Latest mix - Low end going nuts

[KingAenarion]

I agree with B, but I disagree with A. I've spent lots of time with g2 Rokit 8s, and as long as your room isn't horrible, they're perfectly usable. They get a lot of hate for being "budget" items, but it's like any other piece of recording equipment - past a certain point, it's less about the quality of the gear, and more about learning to work with what you've got.

It's not the budget end of things, it's just the design and response of them.

They're SUPER low end heavy, so people tend to over compensate on them, and the tweeter design is pretty average, as is the baffling.

The new Scepter and Eris Monitors from Presonus actually put them and the Yamahas to complete shame.

Thanks man! I think where I'm struggling the most is on the stereo out/mastering channel. I get all the levels set for each track, and am happy with the overall balance of the instruments. Then I go to the master bus and add some light compression for glue, and ozone 5 for the multi-band and limiter. When I add ozone, it throws everything out of whack. All of a sudden the subtle parts that I wanted to be subtle are now exaggerated to sh*t, and the low end is flabby (hence why I back it off). I want the overall volume to be loud and whatnot, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'm at a point where I'm starting to get frustrated. I'm happy with the mix prior to it going to mastering, but just can't seem to get it right.

This is why you always mix into your master chain.

I found years ago that everything did sounded better when I steered clear of Ozone.

My current Master Bus channel setup is:

Pre-Fader

- Slate VMR (VCC Mixbus on SSL 4KG, Neve EQ 1dB of high shelf, Custom Series EQ 1dB of High Shelf)

- Fabfilter Pro-Q2 in Linear Phase Best setting in Mid Side mode Highest mode taking out everything in the sides below about 60Hz so the low end is all mono mid.

- Slate VBC everything on but not acting. Once the mix is done I set the Grey to take off about 2dB with slow attack and fast release. Red takes off 1dB of the absolute loudest parts. MU taking off about 2dB on the loudest parts, not stereo linked, adding as much makeup gain as i need to bring it up to about 14dB RMS.

- Slate VTM in 2 Track, FG9, Noise reduction all the way to -80dB, about .6dB bass added.

Post Fader

- Fabfilter Pro L set at -0.3dB fastest attack fastest release, transparent, transient priority dependent on the song.


When I export for Mastering, I only compress on Slate FG-Grey, the other two compressors just go back to default settings with no makeup gain (allowing the mastering Engineer to do what he needs to)

 

[schwiz]

This is why you always mix into your master chain.

Newb here. I have no idea what that means... but I'm assuming that's where you have a pre-defined set of plugins on your master chain, and you process each track to sound good against those plugins. If that's the case, my question is: How do I know what I should be starting with? I have most of the plugins you listed, but how did you figure out that was your go-to set of plugins on your master chain.

Thank you to you and Ted for helping me out and throwing out ideas and suggestions, I do appreciate it, and I'm taking what you guys say and trying out different things. I want to get better at mixing. I want it. I have a lot of writing ideas, but think they'll be crap if I'm less than mediocre at mixing/production and can't translate them correctly.

 

[Drew]

I agree with B, but I disagree with A. I've spent lots of time with g2 Rokit 8s, and as long as your room isn't horrible, they're perfectly usable. They get a lot of hate for being "budget" items, but it's like any other piece of recording equipment - past a certain point, it's less about the quality of the gear, and more about learning to work with what you've got.

While knowing your monitors is probably more important than anything else, especially at this price point, I thought the Rokit 8s had a TON of low end, and weren't very detailed in the upper registers. They were very punchy, and would probably be fun to listen through and wouldn't be bad for monitoring a direct guitar with all that low end, but at the same time I could absolutely see why your mixes would come out having anemic low end on other systems.

Do they have any sort of low end attenuation switch? If not, spending some time experimenting with monitor placement might help...

Sorry to hear the Yamahas, which I real,ly like and own, are now also getting eclipsed in this price range.

 

[TedEH]

The ones I have (g2) have a knob that adds some high end, but nothing to take away low end. I think once you've used those specific monitors for a good while, you just get used to the low end. Once you have an idea of how that translates to other speakers, I don't see it as a big problem, as long as you're verifying the results elsewhere (headphones, other monitors, in a car, etc.).

 

[schwiz]

They must have added that feature in later models. Here's the back of my monitors. I'm already taking out 1 db it looks like.

 

[TedEH]

Yup, mine dont have that extra knob.

 

[jvms]

Guys, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to hijack this thread for a little while. I'm hearing a lot of noises on the guitar tracks that sounds like fret and string buzz. I always get the exact type of noise on my recordings, mainly when I'm muting chugs or regular power chords with my left hand. It seems like the string is buzzing when I lift the finger off it or when I use the other fingers on my left hand to mute the strings, no matter how lightly and carefully I do it. How could I fix this? Is it just bad technique or could it be that the string action is too low?

 

[schwiz]

FWIW, my playing was a tad sloppy, but my guitar was also not setup for the new strings I put on before I started recording. Another newb mistake.

 

[TedEH]

Guys, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to hijack this thread for a little while.

Just make a new thread, this has nothing to do with any of what this thread is talking about.

 

[schwiz]

Here I am again...

I gave this another go based on some of King's suggestions... This mix still isn't perfect but I'm happy with it. Thanks for the tips and techniques.

[SC]http://soundcloud.com/schwizbeats/bangover-re-mixed-and-mastered[/SC]

 

[schwiz]

When your buddy is way better at filming and editing than you are at mixing...

https://youtu.be/G7xXMSjpTzA