The Mixing Thread

[DJDJ]

s
-make a notch at 250 on just about every sound that has this frequency. it sound slike muddy garbage on mostly everything.

#

Is this fact or opinion?

And why not just put one notch on the master?

opinion.

most people do this when they are mastering, yea... i often do it in production because there might be sounds that need this frequency.

I thought I'd pipe in really quick with some stuff I learned about this.....

It all depends.

TRUE, 200-300Hz can be "the mud zone" (some say up to as high as 500 or even 800 Hz, but I digress...).

However, it can also be the "warm" and sometimes "full sounding" zone as well. Cutting in this area can really add a lot of clarity to a sound, but it can also make it weak. THere are times where using this freq zone can be really desirable.

For example:

In Drum n Bass, Pendulum are really popular right now for the overall clarity and punchiness of their tracks, and particularly, their snare drums. They are known for having these really "woody", full, rock sounding snares in their tracks. The way a person gets this sound is often by bumping 200-250 Hz on the snare. It can add a lot of heft to it. Try it, you'll see what I mean. No doubt, there are other useful places in a mix where a little "mud" can be a good thing.

Point being? Don't just avoid this zone unnecessarily, or cut it out of habit. Instead, think about the sound and how you want to sculpt it. This troublesome frequency zone could be of great use in some situations.

[The Phat Conductor]

most people do this when they are mastering, yea... i often do it in production because there might be sounds that need this frequency.

i agree(d)

having the bottom end of a snare around 200 is fat for breakbeats. you need some low frequencies in there if it's going to drive the tune without a kick underneath every time.

[DJDJ]

Amen, brotha.

I'd imagine that this freq set could work a treat for minimal techno type sounds, 909 snares, etc....

or some ethnic percussion instruments....



That being said, I think it's a great tip to cut that zone to clean up tracks. A lot of beginners don't know this, and have a hard time getting a really clean sound that isn't so boxy or muddy.

All in all, PROPS on this thread!

Oh, and that ANdivax video is so funny! His voice, reasoning, and the pace at which he explains his ideas is dizzying/

but, there's defo some gems of knowledge in there. Thanks for that!

[infiniteB]

so, the famous "250Hz" notch cut -- I know it depends upon the sound(s) you are sculpting / trying to "fix", the mix, and the situation...

but can anyone suggest a starting point (decible amount, Q) for cuts on different sounds / types of sounds / as well as as for different situations?

thanks...

[whitegirllust]

so, the famous "250Hz" notch cut -- I know it depends upon the sound(s) you are sculpting / trying to "fix", the mix, and the situation...

but can anyone suggest a starting point (decible amount, Q) for cuts on different sounds / types of sounds / as well as as for different situations?

thanks...

I too have wondered what the traditional acceptable standard is for cuts. I generally try to be reserved with extreme EQing. Sometimes I wonder if I am being too reserved.

[De Novo Creation]

amazing thread dude, hope i can start to implement this into my own production.

thanks for all of the amazing links too!

[outsidesys]

This thread should be included in the "The Little List of Tips and Tricks" sticky.

[Angstrom]

I would say the first obvious sign of an amateur mix is harsh over-brightness, but the close second is a big hole around 250hz.
Sure it is the mud zone, but killing everything in there will just make a weak sounding mix.
If you have a muddy mix containing drums, bass, rhythm guitar, a synth pad, some snares, a low conga, some male vocals, a cello and a euphonium all playing different parts at the same time and it sounds muddy and you think that cutting 250hz will solve the problem, then you are looking at the problem from the wrong angle.

'mudiness' is often a psychological thing where the brain simply cant make out whats going on, like trying to listen to and understand 4 conversations at once. It's impossible. Imagine boosting the high-mids to try and get an idea of what is being 'said', it will just give you a harsh cutting conversation, not really a clear one.
Likewise with a complex mix of many sounds all competing in this 250hz area your choices are - get all the 'people' to speak in unison, or get them to speak one at a time, or some combination of the two. The last is the best plan, but it's probably too lengthy a discussion to have here.

Basically : The brain needs help to un-entangle the sounds, syncopation and re-voicing and re-instrumentation are often the best way to do this. Once you get them right it often works out that the mix is a lot easier. You have a 'warm' mix that is also clear

But if you have a bassline that clashes with your rhythm sound, and your vocal sample, and your cello riff, and your breakbeat, ... then it's turd polishing time!

[davidnordstrom]

Is it possible in some way to sidechain the bass and basdrum together in ableton 6? It seems like a pretty standard mixing ingredient so would be nice to know a way to do it in ver6.

[supamonsta]

Is it possible in some way to sidechain the bass and basdrum together in ableton 6? It seems like a pretty standard mixing ingredient so would be nice to know a way to do it in ver6.

yes it's possible, but you've got to use a 3rd party compression plug

Slim Slider Side chain compressor is a good free one for mac os X (perhaps also on PC, dunno)

cheers

[Tarekith]

I too have wondered what the traditional acceptable standard is for cuts. I generally try to be reserved with extreme EQing. Sometimes I wonder if I am being too reserved.

In general I would say it's best to use the least amount of cutting or boosting to solve the problem. I know, not very specific, but when it comes to things like EQ, what you do is ENTIRELY based on the source material and your goal. It's next to impossible to set up some sort of standard.

[buzby]

go watch the andivax video i linked

link is nt working -

thanks

[tnismo88]

can anyone help me out in setting my EQ 8 plugin to Hi Res.

I saw crashes post about high passing around 30 hz with and without Hi res settings and im a bit worried. How do i make my EQ 8 in hi res settigns and set it to hi sampling like Phat talked about

[Tarekith]

Right click on the plug in header and choose hi quality from the pop up menu.

[tnismo88]

thanks!