1. When I started recording I used to aim on tape to get stuff in at about +6db.. and got nice results. Should I aim on a 24bit system to get every instrument in at closest to 0db? or is -12db sufficient?
2. When I start a mix I start with kick and bass? is this best? What should the kick hit? -12db? more? If its dependant on the type of music what governs the first volumes when a mix engineer starts? I still struggle to know if I should wack the kick up to 0db and pump it through a commpressor or just have it gently sat art around -16db.
3. How does one sit the bass so its not boomy but almost not there behind the mix not evading the kick drum? I find I cannot stop the damb thing from dominating.
4. Do rock mix engineers compress most of the stuff before it enters into the DAW or can you achieve this quite adequatly with plug ins.
5. The SSL channel compressor, is this a reasonable compressor on the Duende? Is it worth using something else? - Please note I am not trying to be mister mastering engineeer of the year, just want m mixes to sound clean.
6. I Keep asking this, is there any videos that are even worth watching that help with any of this stuff?
7. Are there any good mixing sites for heavy rock that might help me further.
If your peaks on individual tracks are hitting -12 to -10dBfs then you are in very good shape. There is no real benefit to getting really close to zero and it can create a lot of problems. Conservative levels are your friend no matter what kind of music you are working on.
'0dB' on tape (or output from any analog gear, for that matter) is equivalent to -18dbFS on your DAW (sometimes it may be -22dBFS, or another).
So if you're running at about -18dBFS in your DAW you're already optimizing your analog chain.
Once you're "ITB" of course, you can mix as close to 0dbFS as you want, but if you plan to have something mastered it's wise to leave plenty of headroom. There's very little to be worried about if it's 'too quiet'. The noise floor is incredibly low at 24 bit.
Originally posted by Ronan Chris Murphy: Record with conservative levels!!!!!!!
If your peaks on individual tracks are hitting -12 to -10dBfs then you are in very good shape. There is no real benefit to getting really close to zero and it can create a lot of problems. Conservative levels are your friend no matter what kind of music you are working on.
Does this apply when recording at 16bit also (with the higher noise floor)? I typically go between -6dB and -3dB, should I drop the levels down a bit more?
I believe (my theory is usually ok its my mixing thats crap) that 24bit give you the bonus headroom that isn't available on 16bit. Thats why in 16 bit its very popular to compress or limit the peaks to get a little bit more of the signal into the digital domain. Do you have the option to go 24bit, most PC audio cards support that and from what i can tell it makes life a little easier.
When tracking... your analog gear (preamps, compressors, etc) are designed to run at 0dB output. That leaves the range from 0dBVU to about +18dBVU for 'headroom' to catch overs. That's where your analog gear is DESIGNED to run. That output (0dBVU) corresponds to about -18dBFS on your digital meters. If your DAW meters are reading above -18dBFS, you are overdriving your analog chain.
In this case, how many bits you're using isn't relevant. Using fewer bits probably just means you need to be more careful getting it clean to start with.
you have so many questions. There are some really good dvd;s that may help you. Charles Dye has one I liked, the ones UAD are distributing that were really made by steinberg are really good. WHen I mix I pull everything up at one time to get a good idea of what I have and work from there. You may need to compress your bass and use a buss compressor to. I would highly recomend the DVD,s I mentioned
i have loads of qustion thanks for the DVD recommendations I will be also going on holiday soon so book suggestions welcome too.. specially beach reading material! thats right im gonna chill to theory.
When I listen to a band I liove I notice that in my DAW they peak at around 0.7db
... I hear that a clip is only 3 samples or more so you can get even more loundness by clipping in the right way is this correct? - DONT worry i wont do this I'd leave that up to the experts but i was just curious
Thanks for the advice and the DVD suggestions, i checked out some stuff on youtube.
I have begun to realise that some of the advice on this forum is.. well fantatic! Thank you so much I listen to my older mixes and they sound crap, but the new ones really are shining, and my understanding of EQ really is coming on. Im learning to boost instruments in the right ranges and utilize diffrent areas, ie 12kish for more air and presence, and realise the attack ranges and what really makes a sound stick out. My old trakcs the drums were just none existant. Thansk again for all your help.
My girlfiend is away for 1 month, and I will be really trying to pull some stuff together, I actually feel 20x more confident than before and really do owe some of it to the input on this forum. I am a negative person but this experience might change that about me.. I hope to come back soon with some good stuff.
On eq, I got to talk to George Massenburg on line once, He told me always remember, what you take out is a lot more important than what you add. It is always better to take out a frequency when you can get the same effect as adding it somewhere else. Say for instance on a vocal you can boost 2k for precence but get maybe a better effect by cutting 375 to 400. Your getting there great advice on this forum read everything you can get your hands on
