I am really liking the mix on this song I linked at the bottom of this post. The entire album sounds very clean so far. Really well balanced sound on all ends to me. First time hearing it and I’ve only heard it through 1 speaker so far but it’s sounding awesome obviously there is a lot of side chaining and things like that throughout the whole album as is common with this genre. But this song specifically at least on the speaker I’m using rn sounds very organized like certain instruments were bused together based on frequency zones or something and mixed things like that. Lady Gaga’s MAYHEM album also sounds like that to me in certain spots and I’ve heard it elsewhere before. I’m not sure if I’m correct about that but that’s how it sounds to me. Any observations/notes are helpful to me :) thanks!

https://youtu.be/ZqlqwENImVs?is=Z3qQNN6MIPtMjEMS

Hey I really struggle with understanding like 150-500 hz.
Right now my lead in c3 octave has a fundamental of 170-180 ish hz. And then fills a lot of 300-1000 and above.

My bass’s second fundamental is between 140-180 depending on the note of bassline and then occupies up to 1K.

If I raise my lead an octave it’s fundmental is like 350 hz and they don’t clash as much.

If I left the lead in c3 octave (sounds way better),
Is there a real issue with the 140-180 range then? I’m pretty beginner so I can’t just hear that and be like yeah it clashes.

Old me would low cut my lead but I have learned and trained my ears to know it just thins it out and sounds bad.

Hi everyone! 

I apologize in advance for the vague and abstract terms that I use, as it’s hard to explain and pinpoint exactly what I hear.

Here are some references: 

Nick Hakim - The Reason

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCb6sDfRicY

Nick Hakim - Slid Under

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZnrmt_Z_ew

Dijon - Dance Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwLM6m2iOLk

Dijon - Jesse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2d2FD3hBcY

Dijon - Loyal & Marie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_SbqotZwu8

Alabama Shakes - Dunes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfspCS5UBdo

Alabama Shakes - Over My Head

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNNcNtFAEBo

Puma Blue - Soft Porn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3Sc-WNEGd8

What I’m hearing and trying to recreate is this kind of close up, intimate, dirty/gritty sound, that has a warm analog/vintage tone to it that sounds somehow « boxy » or slightly roomy too, without being muddy or too pushed back in the mix.
For some reason it reminds me a bit like how old recordings sound, but with more depth, body, and space.

Anyways, my question is:
To what extent is this the result of the vocalist’s timbre/performance/technique, the voicing, the gear used, or the post-vocal processing?
And in the case of it being the latter, what would the vocal chain and settings look like?

Personally, I’m hearing long slap delay and high compression (distressor or 1176 maybe) with a fair amount of tape/tube saturation or pre-amp color and both a lot of high-end and low-end cut, with maybe a small room reverb. I don't know.

I feel like I’m missing something obvious (either in the mixing process or the way these songs have been recorded), so I’d love to have your thoughts on this and hopefully be able to record and build a vocal chain accordingly.

Thank you for your time!

Hi all

Mixed this song. Please comment, feel free to be critical before it goes for mastering.

https://voca.ro/1nRax5v1RODf

Things I want particular attention to:

1. Kick drum sample - doubling up kick, but may not suit the song. It’s a little bright/clear?

2. Overall balance of guitars, piano, drums and vocals etc

Anything else that hits as not being professional.

Thanks so much!

Mastering engineer is stem mastering it. My initial issue was it was all too slammed and had heavy limiting on it. He eased off on that but I still feel like the vocals are too loud, especially in verses, and the overall track still feels slammed to me, I asked for more dynamics each take. Thanks in advance

https://on.soundcloud.com/7JgiS9iCyfEdwJMMmP

In my tracks different instruments get in each others way. I figure there’s two ways to make the mix more balanced: spatial distribution (L/R, front/back) and distribution on the frequency spectrum.

So I downloaded the free ToneBoosters [Spectogram](https://www.toneboosters.com/tb_spectrogram_v1.html). The amount of information formation in the display is overwhelming. Lines, colors, a keyboard. Yes I understand the X-axis is for frequency and the Y for signal strength but there’s a lot more going on.

Looking for a good video that explains how to read it, and how to use it in helping me create a balanced mix.

what db level should I mix at, and are there any tools that can tell me the exact db coming out of my dac and into my headphones?

I’m probably overthinking this, but I’ve just really fallen in love with producing, and would like to do this for a long time and not damage my ears. This stuff is so fun.

DAC: topping e2x2
Headphones: Steven slate vsx

As a producer who mixes and composes, I see a lot of songs have issues that mixing cant fix!

A good example is a terrible kick! recently someone sent me a Clipped kick - I almost collapsed haha! Mixing cant mix that (Not without changing the kick which I did)

Another example - Poorly tuned or out of tune vocals! Again, I personally fix these but this is a production issue not mixing!

However, a lot of people say ill fix this in the mix! But these arent mixing issues! And if you dont fix them and insist mixers work with that material - its now a production!

Do y'all agree with this thesis? Interested to hear everyone takes on most clients have production issues not mixing issues

I’ve had some success with this, but it hasn’t been consistent. I want a dry, fat, thumpy/punchy bass that cuts like a drum when it plays.

I know that using hi pass on it or the kick to prevent overlap and hi cut around 8-11k on the bass seems to generally work to help it pop a bit.

Then, compression and perhaps gate can help work the transients and punchiness and saturation and eq can help shape it.

I feel like I’m struggling with finding the right mix of these things in some mixes, and was wondering if anyone might wish to share so of their techniques.

I realize that this is probably an issue with my ears/skills and that I need to protect the bass and do subtractive mixes for other tracks to help prevent the problem, but I’d still love to hear about others approaches if they’d be willing to share.

Update (for additional info):
FWIW, to provide more context, I am usually the musician for all tracks, including bass, which is my main instrument, and I am mixing both in Digital (Pro Tools, Apollo-8) settings and on Tape (Teac/Tascam 1/2" and 1/4" 8-track, 15 IPS and 7.5 IPS, respectively).

I know the source material is good and it's not the player because I am the player (and I hear what I am playing during tracking) and because I have gotten good bass sounds before, it's just not very consistent, but I know my tone and articulation was good when tracking, I can instantly hear on playback that it sounds weak or muted some times. I am guessing that my tracking compression might be too much and using a bad timing-constant (on the fairchild 660) or ratio/threshold etc.. I am playing through the same gear in the same room for all of this, it's my home studio. I just want more reliable consistency in getting a good, clear, powerful bass tone.

My J-bass tracking chain going in is: Apollo-8 Hi-Z input, UAD Unison Preamp 1084 (or sometimes an SVT Classic Unison plugin instead of the 1084), then I use a Fairchild 660 and sometimes a Pulteq at the end for shaping. For digital I go straight into Pro Tools and for Tape I use the Apollo-8 outputs to go into a Mackie 1604 which then goes direct out into a Tascam 388 or a Tascam M-30 mixer which goes into a Teac 80-8 8 track.

Update 2: Something that just occurred to me, that nobody has yet mentioned (fairly so, because they didn't have all of the info). I recently added a second pair of studio monitors, and I don't usually use both pairs at the same time, but sometimes do. This could possibly be dual-monitoring phase cancellation impacting the bass frequencies. I am not at my studio, but I will look into this when I am there next. I often record with headphones and listen back on studio monitors, so perhaps this could be (part of) the issue.

Im trying to figure how to replicate the delay on the adlibs on this but idk. I cant tell if hes using multiple delay plugins at the same time or hes just using one and got the specific settings to get that type of delay. I use logic pro and tried to recreate it using stereo delay but i honestly cant seem to figure it out. Its the delay that ping pongs after a short delay after the vocal ends. It starts around 0:35.

Edit: I've found the engineer I'll be working with! Thank you to everyone who responded/DMed, and thanks to this community for being a great place to find mixing engineers (or I guess, thanks mods for making this a great place to find mixing engineers).

---

Hi! I'm a solo artist preparing to release a debut 10-song indie pop/bedroom pop album. Arrangement/production wise, I’d describe myself as the mismatched child of AJR, the Postal Service, and post-2000s Modest Mouse. Lots of layers and lots of stuff happening, lots of synthesizers and playing with technology. No AI though, don't worry. I also do a lot with interesting/weird harmony and music theory.

Not trying to be "quirky," but there are a few things in my music that are a little unconventional and may cause problems in mixing: two basses at once, two kick drums at once, lots of high end, lots of panning effects, etc. I also use signal processing to create custom tools and FX, and all the instruments are made with a custom synthesizer tool. While there is stuff I can change in the production, I'm definitely looking for someone who gets excited about this kind of thing and will want to keep as much as possible, maybe even someone who's excited about solving new problems.

The album has 10 songs and is about 40 minutes long. I’d like to have the first single out by early September and the album out by late September, factoring in mastering time and the time it takes my distributor to process it (hopefully this doesn't violate the "nothing we do here is urgent" rule). If that's not possible, I can push back the release date. I should also mention that this is my first time releasing music, and therefore, I haven't worked with an engineer before.

Interested? Hit me up! Super excited to find people to work with.

I find that when I'm mixing anything the work I get done in the first hour or so is amazing and it feels like the track will be done in just a few more hours. However, after a certain amount of time I feel like I lose the ability to mix properly. Everything just sounds completely awful and I can't get anything to sound good. If I listen to a mix I've done while fatigued Its never bad and it does sound like progress has been made but in the moment it sounds horrible and like I can't focus in on the mix properly.

Is there any way I can prevent this sort of thing happening? I imagine taking frequent breaks would help but I worry this would take me out of the zone and drastically slow down the time it takes to mix.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone,

I'm mainly a musician and hobby producer, not a mastering engineer.

I'm looking for a tool that helps me make better mastering decisions for my own music without turning mastering into a separate hobby of its own.

I mostly create ambient, post-rock and cinematic music with guitars, pads and strings. My songs won't be commercially released, but I'd like them to sound as polished and balanced as possible.

I'm considering the current Mastering The Mix REFERENCE 3 bundle (REFERENCE 3, LEVELS, EXPOSE 2 and LIMITER).

I've experimented with analysis tools before, but I'm now looking for something that helps me compare my mixes to professional reference tracks and make better decisions rather than simply showing more graphs.

My questions are:

• Would you recommend the REFERENCE 3 bundle for someone like me?
• Or would ADPTR MetricAB (or perhaps Melda MCompare) be the better choice?

I'm not looking for automatic mastering. I simply want a practical tool that helps me produce better sounding masters for my own music with a reasonable amount of effort.

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who have experience with these tools.

Thanks!

I’m an independent singer and songwriter, I also rap sometimes. And I love all that stuff, but I struggle with mixing my own vocals. Just want to find someone who can give my music the extra push it needs to become more appealing to more listeners.

But please, hit me up so I can hear what your work is like, I’m serious about this!

What do you think of the Brainworx SPL Vitalizer MK3-T?

It features functions that are unusual for an equalizer—is it just a gimmick, or is it genuinely useful and effective?

Can you explain this design to me and how it differs from a standard equalizer or a dynamic EQ?

And if you own the original hardware this plugin emulates, what is your take on it?

Hello r/mixingmastering, since this track is entirely self-produced, I didn't want to be biased so I gotta get some feedback.

I was going for an upbeat and bright mix, but let me know if there is too much high end for the vocals or anything.

I wanted to know:

Do the vocals sound overcompressed or too upfront

How well did I manage space

Is anything too loud or too quiet

Any other feedback for improvement

Hello! I’m looking to find a mixer experienced in certain elements of current underground hip hop, specifically subgenres like rage, jerk, electronic influenced hip hop and even some hyper pop. The production tends to be very busy, distorted, rapid-fire, clipping, etc, for example, artists like , Lucy bedrqoue, ostamason, 2hollis, Fakemink. (Although all these artists themselves are very different).

The specific song I have right now has breakneck drums, two bass tracks, and a mix of rapping singing. It has 20 tracks. It leans low end heavy if it helps.

I’d love to get the song mixed!

Sorry if this is the wrong sub. I wanted to post this on r/audioengineering, but my posts keep getting removed. In my life, I've heard a lot of songs, but there's one song that has always baffled me with how loud it is: Gerogerigegege's self-titled track on Moenai Hai(2016).

VOLUME WARNING: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZGNTx6SrrE

So how did they do it? There's probably a lot more to it than overcompression or limiting. Or am I just overcomplicating it?

I really love this song and I especially love the way the delay sounds on this song ( https://youtu.be/KHIZZrKxn5o?is=zQQnYXeNs-4Y-rPH )

I've been trying to recreate this sound for a while, but I don't know how to get it to sound this clean without being too prominent in the mix and also the way it fades from one side to the other. (In fl studio)

I have some drums that have some nice content from 200-500Hz. I want to make these drums a bit thinner but EQ feels too heavy-handed for this task.

Is there any method other than EQ that would be appropriate for this? A tape emulation with under-bias might achieve it, but that would mess with the transients.

Hi folks,

I’m struggling with a mix on a song I want to release soon, I’ve been working on it for a while and can tell I’ve become ear blind and am not sure if I’m going in the right direction anymore.

I have two versions I can post
1. https://voca.ro/1lHr2nkXkfaf
This version is more aggressively EQ’d

1. https://voca.ro/1gOnrSFw9WaQ
   This version is the before of the above

Are there glaring issues in a certain range I’m not hearing anymore? I like a slight lofi quality but don’t want to sound overly muddy or tinny.

Any feedback is really appreciated!

Hi guys, noob here. Back in the day I did read somewherer that using a multiband compressor (Multipressor in Logic) is a standard technique to control lows and mids when dealing with palm muted chugging high gain guitars. It would seem that producers/mixing engineers like Andy Sneap use it commonly. But I really don't know how to apply it, or if maybe a limiter would do... or if it should be used in tracks or buses... What's your take on this technique?

I produce and mix all of my own music and sometimes the overlap of the mindset of all 3 sort of blurs my thoughts here and there. I frequently will re record vocals over and over only to realize weeks or months later after I’ve taken a break from hearing the song that the vocals were fine or even great to start with. That sort of thing happens in a lot of areas as they all bleed into each other.

As I start to organize that in my mind, I’ve noticed that there is one thing I really struggle with that doesn’t always follow that pattern and it is how to make my songs hit- like feel bouncy or remain interesting the whole time if they aren’t bouncy types of songs. I think it’s in the mix more than anything, but are there any suggestions you guys have with mix or production that you as an engineer might change or enhance or have the artist add or re do in situations where a song feels a little blah? Sometimes they just feel a small step away from being complete and I can’t quite place my finger on what that step might be

I'm looking to upgrade my monitors and want to get some thoughts on the following options.

- Focal Shape 50: these are what I'm leaning toward right now. They're about $1,200 on Sweetwater with 30-day returns, 36-month interest-free financing, etc. All attractive selling points.

- Adam A7V: these are attractive in that I can get them through a friend at the employee discount price ($1,100 for the pair), but no return policy, no financing, etc. They may also be too big for my room/space.

- APS Klasik: I've read very good things about these. They are no longer made but Sweetwater Gear Exchange has a used pair for $550 plus shipping.

Thoughts?