Mixing a song on Reaper | My mixing process
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- Опубліковано 7 лип 2024
- Learn my multi-step mixing process as I take you through mixing one of my instrumental "piano" beats full production songs in Reaper. Hopefully, you will pick up a tip or trick or two along the way!
Ever wondered why learning mixing (and mastering) is so hard? Then check out this video: • Mixing & mastering are...
If you are buying a new computer for music work, check out this video on whether you should buy a laptop or a desktop: • Laptop vs desktop for ...
To see how I wrote/recorded this song in Reaper, watch this video here....
• Making a song on Reape...
00:00 Intro
00:30 What is mixing?
01:30 Stage 0 - Get organised!
02:47 Stage 0a - Check each track
03:46 The Mixing panel
05:09 Stage 1 - Gain staging
07:45 Stage 2 (optional) - load reference track
08:23 Stage 3 - Initial static mix
09:50 Take regular breaks!
10:42 Stage 4 - Check headroom (create submix if necessary)
12:46 Stage 5 - EQ
17:02 Stage 6 - Compression
19:35 Stage 7 - Automation
22:05 Stage 8 - Mixdown
23:45 Stage 9 - Listen on lots of different systems
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About me....
I am Paul Douglas, a musician based near Nottingham in England.
I play the piano and the guitar. I also write and record my music.
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I'd like to add one detail I've learned from someone: Before mixdown, listen to your song with both a loud volume and a quieter volume. Loud and quiet monitoring can reveal the unintended balance of track levels and that way you can find out if your mixdown is perfect.
BRILLIANT!!! Amazing video!
This was extremely helpful. Thank you so much for being such a good teacher. I feel like I have a great overview of the different possibilities now!
Brilliant, mate. brief and to the point. Thanks!
This video helped my mixing SO MUCH! I was always fighting with levels and compression, and this layout was so similar to my base template that it was super easy to make the minor changes I needed to take my mix to the next level. A thousand thank yous!
Great video! Nothing is too simple for the beginner. Thank you for taking your time! You explain everything perfect!
Amazing insights, mr. Douglas
It's really helpful, thank you!
Just the video I needed! This helps a lot!
Wow I've watched so many videos over the years on mixing making music etc. But I finally understand what compression is thanks to you. Simple clear explanation
This video is great! Thanks for the clear explanation. I keep coming back to this for reminders.
Loved it, thanks Paul !
Thank you so much for this tutorial! Its really helping me understand more about mixing, ive always gone with whatever sounded good for me but its awesome to have a workflow for the process! ☯️
This is the most helpful video I've ever watched. I've been doing this all wrong ty so much
Amazing video! You explained everything so well and clearly and it was really helpful so thank you!
I like ur style mate, easy to follow. Thanks for ur tutorial
Thank you very much for making this video, Mr. Douglas! You have helped me out IMMENSELY! Very precise, quick and to the point! Again, thank you very much. Your video is digital gold...
Superb video, excellent information, like the intro it nearly gave me a heart attact when first played [being very delicate at the time]. I wish I had your energy. Love the work you put into the videos.
Thank you, learned alot and got a good result. Now off to the Mastering video :-)
Great overview! Thank you so much!
YES, EXCELLENT!
Brilliant lesson, thanks so much for sharing
Great video man. Simply described and really helpful.
Great Paul!
Really helpful, Paul! Thank you!
Thank you for the very informative video.
Really appreciate this. Thank you.
Thank you very much for this video. Seems like a disciplined step by step process for mixing. Not complicated at all.
thats a really good explaination of gain staging.
Sir the video you made is so knowledgeable and your efforts towards making everyone learn to be able to mix and master a song on their own is preciously excellent... Thanks a lot for this... Keep up the great work...😇
Great job !! Thanks!!
Thank you, lots of great advice
Thanks! Extremely helpful.
Amazing video. Thanks from Florida!
i learned a lot about mixing. Thanks!
Wow.. Thanks for this video !!!
Top class video my man. I'm a recording artist with my tracks on UA-cam but currently in the process of mixing my own songs for the first time. This video has been helpful no end 👍
brilliant help mate
Really good. Thanks
Great video mate. I like your videos. Really informative and straight to the point. How brilliant is reaper.
Thank you so much!!!
Thanx a lot! Submix...nice. I'll use that.
Thank you
Top tips for a beginner to get you on the right road.
thanks
Muito bem. Obrigado.
AWESOME tutorial!.... my two cents worth: [1] After you Gain Stage and have a 'rough mix', do a 'render' and listen to it on a bunch of systems before you start your mixing stage----this gives you an objective outside set of references to reflect upon when you're boosting and cutting things while building your final mix; [2] For 'Automation' use the 'Read' option so you can see the faders/controls actually move---any accidental/unintended 'ghost' automation that occurs will drive you nuts trying to find out what's happening if you can't see controls moving.
You must automate a lot of tracks. It is good advice nonetheless.
Paul that was simply one fantastic video I just watched, well done, I have reaper with a year now since lockdown and still learning, the issue I would very much appreciate if you can answer here or make it part of you next video as I'm sure it will help many, rendering the track you just did I notice really narrow wave lines, do this indicate your track will be really low, play in car stereo boost volume, eject and the radio come on and blow you out of it in volume, add to your Google drive, play it on your mobile and you can barely hear it,
On the mixdown and rendering window I look for wider stereo wave forms by turning up the master fader firstly and avoid clipping, yes I know, this is wrong, totally wrong, and should never adjust master fader, and as you said create a master bus, never did, but now I will for future reference after watching this video, look forward to many more,
Excellent job, well done 👏👍
Great video man! You should do one specifically on EQ, and another on compression. Would love to see those.
Stage 4 is an interesting technique. If I have my static mix how I want it but need headroom I just Ctrl+A (select all tracks) and grab one fader to turn everything down equally.
Thanks for the video. I was hoping for a segment on adjusting the spatial pattern of the mix though? Like panning guitars, and centering vocals etc? Is there a special feature for this in Reaper?
Thanks for this great tutorial. May I know what themes your using bro?Thanks
Awesome video. Do you have any videos for beginners on how to double track guitar and how to make and use bus.. i'm new so it's a little confusing . any help would be great.
I like those instrument icons in addition to the colors,,.. how do you get those? Very nice, thank you!!
these are good videos.. i wish i knew what windows your clicking open
Great video! The track is very chill too. Quick question, why route all the tracks to the submix via the way you did it, and not just drop them in folder track? Is there a difference?
I'm also wondering that- also wondering why you can't just bring the master volume down a bit to avoid peaking? Isn't that the same as bringing a submix track volume down
I was wondering If one finds that raising a volume decreases other tracks volume does that mean they are linked in some way?
Great video!I’ve just converted to Reaper after many years using Cubase. Quick question, why do you need to create a submix to bring the overall volume down, why not just bring it down with the master fader?
I was thinking the same, making a submix for lets say drums/bass or guitar makes more sense.
I wouldn't find it very necessary to have a submix unless I'm using a reference track in the same project
What I really want is to have a visual track of the full mix so I can check easily for peaks silences, etc. Without the need to have to render the project so I can fix it quickly
iirc there's a way to add a colour visualisation of the peaks etc on each track.
Very clear and useful video! Thanks! Just one question - I hear this a lot - "play it on many different devices to make sure it sounds good on all of them". How does the latter part work? If it sounds crappy on one device and you change your mix, it may now sound acceptable on that one device but it will sound crappy on all others, right? Do professionals actually create different mixes for radio, streaming and classical media like CD or vinyl?
Well, I suppose it's the art of compromise.
Sometimes there are different mixes (for different media or releases -- eg single vs album), but not for this reason.
You do get different masterings, however.
And that's where the crappy cassette release from the 80s will go for a different compromise than the MSFL gold-plated CD.
The latter can afford to do away with most compromises, knowing that the buyers will probably have a high end setup and a treated room.
I would like to ask all the people in the comments section what they think of the comparison between Pro Tools and Reaper.
Great succinct video!
The headroom step is completely unnecessary in a modern DAW like reaper. See Kenny Gioias videos on the topic. You can simply put a level plugin on the master itself and off you go.
Why did you send it to a bus instead of just changing the Master volume? I mean when I master mine I just use the Master volume track and add compression and a limiter to the master volume.
who tf is having 100-200 tracks ?!?!?
LOL ... that's what thought too!
Hans Zimmer :)
Mixing? Song? Indeed. This is neither. Plugins are great for learning what's wrong with your recordings. And before you try to 'record' a Song,, learn how to actually WRITE a Song, or leave ot to someone who knows. So, get Reaper, talk shite, play dreadful jingles on UA-cam.