brilliant analogy that applies to songwriting and production as well. it’s easy to get distracted or overwhelmed with a complex mix or arrangement, but ultimately it is about one thing front and center at a time.
I was taught this "listen at a low level technique" many years ago from an engineer and it works all the time.......great video Streaky. Good luck on reaching your SUB level!
Streaky you're a legend. The John Motson of mixing/mastering. "synth line creeping up the left field, carves a space in the midfield, passes to the vocal, vocal receives the focus and runs with it. clear path for the vocals as they weave past the muddy patch of the field. beautiful agility shown by the vocals, passing another muddy patch by the 18 yard box. the vocals slowing the game right down picking a shot and ....gooooal!!!... the vocals really getting the taste of wembley in their nostrils with that one"
I've learned this trick before and it helps a TON. I turn up when I'm focusing on fixing specific things. But if I ever find myself needing to readjust balance, I turn it back down and take it on from that perspective.
This is heavy stuff on a Friday but I think I get it: the ball moves forward= volume the ball moves to the sides= panning offside= limiting referee= DJ
These videos are great - and I've even inadvertently learned the summarised aim of football, and I have absolutely zero interest in like any sport. Still good to know you can teach me stuff in every video you make whether it's about music or not. My new favourite YT channel
Yeah great trick for balancing... I've heard about that trick a long time ago, seen the dB scale of loudness perception increase logarithmicaly it is a way to compress the sound naturaly to listen to it at very low level, so we keep a clearer apreciation of the ensemble of the sounds in a mix. But keep in mind that for EQ work take care to not be fooled by Fletcher-Munson curve and put the level back to 83-86 dB this trick is only for balancing.
Awesome as always Streaky! Was just stressing to myself the importance of limiting ear fatigue. You saying to REALLY turn down our monitors is such a phenomenal tip. Cheers!
Thanks Streaky! Found your channel the other day. Love it. Love the attitude, the cheeky and serious bits as well. I pretty much mix at a low volume. And turn it up for gut check of how "good" it sounds loud. Cause everything sounds better LOUD. RIght?!? That's why some amps go to 11. Seriously, thanks for showing if the mix is hanging together at low volume and sounding focused and balanced you have a winner. It also makes a great exercise to do this with music one uses as reference material. I'm subscribed and following. IMO mastering engineers are some of the best guys to get advice from. Keep up your excellent work.
Enjoying your new series of tutorials, have been watching your channel for some time now, really great information, I think Messi would be a nightmare to mix, ha,ha, keep up the good work, thanks, Clive.
Maaaaan that it was!!! I've spent a week trying to make my song sound balanced and only now that I saw your video I was able to do it. Thanks very much dude :)
Finally, a mastering guy that understands football (and we're not talking about the American hand-ball played fake football here !!!!). You got my loyalty for life my friend :) BTW, great video and great tips!
Fantastic - something I was eventually intuitively drawn to as I started to understand the physics of a mix. When I started out, I used think I wanted that balance at all volumes.... boy oh boy was I wrong! You want certain elements to come forward with high volume - and drop off at low! Balance is taken too literally by some people. A mix that has all the elements with equal bias can sound pretty boring. Its all about lead elements catching the ear, and this requires a) a creative understanding of what stands forward in the mix and b) a bit of boldness in your dynamics.
I’ve had really good luck going one step beyond balancing at really low levels: I balance in mono too. Also helps expose problematic frequencies and fine-tune EQ stuff.
Love the streaky channel. He been I n the biz a long time and still maintains his passion. As far as mix engineer goes. What the heck is that. Music producers make hit records not engineers. 😂🤣😅😆
Thanks for the good content! I build up a Homestudio the last years for my own Music but i feel i am more and more interessted in mastering. I always try to find beginner music to master and i dont want money for that. Its just fun for me to sweeten the songs and get them loud and hopefully send a song back that is ready for upload. I thought it is not possible for me to become maybe onetime a mastering engeneer but in one of your Videos you said it is the best to begin for hobby and make years of practise. Before you everyone told me you have to be a mixing engeneer for years to even think about mastering
Nice, not seen mixing presented in this manner but it makes sense, thanks. Some cool songs I've heard recently keep things interesting, supporting the vocal, but you forget the details of the backing, like you say. To notice you have to make a point of listening for what they're doing. Will deffo try this approach.
Maybe its a nice idea to do a feedback video. People can send in their mixes and you skip through them and tell what can be better mix and/or master wise. I would love that :).
Great video amd I love the football parallel. A solid technique as well. I've been using this for 2 years or so. It works on both speakers and headphones.
The cure to volume creep that works for me, when you want to turn it up turn it down by 10db first. wait a few minutes and then switch back to your previous listing volume. Cubase has a knob for this in the control room section.
I remember doing this in the mid 90s, figuring out what I hear first from headphones that were just laying around. Cool to find this technique in a mixing video today!
Streaky, you used a Epidemic track as example. They are really good at delivering separate stems. And they do it in a way that you only have to put a limiter on the stems and you have the same result as the full master. Maybe you could do a video about mastering stems?
Hi, great video thanks. So any advice on speaker calibration, spl, and pink noise? It seems the level 75-85db is really loud in my small home studio. Any tips on monitor listening levels would be awesome! Thanks for all your amazingness! Have a great day.
best way for me to figure out mixing was sth like, you got your vocals at f ex -7 db or some satisfying level? great, what's important in the song the most after em? in nowadays music mainly the bounce/groove, so its your kick/snare, level them so they compliment the vocal, not distract the listener... are these 3 things perfect levels? great, start adding other things etc etc..
Your Honor i object....the 1st goal in football is not to concede a goal, this way you can't loose. 2nd objective is to always shoot one more than your opponent, this way you'll always win ,sorry i used to be a defensive midfielder. But please continue : `)
excellent analogy & advice! but that said (and i know it's down to copyright issues) the last thing i want to actually hear is yet another brilliantly mixed but otherwise terrible bland "song" - might as well have been mixed in a bucket for all the difference it makes. only really interested in what aspects of a mix make a truly great hit song a great hit song...
@@Streaky_com 😂 Hopefully it’ll be a great game. Have you heard the acoustic of the Spurs stadium? We went on the tour in January. Some serious sound engineering has been designed in.
Great tips once again..... Do you offer online courses? If not i really think you should.... Differant genres etc etc i personally would really like to see a future house (don diablo) style mix down... His tracks (in my opinion) sound amazing. Anyway i digres... Great video keep um coming 🔥🔥🔥🔥😀
You should mix at around 80 dB , seems like a good compromise where the vocals will not overtake the other elements and vice versa. Get a phone app and measure the dB
"they are not listening to the drums, they are feeling it" Well said!
brilliant analogy that applies to songwriting and production as well. it’s easy to get distracted or overwhelmed with a complex mix or arrangement, but ultimately it is about one thing front and center at a time.
I was taught this "listen at a low level technique" many years ago from an engineer and it works all the time.......great video Streaky. Good luck on reaching your SUB level!
Streaky you're a legend. The John Motson of mixing/mastering. "synth line creeping up the left field, carves a space in the midfield, passes to the vocal, vocal receives the focus and runs with it. clear path for the vocals as they weave past the muddy patch of the field. beautiful agility shown by the vocals, passing another muddy patch by the 18 yard box. the vocals slowing the game right down picking a shot and ....gooooal!!!... the vocals really getting the taste of wembley in their nostrils with that one"
Hahaha excellent
I've learned this trick before and it helps a TON. I turn up when I'm focusing on fixing specific things. But if I ever find myself needing to readjust balance, I turn it back down and take it on from that perspective.
Also, this tip can work well on laptop speakers to see what's sticking out (loud) in between the focal point (loud) what's not.
Love the football analogy .. thanks. Great video
Wow, this by far the best mixing tip I‘ve heard in my whole life!!
This is heavy stuff on a Friday but I think I get it:
the ball moves forward= volume
the ball moves to the sides= panning
offside= limiting
referee= DJ
harsh, disruptive frequencies you EQ'd out= Vinnie Jones who just got sent off for headbutting someone
Love the way you teach! Cheers
These videos are great - and I've even inadvertently learned the summarised aim of football, and I have absolutely zero interest in like any sport. Still good to know you can teach me stuff in every video you make whether it's about music or not. My new favourite YT channel
Yeah great trick for balancing... I've heard about that trick a long time ago, seen the dB scale of loudness perception increase logarithmicaly it is a way to compress the sound naturaly to listen to it at very low level, so we keep a clearer apreciation of the ensemble of the sounds in a mix. But keep in mind that for EQ work take care to not be fooled by Fletcher-Munson curve and put the level back to 83-86 dB this trick is only for balancing.
one of the best ever Streaky vods, because so useful ! i knew , but someone had to say it clearly. Thank you deeply !
This channel is pure gold.
Awesome as always Streaky! Was just stressing to myself the importance of limiting ear fatigue. You saying to REALLY turn down our monitors is such a phenomenal tip. Cheers!
Thanks Streaky! Found your channel the other day. Love it. Love the attitude, the cheeky and serious bits as well. I pretty much mix at a low volume. And turn it up for gut check of how "good" it sounds loud. Cause everything sounds better LOUD. RIght?!? That's why some amps go to 11. Seriously, thanks for showing if the mix is hanging together at low volume and sounding focused and balanced you have a winner. It also makes a great exercise to do this with music one uses as reference material. I'm subscribed and following. IMO mastering engineers are some of the best guys to get advice from. Keep up your excellent work.
Enjoying your new series of tutorials, have been watching your channel for some time now, really great information, I think Messi would be a nightmare to mix, ha,ha, keep up the good work, thanks, Clive.
Maaaaan that it was!!! I've spent a week trying to make my song sound balanced and only now that I saw your video I was able to do it. Thanks very much dude :)
Finally, a mastering guy that understands football (and we're not talking about the American hand-ball played fake football here !!!!). You got my loyalty for life my friend :) BTW, great video and great tips!
Loved the football analogy. It's a great way to put it, the whole track is a team working together to drive one focus point.
3950 Americans going...what..football..where is the egg..I don't get it? lmao...
Defining my favorite online mixing guy , best personality and best info
An excellent perspective and very helpful
Right off the back i love the energy my dude keep it up
BEAUTIFUL ANALOGY. Seriously could not have been better.
You're amazing. What a great idea to listen to it with low volume!
Fantastic - something I was eventually intuitively drawn to as I started to understand the physics of a mix. When I started out, I used think I wanted that balance at all volumes.... boy oh boy was I wrong! You want certain elements to come forward with high volume - and drop off at low!
Balance is taken too literally by some people. A mix that has all the elements with equal bias can sound pretty boring. Its all about lead elements catching the ear, and this requires a) a creative understanding of what stands forward in the mix and b) a bit of boldness in your dynamics.
Great explanation and the low listening technique is so simple it's near genius.
What a great tutorial Streaky! Such a great way to explain how to do it properly, yea , yet another one in the back of the net ⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
I’ve had really good luck going one step beyond balancing at really low levels: I balance in mono too. Also helps expose problematic frequencies and fine-tune EQ stuff.
Did you just drag down the fader or do you have to slap some gain plugin and drag it down there?
@@ruhmankhalid6675 Logic has a dirt-simple "Gain" plugin that also has a "Make mono" mode, and I slap that last in line on the master output.
Brilliant clear advice. I need to be mindful of the focal points of every section of the mix. Cheers 👍🏻
Interesting but effective analogy. Thank you for sharing your insight.
I love it. Great analogy and lovely song for demo. The vocslist is Pele😊
Thanks for tip! Will utilize this going forward!
Love the streaky channel. He been I n the biz a long time and still maintains his passion. As far as mix engineer goes. What the heck is that. Music producers make hit records not engineers. 😂🤣😅😆
Can we get some mix automation tips Streaky? Love to see a video on that. How to give your track more energy and dimension with automation
Great analogy Streaky! Ted Rileys Centre back (snare) had aspirations of being a striker! 😆
Great stuff! Thanks 😊 🙏 😊
Great advice. Cow bell is your substitute player, bring him on before the end.
Last 20mins
@@Streaky_com 😉
This is a really nice mix.😎💯
Thanks for the good content! I build up a Homestudio the last years for my own Music but i feel i am more and more interessted in mastering. I always try to find beginner music to master and i dont want money for that. Its just fun for me to sweeten the songs and get them loud and hopefully send a song back that is ready for upload. I thought it is not possible for me to become maybe onetime a mastering engeneer but in one of your Videos you said it is the best to begin for hobby and make years of practise. Before you everyone told me you have to be a mixing engeneer for years to even think about mastering
Nothing but love for your videos 🙂
Thank you for every tips!Streaky you are fantastic...
Very cool and surprising analogy!
Can't believe I'm only coming across this channel now. Ridiculously helpful content man! Big ups 🙏
Nice, not seen mixing presented in this manner but it makes sense, thanks. Some cool songs I've heard recently keep things interesting, supporting the vocal, but you forget the details of the backing, like you say. To notice you have to make a point of listening for what they're doing. Will deffo try this approach.
Maybe its a nice idea to do a feedback video. People can send in their mixes and you skip through them and tell what can be better mix and/or master wise. I would love that :).
One of the best Teacher❤❤❤
👍🏿 Great explanation of how to apply balancing on a mix.
Cheers Streaky! 😀
Great video amd I love the football parallel. A solid technique as well. I've been using this for 2 years or so. It works on both speakers and headphones.
great analogy , very fantastic advice
Best analogy ! Soccer ;) works perfect ! Thx again, so much !
The cure to volume creep that works for me, when you want to turn it up turn it down by 10db first. wait a few minutes and then switch back to your previous listing volume. Cubase has a knob for this in the control room section.
I’m the worst volume creep
@@Streaky_com Hahah yes you are!
I remember doing this in the mid 90s, figuring out what I hear first from headphones that were just laying around. Cool to find this technique in a mixing video today!
Nice one streeky, another great tip welll explained, 😊👍
Great tips.They are so revealing.
i can’t stress how helpful this was.🙏🏽
Honestly this one has been so helpful to me
Thanks 🙏
Great mental visualization! Thank you 👌
Brilliant analogy, best I've heard.
Streaky, decent vid, as a big LFC fan this made some sense
Awesome analogy
Interesting. Logical really. It's the convergence point of mixing and arranging.
Great advice, makes total sense! Enjoying the vids!
Brilliant video. 🙏
Thank you streaky, always great
Streaky, you used a Epidemic track as example. They are really good at delivering separate stems. And they do it in a way that you only have to put a limiter on the stems and you have the same result as the full master. Maybe you could do a video about mastering stems?
Ok
Dude, great content. That football analogy is so spot on.
Perfect metaphor and cool stuff. I knew this technique but could not get used to it. Seems like I need to get an habit out of it.
Thank you Streaky!
Looking forward to watching some football and remixing the game in my head!!
Super cool analogy haha now do it with basketball hehe, thanks again, dope content as always.
streaky you are brilliant.
This is mad I started doing this a long time ago I thought it was my own little thing I had going haha.. Obviously not! Love this man
amaaazing analogy streaky well done good sir! 👹♥️
Hi, great video thanks. So any advice on speaker calibration, spl, and pink noise? It seems the level 75-85db is really loud in my small home studio. Any tips on monitor listening levels would be awesome! Thanks for all your amazingness! Have a great day.
When I finished my track, I put my shirt over my head.
Fantastic recommendations and a brilliant way explaining it !!
Man you were serious about staring it all ... thank you for this
best way for me to figure out mixing was sth like, you got your vocals at f ex -7 db or some satisfying level? great, what's important in the song the most after em? in nowadays music mainly the bounce/groove, so its your kick/snare, level them so they compliment the vocal, not distract the listener... are these 3 things perfect levels? great, start adding other things etc etc..
Always great knowledge
@streaky - have you thought of doing an easy reference guide book - in the way that Rick Beato has done the Beato book? I would buy it!
Your Honor i object....the 1st goal in football is not to concede a goal, this way you can't loose. 2nd objective is to always shoot one more than your opponent, this way you'll always win ,sorry i used to be a defensive midfielder. But please continue : `)
Glad I found this channel.
Another One !! Thanks for the Help !!!!!
Amazing mindset tip. Thanks. 👍🏻👍🏻
excellent analogy & advice! but that said (and i know it's down to copyright issues) the last thing i want to actually hear is yet another brilliantly mixed but otherwise terrible bland "song" - might as well have been mixed in a bucket for all the difference it makes. only really interested in what aspects of a mix make a truly great hit song a great hit song...
What a great videos!
This the most helpful video I’ve seen
thank you for sharing ur awesome knowledge
You are the best short video (S) Awesome informations ,u are CHOSEN
Come on you Spurs! Great video 👍
Please unsubscribe we are all gooners!!! Although you might get a result this weekend 😬
@@Streaky_com 😂 Hopefully it’ll be a great game. Have you heard the acoustic of the Spurs stadium? We went on the tour in January. Some serious sound engineering has been designed in.
Always good advice 🙏🏽
You are a life saver❤
Great tips as always 👌🏾
A great analogy that I will pass forward to my students (see what I did there)!
This is amazing advice!!
Love the football analogy! Legend!
This was really helpful, I never looked at it like this.
Thank you for your job!
This really made something click for me, thanks Streaky 😁
Great tips once again..... Do you offer online courses? If not i really think you should.... Differant genres etc etc i personally would really like to see a future house (don diablo) style mix down... His tracks (in my opinion) sound amazing. Anyway i digres... Great video keep um coming 🔥🔥🔥🔥😀
See links below 👍
Amazing.... I do think i need to do a mixing course first? Like so many enginners say "you cant polish a turd"
The audio engineer from the Metropolis studio (London) is back!👍
You should mix at around 80 dB , seems like a good compromise where the vocals will not overtake the other elements and vice versa. Get a phone app and measure the dB