I got some really good EQing and mixing advice today

[yearlongyeti]

***Yep bookmark***

This threads a keeper

[xzusa8ky]

Hmm.......i put a SSL E Channel on each mix channel to mix every sound individual, its more precise i guess......

could you expand on that? i have it but i never use it

You should use it, SSL kicks ass and sounds more than nice!

No need for grouping all the drums on one buss, gives you more freedom and a precise sound i think.....

[Z3NO]

Ok, I'm already preparing myself for a battering here, but...

Although this is not technically incorrect advice, it is a rather simplistic technique and sign of a beginner's approach. It is very difficult to achieve professional results relying primarily on the foundations of EQ.
It is very common for a number of instruments to occupy the same frequency band (a good drum and percussion group can easily occupy the entire spectrum in itself) and cutting a whole chunk out of an instrument's freq. to accommodate another isn't always an effective solution. Of course much of the the work lies in the composition and arrangement process, but the science behind a 'good mix' is far deeper than that.

Extreme panning can also often be a baddie... more on that later...

(Please don't hurt me)

[oblique strategies]

This sounds like a variation on the classic EQing method I learned long ago, which is to EQ each instrument to focus it to it's essential sonic contribution. This is done by cutting away those frequencies that are outside the frequency range of the specific sound.

If you have a high frequency sound you can safely cut away a lot of the low end on that track. Doing the opposite: cutting away high frequencies has to be done with care for there may be upper harmonics that are essential for that sound.

The idea is to give each instrument/sound it's own space in the mix, & prevent sounds from sharing overlapping frequencies. It helps with the clarity of a mix.

If this EQ surgery is not done, then each sound has the full frequency range of the original recording, & each sound is adding sonic energy into frequency ranges that they are not really playing in. This can result in a muddy mix.

After this frequency carving is done you can mix, subgroup, bounce to stems, etc. at will.

Most of you probably know this already, or have gleaned it from this post, but I figured I state it all in the terms I learned it in & offer it up.

I found it very useful info when recording instruments & mixing these recordings. It may not be as essential when dealing with samples that are already tweaked somewhat for an optimum sound. But the principle is still valid.

[The Carpet Cleaner]

While it's good to get rid of the bery low or very high freqencies with a filter, I think for the rest, you shouldnt cut too much. I find it sound better to simply reduce by few db but still leave some frequencies, even though they overlap with on other instrument.
When I cut heavily every sounds of my mix, I find that the result sounds thinner and doesn't glue that well.
And again, it also depend which kind of sound you want.

[oblique strategies]

Definitely, a light hand is required! As you point out, high & Low pass filters work very well for these purposes. Good tips.

[simonlb]

This sounds worth a try.

In saying that, I usually only end up having 5-15 tracks for my final mix anyway, because I have a Machinedrum and not enough inputs (at the moment I have the kick and one other channel (bass or snare, for example) decidated to individual things but the rest just comes from the stereo outputs) and my compositions seem to, um, "embody a minimal aesthetic"

[evon]

IMO each track needs its own treatment. Recording is an art form and we are not merely trying to reproduce a live set. When recording we are free to exaggerate or hide whichever aspect we may want in order to fulfill our expression. This has to be done artfully or subtly in order to preserve the musicality.

The sub-mix is usually another option available during the mixing process and the use of it may depend on a lot of variables.

Great post and it raise a very debatable topic. That's my 2cents.

[xzusa8ky]

Ok, I'm already preparing myself for a battering here, but...

Although this is not technically incorrect advice, it is a rather simplistic technique and sign of a beginner's approach. It is very difficult to achieve professional results relying primarily on the foundations of EQ.
It is very common for a number of instruments to occupy the same frequency band (a good drum and percussion group can easily occupy the entire spectrum in itself) and cutting a whole chunk out of an instrument's freq. to accommodate another isn't always an effective solution. Of course much of the the work lies in the composition and arrangement process, but the science behind a 'good mix' is far deeper than that.

Extreme panning can also often be a baddie... more on that later...

(Please don't hurt me)

Direct posting! You got my High Five!

[oblique strategies]

Question about panning....does have 2 sounds at the same frequency and you pan one left and one right, does that give them enough distinction to sound clear?

I'd say that the effect of separation is highly dependent on the distance between the left/right speakers, & other environmental factors. But in general panning serves to add some distinction to instruments sharing frequencies.

Mixing involves a balancing act between making each sound distinct & blending all sounds into a coherent whole.

[mrvinyl]

Like z3no said, be careful what you cut.
you might eq out the actual snap and click that makes the kick drum have the character needed
the same goes for all instruments.
invest in acoustics or better monitors or both and listen to as much music as poss to get used to whats what in the frequency range of 20hz - 20khz - use an analyser to experiment

[Tarekith]

Ok, I'm already preparing myself for a battering here, but...

Although this is not technically incorrect advice, it is a rather simplistic technique and sign of a beginner's approach. It is very difficult to achieve professional results relying primarily on the foundations of EQ.
It is very common for a number of instruments to occupy the same frequency band (a good drum and percussion group can easily occupy the entire spectrum in itself) and cutting a whole chunk out of an instrument's freq. to accommodate another isn't always an effective solution. Of course much of the the work lies in the composition and arrangement process, but the science behind a 'good mix' is far deeper than that.

Extreme panning can also often be a baddie... more on that later...

(Please don't hurt me)

In general I'd agree with this. A lot people think you need to EQ things severely so that ONLY the part of each sound you want is remaining. It can be a useful trick for isolating things now and then, but do it too much and you end up making the song rather anemic sounding sometimes. Or the only thing you really hear is the phasiness of so many sharp EQ cuts. Worth playing around with, just keep in mind that you don't have to completely kills the freqs you don't want to emphasize to make the ones you DO want to emphasize standout more.

[rcpunker]

Been flirting with this approach/advice. I'm liking it alot,but, when it comes to Acoustic guitar in the mix, it doesn't fall in a group.

[oblique strategies]

It pays to know the overtone structure of any given sound before cutting (or boosting for that matter). And, as always, use your ears.

[seventhirtyfour]

*bookmark*

this looks worth a proper read.

Done as well. Thanks so much for posting/sharing!