DON'T MIX into a Limiter or Bus Compressor Until You See This!

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 20 жов 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 47

  • @noahvandenabeele
    @noahvandenabeele 10 місяців тому +2

    Thanks, that made it clear for me. Some people say ‘don’t mix with a limiter’ but when watching tutorials of great mixing engineers, most of them mix into a limiter.

  • @Boomtrooper
    @Boomtrooper Рік тому +3

    Rapidly becoming one of my favourite channels - your descriptions are spot on. Educational, enough science explanation to explain the "why" rather than just focussing on the "how" and obviously a great ear - thanks very much! And yes - always mix into a compressor & limiter just to get a feel for what the pre-master is going to sound like and avoid those times where the delays that you think are so subtle are jumping out when you squash the mix in the master phase!!

  • @gregfender
    @gregfender Рік тому +1

    I do mix into mastering processing, but I have a bus compressor that tells me if I’m hitting things too hard. If it’s doing more than 2 or 3db of gain reduction I know I need to fix something in the mix.
    My mastering chain is comprised mostly of things I learned from your most excellent mastering course!

  • @randylodder1265
    @randylodder1265 Рік тому

    Wow
    Wow
    Thank you..... that was probably the single most informative and helpful video I've seen in awhile.
    I started mixing into a master limiter because once my mixes were done.... during mastering, as you mentioned, everything would change.
    I've always gain staged.... but just in terms of volume. Using it to control dynamics..... what a total "Ah ha" moment!!!!
    Thank you!!!
    You've become my new favorite channel!!!

    • @RaytownProductions
      @RaytownProductions  Рік тому

      So so awesome! THanks for the kind words. Glad you found it helpful!

  • @martijnvanderark4117
    @martijnvanderark4117 Рік тому +1

    I always mix into a buss compressor. Then when it is almost done I add a multi band clipper limiter etc to get like a decent mastering chain and make my final adjustments with those on. So I get a good feel for the master and know that it won’t sound so weird.

  • @OKFCPrez
    @OKFCPrez Рік тому

    Another great video, thank so much for covering the concepts. Another reason to gain stage and specifically watch the input levels into plugins is because quality analog emulations VSTs are designed to work at specific input levels and will distort or add too much saturation if the input is too high. I initially resisted mixing into a 2-bus compressor and limiter, but now I do, and I engage them after I get drums, bass, and a key instrument or two set with EQ and compression. A key benefit I found to this is that I can optimize the initial mix because I know the amount of gain reduction I want in my master bus compressor and limiter, so I have the thresholds already set on those. That way, when I am done mixing and ready to master, the level on my master bus is good.

  • @martijnvanderark4117
    @martijnvanderark4117 9 місяців тому

    Since I first watched this I’ve been doing way more gain staging and it makes it all sound even better. I used to clip drums at the stem but not at every element like the snare or kick. I actually have a full master buss chain. I use a buss compressor with a low filter at around 120 (depends on the song) then into a linear phase multiband to keep everything in check and do the low and compression. Then a maxbass by waves. A waves center for stereo imaging. Then a ssl rack with a 12k 2db highshelf. I just like the sound of that one. And an eq. Then in post a clipper into ozone with the joey sturgis chain he showed on nail the mix. I do turn a lot of it off to check if everything still sound good without, but to have it there to be able to listen what it will actually sound like is amazing.

  • @electropocalypse5877
    @electropocalypse5877 Рік тому

    I'm kinda new to mixing and I tried EQ-ing instruments, sidechaining percussions, adding saturation/limiters/compressors here and there, and finally adding a parametric compressor on the master channel with gain reduction at peak frequencies. I had a very hard time getting the sound to not become too phasey as there were many instruments in unison and semi-unison, some with panning and stereo widening. It can be overwhelming in complexity learning this stuff but man is it interesting. Spectacular videos!

    • @aholder4471
      @aholder4471 Рік тому

      Just a little side note "my 2 cents" type of thing. But I was going down that same road you sound like you're on right now, and I was doing a good amount of live mixing and got a gig doing an awesome little festival in NC called Soulshine, and I got to do sound on one of their side stages, which is tbh like a barn, but this band that was managing this stage actually had this baller little analog pa setup, that could easily be the thing some people might scoff at. The board was a AnH 16 ch mix wizard, with a beautiful D and B speaker amp setup with wooden speaker cabs. Those wooden cabs, for acoustic music, did more for the sound then all the digital stuff you could have had with an x32 or something similar. I wasn't sure how good it was going to go at first, but something magical happened. Because I didn't have all that digital stuff to fuss with, all my time went to 3 things: eq, gain staging, and balance. I was honestly blown away by how far I could get it with just those things. A lot of times we end up working around in circles and making it worse without realizing it. Also made me focus on the monitor mix more and my epiphany on that was that it was more beneficial to make sure the musicians can hear everything and you get bigger gains from that then you do from throwing compressors and all that other stuff on there. I would encourage everyone to do a little back to basics thing if they can. Especially after you have acquired some skills. At a certain stage of our development, we start reaching for plug ins before we have determined if they are actually needed. This is a big deal. The less you eq, the more phase coherent it is, and the less squashed, the m0re the players dynamics come through. That whole night the only thing I really wanted was just a touch of compression on the lead vox, that's it. The bloom we got from that show that weekend was so beautiful, a bunch of heads in the crowd and they appreciated it and showed some love. It was special. And I think there was a chance I would have hurt it if I had had an x32 or something.

  • @BrandonHortman
    @BrandonHortman Рік тому

    You're really good at this dude, thanks ❤

  • @in2gadgets
    @in2gadgets Місяць тому

    Thank you - subscribed!

  • @grundvater
    @grundvater 7 місяців тому

    Ein richtig gutes und wertvolles Video + super Inhalt. Nebenbei bemerkt, sehr gute Aussprache, die man als Deutscher richtig gut verstehen kann.

  • @davidasher22
    @davidasher22 5 місяців тому

    I definitely DO NOT mix into a limiter. I add mix bus processing about 1/2 way through. Usually a compressor first and then EQ before i do my automation. I do however, pay close attention to regulating peaks and maintaining good crest factor for all those reasons you explained. The thing I don't understand about mixing into a limiter is, what becomes of the mastering process if you already have the song limited at the mixing stage? You cant just take the limiter off, right? The mix would fall apart. So, do you just send the song off to be mastered with the limiter on? Are you even mastering a song that you mixed through a limiter?

  • @DerekPower
    @DerekPower Рік тому

    When I am working on something, I print my mixes to a limiter and I use sonible’s pure:limit. I do it more to get a “quick and dirty” volume boost because I tend to mix quiet (my loudest sections tend to hover around -6dB). When I do my mastering prep, the limiter is bypassed.

    • @RaytownProductions
      @RaytownProductions  Рік тому +1

      Love it! The sonible limiter is SUPER clean sounding. Thanks for the comment.

  • @gopaluppu7910
    @gopaluppu7910 Рік тому

    very nice explanation thank you sir

  • @vektacular
    @vektacular 5 днів тому

    That’s why the God Particle is the greatest plug in of all time….it makes it impossible to get a bad mix….that simple….i even crank the limiter to +9 with some songs and yes gain staging is important….but most important when you’re going into the box….you really wanna record your lowest sound in at -18 DB . Hear the moral of the story from a guy who knows, I switched to mixing in a limiter and my sound grows.

  • @evanmcgregor3758
    @evanmcgregor3758 Рік тому +1

    Great video as always. So I’m wondering if you tend to setup the individual track dynamics/compressors etc first before you start properly start mixing into your mixbus compressor/limiters?

    • @RaytownProductions
      @RaytownProductions  Рік тому +1

      Yep! It's in my mixing template. I have them all bypassed and then quickly adjust the settings for each project. The in and out levels are all set up to make sure the gain staging is rock solid. Great question!

  • @darrencook7168
    @darrencook7168 Рік тому

    For someone who primarily uses amp sims and vsts in general, what level range would you recommend going into the mastering chain? I have been trying to keep it around -12, but after hearing you state that you should try to keep it consistent from the input throughout the chain, I am not sure what I am doing is correct. I am not clipping anywhere, but I do try to keep my input on my DI peaking at around the yellow so that I have good signal into my DAW, but then I will apply some limiting or other output adjustment to get down around -12. After listening to you, I think I may be incorrect.
    Thank you for the great material!

  • @380stroker
    @380stroker 8 місяців тому

    This only works in the box? How would you so this with all analog hardware and console?

    • @RaytownProductions
      @RaytownProductions  8 місяців тому +1

      That's correct. If all analog, each piece of gear will have an ideal operating range which doesn't directly correspond to digital signal levels (at least not without a reference). You need to maintain the signal within each device's specifications from one piece to another...
      Here is a great video that explains the problem and how to manage hybrid gainstaging for an RME interface. ua-cam.com/video/UCyXcrT7SnI/v-deo.htmlsi=zma4QmywIlJkAek1

  • @KingKaiGouda
    @KingKaiGouda 11 місяців тому

    you'r mic is sounding bad in the video. I watch this on Krk's and there is a crackle in the high area. You'r tips are great

  • @finance_nex953
    @finance_nex953 Рік тому

    So it would make sense to make the first gainstage and dynamic shaping completely with limiter on the master turned off and then after finishing this step adding the limiter to see which elements are hitting to hard into the limiter for example?

    • @RaytownProductions
      @RaytownProductions  Рік тому +1

      You can do it that way! I personally leave it on the entire time because of how my template is set up and my workflow. Experiment both ways and see what works best for you!

  • @VanillaTwister
    @VanillaTwister Рік тому

    Ray- Your videos have helped me tremendously in mixing the last couple of weeks. However, one thing I’m getting stuck on is the actual quality of my music. What am I doing wrong that my metal music doesn’t sound physically high quality? I have a lot of good gear but listening to songs by bands like Bring Me The Horizon (a huge MIXING inspiration for me) and the quality of the music there but it sounds 75% done. How can I make it crispier?

    • @RaytownProductions
      @RaytownProductions  Рік тому +2

      Sorry to hear that! Here are some suggestions:
      The low mid range is EVERYTHING for rock/metal. You have to make sure it's super clean and that you carve out space for all the elements in the song. ALL elements in a song have some midrange to them so they will all clash in this area if you don't carve out space for them in the bass and guitars (and drum rooms/cymbals/etc). Here is a video that does a good job helping you get your guitars sounding killer: ua-cam.com/video/auipck4iiAI/v-deo.html
      The other thing about BMTH is that their songwriting is in the top 1% of songs out there today. They know how to arrange the song so that it has maximum impact. This is probably one of the reasons why the songs sound so so good, and it's something lots of people overlook. You can see a dissection of a song that I did here that shows how the songs were written and all the layers that make it special: ua-cam.com/video/NnEI_YjP7lE/v-deo.html
      Hope that helps! Keep working at it and you will get there 🤘 Best of luck!

  • @tapada9826
    @tapada9826 Рік тому

    not able to receive the guide....

    • @RaytownProductions
      @RaytownProductions  Рік тому

      weird - hit me up via email and I'll get you whatever guide you need. My email is in the description of this video 🤘

  • @ST-fl5fy
    @ST-fl5fy 11 місяців тому

    When your done with the song do you remove the limiter to do mastering

    • @RaytownProductions
      @RaytownProductions  11 місяців тому +1

      Yes!

    • @380stroker
      @380stroker 8 місяців тому

      ​@@RaytownProductionsDo you mean you remove the limiter and turn the master bus down so it doesnt clip before sending it to the mastering engineer? Or take the limiter off and make no volume adjustments before sending it to the mastering engineer?

    • @RaytownProductions
      @RaytownProductions  8 місяців тому +1

      @@380stroker That is something that you should ask the mastering engineer. Typically, mastering engineers like to be in control of the transients and like using their tools to modify the dynamics, so many will prefer to work with a version of the song that doesn't have an output limiter on the track. BUT there are times when it's nice to master a song from the ending point of the mixer (meaning with the limiter and "premastering" chain engaged). Either way, there really isn't any disadvantage to turning down the master fader to ensure that nothing clips during export. Hope that helps!

  • @juleleleldilla3950
    @juleleleldilla3950 Рік тому

    let me ask you why you didn’t show the Trigger2 windows? I’m guessing you’re adding some parallel samples cause else what would be the point

    • @RaytownProductions
      @RaytownProductions  Рік тому +1

      Just to keep the video short. I do usually augment my drums with some of my favorite drum samples. I have lots of videos on mixing drums if you check through my channel. Thanks for the question!

  • @RocknRollkat
    @RocknRollkat Рік тому

    I never understood why people send their mixes out to be mastered.
    A finished mix should be your master.
    If not, what's the point of mixing ?
    Bill P.

  • @LeakBanga
    @LeakBanga Рік тому

    I hate using Limiters, I use Compressors for sure

  • @kadiummusic
    @kadiummusic 7 місяців тому

    I just don't get it. Why would you want to be hearing the sound of a mastered track when you're mixing it. Just make the best mix you can without top loading it. The mastering will take care of the rest. Have some faith! 🙄

    • @RaytownProductions
      @RaytownProductions  7 місяців тому +4

      Because often times - especially with dense music - you "mix yourself into a corner" and don't realize how certain frequencies will build up as you begin to increase the loudness of the song in mastering. Same goes for your transients - as the song becomes more dense and full, you will start to lose definition of the transients. This allows you to compensate in the mixing stage so when it's mastered at the ideal loudness it will be exactly where it should be. It's like seeing into the future :)

    • @FC-xc3zy
      @FC-xc3zy 5 місяців тому +1

      Because some mix can sound distorted or some elements can be lost after mastering. Its best to be aware of these things in the mix before you send it off

    • @maropemanchu2486
      @maropemanchu2486 4 місяці тому

      “Have some faith”? No man.

  • @Cyberlightning101
    @Cyberlightning101 Рік тому

    mastering engineers HATE this 1 SIMPLE TRICK.

  • @bonzology322
    @bonzology322 2 місяці тому

    Mixing into a compressor is cart before the horse stupid and only suggested by know nothings

  • @Y42
    @Y42 4 місяці тому

    this is just bad advise bra ^^

  • @BurningBushPedagogy
    @BurningBushPedagogy 7 місяців тому

    Sorry but all compressor just so the song can loud and you use 9 compress to compress or prevent the sounds, suffovating the groove. to me this bad and horrible, a loud hard rock where everything is similar bang through might be fine, but never for a real music.
    Your videos are usually good but this is a disaster. Many people dont know that their masters or mix sound way WORSE than how they started, because they dont COMPARE.
    Wester people are obsessed with doing too many things or think that much is better.
    Anyone reading this. I bet you to try this and you will ever be thankful to me.
    master or mix your song as lovely as you can,
    then compare the neutral version to the mastered.
    use a plugin like ADPTR or anything to compare track side by side.
    make you sure raise the volume of the neutral one, the one with less plugins raise its volume so that its same as your mastered one.
    I bet you, the mastered one sound worse, you realize you feel like nodding or vibing to the normal and you feel nothing about the processed one.
    I wish I could make a video about this.
    The western world education influences how they think and do everything.
    unless you have never program a complex groovy drum beat or funky groove mute guitar, you will never know the beauty and dynamics and keeping the dynamics as untouched.
    I prefer the dynamic one than the loud one.
    And I have learnt to run away from limiters and compressors, or use them veru very carefully while keeping my mind on the feel of the hats, the groovy elements of a track.
    I discover a way to get a sound loud while almost nothing is touched with dynamics.
    That Plugin is all you need.
    OXFORD INFLATOR gets your track loud while leaving your dynamics and rhythmic feel intact.
    This is something people never say, they love the scientific sides and compltely ignore or dont even remember this is music we are dealing with science.
    Did you know the feel of your song would be why a song is a hit and another not so much.
    And the dynamics plays a huge role.
    THE FEEL OF THE MUSIC vs Loud in ya face punch etc. You choose.
    These scientist dont get it. this is why black people usually are more talented or pioneeed almost everything art or sports.
    You know why, black real ones dont over think things like children just do little and trust.
    Like a scientist who spent 40 years researching God and finally used DNA to see evidence for a designer, when simple things can tell you the same result without wasting time and energy.
    BEWARE OF LIMITERS AND COMPRESSORS.
    Their are ways to get a track loud with fighting dynamics and transient.
    its not rocket science but people love anything that goes through so many processes.
    I learnt this the hard ward.
    An engineer might not care, just mak the song loud and clear and the client can go and then to the next client.
    Comparing is the single greatest keys to mixing mastering you dont compare you dont make a perfect mix that moves peoples soul.
    THE FEEL THE GROOVE THE VIBE or loud punchy clear and leveled, your choice.
    shzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

    • @RaytownProductions
      @RaytownProductions  7 місяців тому

      You should make a video so I can learn your methods! Thanks for the comment :)