USE THE SUPER THANKS IF YOU LIKED THIS VIDEO! 👆👆👆 GAIN STAGIN PLAYLIST: ua-cam.com/video/bDnylIRs0jo/v-deo.html My Small Monitors: imp.i114863.net/qaPmg My Headphones: imp.i114863.net/2Dzyz 🔥 YOU GOTTA WATCH THIS! ➡ ua-cam.com/video/YuRVDyGL0VY/v-deo.html 🔥
Seriously, these are great. I’m disabled so I can’t get out anymore to get quality instruction from other engineers. I am now planning an all out binge watch. Thank you for posting these.
I love that you speak about unhearable short delays and reverbs. Yes These can not be reverse engineered. Even if you feel like some top chart vocals are super dry, actually it would contain pleasing ambience when solo it. Every newbies should try out many subtle delays and ambiences on tracks. It makes huge difference in overall. This is one of the core element that decides the quality of record.
People don’t gain stage because they’re lazy, nothing I make musically is from anyone else’s sounds…..I make all original music so when I record I try going in at 0…..every single sound goes in gain staged……it definitely helps and even if it helps a little it all adds up to a lot in the end….btw I’ve been mixing, making and mastering music since 1998 but I have to tell you that your break down on compressor types really helped me a whole lot…..thank you for that.
@@yardleylfc I don’t use any sounds from loops or anything like that…correct. They’re all instruments…keyboards, drums, guitars, bass, sticks, synthesizers, made up sounds, frying pans if need be. I guess after taking a look at my comment I wouldn’t say lazy as much as I would say anxious to get to the next step so they skip the gain staging steps…I have used loops before but my songs started to sound the same after a while…that was with Acid pro in the 90’s and early 2000’s
You’re so right about the mixing curve when you start learning instead of using your instincts. I’m slowly emerging from the bottom of the curve and it’s a big relief for you to talk about it. I’m not alone, phew
Did 10 mixes of a simple (naked) hip hop track trying to get industry standard depth and image. The subtle delay and reverb reminder from this video did the trick.
Piggybacking on #8 is I would get in a loudness war with my mix. First the bass would need to come up a touch, but that buried the guitar so it had to come up, but now the vocals are too quiet, rinse/repeat. When in reality all that needed to happen from the start was turning the kick drum DOWN just a touch and everything would have been fine.
Thanks for another awesome video. One of the most painful experiences for a producer is when you upgrade plugins and hardware with thousands of dollars only to hear a mix you did five years ago and it sounds heavier, fuller, and just better. You start to question your choices in life!
Wonderful video plenty of real instructions. Too many uneducated wannabe mixer engineer videos on YT which have saturated the social media, and are honestly useless. Thanks for reminding everyone what is important. Chapeau 😊
Number two was my worse mistakes... 15 plugins on nearly every track!!!!???? I remember then seeing a video on this big mix engineer saying a lot of his work was getting a project mixed in Protools and just turned off 80% of the plugins they had put on the mix and send it back to them to have they be amazed at the clarity and dynamic range of the track... this is then what I did and boom, fixed half of the stuff I did 😂
Mixing in SOLO was my big mistake at the beginning. I had a bad time spending too much time on each individual instrument instead of the whole mix and instrument placed in it. Regarding ambiance! Thanks a lot. It actually took me 10 years to figure that out. No joking. I simply could not understand how pro mixers could do so spacial mixes without audible reverb. Now I have 4 delays, 5 reverbs, 3 choruses. It took me fucking 10 years to figure out parallel compression. But all in all, I still have a ton to learn.
Excelente video, so many videos of many people mixing in so many ways and as beginners we confuse popularity with credibility🔥💯 This channel is golden 🏆🏆🏆
I been doing this for years. I always learn from you. You have rock solid advice. I think it hard for people to admit that someone just might be better than them. I bet you know every part of new gear that comes in your studio in side and out. I have friends like this and we talk shop every day. Stay Safe!
Great advice. There is so much to learn about music, so most of the time I have to kick the door open with everything, just not enough time to learn how to open it.
You nailed it with your critique of some audio UA-camrs advice. Being a good mixer and being a good UA-camr are different skills and the given UA-cam personality may only be good at one of those. There are indeed a lot of UA-cam mixer advice tropes that get recycled. I have a list I've compiled of bad UA-camr audio advice I've seen over the past couple of years... sometimes from very large channels and sometimes stunningly bad even on the most basic level. I like "never do anything unless you know *why* you are doing it..." wise words.
I am a subscriber ever since David was talking 20 words in a minute in his first videos :))) Damn I'm old :)) I'm pretty sure David can make a whole video on just these 3 topics: 1. Have a purpose for every move you make 2. You don't hear the difference of that move - don't make it at all 3. That move spoiled something - roll it back and fix something else if you can
I watch thos channel a lot less than i used to but ill never forget how your loudness video years ago. It unlocked so much mentally for me and helped me make my tunes better.
Thank you for this video. I think you hit the nail on the head with many youtubers teaching or lack of good teaching. I am by no means a pro at mixing what so ever, but the mistakes and or things you brought out are some of things I have been trying to get better with. Loved your discussion regarding gain staging, I completely agree with that!
Gainstaging is very important in any DAW. Since I've been doing it everything comes together easily and just sounds better. O...I want to thank you for you videos and effort putting it out. It is fantastic and very thorough and educational.
The last one I kind of knew but was really woken to this one with the way you said it "everything **** then nothing is *****"... I knew this before sort of but was taking it more as a balancing act, now I just decide what is bright, what is warm instead of sharing out a percentage, so this advice taught me after knowing the common mistakes
Regarding over processing, I used dip low mids on everything , and I used to always notch out 4k on amp sim guitars. These days I actually dont touch an EQ before I hear a problem (unless its a tone shaping thing) In fact I try and limit the EQ moves I do on most mix elements. Not that I set an amount I do and rigidly stick to that, but I try to do as much as I can with Level balance, Panning, Saturation and Compression before going near EQ to "solve problems". I used to think "I dont want a muddy mix" so would cut out lower mids as default. You are one of the people that changed my practice
Gain staging is important but in a daw lets not overstate things. You don’t need to be ocd but you definitely need to at least be broadly aware of the consequences of coming in at the equivalent of +15 on your emulation of [insert whatever hardware device]
There's no overstating nor being OCD, there's knowing how to do gain staging and why and not knowing. It's not complicated. Mixing is a fine art made of hundreds of details, being broadly aware of things means winging it and it doesn't belong in mixing.
Gainstaging isn't just about clipping or not. A lot of tools are working off of the average level of your signal and that could be so suboptimal if you're not gainstaging correctly.
10:45 This is something I have started to do recently, take 2 Reverbs that are different but similar (usually 2 different plugins) and pan them and send to both of them. I use this for very subtle Room FX and it gives a lot more depth than using a single Verb even if it is stereo(usually not always)
Volume just increases the overall track louder. So every soft and every high is just increased and the high ends can start to clip. Gain staging goes in and separately adjusted the highs and lows
“Door handle or kick down the door”😂😂😂 PERFECT analogy! Btw- understanding gain staging is essential. Disregard the click baiting charlatans. Also- “Invisible ambience” is a genius term, good Sir.
The thing I struggled with a lot near the start (and lots of people have this issue) was the number of Tools I had available. If anything I had too many. I felt like I had to use all the tools I had or it was just a waste. Really what is better (especially as a newbie) is to get maybe 2 or 3 of each type of tool maximum, and learn them well, and only start using other tools if you are finding those 2 or 3 are not the right options for a specific thing. So in my case using the TDR stuff like Nova, Slick EQ and Molotok and maybe a couple of other things like some of the Melda stuff and Klanghelm things and focusing on them for most situations really helped me progress. Also I deliberately avoid "under the hood" all in one plugins (like the CLA stuff) because I would rather make the mistakes with individual tools and learn them as a result thoroughly. Still lots to learn but the difference in what I know vs starting 5 or 6years ago is huge, and the Quality of my mixing vs only 2 or 3 years ago is a world away in difference
7 was also a mistake for me starting out... liking one bit that wasn't quite what I wanted it to be and shaping things around it hoping when I start mixing things around it it will then be how I wished it... and never being happy with it, just too stubborn to let of the good idea I had that I could not create
Volume automation took me a long time until it was making the difference it was meant to, would often give up on it as a key thing and just do it when necessary... better now, but by means great at it... it's the one thing I aim to develop the most
I still do gain staging mistakes when am producing in the zone and loose focus on mixing 😅 listening back like wtf are you doing 😂🙈 that comes naturally as you go to learn from your own mistakes and Study other pros. Awesome video 🔥🤘
Another awesome video! Andrew scheps said he doesn’t gain stage. I never understood this, I reckon he does it without even realizing. Personally gain staging has improved my mixes a lot.
Exaactly, also he probably receives project that are pretty damn good to begin with already. Also, some people get to the result despite some whacked things they do, not because of them
Hi D, If you wanted to create your own signature plug in. What would you call it ? What Components will it have ? How will it be an “ Asset & Differ” from other plugz on the digital market place ? Thx in advance 👑?
This video is EVERYTHING! Much trial and error in this art of mixing. I loved what you said in mistake #5 because I would have these songs am mixing for the artist when they send me these beats (trap/hip hop) and have all of this low end, barley any mids or muddy mids being tooken up by all this filtering and stuff and idk what or how these producers mixing. So in mastering I'm like okay lemme pull a ref and try my best to keep the feel of the actual mix and control this excessive low end as much as I can without losing it. I was another just using certain tools just because so lol. Till realizing our ears almost always have to tailed to the big picture of the record in both feeling and applying such rules in mixing. Reverse engineering did help allot but as you said had a limit to it. But mainly helped training my ears to levels (which took me a long time to get right like vocals being so loud bc couldn't understand how loud from the beat actually should be), fx, low end etc. but had to learn to get these things right myself. Thx for all the useful gems your channel isn't much talked about but your knowledge and demonstrations are superb.
1) On UA-cam they either completely ignore it or they give 10000 rules that make no sense - like ALWAYS have the input of the plugins at -18 or some other wacky number otherwise THE PLUGINS WILL SUCK! They really don't know what they're talking about! Btw gain staging while mixing completely in the box is very easy and straightforward. 2) That's why the best way to improve is to receive constant feedback from a pro. And I agree with what you say at the end, and I add something too: you should listen to the sound, think if there is something off and, if so, how can you fix it (is it too dark? Boost top end. Is it too dynamic? Compress it...) and then do it. And if it doesn't sound how you want it, delete the previous move and do something else, not stack 12 plugins on top of each other. 3) It depends on the song, but that's a good piece of advice especially for very dynamic tracks. 4) That's something too many people ignore and go for either no ambience or overly hyped ambience. 5) Obvious but too many amateurs think: " I'm gonna fix it in the mix!" and 90% of the times doesn't work. Btw I think you're being too optimistic with the example of a mix that is a 4 being brought to an 8 in mastering - maybe you can manage it sometimes but probably a sh1t mix will sound just mediocre but almost listenable almost every time. 6) I'd have put it even before: it can cause you to be too shit with your processing because a move looks extreme on the screen (e.g: you do not compress the vocals enough) or it can cause you to over-process because you look at the analyzer and go all in to make your track look they way you think it should look. 7) It kinda packs many mixing mistakes: trying to make something bad/out of place sound good, not going back to the first processing before adding plugins, mixing with preconceived ideas, mixing with your eyes and I could go on all day long. 8) Yeah it'll result in a messy mix, and of course many times comes back to the arrangement. 9) There's also the high risk to dig yourself in a rabbit hole in you try to match tones and sounds exactly to a reference track (not mentioning the frequency curve or the stereo width). 10) Completely agree, and also a great way to enhance stereo width is contrast: mono-ish verses, ultra wide choruses. I use that technique all the time. Great video David!
The phrase “knowing just enough to be dangerous” comes to mind. I’m very guilty of this. I just recently went back to using only my ears and while the result was under processed, it sounds way better than my over processed tracks.
On which channel we need to use subtle reverb delay for that 3d factor? On vocals, or on instrumental or on both except bass? Like you said in 4 mistake? Do you have any video for that? Plz guide me thanks for everything 🙏♥️
Hey David, I am still waiting on the mastering compressor you went with over the SPL Iron we talked about a while back? Is it ready, have you revealed it? Did i miss it?
Hey David. In regards to your first automation pass you do at the beginning of your mix, do you then bounce everything and reimport it after you automation pass? Or do you continue mixing with the faders in read mode. If it's the latter how do you quickly raise or lower the overall level of an element/fader that has automation written in? Thanks
everything you say is correct. I will personally add. not to mix without intention. especially not to systematically use solo (no one will listen to the tracks in solo), use the eq and compressors in the context of this mix. know how to listen to the mix and not the instruments. it joins mistake 8 .merci !
Mistake #2 the most valuable tip these days, when an even better plugin comes onto the market every day and distracts from the actual topic: serve the music - or whatever YOUR topic is.
I always hear you stress about the fact you need to do levels on the rough mix first. My question is, what if some of the processing done is crucial to the sound design of your mix, and bypassing it in order to get the rough mix would mean losing the whole idea and purpose of that sound ? For instance, crazy distortion on a lead because that's the sound that makes the track. Then, reversing it to the original sound completely breaks the balance you originally made for it when it was processed, does it not ?
I'm not sure I'm understanding the context you're imagining. I receive tracks, I don't pick up a PT project from the client. So I can't "bypass" whatever effect because there's no effect. I ask for raw tracks, along with a rough mix. Now, if the producer/artist/client have specific effects that are, as you say crucial part of the song AND he/she know that's the exact sound(s) they want to hear in the song, then I ask them to send me the track printed with the effect on and I'll simply do gainstaging and levels with those. But even in the case I decide to re-do that effect and ask for an additional dry version, when you have experience you can esily do levels in the rough knowing what's gonna change later on. It just takes a 1000 mixes and 10.000 hours of experience at minimum
As always, solid advice David! Just curious, do you have any courses or videos about sound selection? I feel I'm doing good on that level but always down to learn more, I'm always looking for ways to get better. Thanks again for the content!
Hey David , I was just curious typically what are you pushing the pre amp when recording your rap vocals ? Let’s just say without gear just the pre amps in the interface
Hell f***ing yeah for #7, hellyeah to everything but especially to #7. EDIT: Hellyeah to #8 as well... It's a great addition to #7 LOL EDIT2: Hellyeah to #10
When you say you do volume automation first, do you always automate track volume (post-fader), or do you ever automate clip gain instead since that would affect the level going into any processing on that track?
USE THE SUPER THANKS IF YOU LIKED THIS VIDEO! 👆👆👆
GAIN STAGIN PLAYLIST: ua-cam.com/video/bDnylIRs0jo/v-deo.html
My Small Monitors: imp.i114863.net/qaPmg
My Headphones: imp.i114863.net/2Dzyz
🔥 YOU GOTTA WATCH THIS! ➡ ua-cam.com/video/YuRVDyGL0VY/v-deo.html 🔥
You can tell the amount of experience David has in videos like this, casually giving GOLD for 30 minutes straight
This
FR
30mins of him are more input then 30 days of all the others
This channel is the bible of audio engineering
So true
bet
Facctsssss
Preach!
this!
This isn't just teaching mixing, it's teaching good workflow and mindset. Essential.
I’m taking notes !1) not gain staging 2 ) over-processing 3) volume automation 4) using subtle reverb 5) poor sound selection 6) comparing waveforms to reference 7) building on mistakes 8) hearing all instruments 9) unique tracks 10) over widen stereo separation
Seriously, these are great. I’m disabled so I can’t get out anymore to get quality instruction from other engineers. I am now planning an all out binge watch. Thank you for posting these.
Happy to help 🙏
I love that you speak about unhearable short delays and reverbs. Yes These can not be reverse engineered.
Even if you feel like some top chart vocals are super dry, actually it would contain pleasing ambience when solo it. Every newbies should try out many subtle delays and ambiences on tracks. It makes huge difference in overall. This is one of the core element that decides the quality of record.
People don’t gain stage because they’re lazy, nothing I make musically is from anyone else’s sounds…..I make all original music so when I record I try going in at 0…..every single sound goes in gain staged……it definitely helps and even if it helps a little it all adds up to a lot in the end….btw I’ve been mixing, making and mastering music since 1998 but I have to tell you that your break down on compressor types really helped me a whole lot…..thank you for that.
Are you saying you don’t use any preset sounds?
@@yardleylfc I don’t use any sounds from loops or anything like that…correct. They’re all instruments…keyboards, drums, guitars, bass, sticks, synthesizers, made up sounds, frying pans if need be. I guess after taking a look at my comment I wouldn’t say lazy as much as I would say anxious to get to the next step so they skip the gain staging steps…I have used loops before but my songs started to sound the same after a while…that was with Acid pro in the 90’s and early 2000’s
Solid video mate massive help ❤
"Don't look at your reference tracks." Raw brilliance and discipline.
You’re so right about the mixing curve when you start learning instead of using your instincts. I’m slowly emerging from the bottom of the curve and it’s a big relief for you to talk about it. I’m not alone, phew
Did 10 mixes of a simple (naked) hip hop track trying to get industry standard depth and image. The subtle delay and reverb reminder from this video did the trick.
Piggybacking on #8 is I would get in a loudness war with my mix. First the bass would need to come up a touch, but that buried the guitar so it had to come up, but now the vocals are too quiet, rinse/repeat. When in reality all that needed to happen from the start was turning the kick drum DOWN just a touch and everything would have been fine.
Thanks for another awesome video. One of the most painful experiences for a producer is when you upgrade plugins and hardware with thousands of dollars only to hear a mix you did five years ago and it sounds heavier, fuller, and just better. You start to question your choices in life!
Wonderful video plenty of real instructions. Too many uneducated wannabe mixer engineer videos on YT which have saturated the social media, and are honestly useless. Thanks for reminding everyone what is important. Chapeau 😊
21:37 🪇💯 such a good point, move things around! ❤
Number two was my worse mistakes... 15 plugins on nearly every track!!!!????
I remember then seeing a video on this big mix engineer saying a lot of his work was getting a project mixed in Protools and just turned off 80% of the plugins they had put on the mix and send it back to them to have they be amazed at the clarity and dynamic range of the track... this is then what I did and boom, fixed half of the stuff I did 😂
Mixing in SOLO was my big mistake at the beginning. I had a bad time spending too much time on each individual instrument instead of the whole mix and instrument placed in it. Regarding ambiance! Thanks a lot. It actually took me 10 years to figure that out. No joking. I simply could not understand how pro mixers could do so spacial mixes without audible reverb. Now I have 4 delays, 5 reverbs, 3 choruses. It took me fucking 10 years to figure out parallel compression. But all in all, I still have a ton to learn.
Excelente video, so many videos of many people mixing in so many ways and as beginners we confuse popularity with credibility🔥💯 This channel is golden 🏆🏆🏆
Thank you!
I been doing this for years. I always learn from you. You have rock solid advice. I think it hard for people to admit that someone just might be better than them. I bet you know every part of new gear that comes in your studio in side and out. I have friends like this and we talk shop every day. Stay Safe!
Thank you!
I agree 👍. I started in 1982! Always excellent content on this channel.
Great advice. There is so much to learn about music, so most of the time I have to kick the door open with everything, just not enough time to learn how to open it.
You nailed it with your critique of some audio UA-camrs advice. Being a good mixer and being a good UA-camr are different skills and the given UA-cam personality may only be good at one of those. There are indeed a lot of UA-cam mixer advice tropes that get recycled. I have a list I've compiled of bad UA-camr audio advice I've seen over the past couple of years... sometimes from very large channels and sometimes stunningly bad even on the most basic level. I like "never do anything unless you know *why* you are doing it..." wise words.
I am a subscriber ever since David was talking 20 words in a minute in his first videos :))) Damn I'm old :))
I'm pretty sure David can make a whole video on just these 3 topics:
1. Have a purpose for every move you make
2. You don't hear the difference of that move - don't make it at all
3. That move spoiled something - roll it back and fix something else if you can
Automation pass before processing is huge. This makes so much sense, I've never thought about it before.
I watch thos channel a lot less than i used to but ill never forget how your loudness video years ago. It unlocked so much mentally for me and helped me make my tunes better.
Thank you for this video. I think you hit the nail on the head with many youtubers teaching or lack of good teaching. I am by no means a pro at mixing what so ever, but the mistakes and or things you brought out are some of things I have been trying to get better with. Loved your discussion regarding gain staging, I completely agree with that!
Gainstaging is very important in any DAW. Since I've been doing it everything comes together easily and just sounds better.
O...I want to thank you for you videos and effort putting it out. It is fantastic and very thorough and educational.
I know that I am finally listening to you about gain staging, because sometimes a track I didn't create comes in and the signals are TOO HOT
The last one I kind of knew but was really woken to this one with the way you said it "everything **** then nothing is *****"... I knew this before sort of but was taking it more as a balancing act, now I just decide what is bright, what is warm instead of sharing out a percentage, so this advice taught me after knowing the common mistakes
The absolute best channel ever
N.8 Is so important. Mix as a whole!
Simply a great video and it is well-worth peoples' time to watch and learn. Lots of info here - not just a simple list of 10 things.
Very helpful. I learned so much from your video. Thank you for creating it.
Been at this awhile and I'm still guilty of many of these things, thanks for sharing these hard facts and pushing us to do better!
Regarding over processing, I used dip low mids on everything , and I used to always notch out 4k on amp sim guitars. These days I actually dont touch an EQ before I hear a problem (unless its a tone shaping thing) In fact I try and limit the EQ moves I do on most mix elements. Not that I set an amount I do and rigidly stick to that, but I try to do as much as I can with Level balance, Panning, Saturation and Compression before going near EQ to "solve problems".
I used to think "I dont want a muddy mix" so would cut out lower mids as default. You are one of the people that changed my practice
Gain staging is important but in a daw lets not overstate things. You don’t need to be ocd but you definitely need to at least be broadly aware of the consequences of coming in at the equivalent of +15 on your emulation of [insert whatever hardware device]
There's no overstating nor being OCD, there's knowing how to do gain staging and why and not knowing. It's not complicated. Mixing is a fine art made of hundreds of details, being broadly aware of things means winging it and it doesn't belong in mixing.
Gainstaging isn't just about clipping or not. A lot of tools are working off of the average level of your signal and that could be so suboptimal if you're not gainstaging correctly.
Mixboss forever😎
10:45 This is something I have started to do recently, take 2 Reverbs that are different but similar (usually 2 different plugins) and pan them and send to both of them. I use this for very subtle Room FX and it gives a lot more depth than using a single Verb even if it is stereo(usually not always)
Mistake #8 is great advice for any genre ! .. thanks for the reminder !
There's quite a difference between volume and gain staging .. I think being a guitar player volume and gain are a lot more easier to understand
Volume just increases the overall track louder. So every soft and every high is just increased and the high ends can start to clip. Gain staging goes in and separately adjusted the highs and lows
One of the few channels where I completely watch every video. Great work, David 👏
🙏 happy to help!
@@mixbustv Appreciate it a lot 🙏
Great video. Held this newb’s undivided attention. Plus, your Rammstein shirt is awesome. I love them.
Excellent vid
Great 🎉 thanks
“Door handle or kick down the door”😂😂😂
PERFECT analogy! Btw- understanding gain staging is essential. Disregard the click baiting charlatans. Also- “Invisible ambience” is a genius term, good Sir.
The thing I struggled with a lot near the start (and lots of people have this issue) was the number of Tools I had available. If anything I had too many. I felt like I had to use all the tools I had or it was just a waste. Really what is better (especially as a newbie) is to get maybe 2 or 3 of each type of tool maximum, and learn them well, and only start using other tools if you are finding those 2 or 3 are not the right options for a specific thing.
So in my case using the TDR stuff like Nova, Slick EQ and Molotok and maybe a couple of other things like some of the Melda stuff and Klanghelm things and focusing on them for most situations really helped me progress.
Also I deliberately avoid "under the hood" all in one plugins (like the CLA stuff) because I would rather make the mistakes with individual tools and learn them as a result thoroughly. Still lots to learn but the difference in what I know vs starting 5 or 6years ago is huge, and the Quality of my mixing vs only 2 or 3 years ago is a world away in difference
Way better for someone new to it to stick to stock plugins and stay away from 'analog emulations'
Absolute gems like always 💯
Thank you sir.
Love bingeing your videos while I do chores around the house 💯
wow - еyes opening!!! great!
Just when you think that he could pass as "Hawk" from the Cobra Kai series,
he hits us in the head with these Mixing and Mastering gems!!!!!
7 was also a mistake for me starting out... liking one bit that wasn't quite what I wanted it to be and shaping things around it hoping when I start mixing things around it it will then be how I wished it... and never being happy with it, just too stubborn to let of the good idea I had that I could not create
Volume automation took me a long time until it was making the difference it was meant to, would often give up on it as a key thing and just do it when necessary... better now, but by means great at it... it's the one thing I aim to develop the most
I still do gain staging mistakes when am producing in the zone and loose focus on mixing 😅 listening back like wtf are you doing 😂🙈 that comes naturally as you go to learn from your own mistakes and Study other pros. Awesome video 🔥🤘
Just pure Gold. Thank for sharing all your knowledge!
Thanks a lot man love your channel, I too, don't understand how could anyone overlook the concept of gain staging
There is a wealth of information in this video clip! You know your stuff and it shows. Thanks for sharing. Subscribed.
Awesome video, and really cool background! (Did you have the LeMarchand Box?)
Yes, I keep it in my dragon's tank
Preach!
Lol, you have a chokehold grip on the subject matter David, it’s great!! Thanks for your time and great information!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔊🔊🔊!
Glad it was helpful!
🙏🙏🙏🔥🔥🔥 Fav series
Great video....full of gems...Thanks David!
Soooo many good tips (and more importantly, concepts). Thank you, David!
You are on point bro. Great video
It is amazing how much generousity and wisdom is in David's advice! Thanks mate.
Yo Hellraiser is dope af!
Again a masterclass, i Would love a in depth vidéo talking about automations i think its so important in the process of a dynamic mix
I have one, fairly recent if you search you should be able to find it but the best way to actually understand is with my mixing courses.
Another awesome video! Andrew scheps said he doesn’t gain stage. I never understood this, I reckon he does it without even realizing. Personally gain staging has improved my mixes a lot.
Exaactly, also he probably receives project that are pretty damn good to begin with already. Also, some people get to the result despite some whacked things they do, not because of them
Hi D,
If you wanted to create your own signature plug in.
What would you call it ?
What Components will it have ?
How will it be an “ Asset & Differ” from other plugz on the digital market place ?
Thx in advance 👑?
Well you'll see it soon enough ahah
This video is EVERYTHING!
Much trial and error in this art of mixing. I loved what you said in mistake #5 because I would have these songs am mixing for the artist when they send me these beats (trap/hip hop) and have all of this low end, barley any mids or muddy mids being tooken up by all this filtering and stuff and idk what or how these producers mixing. So in mastering I'm like okay lemme pull a ref and try my best to keep the feel of the actual mix and control this excessive low end as much as I can without losing it.
I was another just using certain tools just because so lol. Till realizing our ears almost always have to tailed to the big picture of the record in both feeling and applying such rules in mixing. Reverse engineering did help allot but as you said had a limit to it. But mainly helped training my ears to levels (which took me a long time to get right like vocals being so loud bc couldn't understand how loud from the beat actually should be), fx, low end etc. but had to learn to get these things right myself. Thx for all the useful gems your channel isn't much talked about but your knowledge and demonstrations are superb.
Nice video Dave!!!! Thank you for that insight!
1) On UA-cam they either completely ignore it or they give 10000 rules that make no sense - like ALWAYS have the input of the plugins at -18 or some other wacky number otherwise THE PLUGINS WILL SUCK! They really don't know what they're talking about! Btw gain staging while mixing completely in the box is very easy and straightforward.
2) That's why the best way to improve is to receive constant feedback from a pro. And I agree with what you say at the end, and I add something too: you should listen to the sound, think if there is something off and, if so, how can you fix it (is it too dark? Boost top end. Is it too dynamic? Compress it...) and then do it. And if it doesn't sound how you want it, delete the previous move and do something else, not stack 12 plugins on top of each other.
3) It depends on the song, but that's a good piece of advice especially for very dynamic tracks.
4) That's something too many people ignore and go for either no ambience or overly hyped ambience.
5) Obvious but too many amateurs think: " I'm gonna fix it in the mix!" and 90% of the times doesn't work. Btw I think you're being too optimistic with the example of a mix that is a 4 being brought to an 8 in mastering - maybe you can manage it sometimes but probably a sh1t mix will sound just mediocre but almost listenable almost every time.
6) I'd have put it even before: it can cause you to be too shit with your processing because a move looks extreme on the screen (e.g: you do not compress the vocals enough) or it can cause you to over-process because you look at the analyzer and go all in to make your track look they way you think it should look.
7) It kinda packs many mixing mistakes: trying to make something bad/out of place sound good, not going back to the first processing before adding plugins, mixing with preconceived ideas, mixing with your eyes and I could go on all day long.
8) Yeah it'll result in a messy mix, and of course many times comes back to the arrangement.
9) There's also the high risk to dig yourself in a rabbit hole in you try to match tones and sounds exactly to a reference track (not mentioning the frequency curve or the stereo width).
10) Completely agree, and also a great way to enhance stereo width is contrast: mono-ish verses, ultra wide choruses. I use that technique all the time.
Great video David!
Gold as usual, thank you David 🤘🤘
Thanks for another great video, David!
I was the guy who did Mistake No8 and No10. Always wondered why my mixes sound crappy😂
what's the light thing that's responding to your voice?
Yo he went off 🤣 his advice ACTUALLY works 🤷 I'm way better at mixing in just a few days just gotta be more effecient
Should I gain stage even when all my production is digital?
Yes
@@mixbustv Thank you
Amazing content as usual!
The phrase “knowing just enough to be dangerous” comes to mind. I’m very guilty of this. I just recently went back to using only my ears and while the result was under processed, it sounds way better than my over processed tracks.
Facts all over! Any recommendations for other channels of whom you think provide good knowledge? Just so much trash out there currently
I fuckin love this guy
David bro we need to build you a temple!
Merciiiiiiiiii !!!
❤🔥 GOOD JOB ❤🔥
On which channel we need to use subtle reverb delay for that 3d factor? On vocals, or on instrumental or on both except bass? Like you said in 4 mistake? Do you have any video for that? Plz guide me thanks for everything 🙏♥️
Could be everything, could be a couple of tracks. Knowing how, how many, how much and when is what makes a professional engineer
@@mixbustv 🙏🙏
Hey David, I am still waiting on the mastering compressor you went with over the SPL Iron we talked about a while back? Is it ready, have you revealed it? Did i miss it?
Stamchild 670
@@mixbustv 10-4, Thank you
Amen!!!
Hey David. In regards to your first automation pass you do at the beginning of your mix, do you then bounce everything and reimport it after you automation pass? Or do you continue mixing with the faders in read mode. If it's the latter how do you quickly raise or lower the overall level of an element/fader that has automation written in? Thanks
Never print that. If I have to raise or lower the level statically I either use trim volume or analog/plugin output
Thankyou
everything you say is correct. I will personally add. not to mix without intention. especially not to systematically use solo (no one will listen to the tracks in solo), use the eq and compressors in the context of this mix. know how to listen to the mix and not the instruments. it joins mistake 8 .merci !
Mistake #2 the most valuable tip these days, when an even better plugin comes onto the market every day and distracts from the actual topic: serve the music - or whatever YOUR topic is.
I always hear you stress about the fact you need to do levels on the rough mix first. My question is, what if some of the processing done is crucial to the sound design of your mix, and bypassing it in order to get the rough mix would mean losing the whole idea and purpose of that sound ?
For instance, crazy distortion on a lead because that's the sound that makes the track. Then, reversing it to the original sound completely breaks the balance you originally made for it when it was processed, does it not ?
I'm not sure I'm understanding the context you're imagining. I receive tracks, I don't pick up a PT project from the client. So I can't "bypass" whatever effect because there's no effect. I ask for raw tracks, along with a rough mix. Now, if the producer/artist/client have specific effects that are, as you say crucial part of the song AND he/she know that's the exact sound(s) they want to hear in the song, then I ask them to send me the track printed with the effect on and I'll simply do gainstaging and levels with those. But even in the case I decide to re-do that effect and ask for an additional dry version, when you have experience you can esily do levels in the rough knowing what's gonna change later on. It just takes a 1000 mixes and 10.000 hours of experience at minimum
make a tutorial about volume automation process please.
There's plenty in my mixing courses
As always, solid advice David! Just curious, do you have any courses or videos about sound selection? I feel I'm doing good on that level but always down to learn more, I'm always looking for ways to get better. Thanks again for the content!
I don't, and it will be hard to find as it really changes from song to song, style, taste etc..
@mixbustv definitely understand!
🙏
Hey David , I was just curious typically what are you pushing the pre amp when recording your rap vocals ? Let’s just say without gear just the pre amps in the interface
API 512 for aggressive, Bishop for more RnB/softer
Hell f***ing yeah for #7, hellyeah to everything but especially to #7.
EDIT: Hellyeah to #8 as well... It's a great addition to #7 LOL
EDIT2: Hellyeah to #10
When you say you do volume automation first, do you always automate track volume (post-fader), or do you ever automate clip gain instead since that would affect the level going into any processing on that track?
I don't use clip gain for mixing, ever
Personally, I always use clip gain for that first pass.
Just got to number 2 and that’s what I noticed is my biggest mistake this week haha