How to brighten up a track in a DJ set?

[sleightmind]

Hi all. So I'm making a new DJ mix in Ableton using MP3's. I have some slightly older tracks that don't compare to the new stuff in terms of sound quality. They're just a bit more muffled or flattened compared to the newer 320kbps tracks. Is there a way to brighten up those old tracks to sound more crisp, clear, and punchy? Any VST's or filters that are good for this? I tried EQ'ing the hell out of it, which made a modest difference, but basically trying to mix between older and newer tracks just sounds like crap. Any help would be great. Thanks!

-Deviance

[Tone Deft]

the ol' 'how do I polish a turd' thread.

what can help is to put new drums under the old tunes, or mix new tunes over the old ones. this gives another layer where something fresh contrasts over something that sounds old and tired, giving more interesting dynamics.

one of the best things I ever did was to focus on good recordings up front and to not turd polish. I once read that FX don't make loops sound good, they should sound good on their own.

and yeah, Mythbusters did prove that you can polish a turd.

[Tarekith]

Usually just some EQ and making them a bit louder works for me. If they're really old, a LITTLE bit of compression might help too, but you don't want to over do it.