Mastering

[PCLewsen]

I am currently having a problem finding out how to tune my bass/synth right so that it goes along with the drums & doesn't override them or cause unwanted distortion. I want to know how to have a pumping house beat with solid fat drums and fat chords without it sounding uneven.

[timothyallan]

That's mixing, not mastering. Unless you mean mastering mixing, then yes, that's correct. Once you've mastered mixing, it will become second nature.

[infernal.machine]

Yes I believe indeed you have been keen to mix mixing with mastering, unless you are betwixt and between and mixed mastering with another thing.

[PCLewsen]

Oh okay. Any tips on helping my bass/leads stand out in my mix without overriding my drums?

[JoshG567]

Frequency wise, try looking at both spectra in EQ8, see how they're crowding and apply some filtering/cuts/boosts to fix it.

Amplitude wise, maybe you could side-chain compress (maybe broadband or maybe multiband) one from another so its level ducks when the other peaks.

Just keep in mind that the maximum amplitude/frequency in a recorded mix is ultimately finite - you have to keep the container from overflowing.

If your ears don't know what to do, your eyes can help you (look at the spectra).

[Stromkraft]

I am currently having a problem finding out how to tune my bass/synth right so that it goes along with the drums & doesn't override them or cause unwanted distortion. I want to know how to have a pumping house beat with solid fat drums and fat chords without it sounding uneven.

Search the forums for "gain staging". Typically, what you do will — in my personal experience at least — typically sound like crap until you apply knowledge about how to set proper levels in the digital sound chain. Gain staging is both about simple ideas and a bit complicated at first to feel at home with, but it will sound much better in the end.
The fast tip: don't put all audio at 0dBFS, especially not drums and bass. You have 24 to 32bits to play with and there's typically no need to be afraid of noise levels (which once was possibly a valid reason for cramming as much amplitude as possible into a track).

Try with for example a Nominal Peak level of -12dBFS and Normal operating level of -20dBFS. This leaves headroom that can be used at the actual mastering stage. Don't try and master when you're making a mix!

What was said about EQing and sidechains is also true and these are important tools. As with any tools none of them should be overused.

[iamcluster12]

Yeah this is definitely a mixing issue, too many clashing frequencies, try a bit of research into "mixdowns"

[re:dream]

http://www.meldaproduction.com/plugins/ ... tiAnalyzer

A great tool for seeing where your frequencies are overlapping or clashing too much.

[PCLewsen]

Thanks guys. I am definitely going to look this stuff up. If anyone has some links to share, i would really appreciate it

[Stromkraft]

http://www.meldaproduction.com/plugins/ ... tiAnalyzer

A great tool for seeing where your frequencies are overlapping or clashing too much.

You think this also works for people not hearing obvious issues already? Like a learning tool? It seems to me the Spectrum Analyzer would be enough visual feedback to get EQing pointed in the right area and then your ears could do the rest of the guiding needed.

I'll try this out, so thanks.

[Stromkraft]

Thanks guys. I am definitely going to look this stuff up. If anyone has some links to share, i would really appreciate it

I was meaning to post the Sound on Sound article on Gain Staging. Here is the link to that

Gain Staging In Your DAW Software (September 2013 by Matt Houghton).

[PCLewsen]

Spectrum is very complicated to me, i have no idea how to adjust it or use it. I am definitely going to read these articles. I have a decent 5.1 surround sound stereo in my room, do you think that I will be able to hear the EQ?

[Stromkraft]

Spectrum is very complicated to me, i have no idea how to adjust it or use it. I am definitely going to read these articles. I have a decent 5.1 surround sound stereo in my room, do you think that I will be able to hear the EQ?

Basically you put it up on full screen as a visual aid to see where to place cuts and other EQ adjustments.

I wouldn't make any major adjustments on a surround system unless you're releasing on that format. I assume you can set the system to stereo mode.
When you write the music it of course doesn't matter as much as when mastering, but you shouldn't make changes you can't redo later on that system IMHO.

[JoshG567]

Spectrum just tells your brain what you're hearing through your eyes instead of your ears - learn to use it with the former to enhance the latter.

If you don't understand the basics of (1) the frequency spectrum and how multiple signals can interact in a finite 2.1 (or even 5.1) mix and (2) human perceptual thresholds for hearing as a function of freq and amplitude I would recommend some study there.

Here's a good glossary of common terms describing sound qualities. Often these descriptions came to me intuitively before I saw them written down ("boomy", "boxy", "brittle", etc.), but each is actually pretty specific and the number of extreme cases is relatively few. Learn to recognize them in your tracks and how to tame them with devices.