mixing

Hey, all! A couple of years back I wrote a set of easy mallet pieces (with all-virtual backing tracks) for novice percussionists. Today I recorded the marimba parts via condenser mics (about three feet apart and maybe two feet directly above the keyboard), en route to finally creating some...

As the title states, if you have an opinion about them, which one do you preferre and why? Merging Anubis SPS: https://www.merging.com/products/interfaces/merging+anubis Neumann Mt48: https://www.neumann.com/de-de/produkte/audiointerfaces/mt-48/ RME Fireface UCX ii...

Hey Everyone, Just thought I would share this here. It's a new podcast episode with the awesome Alan Meyerson! Happy Holidays! Best, Darren

I am conducting my first test with 3D MIR, and I decided to use the complete package from Cinematic Studios. I would like to know if anyone has tried this and can provide some tips on how to balance the sound better. I am using the Teldex room (not sure if it's ideal due to its size). I placed...

Hello everyone, I’m looking to upgrade/add to my computing needs for music with a desktop solution. I’ve been using a 2018 MacBook Pro faithfully for the past few years, but my mixing sessions in particular have gotten so big, to the point where it consistently stops my workflow dead. I’d...

Overloud Announces Black Friday Deals: Everything on Sale, Hot $29 Deal, and TH-U Premium Bonus! Westlake Village, CA - November 20, 2023 - Leading distributor of virtual instruments and audio processing software ILIO and audio plug-in developer Overloud are announcing Black Friday pricing on...

Hi, just throwing it out there. i am starting a new project with a singer. Its going to be a lot of sampled acoustic middle eastern/world instruments (lutes, hand drums, micro tunings and so on). It would require lots of dynamics and going in the opposite direction of what mainstream pop and...

Re-watching some of Alan Meyerson MWTM videos and always awe at how big his template is. I was wondering if anyone knew if he had a template, any materials about his template or really just anything about big orchestral templates.

Hi all! Title says it all, really. Finally starting to mix my EP and I have a need for some reference tracks. Two pieces with a chamber sized string section, single WWs, small percussion and a piano. If it's any help, in terms of musical style, we're talking mid-tempo, somewhat melancholic...

I just wanted to share my recent mockup of Metamorphosen using Dorico and NotePerformer. Metamorphosen is my favorite piece, so I tried to make it sound good. Here's a video of the score, but the audio is a bit delayed because I added it in later:

This is my first vocal track. As the producer I was responsible for the instrumental part and overall mixing and mastering. I'd like to hear your thoughts, especially on the mix, as this probably won't be my last "vocal + epic orchestra" kind of track!

I'm mixing in quad now. So what do people tend to put in the rear speakers? That is, in "normal" acoustic music. I'd love to hear your view. In my first (orchestral) surround mix I mostly put a surround reverb to the rear speakers. Then the dub mixer (who's also the sound designer) said: I'm...

Hey, i always read what makes a studio headphone actually good is an neutral frequency response. But now im asking myself whats the point of neutral headphones if i produce with them, and boost the lows because theyre not loud enough, but a guy with bass heavy speakers or headphones will blast...

When I entered the reverb process in mixing, I think I unbalance all the mixing process. Other parts of the mixing are going well many times but I can’t figure out what I should do when in reverb. Also, there are so many options and presets in reverb plugins. I can’t figure out which one is...

Do you have a specific chain of metering plugins that you can't do without during mixing & mastering? What are your favorites for frequency balance, stereo image, loudness etc.? Any secret metering tipps you wanna share? I got a bit lazy in terms of learning new apporaches in mixing recently...

I've only had a day to play around with my MassDrop HD6XX after using a Sennheiser gaming headset as my main mixing headphones but holy shit, it is night and day. Thanks @David Kudell for recommending these in another thread as an affordable option. There is a clarity in the stereo field and...

SoS have a couple of new interview videos on YouTube with the great Alan Meyerson. Always good to listen to Alan and hear about his process and projects, and his journey with Hans Zimmer and the team. Enjoy!!! Interview: part 1 Alan Mayerson. Part 1: . Interview: part 2 Alan Mayerson...

solved thank you

Hey all! Feedback highly appreciated. It has been a long time since i've uploaded some more Room Impression tests. These are done to check my template's balance and response of the room. What do you think? I'm using mostly CSS series together with Pacific and Berlin Studio from...

Hey not sure if this is the appropriate sub of the forum to post this but i'm looking for some critical feedback for the attached mix of my "hybrid orchestral" piece. i didn't post this in the composition mockup forum as i am hoping to get mixing feedback rather than presenting my composition...

If it's as good to de-reverb as Clarity Vx was to de-noise, then Waves has another winner: Pro version: Clarity Vx DeReverb Pro

Hey all, I've posted another mix walkthrough, this time on a cue from Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard that I recorded and mixed. Enjoy!

Hallo, does any one know a dictionary with fast defitionions for mixing, musical acoustics, and audio eng. terms? kind regards

Hello, :) so I just released my newest track and i find it to be quite good, but still i guess I have somewhat to improve on the side of mixing to make it sound even more "cinematic". Hard to describe but may some of you can give some advice, even some basic tips are appreciated. Here is the...

HI! I would like to invite the expert people to collect information about how to get the best alternative to Waves plugins, principally those that we (other me) consider "sacred" already for every mix. It can be another plugin, ohardware, or another technique. My "sacred" plugins are: MV2 IR1...

What is the top of the list plugins you reach for every time you are mixing and mastering orchestral creations?

Join us as we delve into the creative process behind Craig Peters Deathcore inspired track, "Let You Suffer". Featuring our newly upgraded Voices of Rage alongside Axe Machina and Knockout Drums. Craig demonstrates how he crafted this aggressive and intense track, techniques in programming...

What do you think about the room emulation plugins? So far I‘ve found: Waves NX Waves Abbey Road Studio 3 Slate Audio VSX dearVR Monitor dearVR MIX Sonarworks SoundID Reference? Immerse Virtual Studio | Alan Meyerson These are the ones that came to my mind for now, but there are many others...

remove

The Grosses Festpielhaus is a significant venue of the Salzburg Festival, one of the world’s most eminent festivals of music and drama. The auditorium of Grosses Festspielhaus (Large Festival Hall) with 2,158 seats has an almost square floor plan with a side length of about 35 meters (115 ft.)...

Source: Production Expert. Direct Approach: all plugins are now free! Please donate if you can to help support this site! After a few minutes of testing, SpecTrend seems to be the most interesting of the lot. SpecTrend™ - 1/3 Octave Pink Weighted Spectral Display that shows all...

How do you guys handle adjusting mic levels for each section? With my current setup, if I want to add close mic to the strings for instance, I have to go into each individual string patch and update the close mic level. This is super tedious and time consuming and any time an additional tweak is...

I'm not even sure what you would call it, but is there a convolution reverb that allows you to visually place your instrument/track into a space and adjust reverb parameters by moving the instrument around in the space? Sort of like visual mixer 2/relay from Izotope but instead of affecting...

Hi Guys, i have a question regarding gain staging. I have watched so many YouTube videos and read so many articles but can't figure something out. When i use clip gain on my my drums i clip gain everything to -18dbfs. However, my kick and snare are clipping like crazy. I have used a clipper to...

Hi all I hear a lot about mix engineers using multiple reverbs but I'm a little confused as to what they mean by that. I have a little experience with reverb and use just one sparingly on the more prominent sounds or instruments in a mix, like lead vocals, lead guitar or strings. But I've heard...

Most Channel Strip Plugins are modeled after Analog Gear or build to make traditional mix moves. I was wondering if there is a Channel Strip Plugin that is more suited for heavy mixing or sound design. Hard compression, smiley eq, heavy distortion etc. Something that I can just throw on a...

Hey guys, this might be a quite abstract/vague question, but I would be happy about any input of yours! Whenever I finish a track I feel like it does not sound like I imagined it before – not even close. I know, this might be a feeling that will never go away, but it is so frustrating! My...

In this Soundiron Session Craig Peters walks you through his demo "Barroom Brawl" which was inspired by reality shows like Rust Valley Restorers, Car Masters: Rust To Riches and TV Advertisements. You'll get insight into the creation of the track as well as an in-depth look into the drum mixing...

I'm about halfway through this battle/boss theme I'm composing for a friend. Not too sure about the progression towards the end of this. I plan to add a break halfway through, but I'm worried that this is a little rushed. Would love another set of ears. Thanks :)

While looking at the wave file of my favourite music, I noticed that even at quite moments there seems too be limiting. Only when Drums paly the limiting isn't visible. So I gues the Instruments and the Drums have been limited spereatly and then both of them have been going to trough a 3rd Liter...

Hey friends! Got an exciting interview for you today, with orchestral mixing engineer Joël Dollié! Please enjoy; you'll find the timestamps below. 0:00 Welcome! 1:31 Joël's background 3:04 Mixing basics 5:20 Joël's mixing workflow 7:37 Orchestral mixing vs. other genres 9:33 Balancing...

Much of my music is for videos on Youtube and Vimeo. And I've been trying to ignore the fact that most people watch videos on their phone. Of course a few people watch on PC's and some of them have good sound systems and I regularly get feedback from one person who watches on a home-theatre...

Hello, I'm working on my first piece in Logic and think I have a decent relative mix. Problem is that it's very quiet. I started with all levels at low levels to make sure there wasn't clipping, then added automation for Volume and Velocity to each track. Am using a mix of Spitfire LABS...

Hey everyone. When producing my orchestral music, I often find myself in a tricky situation with the mids. I'm using the Cinematic Studio libraries primarily for a lot of the work I'm doing right now and I'm mostly very happy with my mixes, but I know they can be better. My issue is with harsh...

Q: Is a master send always needed (or preferable) from every track? For example (in REAPER's Track Wiring view below), if you have a Brass-section track that sends its instruments on to Effects- and Mix-Bus-tracks, which themselves send to an global mix bus track, should the Brass track also...

Hi all I know this has been discussed hundred of times already and I've read many MIR/SPAN/VSS threads. The solution to create depth manually hasn't worked out well for me. Most of the times I'm too much in a hurry to care about such details, or the projects get too big that I forget the...

I am impressed with this song's mixing/mastering: As I'm making similar music, with lead vocals, and backing orchestral/synth, I would like to know how to achieve such a smooth, cohesive end result. Perhaps someone with experience and good ears can answer these questions: 1. How does the lead...

Hey everyone, With all the recurrent questions about building orchestral templates, I thought I'd make an in-depth "guide" showing how I proceed for my own use. I'd love to have your thoughts and know how you work with your orchestral templates too. Please note that my number 1 goal is maximum...

In this episode Nathan and Craig talk with Joël Dollié who is a French Mixing and Mastering engineer whose work can be heard throughout the music and entertainment industry. His talents have been utilized by companies including Ghostwriter Music, SPM Music Group, Sonic Symphony, and Cavalry...

Hey ya'll, I'm confused. I've kinda come to the conclusion that LUFs cannot be the main source of information regarding how loud a track is. And I understand that two songs cannot be measured the same way due to dynamic differences and song types. However, I'm hesitant to depend purely on my...

Hey All, I did another Mix Walkthrough for a big cue from Season 4 of Cobra Kai. Enjoy!

So as the title says, what is the best way you utilize them? Do you use them as 1.A layering library 2.Full blown Workhorse library 3.On a as-needed basis approach 4.Just to add Life and Sparkle 5.Secret Weapon ( Won't tell anyone) 6.As Sketching Tools 7.I need to have it to complete my...

Currently, I am trying to mix a saxophone track, and my target is to add the Kenny G like reverb onto it. Kenny G uses hardware versions of the Lexicon 200. This is his recording and is my target reverb: I used MainStage3 for the recording, then mixed it in Adobe Audition. In my final result...

Does anyone have good book recommendations or other sources where you can learn more about mixing? Right now I am just checking things on YouTube but it would be more convenient when everything is in one package. I would prefer a book but there are many, which one would you recommended for a...

TLDR: What you see is not what you hear. - Summing stems in different DAWs sounds identical. Phase cancellation has debunked that myth. - However, automation curves like saw-down will either be linear or exponential depending on the daw. - Buffer size affects the interpolation of the automation...

Hello everybody, my name is Alessandro Panella, I'm an Italian composer/sound engineer. I'd like to show some examples of my work: If anybody is in need of music for pictures or of some mixing jobs, you can PM me and I'll be glad to discuss any opportunities. Best regards Alessandro

Hey everyone, already posted in a couple of threads after lurking for a long time, but now it's time for my first own thread. :) Really love this place and community. Seems as if the good old forum days of like-minded nerds have never been gone in this niche of the internet, and we can just...

Hi, Just curious if this is a thing people do? I have drums and bass playing in sync as normal but it's a little cramped in that area once dialogue and sfx go in. Is it a normal idea to maybe pull the bass and or drums to the right a little? My thinking is that orchestra set ups have basses...

Hey there, I am looking for a pair of extremely comfortable, and therefore probably light weight headphones, that I can wear for a few hours at night time, when noise is an issue, that won't tire me physically or lead to audio fatigue. Unlike many others that have asked the question, I am...

I heard a few people talk about using Saturation for Mixing. I experimented with some of the Soundtoys Plugins. I noticed that the sounds get more consistent like I used Compression. Some of their Plugins have multiple Saturation Modes. Some of them make things more harsh and some of them sound...

For using reverb for piano tracks in a song, what is the best way to add it to other orchestral instruments and keep the timing of the reverb consistent with everything? I want to try using a separate reverb for the keys instead of just keeping all the instruments under one reverb bus. Currently...

Hello, So I am trying out protools to see if I'll want to purchase the DAW once I'm done with my master's program. I'm running into a major issue right now though and I'm getting crackles on playback..! I'm near the end of my program and this hasn't happened all year. These are all audio...

I'm working on an orchestral piece in Reaper right now, and the volume of the hissing increases with the dynamics being played by my CS Strings, Brass, and Woodwinds. I otherwise love these libraries, but they really add up to bothersome hiss for me. I've tried using close mics, but I'm not a...

I'm planning on getting BBCSO Pro next time it's on sale. Mixing is a huge factor into how much I like a recording. BBCSO Pro has an unprecedented amount of mic positions to emulate real recording styles. I'm wondering if anyone has mic signal combo suggestions to get the kind of sound I want...

Hey fellow composers! A topic that has been discussed here many times, but I have some specific questions and would like to structure this pretty clear. My usual approach when mixing a composition with enough orchestral instruments isto treat it like a "real orchestra", is to set up a close, mid...

In this Tips & Tricks video, Craig Peters shows you how to utilize guitar pedals as plugins in Cubase. He demonstrates how to connect pedals into your audio interface, routing within Cubase Pro 11, creating FX tracks using sends, and much more. The pedal used in this video is the Flux Echo by...

Hi everyone! I've been busy with an ambitious template called Project Colossal. Its designed to work with the Cinematic Studio Series. It delivers a clear, transparant orchestral sound. This results in an even better and realistic balance while programming your music. Something very valuable to...

Hi! Can anyone recommend me some Mixing and Mastering books? From the beginner level up to the expert level. Thank you!

I am planning to mix and produce some songs, each containing around 6 tracks (combination of VSTs playing Midi and Audio Wav files). In order to get them sounding more human and live, I plan to change the tempo frequently (but subtly), slowing and accelerating often. Currently I'm working in...

Fellow composers, how do you approach reverb especially in productions that have orchestra parts in it but aren't classical, e.g. hybrid stuff or cinematic music. Do you find it better to group instruments into the same reverb (for instance based on their distance to the listener) for a more...

Hey! I have been wondering that has someone else noticed how fricking wide the panning is on The Empire Strikes Back? Why would that be so wide? Is It mixed by different person than the rest of the Star Wars series cause the panning in other soundtracks aren't so wide? And I have to say...

Hi, It would be much appreciated if someone could give me any guidance on this: I would like to use a VST Violin Section together with 8 violin takes which was recorded from one violinist. So, how should i pan these 8 violins? Some notes: 1. Almost always i'm using engineer for my tracks. I...

Hey Guys! I hope everyone is well, please someone correct me if this isn't allowed... I run a remote mixing & mastering service and production studio with the goal to help artists achieve great quality songs and productions at a discounted rate because of everything that’s going on atm so if...

Hey everyone - I hope you learn something new and have a laugh along the way :D Chapters: Intro - 0:00 Compression Overview - 0:43 Threshold - 2:20 Ratio - 5:20 Attack and Release - 8:38 Example - 10:16

Hey All, I mixed the score for Cobra Kai and did a video walkthrough of my mix of a big action cue from the last episode. Hope you all enjoy! -Phil

I've been using Spitfire BBCOS Pro for one year now and have curiosity to know which EQ moves people find adivisable.

For some reason, I can never get the panning right and it's getting quite frustrating. Perhaps I'm doing something wrong but I find some sample libraries (CSS,CSB) are recorded rather narrow so I like to pan them separately to widen the stereo image. My problem is when I do the panning in one...

.

I noticed Giacchino's scores always mixed quite dry but still have a very rich tone and strong body. Does anyone know how to achieve something like that with samples? or have tips on how to mix like that? To give you some examples,

I'm currently in a mix situation (90% Metropolis Ark 1- 4) where I find that additional reverb (tails) make everything muddy. Using lots of Surround / Room mics and Teldex is pretty wet by itself. Just added some to the a6 Harp ensemble, because you know, Harps...

What are your favourite or recommended VST plug-ins for mixing? Do you prefer one brand over another and why? e.g. Waves, UAD, Slate, IK Multimedia, Brainworx? Others? In your view, are there any real stand out plugins that these companies make? Any type, e.g., compressors, bus compressors...

Hi, my name is Mark and I am a plugin-holic. I have accumulated a plethora of plugins over the years, so many in fact, that my plugin manager has become a literal maze of folders and names. It even started to throttle my production as i kept scrolling through a seemingly endless list of...

Handling the fundamental frequencies of instruments has always been a difficult task in the mixing process for me. Naturally, it's often the by far most audible frequency (especially at high dynamics), so very often I have the urge to cut it with (dynamic) EQ by quite a bit, until it doesn't...

After I went trough a few post on VI, I kept reading smiley face EQ from time to time. I always saw that in combination with EDM Kicks. Is this a thing in Orchestral/Hybrid/Cinematic Music and for sound design ? Are there any existing resources that I can study about that and are there any key...

Hi folks, I've got an issue here and I was hoping someone could help me out. I'm trying to use Cubase's "export multiple" option to bounce my 70 orchestral tracks. The thing is, since I'm using multiple Kontakt libraries with different sample starts, I had to use the delay compensation...

What Frequency ranges should I EQ to move an Instrument to the front or back of my mix. I know that sounds appear to be closer when you increase highs and lows, but are there any other "tricks".

Why do people say you shouldn't pan Orchestral sample libraries ? I know they are "pre panned" but in our stereo we can pan things much further to get a clear and defined sound. Or is it the realism aspect ? I don't think anybody would listen to a well sounding cue and be like: "Man that cue...

Hi all, I'm looking for a few people who would have interest and time to listen to a song I'm completing? Since February I've been working on a cover of a song from a 70's band (still performing). Acting as both producer and musician, I hired musicians to contribute their talent to play...

Hey everybody, hope you're well. I was wondering what people do to simulate wide microphones in their DAW (because many sample libraries don't include wide mics). I know that there must be a way but I can't quite figure out how to do it naturally or optimally. Thank you! I've learned so much...

This is how an individual instrument in my mix looks like: This is how my full mix looks like: This is how my reference track looks like: Does someone have an idea what is happening here ?

I'm analyzing other mixes to find out why my stuff sucks. ^^ What I noticed is that when I listend to them on a very low level, I usually hear the highest Instrument (that plays the melody) and the percussion. That isn't the case in my bad mixes. Could this be some kind of rule ? At least in...

I tend to get the best results with Ozone, the Waves Ls seem to work if you use them delicately but not very aggressive.

Hello, I put out a track on youtube, however it sounds different on phone speakers, as if it's almost too bright. I spent a whole day trying to level the volumes as I wanted. I'm still a beginner, so I'll take any type of feedback as constructive. Here's the track:

Just curious for some examples of music you heared that you consider as very well mixed. Mainly interested in orchestral tracks, but could be literally anything, samples or live recorded.

Hi friends! I’m so excited today to begin a new iteration of my breakdown series, broken down into 3 parts (music theory and composition, orchestration, and mixing). We’ll be taking a look into my newest Disney-style piece Tranquility. Today’s video is the 1st part, where we’ll explore the...

For my latest sample-based composition I commissioned a professional violist/violinist to record the solo string parts. Everything turned out great, but now I wonder what I can do to make the instrument parts blend really well with the rest of the orchestra (which is almost entirely made up of...

Do you have a favourite EQ plugin for adding high end to your tracks ? (I know every EQ can do this, but every eq interacts a little bit different to the source material) I'm talking about the stuff above 10khz.

I noticed this recently and although I currently prefer to do them myself, I wonder how many of you have tried this and is it similar to other online mastering technology (LANDR?) Moreover, it seems some people like to complain of the soundcloud compression being quite bad! If that is true then...

Hello, people! Recently, I finished my first orchestral composition (virtual, of course). I'm very new to this all but while the result in terms of composition was kind of okay, I've started noticing after uploading to Soundcloud that is sounded a bit dull? I know about SoundCloud's compression...

Hi friends! In today's video, let's answer a widely asked question: How do you go about mixing live instruments in with an orchestral mockup? Let's discuss 3 considerations, and I hope you'll find these useful and practical for your own workflow. Please enjoy! In case you'd like to hear the...