First of all, whats the difference between Mixing and Mastering? Ive heard different things each time someone tells me.
Recent work:
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I wanna know how i can make the quality of my vocals sounding better, with better Mixing/Mastering.
I currently have a 'MXL 990 USB Powered Condenser Microphone', and using Sony Acid Pro 7 to Record.
Can anyone point me in the right direction?
-Scytsophrenia-
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Mixing -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_m...orded_music%29
Mastering -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Disc_manufacturing
A quick Google search can be your friend.
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(currently under construction)
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Thanks, im doing personal research myself.
Does anyone use Acid to record?
-Scytsophrenia-
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I use ProTools, but the mixing process is universal... the particular functions of different software may vary, a person's preferred methods may vary, but it all comes down to the same basic principles... first, you want your input (vocals, in this case) to be as clean as possible... this includes how you prepare your recording area, you wanna keep all noise to a minimum... turn off the furnace or a/c, ceiling fans, etc... use some sort of sound treatment to absorb your voice's echo from carryin' into the mic... a little room reverb can be good, you'll find what works for you... get your mic as far from the comp as possible, comps are noisy... next, you want your input levels to be in the right range, typically with your AVERAGE peaks hittin' around -12 to -10 on the meter, and your louder peaks hittin' around -6ish... it's not exact, but this will leave room for you to mix after you've recorded... as you progress you'll learn better vocal control and proximity control (how close you are to the mic) and you'll be able to limit the amount of overly loud peaks... next, record... use a pop filter to cut down on plosive sounds (p's and b's etc)... I angle the mic slightly straight away from me as well, so my voice doesn't slam into it dead on but rather "slides" along the face of it... this helps to reduce plosives as well... be aware of your proximity, back away a little if you're puttin' extra emphasis on a part... stay in front of the mic, don't bob and weave or nod your head too much... all this will help to get your input as clean and quality as possible, so you've got a nice piece to begin mixin' rather than fighti' so many elements that can be easily addressed through preparation...
I'll get into mixin' later, I'm goin' to bed though...
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Thanks, alot man. This really helped and its giving me a better understanding of what i need to do. Next track will be beast on quality! haha. Good looks, means alot bro!Originally Posted by Keebonic Plague
-Scytsophrenia-
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no problem, that's just the start... I'll put up a little more in a bit...
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Good looks! Lmk!
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next step is compression and equalization... or equalization and compression... some do one first then the other, some are vice versa... it really don't matter...
the thing about EQ is it can drastically change your sound, and not always for the better... for people startin' out, I advise to reduce the levels with your EQ, don't boost 'em... you start addin' to shit and before long you'll be all fucked up... the only exception I tend to make is a slight boost in two spots, I'll get to that in a sec... the two easiest EQ's to work with are a graphic and a parametric... I typically think a parametric is easiest for beginners, it allows you to affect a range of frequencies with each slider, rather than individual frequencies havin' their own sliders... unless you have a real deep voice, first I would say drop out all the lows, anything below 80hz... most voices don't get lower than that anyway, so it helps to clear up room in your mix... next, since you're usin' that MXL USB joint, I'd say take a little outta the mids... most USB mics are made to enhance the mids a bit to make 'em sound "warmer" but I think they end up soundin' kinda boxy and muddy... if you're usin' a parametric EQ, a slider at around 400 will let you take the general mids down, but don't go crazy... just lower them a few decibels, 3 is probably plenty... now, the one exception I talked about, is a slight bump in the highs... with a parametric, a slider set at 5khz and raised a few decibels should put a nice little bump from around 2khz to 8khz... a strong male vocal presence is achieved with a bump at 2khz, and the bump between 5-8 will add a little "air" to your mix and help the vocal sit in there better... again, about 3 decibels is plenty... NONE OF THIS IS SET IN STONE, so play around with the settings till you find what makes you sound good... like I said though, don't go overboard with your cuts and don't go boostin' shit all over the place... at least not till you start to get familiar with it...
compression is where a lotta people get confused and screw shit up... compression is designed to lower the level of your louder peaks to bring the overall perceived volume of your vocal to a more consistent level... compression has four basic adjustments: threshold, ratio, attack/release, and output (or make-up) gain... threshold is the level at which the compressor goes to work, you wanna set this at or just below where the loud peaks start to exceed the average levels... if you're setup so your input peaks average around -12, then between there and -15 is likely a good starting point for your threshold... your ratio is the amount of compression... the number on the left is input decibels above the threshold, the number to the right is output decibels above the threshold... I tend to say a 2.5:1 or 3:1 ratio is suitable for hip hop vocals, and this would mean that any time your peak goes 2 1/2 (or 3) decibels over the threshold, it is compressed to only 1 decibel over the threshold... so obviously if your peak goes 5 (or 6) decibels over the threshold, it is compressed to only 2 decibels over the threshold... make sense??? next, the attack and release are simple... they are how quickly the compressor kicks in and how quickly it lets off... for hip hop I say a fast attack and not-quite-as-fast release are best... these times are measured in milliseconds, by the way... I typically want the compressor to go to work very quickly, between 2 and 10 milliseconds, and to release fairly quickly also, between 30 and 60 milliseconds... if it releases too quickly it can make your vocals sound like they're kinda "pumping" up and down... the last part, and a very important part, is output (or make-up) gain... when you compress, the overall "volume" of your piece gets lower, the dynamic range is reduced... to get back that perceived volume you need to increase the output gain... it's basically as simple as increasing the output gain to equal the amount that was lost... if your compression caused you to lose about 6 decibels, increase your output gain to maybe 5... again, these are not set in stone numbers, just a base to give you an idea...
now, I'm not a pro, far from it... this is all my personal understanding of the process from my own trial and error and research... I recommend you read up on compression and EQ to understand them better... I'll be back with more shit later on...
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I look at it this way, Mixing is melding all your elements (vocals, drums, piano, or whatever) so that they all sit nicely into the song,
Eq, effects, compression etc. Mastering comes after you have a mixed down song. With mastering your looking to make the most out of everything at once, for example Boosting the low frequencys to bring out the bass, or lifting the highs to make it sizzle, Taking out some mud, or Using multi-band compressors to tighten up the song etc. Mixing is in the song on each individual element, Mastering is done on the entire project as a whole. My advice to you would be make sure you have a good recording enviorment 1st, be sure to use a pop filter, Maybe think about gettin a new mic? I had a MXL .006 USB mic a while ago, it got the job done but thats about it. I think a Condensor mic ran thru a preamp will sound better than a USB anyday. Even if they say "This usb mic has a built in preamp" cmon now, how good of a preamp you gonna fit in there?? Also use panning to your advantage, a tiny knotch left or right can do wonders exspecially with back vocals. Also good monitors for mixing is helpfull. Trial and error... read alot too lol.
mixing is done with individual tracks and mastering is done with the master track
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