Hey Warren, I've noticed that the recent FAQ Friday episodes have had fewer questions with longer, more in-depth answers compared to earlier episodes, and I am LOVING it. Quality over quantity, we're all getting such amazing information from you. I was doing a live sound gig where we had a bass DI blended with a mic, and I used one of your tricks where you cut the bass from the mics and only leave the low-end from the DI. It worked amazingly, it was so punchy and still had serious weight behind it. Thank you so much for helping me to grow my audio skills.
Its awful refreshing finding this channel. I've been making music unprofessionally my whole life and strived to figure out certain methods cause I feel they are overlooked often in the more modern music. And it's super nice to see these videos where you advocate a lot of the methods I've gotten shit for trying to keep as they are too much work and you can fix it in post and I always say yes you can but the more you get right while recording the better the post production will go and over sound. Love this channel.
The rough mix is soooooo important because it gives you cues of what needs to be the focus and what stays on the background as supporters. What needs more attention and what needs to be left alone. A lot of ppl start inserting plugins and stuff right after importing files and miss the whole point of the song just because they are intrigued on making the drums slamming good ..or the guitars wide and wet as the ocean.
The backing vocals tips were just what I needed! Thank you very much! What I always do as well on BVs, is to delete the breaths and clipgain the "T's", "K's", and "Ss". Have a nice weekend.
One aspect of speakers that I'm not sure if corrective software is able to account for, is the fact that different materials and designs used to create the actual cones will result in different transient and high end responses. For example, with a relatively soft cone that has a small degree of flex to it, when the center of the cone pushes and pulls, it takes time to spread to the outside of the cone, resulting in muddied transients and less accurate high frequencies. And of course there's all kinds of other aspects of a speaker's design that can affect the sound in a plethora of ways, each of which is correctable to differing amounts. A speaker is more than just an eq curve, and no software (to my knowledge) can account for all of that.
I applied quite some techniques that I learnt from Warren, or got confirmed by his teachings, how they make sense. Especially about drum sound scape, and above considerations on making an album with different sounds. On background vocals, if the same singer with a rich voice does 10 bg vc tracks, it may sound like a swarm of bees. I try to mitigate that with using phase shifting plugins, and give a different setting to every track. Also, grouping the vocals by musical content (high, low, "choir", or 2nd voice to follow lead vc etc.) and giving each group a focused sound distinct from the others.
The answer to your first question just saved me a ton of work. I've been putting a project together from individual songs recorded over about a 20 year period, and I had it in my head that I needed to get them all sounding like they were recorded at the same time. Thanks a ton!
About you trying out sonar works, I think the reason the speakers maintained their characteristics is because you've probably done a great job with the acoustics of your room
You are very nice, kind and objective in your answers. It’s hard to find people doing what you do with love, passion on sharing this information. I’m new to your channel, I came here looking for information around making an album sound even but your answer just expanded my understanding of music production. Often we forget that this is art, and our tools are not made by luthiers and we are the bridge between pure art and music business. Thank you! You made my 2020 better. I’m a beginner on this, I just recorded 10 songs to sell from home since I have no one gig booked for 2021
I liked the diatribe Warren! Interesting point about mixing each song on its merits. I've been mixing my band EP and my band mate was concerned that the songs are all different but I think it's a strength to not be trying to be too deep in a sound or genre. The mixes are all completely different too! Cheers Adam
Interesting take on mixing albums without ending up sounding "cookie cutter" from end-to-end. I don't do much commercial work, as I'm focused on my album project, so expedience isn't my top priority and I've actually resisted creating templates. I prefer to choose my tools as I go from an exhaustive list (about 850 plugins, I do need to weed) and commit to them early. Every instrument, every song is approached in a unique way. I find this is teaching me a lot about what's out there and stretching my musicianship. And while you might think I'd struggle with inconsistency, the album I'm producing sounds very cohesive. My ear and artistic sensibilities have guided me to complimentary results in spite of taking a unique path to every production. Not sure it's best for anyone else, but it has been effective for me, and my largely solo, somewhat Bob Ross-inspired approach to producing music.
Love the FAQ Friday's Warren! I watch your vids over breakfast every day & pick up so many 'real world' tips from a real world pro! Great stuff! I'd like to ask which set of monitors behind you do you mainly mix on...and what percentage of time would you mix on headphones versus monitors? ie would you mix a project 70% on phones then go on to your monitors for final adjustments, or mainly use monitors with only checking on phones?
Yay! Now I don't feel too bad about always doing no effect vocals, and always saving copies before doing anything to anything. I would love some audio technicas, after researching for a few years trying to find something comparable to what I like, and am surgically holding together with gaffer tape. Thank you Warren! 😊
Concerning the corrected headphone question, I use sonarworks to help me out in my mostly untreated and uneven room. It made a huge difference. But I avoid using it on my headphones because i run the risk to take my headphones to a live situation, or listen something on a phone or computer which is not corrected. On headphones I prefer a familiar sound to a corrected one.
Thanks for the GREAT videos Warren! Even though I've been in business for over 45 years, I'm still learning!! Your comments about stems prompted a question. Re: Stereo Buss processing. Do you leave all your buss processing alone (in line & adjusted as they were for the full mix) for each stem? It seems to me that the sound through the processing would sound different when the processors are reacting to a full mix (and its resulting level) as opposed to just the stem going through. Would the result be a different sounding "summed mix" versus a "normal" full mix? Thanks again for founding the community!
I usually mix a song, make a template from it and start song number 2 with it. On the second song I end up going into more detailed editing because I have a good starting point. The same process goes for all subsquent songs and then I can go back over the album and adjust what needs adjusting.
I have a track due for release soon where I mixed the vocals and backing vocals in a very particular, and for me new way. I put thr vocals through a bus with some very slight chorus on top, not too much but enough to give it character. That goes on top of the dry vocals. Then the backing vocals are obviously mixed at a lower volume, all of the vocals (so the dry lead and backing vocals and the chorusy ones) are put through another bus with tonnes of plate reverb to simulate a room mic. Then to blend it all together I use a tape generator that simulates the saturation and feel of a tape console in a digital VST. I then go over the song as a whole and level the vocals accordingly to the part I'm in, maybe in a louder chorus I really let em loose and in a softer bridge or verse with clean guitars I might pull back on the effects and volume to really give it the feeling of being softer.
Regarding getting all the songs on an album to sound "mixed together"... Even using mostly all the same equipment throughout a session, just dropping or adding one rhythm guitar may change the tonality a lot more than you would ever expect. Just changing key significantly might even throw that "magic" balance off a little. Ultimately, each song really needs to be fine tuned for it's own individual tonality. Usually the best you can do if you're trying to "fast track" the "matching" process, is to try and match the drums sound and bass sound for all the songs, and hope that it magically gets glued together during mastering. But I really don't even think that would really make enough difference in some cases. A very fast paced and busy song doesn't do well being mixed exactly the same as a slower less busy song. Different amounts of oomph are required. Mix them both the same? The fast heavy busy song sounds a bit weak. The slow gentle song sounds totally over the top and ends up with the totally wrong feel. All you really can do is try to keep the very bottom end as full and the top end as brilliant and shimmering. But it's a game of push and pull. There are practical limits. I've mixed an album's worth of songs using radically different instruments. Electric bass on most, but acoustic stand-up bass (via Soundfonts) on others. Organ and/or piano on some, but doubled up rhythm guitars on others. Relatively clean lead guitar vs. very overdriven lead guitar. Some with acoustic guitar, some without. It can be done, to some extent, but it is truly time consuming. Basically you have to go through all of the songs numerous times, referencing them to each other. And if you're including acoustic songs, heavy electric songs, and songs with some orchestral elements it can be a real nightmare. Having the same full thick bass sound used for an electric song may actually not "play nice" on an acoustic song. But you don't want to suck the life out of the electric song either. It's a compromise at best... And not always what's best for the songs. Songs are much like children. One excels at school and goes to college. Another is happy just tossing pizzas. A third one goes to a trade school. You can't force all your children to have the same outlooks. AND... Sometimes this "uncomfortable diversity" is what them all great in their own special individual way.
Okay, I need to ask one question now as well: When you pan tracks left to right, either hard left / hard right or anywhere in between, how do you make sure that the mix doesn't fall apart when switched to mono. Also with drum room mics in rather big rooms. Is it a question of EQ or phase checking? Thanks, Warren.
Hey there Warren! Really great stuff man I’ve been following you now for the last month encouraging and learning to adopt some very valuable content that you speak on for my home studio and what I can learn more as a drummer to be more diverse when it comes to mixing tracks, etc. you are really helping a lot appreciate all your videos and all that you do
Thanks for all! Question: Might be basic, but when you have done some tracks (recorded all by myself) and you want to normalize levels (volume) you Put them together in a session and then export? Thanks!
im a home studio amateur here but this was a question that came up by the other guys in our band as they wondered why i mixed everything separately on our first album we just finnished on different project files and the drums were the main reason....we used 5 mics but the bleed depending on what the cymbals were doing affected particularly the snare mix (alot of crash etc.)and the way i eq'd things so there's was no way to get the best sound without mixing every song separately.....i was waiting for a video on this......great info.....again
I would love to see an inside the song with Sylvia Massey, videos I’ve seen of her production is so inspiring and creative, Thanks for the videos and channel btw Warren, i can’t wait to see new videos.
I have a question - or perhaps better suggestion. You could make a video (every 1/4 year?) where Warren is doing a live mixing of one of a track a lucky subscriber that sends him the tracks in about an hour. Would be great to see what he can do with perhaps not perfect material. And you would make the subscriber unbelievable happy... and because it was mine fine idea - U could choose one of my songs for the first episode. xD
I'm surprised to neither hear about, nor see comments about AKG K701s in thos discussion of headphone mixing. They radically changed my mixes, and that was coming from fairly decent monitors in a treated room. I later learned about Quincy Jones and others relying on them and I thought "yeah, that makes sense!"
Interesting topic you hit upon,as someone who has been into hifi (ergo the screen name)for most of my life, one of the great debates was always between subjectivism vs objectivism.Objectivists have said to me just EQ and two speakers to a flat response and they will sound the same, but that doesn't take cabinet rezonance and distortion and dispersion patterns into consideration, sure you can take a cheap pair of speakers EQ them and get 40 hz wave out of them if you don't mind 25% distortion.
thanks for the tips. I've got some fairly significant hearing loss, No doubt from 40+ years around loud drummers. Is there any major mixers out there mixing with hearing aids?? Thanks Paul
Thanks Warren, really appreciate your vids. I’m mixing a rock project right now that has a lot of songs with the kick & snare always on the same beat and wondering what tricks you might use to have them both present & separate/defined
Thank you you just answered my question. Every song of this album is very unique. I have everything in the ballpark.. it's the bottom of the ninth... Masters should be a grand slam
Hi Warren, Again Thx for all your great vids and INFO!! I have had a problem for awhile now with FEMALE HARSH VOX. I have used tube mics+ outboard tube pres even tried Sure 58's and Condenser mics with 1073 and LA2A plugins going in using RME interface with APOGEE BIG BEN and I DO NOT NOTICE this harshness until MIXDOWN. 95% of the vox is GREAT but THOSE spots inevitably show up....)-: I try using MULTIBAND eq with every COMP on the market to tame the harshness, even using parametric OR Graphic BEFORE the MULTIBAND....I read an article of someone having U47 & a U67 among other mics and also high end OUTBOARD PRE'S and COMPS he ended up getting this SOOTHE vst that helped him on one particular session... I demoed it and then bought it but I'm still struggling cleaning up the mix....When these issues show up I inevitably take EVERYTHING (VST'S) off the trk AND the MIXBUS and solo it and it's still there...I'm using REAPER to TRK and MIXBUS to MIX. Could there be some degrading of the TRK happening or is this common at all? I do eventually after loooots of massaging and manipulating and TEARING down and rebuilding the mix more than once do I come up with a decent vox but it is DRAINING and COUNTER PRODUCTIVE creatively wise...ANY ADVICE would be VERY welcome....Sorry if you have already covered this plz let me know , Thx Jeff
What are some tips for organizing the home studio for improving workflow? Are there any lessons from professional studios that we can apply in our more modest workspace? Cheers!
Thank you for such an informative video! I am however, a bit confused with the whole "printing effects" part. I only ever knew bouncing a either dry, or processed vocal. Is there a way to bounce just the effects? I'm not sure how to go about it, as far as turning an effect into a waveform on a track.
FAQ Friday Question: How important, or not, are power conditioners and uninterrupted power supplies (UPS) for the home studio? If I have reliable current and don’t hear any obvious issues like ground loop hum, are these devices a waste of money or do they offer legitimate benefits? Love your content Warren!
Good question Henry, I'd like to here more on this too as I have heard that it does make quite a difference by not having spikey power. I've also heard that UPS is a godsend if you have a power cut as they have some battery backup enough to allow you to save your session and shut down I think? Anyone know the details?
Hi Warren, I have a question for FAQ friday. Do you use automation in EQ's? Let's say you have a guitar intro where you want a fat tone, but when the rest of the instruments come in it might sound muddy. Will you then automate EQ for the guitar? I was thinking of this when hearing the intro of Always on the run by Lenny Kravitz. It has a fat sounding guitar in the intro, but I wonder if it might muddy the mix when the other instruments come in (it doesn't and I wonder how they did that!).
Did I get you right? When printing stems, you do not adjust the master bus compressor. But you do not take it out completely, do you. So based on the stems alone, getting the mix is at least difficult, because the master bus compression of the mix differs from that of the combined stems? Really, really great video!
Hi Warren. Just kind of a noob question, but there it goes. When dealing with vocal doubles I usually endup with like a nasty flanger effect, sometimes is subtler and even cool, but not being able to get rid of it completely really bothers me. Any tips on this?, I understand being doubles not exactly the same original wave will cause phase issues but thats the point of a double isn't it?. Many thanks in advance and as allways love your vids. Keep the great work.
Hello, I have just finished recording my first song - I have gotten a lot of positive feed back. What are the steps in pro tools to finish it? quantize automatiom?
Thanks a lot for your kindful information brother. A small of question for you: Which plugins did you pefer for mixing ? ( Waves plugins or Native Instrument plugins or any )
Hey Warren such a great great channel thank you! I've also just joined the Academy so Been downloading multi's. My question is....what are your favourite Pro Tools keyboard shortcuts!
Every time I watch vids of what goes on at TGU, or the two NAMMs, it makes me wish we had something similar here in NYC every year, or at least nearby in Boston or Philly, because I hate flying. Once again, you give a timely tip, as my bandmate and I recently recorded some backing vocals for the chorus of a song, and I was wondering about the best way to mix them without getting in the way of the lead vocal, other than simply turning them down in the mix.
I'm not a technician but I wouldn't be be that much concerned of having all sounds perfectly in every song of an album and this basically for one reason: very likely the songs will be in different keys, that means that the frequencies change anyway making each song sound differently anyway.
About the "rough mix" question: I supposed a better term is "pre-processinng mix", with "processing" referring to EQ, compression etc. On the stem terminology thing: I recently saw a video which explained the term as an abnreviation of "Stereo Master". Which could be even more confusing.
I use two pairs of headphones to mix: AKG K701s for everything but the low end and a cheap pair of Fostex T7s for the low end and nothing else. By constantly referencing pro material I think I get my mixes as good as possible with my set-up and they tend to translate very well to other systems?
Hi Warren. Do you have a method for reacquainting yourself with a mix-in-progress after you've been away from it awhile. I often find myself staring at the screen, saying, "Now what?"
When recording three part vocal harmony, do you prefer using one omni mic or two or three separated mics? With one mic, the artists have to perform the mix.
Interesting answer on Stems, but no mention of automation and whether you would remove that? I ask as I assume the client wants stems to do their own mix including volumes?
Hey what's up and I hope your weekend is fantastic!! I love love love your interviews with engineers/producers of wonderful music. I was hoping to see you interview someone who has worked with Frank Sinatra or another major player of that genre. Thank you very much and thanks for everything.
If you're using both virtual drums and bass do you bother to then do some of the standard EQing you've mentioned, like a little bump at 60Hz on the kick, etc.?
It all depends on what the samples are and what/if they need anything. If they're already processed, then they probably don't need much if anything, but you still would want to sculpt the kick and bass so they play well together really. I always try to use unprocessed drum samples so I can make the decisions myself and learn. Same with Bass vsti's.
Warren! Totally off topic, but you were mentioning dyeing your hair recently. It looks great, still very natural! What shade do you use please? Cheers, V. :-)
Warren, I know that you work different ways (console, hybrid, in the box). I have been hearing a lot about Harrison's Mixbus DAW. Have you used it? What are you thoughts on it?
I may be starting work at a professional studio for the first time in my life in the coming months. What are some of the things I should do to prepare from moving from amateur to professional?
hey guys. great vid as always. where is the best place on line to find out who mixed the song and other people on the recording?im sure there are a few. anyone wanna chime in on this? Cheers from Vernon BC Canada
You should meet up with “ seven “ Michael Summers and go through the Tech N9ne album “ special effects “. It’s a sonic masterpiece like no other in hip hop.
Is it possible or even plausible to mic a drum set & run those mics into a mixer & run the output(s) of that mixer into an audio interface? Sorta of similar to sub mixing in a live situation as I am just getting started recording but have helped run sound live for years.
You've used the phrase "print the DI" a few times in other videos, and I think I know what you mean by that, but could you clarify/expand upon that, perhaps in another video?
Hi Alan, a Di box will usually allow you to send a signal to your fx pedals and amp as well as a clean (di) signal to your daw so you can record both. By doing this (and printing/recording the di to a separate track) you can then re-amp using your clean di track back into your guitar amp if you would like to try other amps or setups. If you have your guitar plugged into a Di such as your interface Di and you say use amplitube or bias etc you can still do the same trick as your di track is just the clean tone straight from your guitar, so you could now use the di to drive two different virtual amps and blend them together. A nice trick that I like to use the clean di for is if you are using lots (or not much) overdrive from an amp or virtual amp, try eq'ing and compressing the di (quite a lot to get some SPANK) then blend that back in a little with your overdrive tone for picking definition, I find that can work very well just to provide some picking clarity to fast overdriven lead parts for example, this works well for a bit of spangle to chords too ;) hope this helps a little. Best Dave
One question, how to approach mixing long song, concept song, a 10min prog song, I had one song like that I mixed, and I had trouble saving time, the biggest issue was pre mastering since the mood changes alot
Fine Faq today! Im just into my first multitrack recorder 4 channel interface, we have two singers and one guitar. Should I use the remaining input for a room mic/room sound?
If I may suggest: I'm not sure how you're recording the guitar or if it's acoustic or electric, but perhaps a second mic on the guitar amp at a different distance the the first mic, or a direct signal as well as an amped/miked signal could give you some options during the mix for blending, etc at different points in the song. More options to fill in the sonic palette.
@@good4sound thnx, I play a 1959 hoyer expo,(hollowbody jazzbox) pluggen straight into the interface, I was planning on dubbing later. I mainly want to get the vocals to sound a bit fuller..
I see. You could add another mic as an ambient room mic, but you may pick up more of the hollow body guitar than ideal if you’re trying to thicken vocals. Do your best to position the ambient room mic to reject the guitar. This track could add some cool dimension and space to the mix, but use it sparingly as it could make things sound “slappy.” You might consider double tracking the vocals on a second pass to thicken them, even if they are put low in the mix.
Ok here’s a question...when I listen to pro recordings, each instrument sounds so clear and defined it’s almost as if there’s air between each component...My recordings on the other hand don’t have that air between the various components. I low pass filter to try and get rid of mud but my mixes still seem to be an intertangled mess even after cutting and boosting competing frequencies. I’m tired of sucking at mixing LOL
Excellent video as always! With regards to BG vocals my usual go to technique is to use a stereo widener on their bus to get them spread out away from the lead vocals. I have a question for you Warren!: When using a 1073 style pre do you always drive the transformer with the input high or is there a time and place for such oomph? Personally I am a saturation whore and will drive everything just because I can haha.
I don't think you'd ever want to "mix" using that setup because of the colorization, but for sure listening back to a mix on them to hear how it translates is fine.
Warren, you're amazing! How do you find time to create all this great content?! (Just read Philip K. Dick, /Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?/, and I'm beginning to suspect you're a Nexus-6. ;-)
I believe those are Focal Shape Twin. You should also check out Focal Shape 65, best monitors I've ever heard. Mackie XR624 and Presonus R80 were close second for me. The Focals were out of my price range, I went for the Presonus, love the midrange, although they would probably benefit from a subwoofer or checking the lows on headphones.
Apologies in advance for a stupid question that has nothing whatsoever to do with recording, and I have no idea what made me think to ask this.... Are you, or have you ever been, a fan of the British sitcom "The Young Ones?"
I don't know about Warren, But I was, and still am ! A pet Hamster called SPG, what's not to like ;0) RIP Rick Mayall :0( What punk was to the Music scene, "The Young Ones" was to British comedy. A communist, An Anarchist, A hippy, and a wannabe Mr smooth, sharing Student digs = Utter Mayhem. Personal favourite episode was "Sick". "Shut up ! I'm trying to be ILL !" (throws a bottle of Vodka, (Molotov cocktail) into other room) BOOM !......... I cracked up ;0)
How do you get that 70s fat, "boofy" snare sound? I have a Ludwig Supraphonic but haven't had any luck getting that sound (using and SM57 top and bottom). As an example reference, I was listening to the original 1972 song Rocketman by Elton John. When the drums come in, you can really hear that fat snare drum. Maybe they are using a tea towel? Any tips would be much appreciated.
You might harvest some low end from the overheads (got condenser mics?), when you cut some mid-range that sits above the desired spectrum, and use a resonant hipass filter somewhere 140-190. Maybe mult the overheads with different compression settings. Lay a leather purse full with heavy coins on the snare.
Hey Warren, I've noticed that the recent FAQ Friday episodes have had fewer questions with longer, more in-depth answers compared to earlier episodes, and I am LOVING it. Quality over quantity, we're all getting such amazing information from you.
I was doing a live sound gig where we had a bass DI blended with a mic, and I used one of your tricks where you cut the bass from the mics and only leave the low-end from the DI. It worked amazingly, it was so punchy and still had serious weight behind it. Thank you so much for helping me to grow my audio skills.
Its awful refreshing finding this channel. I've been making music unprofessionally my whole life and strived to figure out certain methods cause I feel they are overlooked often in the more modern music. And it's super nice to see these videos where you advocate a lot of the methods I've gotten shit for trying to keep as they are too much work and you can fix it in post and I always say yes you can but the more you get right while recording the better the post production will go and over sound. Love this channel.
The rough mix is soooooo important because it gives you cues of what needs to be the focus and what stays on the background as supporters. What needs more attention and what needs to be left alone. A lot of ppl start inserting plugins and stuff right after importing files and miss the whole point of the song just because they are intrigued on making the drums slamming good ..or the guitars wide and wet as the ocean.
Love these FAQ Fridays...so much useful tried and true information is found here every week. Thank you in spades Mr. Huart!
The backing vocals tips were just what I needed! Thank you very much! What I always do as well on BVs, is to delete the breaths and clipgain the "T's", "K's", and "Ss". Have a nice weekend.
One aspect of speakers that I'm not sure if corrective software is able to account for, is the fact that different materials and designs used to create the actual cones will result in different transient and high end responses. For example, with a relatively soft cone that has a small degree of flex to it, when the center of the cone pushes and pulls, it takes time to spread to the outside of the cone, resulting in muddied transients and less accurate high frequencies. And of course there's all kinds of other aspects of a speaker's design that can affect the sound in a plethora of ways, each of which is correctable to differing amounts.
A speaker is more than just an eq curve, and no software (to my knowledge) can account for all of that.
I applied quite some techniques that I learnt from Warren, or got confirmed by his teachings, how they make sense.
Especially about drum sound scape, and above considerations on making an album with different sounds.
On background vocals, if the same singer with a rich voice does 10 bg vc tracks, it may sound like a swarm of bees. I try to mitigate that with using phase shifting plugins, and give a different setting to every track. Also, grouping the vocals by musical content (high, low, "choir", or 2nd voice to follow lead vc etc.) and giving each group a focused sound distinct from the others.
The answer to your first question just saved me a ton of work. I've been putting a project together from individual songs recorded over about a 20 year period, and I had it in my head that I needed to get them all sounding like they were recorded at the same time. Thanks a ton!
About you trying out sonar works, I think the reason the speakers maintained their characteristics is because you've probably done a great job with the acoustics of your room
You are very nice, kind and objective in your answers. It’s hard to find people doing what you do with love, passion on sharing this information. I’m new to your channel, I came here looking for information around making an album sound even but your answer just expanded my understanding of music production. Often we forget that this is art, and our tools are not made by luthiers and we are the bridge between pure art and music business.
Thank you! You made my 2020 better. I’m a beginner on this, I just recorded 10 songs to sell from home since I have no one gig booked for 2021
Wow! Thanks ever so much! I’m so glad to be able to help!!
I liked the diatribe Warren! Interesting point about mixing each song on its merits. I've been mixing my band EP and my band mate was concerned that the songs are all different but I think it's a strength to not be trying to be too deep in a sound or genre. The mixes are all completely different too! Cheers Adam
Interesting take on mixing albums without ending up sounding "cookie cutter" from end-to-end. I don't do much commercial work, as I'm focused on my album project, so expedience isn't my top priority and I've actually resisted creating templates. I prefer to choose my tools as I go from an exhaustive list (about 850 plugins, I do need to weed) and commit to them early. Every instrument, every song is approached in a unique way. I find this is teaching me a lot about what's out there and stretching my musicianship. And while you might think I'd struggle with inconsistency, the album I'm producing sounds very cohesive. My ear and artistic sensibilities have guided me to complimentary results in spite of taking a unique path to every production. Not sure it's best for anyone else, but it has been effective for me, and my largely solo, somewhat Bob Ross-inspired approach to producing music.
Love the FAQ Friday's Warren! I watch your vids over breakfast every day & pick up so many 'real world' tips from a real world pro! Great stuff! I'd like to ask which set of monitors behind you do you mainly mix on...and what percentage of time would you mix on headphones versus monitors? ie would you mix a project 70% on phones then go on to your monitors for final adjustments, or mainly use monitors with only checking on phones?
Yay! Now I don't feel too bad about always doing no effect vocals, and always saving copies before doing anything to anything. I would love some audio technicas, after researching for a few years trying to find something comparable to what I like, and am surgically holding together with gaffer tape. Thank you Warren! 😊
Concerning the corrected headphone question, I use sonarworks to help me out in my mostly untreated and uneven room. It made a huge difference. But I avoid using it on my headphones because i run the risk to take my headphones to a live situation, or listen something on a phone or computer which is not corrected. On headphones I prefer a familiar sound to a corrected one.
Thanks for the GREAT videos Warren! Even though I've been in business for over 45 years, I'm still learning!!
Your comments about stems prompted a question. Re: Stereo Buss processing. Do you leave all your buss processing alone (in line & adjusted as they were for the full mix) for each stem? It seems to me that the sound through the processing would sound different when the processors are reacting to a full mix (and its resulting level) as opposed to just the stem going through. Would the result be a different sounding "summed mix" versus a "normal" full mix? Thanks again for founding the community!
I usually mix a song, make a template from it and start song number 2 with it. On the second song I end up going into more detailed editing because I have a good starting point. The same process goes for all subsquent songs and then I can go back over the album and adjust what needs adjusting.
I have a track due for release soon where I mixed the vocals and backing vocals in a very particular, and for me new way. I put thr vocals through a bus with some very slight chorus on top, not too much but enough to give it character. That goes on top of the dry vocals. Then the backing vocals are obviously mixed at a lower volume, all of the vocals (so the dry lead and backing vocals and the chorusy ones) are put through another bus with tonnes of plate reverb to simulate a room mic. Then to blend it all together I use a tape generator that simulates the saturation and feel of a tape console in a digital VST. I then go over the song as a whole and level the vocals accordingly to the part I'm in, maybe in a louder chorus I really let em loose and in a softer bridge or verse with clean guitars I might pull back on the effects and volume to really give it the feeling of being softer.
Regarding getting all the songs on an album to sound "mixed together"...
Even using mostly all the same equipment throughout a session, just dropping or adding one rhythm guitar may change the tonality a lot more than you would ever expect. Just changing key significantly might even throw that "magic" balance off a little.
Ultimately, each song really needs to be fine tuned for it's own individual tonality. Usually the best you can do if you're trying to "fast track" the "matching" process, is to try and match the drums sound and bass sound for all the songs, and hope that it magically gets glued together during mastering. But I really don't even think that would really make enough difference in some cases.
A very fast paced and busy song doesn't do well being mixed exactly the same as a slower less busy song. Different amounts of oomph are required. Mix them both the same? The fast heavy busy song sounds a bit weak. The slow gentle song sounds totally over the top and ends up with the totally wrong feel. All you really can do is try to keep the very bottom end as full and the top end as brilliant and shimmering. But it's a game of push and pull. There are practical limits.
I've mixed an album's worth of songs using radically different instruments. Electric bass on most, but acoustic stand-up bass (via Soundfonts) on others. Organ and/or piano on some, but doubled up rhythm guitars on others. Relatively clean lead guitar vs. very overdriven lead guitar. Some with acoustic guitar, some without. It can be done, to some extent, but it is truly time consuming. Basically you have to go through all of the songs numerous times, referencing them to each other. And if you're including acoustic songs, heavy electric songs, and songs with some orchestral elements it can be a real nightmare. Having the same full thick bass sound used for an electric song may actually not "play nice" on an acoustic song. But you don't want to suck the life out of the electric song either. It's a compromise at best... And not always what's best for the songs.
Songs are much like children. One excels at school and goes to college. Another is happy just tossing pizzas. A third one goes to a trade school. You can't force all your children to have the same outlooks. AND... Sometimes this "uncomfortable diversity" is what them all great in their own special individual way.
Okay, I need to ask one question now as well: When you pan tracks left to right, either hard left / hard right or anywhere in between, how do you make sure that the mix doesn't fall apart when switched to mono. Also with drum room mics in rather big rooms. Is it a question of EQ or phase checking? Thanks, Warren.
Hey there Warren! Really great stuff man I’ve been following you now for the last month encouraging and learning to adopt some very valuable content that you speak on for my home studio and what I can learn more as a drummer to be more diverse when it comes to mixing tracks, etc. you are really helping a lot appreciate all your videos and all that you do
Thanks for all! Question: Might be basic, but when you have done some tracks (recorded all by myself) and you want to normalize levels (volume) you Put them together in a session and then export? Thanks!
im a home studio amateur here but this was a question that came up by the other guys in our band as they wondered why i mixed everything separately on our first album we just finnished on different project files and the drums were the main reason....we used 5 mics but the bleed depending on what the cymbals were doing affected particularly the snare mix (alot of crash etc.)and the way i eq'd things so there's was no way to get the best sound without mixing every song separately.....i was waiting for a video on this......great info.....again
I'm learning so much here. Your videos inspire me so much. Thank you for doing this.
I would love to see an inside the song with Sylvia Massey, videos I’ve seen of her production is so inspiring and creative,
Thanks for the videos and channel btw Warren, i can’t wait to see new videos.
The BVoc's tip will change my life. Thanks!!
I have a question - or perhaps better suggestion. You could make a video (every 1/4 year?) where Warren is doing a live mixing of one of a track a lucky subscriber that sends him the tracks in about an hour. Would be great to see what he can do with perhaps not perfect material. And you would make the subscriber unbelievable happy... and because it was mine fine idea - U could choose one of my songs for the first episode. xD
I'm surprised to neither hear about, nor see comments about AKG K701s in thos discussion of headphone mixing. They radically changed my mixes, and that was coming from fairly decent monitors in a treated room. I later learned about Quincy Jones and others relying on them and I thought "yeah, that makes sense!"
What's your thoughts on a presonus setup? ( monitors, interface, channel strips, console and studio one) Or should my gear be more diverse?
Interesting topic you hit upon,as someone who has been into hifi (ergo the screen name)for most of my life, one of the great debates was always between subjectivism vs objectivism.Objectivists have said to me just EQ and two speakers to a flat response and they will sound the same, but that doesn't take cabinet rezonance and distortion and dispersion patterns into consideration, sure you can take a cheap pair of speakers EQ them and get 40 hz wave out of them if you don't mind 25% distortion.
thanks for the tips.
I've got some fairly significant hearing loss, No doubt from 40+ years around loud drummers.
Is there any major mixers out there mixing with hearing aids?? Thanks Paul
Thanks Warren, really appreciate your vids. I’m mixing a rock project right now that has a lot of songs with the kick & snare always on the same beat and wondering what tricks you might use to have them both present & separate/defined
Thank you you just answered my question. Every song of this album is very unique. I have everything in the ballpark.. it's the bottom of the ninth... Masters should be a grand slam
Thank you for the awesome intro Kind Sir!!! you have new subscriber !!!! I have a new Home!!!
This is what I call, "keeping the rawness of the track."
Enjoyed your video so much...i'm afraid to ask this but....when to mix in mono or stereo????...
Hi Warren,
Again Thx for all your great vids and INFO!!
I have had a problem for awhile now with FEMALE HARSH VOX. I have used tube mics+ outboard tube pres even tried Sure 58's and Condenser mics with 1073 and LA2A plugins going in using RME interface with APOGEE BIG BEN and I DO NOT NOTICE this harshness until MIXDOWN. 95% of the vox is GREAT but THOSE spots inevitably show up....)-: I try using MULTIBAND eq with every COMP on the market to tame the harshness, even using parametric OR Graphic BEFORE the MULTIBAND....I read an article of someone having U47 & a U67 among other mics and also high end OUTBOARD PRE'S and COMPS he ended up getting this SOOTHE vst that helped him on one particular session... I demoed it and then bought it but I'm still struggling cleaning up the mix....When these issues show up I inevitably take EVERYTHING (VST'S) off the trk AND the MIXBUS and solo it and it's still there...I'm using REAPER to TRK and MIXBUS to MIX. Could there be some degrading of the TRK happening or is this common at all? I do eventually after loooots of massaging and manipulating and TEARING down and rebuilding the mix more than once do I come up with a decent vox but it is DRAINING and COUNTER PRODUCTIVE creatively wise...ANY ADVICE would be VERY welcome....Sorry if you have already covered this plz let me know , Thx Jeff
What are some tips for organizing the home studio for improving workflow? Are there any lessons from professional studios that we can apply in our more modest workspace? Cheers!
Thanks Warren, I asked the first question about a month ago and I wanted to know your opinion. I thank you very much for sharing with your experience
Favorite videos i watch!!
How do you feel about doubling vocals, then panning them hard to each side? Does it help, or harm a vocal performance?
Hi! We have an Apex 460 mic. What more expensive mic would you recommend?
Thank you for such an informative video! I am however, a bit confused with the whole "printing effects" part. I only ever knew bouncing a either dry, or processed vocal. Is there a way to bounce just the effects? I'm not sure how to go about it, as far as turning an effect into a waveform on a track.
FAQ Friday Question: How important, or not, are power conditioners and uninterrupted power supplies (UPS) for the home studio? If I have reliable current and don’t hear any obvious issues like ground loop hum, are these devices a waste of money or do they offer legitimate benefits? Love your content Warren!
Good question Henry, I'd like to here more on this too as I have heard that it does make quite a difference by not having spikey power. I've also heard that UPS is a godsend if you have a power cut as they have some battery backup enough to allow you to save your session and shut down I think? Anyone know the details?
Hi Warren, I have a question for FAQ friday.
Do you use automation in EQ's? Let's say you have a guitar intro where you want a fat tone, but when the rest of the instruments come in it might sound muddy. Will you then automate EQ for the guitar? I was thinking of this when hearing the intro of Always on the run by Lenny Kravitz.
It has a fat sounding guitar in the intro, but I wonder if it might muddy the mix when the other instruments come in (it doesn't and I wonder how they did that!).
This makes sense. 👌 I'll apply this.
Thanks ever so much!
Did I get you right? When printing stems, you do not adjust the master bus compressor. But you do not take it out completely, do you. So based on the stems alone, getting the mix is at least difficult, because the master bus compression of the mix differs from that of the combined stems? Really, really great video!
Hi Warren. Just kind of a noob question, but there it goes. When dealing with vocal doubles I usually endup with like a nasty flanger effect, sometimes is subtler and even cool, but not being able to get rid of it completely really bothers me. Any tips on this?, I understand being doubles not exactly the same original wave will cause phase issues but thats the point of a double isn't it?.
Many thanks in advance and as allways love your vids. Keep the great work.
Hello, I have just finished recording my first song - I have gotten a lot of positive feed back. What are the steps in pro tools to finish it? quantize automatiom?
Thanks a lot for your kindful information brother.
A small of question for you:
Which plugins did you pefer for mixing ?
( Waves plugins or Native Instrument plugins or any )
Great video! I was hoping you would EQ your lavalier mic
the problem with the records you're talking about isn't that the songs are MIXED too similarly, it's that no one held out for 10 good SONGS.
And even if they were all good, some different styles don't blend well. Save them for another album!
Hey Warren such a great great channel thank you! I've also just joined the Academy so Been downloading multi's. My question is....what are your favourite Pro Tools keyboard shortcuts!
Every time I watch vids of what goes on at TGU, or the two NAMMs, it makes me wish we had something similar here in NYC every year, or at least nearby in Boston or Philly, because I hate flying.
Once again, you give a timely tip, as my bandmate and I recently recorded some backing vocals for the chorus of a song, and I was wondering about the best way to mix them without getting in the way of the lead vocal, other than simply turning them down in the mix.
Awesome video Warren! Just wanted to ask, what are your thoughts on live instruments VS programmed instruments? Is it cheating? Does it depend?
Great video! Is there anyway you can do a video showing us how to mic an acoustic guitar when using it as a percussion?
I'm not a technician but I wouldn't be be that much concerned of having all sounds perfectly in every song of an album and this basically for one reason: very likely the songs will be in different keys, that means that the frequencies change anyway making each song sound differently anyway.
Warren, you're the friggin man! Thanks so much for all of your help!!
Thank you Warren! You rock!
Have a great time at my German neighbours!
Greetings from The Netherlands :).
What are the differences between great mic and mediocre mic? Can one make a mediocre mic recorded sound better by EQ or any other way? Thanks.
Budget overheads for metal drums: Røde M5s or Lewitt 040s? Or is there something better in the 200 EUR per pair range?
About the "rough mix" question: I supposed a better term is "pre-processinng mix", with "processing" referring to EQ, compression etc.
On the stem terminology thing: I recently saw a video which explained the term as an abnreviation of "Stereo Master". Which could be even more confusing.
I use two pairs of headphones to mix: AKG K701s for everything but the low end and a cheap pair of Fostex T7s for the low end and nothing else. By constantly referencing pro material I think I get my mixes as good as possible with my set-up and they tend to translate very well to other systems?
Hi Warren. Do you have a method for reacquainting yourself with a mix-in-progress after you've been away from it awhile. I often find myself staring at the screen, saying, "Now what?"
When recording three part vocal harmony, do you prefer using one omni mic or two or three separated mics? With one mic, the artists have to perform the mix.
Interesting answer on Stems, but no mention of automation and whether you would remove that? I ask as I assume the client wants stems to do their own mix including volumes?
Hi warren, when tracking at higher sample rates, have you needed to upgrade you hard disk IO to handle writing more data in real time? Thanks!
5:31 Exactly!
Hey what's up and I hope your weekend is fantastic!! I love love love your interviews with engineers/producers of wonderful music. I was hoping to see you interview someone who has worked with Frank Sinatra or another major player of that genre. Thank you very much and thanks for everything.
If you're using both virtual drums and bass do you bother to then do some of the standard EQing you've mentioned, like a little bump at 60Hz on the kick, etc.?
It all depends on what the samples are and what/if they need anything. If they're already processed, then they probably don't need much if anything, but you still would want to sculpt the kick and bass so they play well together really. I always try to use unprocessed drum samples so I can make the decisions myself and learn. Same with Bass vsti's.
7:28 Great tip.
I love to do slap delays on my vocals :)!
have fun Warren .
Warren! Totally off topic, but you were mentioning dyeing your hair recently. It looks great, still very natural! What shade do you use please? Cheers, V. :-)
Great subject. Especially this day in age with people spreading out material more and more.
Warren, I know that you work different ways (console, hybrid, in the box). I have been hearing a lot about Harrison's Mixbus DAW. Have you used it? What are you thoughts on it?
I may be starting work at a professional studio for the first time in my life in the coming months. What are some of the things I should do to prepare from moving from amateur to professional?
Be indispencable! Congratulations!
I would like to cast my vote for more joint videos between Warren and Fricker. That's a great duo because of the contrast in their personalities.
hey guys. great vid as always. where is the best place on line to find out who mixed the song and other people on the recording?im sure there are a few. anyone wanna chime in on this? Cheers from Vernon BC Canada
You should meet up with “ seven “ Michael Summers and go through the Tech N9ne album “ special effects “. It’s a sonic masterpiece like no other in hip hop.
SonarWorks does give you the option to add low and top end boosts after the correction is applied though?
Yes, or more specifically, it has separate bass/treble tilt controls in 1Db increments.
Do you hi pass bass guitar? Like around 70hz just to help it sit better?
He always uses HPFs on almost everything, but with a gentle slope, like 6dB or 12dB.
Warren with your Beyerdynamic DT990, do you sometimes get this fine distortion in the upper mids sometimes?
Fantastic!
Is it possible or even plausible to mic a drum set & run those mics into a mixer & run the output(s) of that mixer into an audio interface? Sorta of similar to sub mixing in a live situation as I am just getting started recording but have helped run sound live for years.
Quality as usual Warren & PLAP … Many thanks mate
You've used the phrase "print the DI" a few times in other videos, and I think I know what you mean by that, but could you clarify/expand upon that, perhaps in another video?
"Print the DI" is the same as record the DI.
Hi Alan, a Di box will usually allow you to send a signal to your fx pedals and amp as well as a clean (di) signal to your daw so you can record both. By doing this (and printing/recording the di to a separate track) you can then re-amp using your clean di track back into your guitar amp if you would like to try other amps or setups. If you have your guitar plugged into a Di such as your interface Di and you say use amplitube or bias etc you can still do the same trick as your di track is just the clean tone straight from your guitar, so you could now use the di to drive two different virtual amps and blend them together.
A nice trick that I like to use the clean di for is if you are using lots (or not much) overdrive from an amp or virtual amp, try eq'ing and compressing the di (quite a lot to get some SPANK) then blend that back in a little with your overdrive tone for picking definition, I find that can work very well just to provide some picking clarity to fast overdriven lead parts for example, this works well for a bit of spangle to chords too ;) hope this helps a little.
Best Dave
One question, how to approach mixing long song, concept song, a 10min prog song, I had one song like that I mixed, and I had trouble saving time, the biggest issue was pre mastering since the mood changes alot
Warren is the best
Fine Faq today! Im just into my first multitrack recorder 4 channel interface, we have two singers and one guitar. Should I use the remaining input for a room mic/room sound?
If I may suggest: I'm not sure how you're recording the guitar or if it's acoustic or electric, but perhaps a second mic on the guitar amp at a different distance the the first mic, or a direct signal as well as an amped/miked signal could give you some options during the mix for blending, etc at different points in the song. More options to fill in the sonic palette.
@@good4sound thnx, I play a 1959 hoyer expo,(hollowbody jazzbox) pluggen straight into the interface, I was planning on dubbing later. I mainly want to get the vocals to sound a bit fuller..
I see. You could add another mic as an ambient room mic, but you may pick up more of the hollow body guitar than ideal if you’re trying to thicken vocals. Do your best to position the ambient room mic to reject the guitar. This track could add some cool dimension and space to the mix, but use it sparingly as it could make things sound “slappy.” You might consider double tracking the vocals on a second pass to thicken them, even if they are put low in the mix.
Ok here’s a question...when I listen to pro recordings, each instrument sounds so clear and defined it’s almost as if there’s air between each component...My recordings on the other hand don’t have that air between the various components. I low pass filter to try and get rid of mud but my mixes still seem to be an intertangled mess even after cutting and boosting competing frequencies. I’m tired of sucking at mixing LOL
Use High Pass EQ instead of Low Pass to get rid of mud.
Sorry that’s actually what I meant...I got dyslexic when thinking about my filters
@@TheTom5150
Ok. I see. As long as you only confuse words and not functions, you'll be fine.
Remember to serve the song.
Excellent video as always!
With regards to BG vocals my usual go to technique is to use a stereo widener on their bus to get them spread out away from the lead vocals.
I have a question for you Warren!:
When using a 1073 style pre do you always drive the transformer with the input high or is there a time and place for such oomph?
Personally I am a saturation whore and will drive everything just because I can haha.
We keep talking about monitors vs headphones, but what about mixing using hifi desktop speakers/subs?
I don't think you'd ever want to "mix" using that setup because of the colorization, but for sure listening back to a mix on them to hear how it translates is fine.
Warren, you're amazing! How do you find time to create all this great content?! (Just read Philip K. Dick, /Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?/, and I'm beginning to suspect you're a Nexus-6. ;-)
What model are those Focals Warren? I'm in the market to buy..
I believe those are Focal Shape Twin. You should also check out Focal Shape 65, best monitors I've ever heard. Mackie XR624 and Presonus R80 were close second for me. The Focals were out of my price range, I went for the Presonus, love the midrange, although they would probably benefit from a subwoofer or checking the lows on headphones.
I always try and respond to every comment on my videos may be not straight away but I do try answer everone
Apologies in advance for a stupid question that has nothing whatsoever to do with recording, and I have no idea what made me think to ask this....
Are you, or have you ever been, a fan of the British sitcom "The Young Ones?"
I don't know about Warren, But I was, and still am !
A pet Hamster called SPG, what's not to like ;0)
RIP Rick Mayall :0(
What punk was to the Music scene, "The Young Ones" was to British comedy.
A communist, An Anarchist, A hippy, and a wannabe Mr smooth, sharing Student digs = Utter Mayhem.
Personal favourite episode was "Sick".
"Shut up ! I'm trying to be ILL !" (throws a bottle of Vodka, (Molotov cocktail) into other room) BOOM !......... I cracked up ;0)
I remember watching that show on MTV here in the US, years ago. "First we sow the seed. Nature grows the seed. Then, we eat the seed."
@@adamfox9651
Neil the Hippy said that ;0)
It was a great "mad" picture of the young point of view in the UK in it's day.
@@SirEggbertfartalot I always felt sorry for Neil. The poor dummy was always getting crapped on by his housemates.
@@adamfox9651
I alway's felt sorry for SPG, Imagine being the Pet of that lot ;0)
Hi Warren, interesting about stems, I don’t understand the need for them in this day and age , just give them a copy of the original masters, ?
Fantastic FAQ Friday, thank you so much Warren.
How do you get that 70s fat, "boofy" snare sound? I have a Ludwig Supraphonic but haven't had any luck getting that sound (using and SM57 top and bottom). As an example reference, I was listening to the original 1972 song Rocketman by Elton John. When the drums come in, you can really hear that fat snare drum. Maybe they are using a tea towel? Any tips would be much appreciated.
You might harvest some low end from the overheads (got condenser mics?), when you cut some mid-range that sits above the desired spectrum, and use a resonant hipass filter somewhere 140-190. Maybe mult the overheads with different compression settings. Lay a leather purse full with heavy coins on the snare.