Getting a good mix for Ableton
Getting a good mix for Ableton
Hey all,
I am still pretty new to Ableton (used it for a little over a week now) and Im trying to get a good mix/mastering of my songs.
This is something I've never really done before so if anyone has any good tutorials on it please share them
Also, my drums keep getting "lost in the mix" once two or three different instruments are playing, I can barely hear or feel the drums, especially the kicks and claps.
Any input on this?
Thanks!
I am still pretty new to Ableton (used it for a little over a week now) and Im trying to get a good mix/mastering of my songs.
This is something I've never really done before so if anyone has any good tutorials on it please share them
Also, my drums keep getting "lost in the mix" once two or three different instruments are playing, I can barely hear or feel the drums, especially the kicks and claps.
Any input on this?
Thanks!
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- Location: Melbourne, Australia
Re: Getting a good mix for Ableton
it's a journey down the rabbit-hole....
This should serve you well on a very long journey ahead:
Get good monitoring, so you know what's really happening in your mixes.
Reference a whole lot of tracks that you like certain elements of the mix in: ie: good kicks, good stereo width, good space.
Reference a whole lot of tracks that you know sound bad: over compressed, too loud, too soft etc... (and then don't do that.)
Find space in you mixes, and assign you different parts those spaces.->in terms of frequency response, pan-position&depth (sound stage)
Listen on a whole lot of speakers once you've done some mixes.
This should serve you well on a very long journey ahead:
Get good monitoring, so you know what's really happening in your mixes.
Reference a whole lot of tracks that you like certain elements of the mix in: ie: good kicks, good stereo width, good space.
Reference a whole lot of tracks that you know sound bad: over compressed, too loud, too soft etc... (and then don't do that.)
Find space in you mixes, and assign you different parts those spaces.->in terms of frequency response, pan-position&depth (sound stage)
Listen on a whole lot of speakers once you've done some mixes.
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- Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 10:52 pm
Re: Getting a good mix for Ableton
You can sidechain so your kick pokes through more, EQ cut items so your fundamental and secondary frequencies of the clap and kick poke through, compress the kick and clap so that it pokes through more and take the volume down of the non-kick/clap items.
And youtube search is your friend.
And youtube search is your friend.
Re: Getting a good mix for Ableton
Getting a good mix isn't trivial. The best mixers in the world get PAID for it.
There's a lot to go into. I recommend this book. Very comprehensive.
There's a lot to go into. I recommend this book. Very comprehensive.
Re: Getting a good mix for Ableton
these are helpful
http://innerportalstudio.com/guides/
it takes years of practice
read, play, read, play..... usw
dave
http://innerportalstudio.com/guides/
it takes years of practice
read, play, read, play..... usw
dave
Max for Live Devices: http://k-teck.co.uk
Reaktor Devices: http://k-teck.co.uk/category/reaktor
Lost?: https://soundcloud.com/reflektor-6n6p
Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaCGfU ... 1SJW09pDmQ
Reaktor Devices: http://k-teck.co.uk/category/reaktor
Lost?: https://soundcloud.com/reflektor-6n6p
Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaCGfU ... 1SJW09pDmQ
Re: Getting a good mix for Ableton
first of all you should try to get the best results without mastering
learn how to use eq, compression, limmiting, sidechaining and compete
in loudness and stereo-width.
if you then get results which are close to commercial productions,
you can think about mastering or find one who is pro with it.
learn how to use eq, compression, limmiting, sidechaining and compete
in loudness and stereo-width.
if you then get results which are close to commercial productions,
you can think about mastering or find one who is pro with it.
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- Posts: 7033
- Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2014 11:34 am
Re: Getting a good mix for Ableton
Tony, you can't really leave out any of the important stages in a mix, investigate especially gain staging, EQing and multi-stage compression.tonyd927 wrote:Also, my drums keep getting "lost in the mix" once two or three different instruments are playing, I can barely hear or feel the drums, especially the kicks and claps.
The other suggested resources are very good starting points. In short overview the stages you need to know well are (Only loosely sequential and iterative)
- EQ tracks by subtracting frequencies you don't want to hear. Especially bass frequencies where you don't need them and harsh unpleasant mids and trebles sounds. Try to maintain energy and identity within the song as a whole.
- Put the mouse on the vertical divider in Session view mixer just above the peak value and pull it up so you get two values. Put the fader down to -6dBFS position or some other value you're comfortable with. This will give rom to raise the volume for shorter moments if you need later. Strive for a -12dBFS peak value or less in the upper meter.
- Keeping the master fader at 0 or -0.3 dFBS position, gain stage all tracks with the help of the suggested Free-G or another tool and strive for getting an RMS value of -18dBFS or even less if you choose another level and a peak value of -12 to -6dBFS or less, going all the way from the source to the fader, one effect stage at a time, maintaining roughly the same values.
- Either raise the volume in your monitors by 12dBFS or put a volume increasing gentle Limiter and/or Compressor in the Master to compensate.
- Your target actually isn't a peak meter reading of -0.3dBFS on the master but rather between -12dBFS and -6dBFS peak and -18dBFS RMS value (Use Free-G or similar to get an RMS read) or something like that. This leaves head room for the mastering stage after mixdown.
- Above all, finish mixes. That's how you learn. Just keep going. Most things can be redone later (keep backups).
- Make sure you work in 24 bits or higher.
- Get a proper Meter, like the free Sonalksis Free-G that also does volume trims just as Utility in Live does.
There are many more finer points and every mix is different even if there are similarities. There are also many talented mixers in these forums and I extract info from all of them and from many other places. The above is only a brief — perhaps even scattered as I have fever at the moment — overview of the essentials I've picked that I feel have helped me to improve my mixes tremendously.
So I'm suggesting the above as I'm sure you'll find it a little bit easier to get drums and other important sounds to get trough as you want them. That's what I've found after having wasted a year clueless.
Make some music!