and use only the
necessary frequencies of your instruments.
Before you start the mixing process of the instruments together do following:
First Target: knowing all the frequencies below the midrange (below about 800Hz)
- Solo your instrument, for instance an acoustic guitar
- Insert an equalizer
- Use a high pass (low cut) filter with the steepest setting you can get
- First listen to your instrument how it sounds without any processing
- Now start your low cut filter slowly from the bottom 20Hz and go upwards and listen and notice where you
firs thear the bottom of your instrument change and stop
- Take a pen and write down at what frequency, for example at 100Hz
(Get rid of unnecessary frequencies of your instrument before mixing together)
- Do it again and stop at the at 800Hz
- Listen now with and without the equalizer several times
Second target: limit the bottom of your intrument
- Start your low cut filter at the change point you wrote down (in my example at 100Hz)
- Now slowly move it upwards and stop at the point you think your instrument still sounds good in the bottom
- Do it again and decide where you set the cut off frequency. This could be right at 100 Hz or at 130Hz or elsewhere
- Leave it this way: you just limited the bottom
Third target: knowing all the frequencies above the midrange (about 5 Khz)
- We continue using the same instrument and the same equalizer
- Use a low pass (high cut) filter with the steepest setting
(Get rid of unnecessary frequencies of your instrument before mixing together)
- Listen first again without any processing and start at the top 20Khz down and stop at the point where your instrument
changes
- Take a pen and write down at what frequency, for example at 12Khz
- Do it again and stop at 5Khz
- Listen now with and without the equalizer several times
Fourth target: limit the top of your instrument
- Start your high cut filter at the change point you wrote down (in my example at 12Khz)
- Now slowly move it down and stop at the point you think your instrument still sounds good in the highs
- Do it again and decide where you set the cut off frequency. This could be right at 12Khz or at 11Khz or elsewhere
- Leave it this way: you just limited the top frequencies
*OBVIOUSLY MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT HITTING YOUR EQS HARDER THAN -20dbfs to -18dbfs.PROPER GAIN STAGING ENSURES YOURE LEAVING YOURSELF PLENTY OF HEADROOM TO AVOID DIGITAL CLIPPING,THIS IS PROBABLY SOMETHING SONIC SHOULD START COVERING IN THEIR TUTS.
Wish we had the ability to thank people’s posts on this forum sometimes… and posts like that one deserve a thanks.
Appreciate that Bobby - Fair play for sharing that Mate! 
bloody good work bobby, I’m going to print that out and use that on my next tune
[quote]bouffont (17/08/2010)[hr]bloody good work bobby, I’m going to print that out and use that on my next tune[/quote]
+1 - thanks for all the tips been a really interesting read folks
great tips indeed… thanks guys
finding the true bpm
1, load up the file,
2, set loop points ( say 1 bar )
3, hit play & continue to adjust the tempo till it fits.
done.
note, the downbeat should be the start of left locator …
works for all material acapella , keys, drums anything.
now that you have the true bpm… hit warp ’ )
simple but highly effective.
Lenners
Hey Lenners, Cool tip Man
From another forum that I frequent. Some really good stuff…
Lately I have seen WAY TOO MANY “newbies” who have NO CLUE of the magnitude of the journey they are about embark on when they enter into the realm of music production. Thus I am offering these 10 Newbie Commandments as a Guideline of what steps should be followed before one considers purchasing Studio/Recording equipment.
The Ten “Newbie” Commandments
* Thou Shalt “LEARN ABOUT MIDI”
“MIDI” is the language in which just about ALL music production equipment made within the last 20 years speaks! It is IMPERATIVE that you learn as much about MIDI as possible. Learn what it does and how it works. If you DON’T have a good grasp of how MIDI works, I suggest you DON’T BUY A DAMN THING! Purchasing Music production equipment without a basic knowledge of MIDI is like an American being dropped off in Russia and trying to communicate with the locals. You MUST know MIDI because I guarantee you that at some point in your budding production career you WILL have to deal with it. Plain and Simple
* Thou Shalt “READ THY MANUALS”
It NEVER ceases to amaze me, how many people come to forums like these asking for answers to complex questions that are covered DIRECTLY IN THE MANUAL! Why on earth would you totally disregard the knowledge given to you by the ENGINEERS, you know, the people that MADE THE DAMN DEVICE! I know that some manuals can be VERY difficult to read but you are gonna have to just “suck it up” and RE-READ it as many times as it takes for you to UNDERSTAND it. Sure, someone will eventually SPOONFEED you the answer if you ask nicely enough but why take someones word for it when the answer is ALREADY GIVEN TO YOU. Stop being so DAMN LAZY and USE the materials at your disposal
* Thou Shalt “LEARN ABOUT CABLES”
You SHOULD have a basic knowledge of WHICH cables you need to hook up your gear. This is something that can be EASILY researched. ALMOST ALL of the gear you will use will have to be hooked up to something else at some point and knowing what cables you need is an ABSOLUTE MUST. Once again I have to suggest, If you DON’T KNOW about the various different cables used in music production, DON’T BUY A DAMN THING! You might be able to get someone to hook up your studio for you but if you are gonna RELY on that person every time you get a new piece then you might as well leave the music production to them.
* Thou Shalt “RESEARCH THY GEAR BEFORE BUYING”
I have seen too many poor souls fishing around in music gear stores who don’t have a clue as to what they need and why. There are a great many things to be considered before you start to purchase gear. You should put in the hours BEFORE HAND to make sure that the gear you purchase CAN ACTUALLY DO the things you need it to do. You are gonna get taken advantage of if you walk into a store and say. “What do I need to buy so I can make Beats” The internet is available to you so use it. Often times various websites have the Manuals uploaded before the gear even comes out so there is no excuse to end up with a piece of gear that doesn’t meet up to your expectations. In all the years that I have owned gear I have NEVER ran across a piece of gear that could not do what it’s Spec Sheet and owners manual SAID IT COULD DO. It’s up to you. You could do some research now and get the RIGHT piece for the job OR you can go out “Half-Cocked” and end up wasting lots of $$$$ on stuff that didn’t do the job you needed done.
* Thou Shalt “PRACTICE THY CRAFT”
Once you DO decide on a purchase, be committed to it. Don’t be so quick to give up on a piece of gear because it is difficult to learn at first. ALL gear has a learning curve based on its complexity and your personal music production knowledge. The more you use a piece the more its operating system will become familiar to you. Eventually you will be able to operate the gear effortlessly but it takes TIME. If you keep hopping from one piece to another you will never learn anything. Sometimes it will be rough but that’s what the manual is for. You also have places like this to help you out. Just make sure that if you end up parting with a piece of gear that it is because you outgrew that piece or it was not right for you. NOT because you didn’t KNOW how to use it.
* Thou Shalt “RESIST THE URGE TO BUY ON IMPULSE”
One of the biggest pitfalls of new producers is what’s commonly referred to as G.A.S. or “Gear Acquisition Syndrome” There will ALWAYS be new and exciting pieces of gear on the market for you to spend your hard earned $$$$ on. Just remember YOU CANT OWN THEM ALL. You have to stay FOCUSED and remember why you got into music production…TO MAKE MUSIC, not to buy gear. Most young producers have limited budgets for gear so for most this wont be a problem but for those who are fortunate enough to spend whatever they like, remember this. The more stuff you buy the more stuff you have to LEARN. I am sure you may have heard the phrase “Jack of all trades, Master of none” Well the object hear is to MASTER the gear that we have and to make only those purchases that are NECESSARY for the advancement of our craft. Having a room full of gear might LOOK nice but it wont make you a better producer only a POORER one.
* Thou Shalt “BEWARE OF FALSE PROPHETS" (SALES PEOPLE)
Keep in mind that the ONLY job of sales people is to SELL STUFF. When you go into music stores sales people WILL help you but their primary job is to sell you something. If you go in UNPREPARED and UNINFORMED there is a much greater chance that you will end up with the Most expensive gear that they can convince you to buy. It has been my personal experience that MOST of the sales people I have encountered had an EQUAL or LESSER amount of music production knowledge than I did! I am by no means a scholar, just someone who uses every available avenue to increase my knowledge about things that are important to me. Your BEST defense against these “False Prophets” is to have your homework DONE when you go in the store. Know what you want or at least what TYPE of gear you want. Know WHY you want it. That way you can keep a salesperson focused on getting you the gear that will best help you to achieve your goals, not the gear that will help him/her achieve their goal. (A Large Commission)
* Thou Shalt “CONTINUALLY SEEK KNOWLEDGE”
There are MANY opportunities for us to learn more about music production. As an aspiring “Super Producer” you should seek to learn AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE about music production. The industry is FLOODED with others just like you, who want to make their mark AND make that money. Anything you can do to separate yourself from the “Pack” will be beneficial. Go ahead, Read that article on “Getting better Vocals”, go to the library and check out that book on “Proper Mixing Techniques”. You MUST realize going into this that it is a NEVER ENDNG cycle of learning that you will be involved in. There is SO much knowledge out there and you SHOULD want ALL of it. Read EVERYTHING that may have some knowledge pertaining to your craft. The more you STUDY the better you will be at what you do. It’s like going to school for the REST OF YOUR LIFE…now ask yourself….ARE YOU READY FOR THAT!?!?
* Thou Shalt “PROTECT THY EARS" (HEARING)
I see a lot of people doing STUPID stuff to their ears all the time. Understand this…YOUR EARS ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF EQUIPMENT YOU HAVE! You HAVE TO take care of your hearing in order to do your job well. I know you like to BLAST those headphones when you are working out. Well guess what? You are going to have to give up a lot of the BAD HABITS that you have learned over the years. No more “Rumbling” down the street with that brand new 1000 watt stereo ALL THE WAY UP in you new pimped out ride. No more playing Splinter Cell on X-BOX with the surround sound MAXED OUT. You have to use common sense. I Personally would MUCH RATHER lose my sight than lose my hearing. Without your ears there would be no music business! Let me repeat that….WITHOUT YOUR EARS THERE WOULD BE NO NEED FOR A MUSIC INDUSTRY BECAUSE THERE WOULD BE NO MUSIC………Only Silence…
* Thou Shalt “REMAIN HUMBLE”
I know a lot of you are wondering…What does being HUMBLE have to do with music production? Well, I’ll tell you. Remaining HUMBLE will enable you to do EVERYTHING ELSE on this list. Humility will keep you GROUNDED so you will always have something to STRIVE for. Once you THINK you know everything you will become complacent. You will lose your DRIVE and slowly start to lose sight of your goals. Remembering that there is always something you can learn from the “Next Man” will keep you HUNGRY in the game and help to fuel your ambitions. We are ALL imperfect creatures and thus there is ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. Never become so cocky that you are not willing to LISTEN to the Ideas and Advice of other people. Always remember that this journey you are about to embark on is one of COMMITMENT, DETERMINATION and FOCUS. These are the things you will need aid you in you quest for SUCCESS……
And Remember….
The race goes not to the SWIFT, nor to the STRONG, but to he that ENDURETH FOREVER!
Good Luck!
Here is another good one. I posted this elsewhere, but Im sure the newer guys havent seen this yet…
Eq Settings
General:
20 Hz and below - impossible to detect, remove as it only adds unnecessary energy to the total sound, thereby most probably holding down the overall volume of the track
60 Hz and below - sub bass (feel only)
80(-100) Hz - feel AND hear bass
100-120 Hz - the “club sound system punch” resides here
200 Hz and below - bottom
250 Hz - notch filter here can add thump to a kick drum
150-400 Hz - boxiness
200 Hz-1.5 KHz - punch, fatness, impact
800 Hz-4 KHz - edge, clarity, harshness, defines timbre
4500 Hz - exteremly tiring to the ears, add a slight notch here
5-7 KHz - de-essing is done here
4-9 KHz - brightness, presence, definition, sibilance, high frequency distortion
6-15 KHz - air and presence
9-15 KHz - adding will give sparkle, shimmer, bring out details - cutting will smooth out harshness and darken the mix
Kicks:
60Hz with a Q of 1.4 – Add fullness to kicks.
5Khz with a Q of 2.8 – Adds attack to Kicks
bottom (60 - 80 Hz),
slap (4 kHz)
EQ>Cut below 80Hz to remove rumble
Boost between 80 -125 Hz for bass
Boost between 3 - 5kHz to get the slap
PROCESSING> Compression 4:1/6:1 slow attack med release.
Reverb: Tight room reverb (0.1-0.2ms)
General:
Apply a little cut at 300Hz and some boost between 40Hz and 80Hz.
Control The Attack:
Apply boost or cut around 4KHz to 6KHz.
Treat Muddiness:
Apply cut somewhere in the 100Hz to 500Hz range.
kick>> bottom depth at 60 - 80 Hz, slap attack at 2.5Hz
Snares:
200Hz - 250Hz with a Q of 1.4 – Adds wood to snares
3Khz with a Q of 1.4 – Adds atack to snare.
7Khz with a Q of 2.8 – Adds Sharpness to snares and percussion
fatness at 120-240Hz
boing at 400Hz
crispness at 5kHz
snap at 10kHz
fatness (240 Hz), crispness (5 kHz)
EQ> Boost above 2kHz for that crisp edge
Cut at 1kHz to get rid of the sharp peak
Boost at 125Hz for a full snare sound
Cut at 80Hz to remove rumble
PROCESSING> Compression 4:1 slow attack med release.
Reverb: Tight room reverb (0.1-0.2ms)
snare>> fatness at 240HZ, crispness at 5 KHz
Vocals
General:
Roll off below 60Hz using a High Pass Filter. This range is unlikely to contain anything useful, so you may as well reduce the noise the track contributes to the mix.
Treat Harsh Vocals:
To soften vocals apply cut in a narrow bandwidth somewhere in the 2.5KHz to 4KHz range.
Get An Open Sound:
Apply a gentle boost above 6KHz using a shelving filter.
Get Brightness, Not Harshness:
Apply a gentle boost using a wide-band Bandpass Filter above 6KHz. Use the Sweep control to sweep the frequencies to get it right.
Get Smoothness:
Apply some cut in a narrow band in the 1KHz to 2KHz range.
Bring Out The Bass:
Apply some boost in a reasonably narrow band somewhere in the 200Hz to 600Hz range.
Radio Vocal Effect:
Apply some cut at the High Frequencies, lots of boost about 1.5KHz and lots of cut below 700Hz.
Telephone Effect:
Apply lots of compression pre EQ, and a little analogue distortion by turning up the input gain. Apply some cut at the High Frequencies, lots of boost about 1.5KHz and lots of cut below 700Hz.
vocals>> fullness at 120 Hz, boominess at 200 - 240 Hz, presence at 5 kHz, sibilance at 7.5 - 10 kHz
Hats:
10Khz with a Q of 1.0 – Adds brightness to hats and cymbals
Hi Hat & Cymbals: sizzle (7.5 - 10 kHz), clank (200 Hz)
EQ> Boost above 5kHz for sharp sparkle
Cut at 1kHz to remove jangling
PROCESSING> Compression use high ratio for high energy feel
Reverb: Looser than Bass n Snare allow the hats and especially the Rides to ring a little
Get Definition:
Roll off everything below 600Hz using a High Pass Filter.
Get Sizzle:
Apply boost at 10KHz using a Band Pass Filter. Adjust the bandwidth to get the sound right.
Treat Clangy Hats:
Apply some cut between 1KHz and 4KHz.
hi hats/cymbals>> clank or gong sound at 200 Hz, shimmer at 7.5 kHz - 12 kHz
Guitar:
Treat Unclear Vocals:
Apply some cut to the guitar between 1KHz and 5KHz to bring the vocals to the front of the mix.
General:
Apply a little boost between 100Hz and 250Hz and again between 10KHz and 12KHz.
Acoustic Guitar
Add Sparkle:Try some gentle boost at 10KHz using a Band Pass Filter with a medium bandwidth.
General:
Try applying some mid-range cut to the rhythm section to make vocals and other instruments more clearly heard.
Other:
Voice: presence (5 kHz), sibilance (7.5 - 10 kHz), boominess (200 - 240 kHz), fullness (120 Hz)
Electric Guitar: fullness (240 Hz), bite (2.5 kHz), air / sizzle (8 kHz)
Bass Guitar: bottom (60 - 80 Hz), attack (700 - 1000 Hz), string noise (2.5 kHz)
Toms: attack (5 kHz), fullness (120 - 240 Hz)
Acoustic Guitar: harshness / bite (2 kHz), boominess (120 - 200 Hz), cut (7 - 10 kHz)
Bass - Compressed, EQ’d with a full bottom end and some mids
rack toms>> fullness at 240 Hz, attack at 5 kHz
floor toms>> fullness at 80 - 120 Hz, attack at 5 kHz
horns>> fullness at 120 - 240 Hz, shrill at 5 - 7.5 kHz
strings>> fullness at 240 Hz, scratchiness at 7.5 - 10 kHz
conga/bongo>> resonance at 200 - 240 Hz, slap at 5 kHz
General Frequencies:
EQ Reference: Frequencies
50Hz
Boost: To thicken up bass drums and sub-bass parts.
Cut: Below this frequency on all vocal tracks. This should reduce the effect of any microphone ‘pops’.
70-100Hz
Boost: For bass lines and bass drums.
Cut: For vocals.
General: Be wary of boosting the bass of too many tracks. Low frequency sounds are particularly vulnerable to phase cancellation between sounds of similar frequency. This can result in a net 'cut of the bass frequencies.
200-400Hz
Boost: To add warmth to vocals or to thicken a guitar sound.
Cut: To bring more clarity to vocals or to thin cymbals and higher frequency percussion.
Boost or Cut: to control the ‘woody’ sound of a snare.
400-800Hz
Boost: To add warmth to toms.
Boost or Cut: To control bass clarity, or to thicken or thin guitar sounds.
General: In can be worthwhile applying cut to some of the instruments in the mix to bring more clarity to the bass within the overall mix.
800Hz-1KHz
Boost: To thicken vocal tracks. At 1 KHz apply boost to add a knock to a bass drum.
1-3KHz
Boost: To make a piano more aggressive. Applying boost between 1KHz and 5KHz will also make guitars and basslines more cutting.
Cut: Apply cut between 2 KHz and 3KHz to smooth a harsh sounding vocal part.
General: This frequency range is often used to make instruments stand out in a mix.
3-6KHz
Boost: For a more ‘plucked’ sounding bass part. Apply boost at around 6KHz to add some definition to vocal parts and distorted guitars.
Cut: Apply cut at about 3KHz to remove the hard edge of piercing vocals. Apply cut between 5KHZ and 6KHz to dull down some parts in a mix.
6-10KHz
Boost: To sweeten vocals. The higher the frequency you boost the more ‘airy/breathy’ the result will be. Also boost to add definition to the sound of acoustic guitars or to add edge to synth sounds or strings or to enhance the sound of a variety of percussion sounds. For example boost this range to:
Bring out cymbals.
Add ring to a snare.
Add edge to a bass drum.
10-16KHz
Boost: To make vocals more ‘airy’ or for crisp cymbals and percussion. Also boost this frequency to add sparkle to pads, but only if the frequency is present in the original sound, otherwise you will just be adding hiss to the recording.
Why hasn’t this thread been stickied? It’s turning into one of the most useful ones on here.
Thanks Howie and all you other guys for such good advice.
youre welcome sir!
Great posts Howie, have put them in with the tips
"Sure, someone will eventually SPOONFEED you the answer if you ask nicely enough but why take someones word for it when the answer is ALREADY GIVEN TO YOU. Stop being so DAMN LAZY "
I especially love this bit, hahaha.
I often feel this should be applied to many of the HTSL requests, the ‘know how’ is already there, yet HTSL is still asked for.