olemon
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My Mixing and Mastering Workflow - Thoughts?
Armed with all that I've learned from you, from the web, and from reference books by Scott Garrigus, Mike Senior, and Bob Katz, I'm now able to outline a basic method. Please feel free to share your thoughts. As always, thank you.
Goal: On a limited budget, produce quality home-studio recordings, mainly for the fun of it, but also for the potential profit of it.
Record in Sonar Xi:
Typically 24bit
Make use of loops and samples
Include harmonies
Auto-tune vocals and/or harmonies
Be patient and take the time to edit
Re-record tracks if necessary
Mix in Sonar Xi:
Rely primarily on stock plugins
Use presets as starting points
Learn stock plugins by using them
Limit the mix output to around -6db
Export to 24bit wav
Master in Sonar Xi with T-RackS Classic
Import the stereo wav file mix into a new Sonar project
Use ProChannel, plugins, and T-RackS to achieve ambience and add volume
Export the mastered audio
Output range for MP3 export is -1.3db to -1.1db, output range for CD export is -.3db to -.1db
https://www.reverbnation.com/scottholson Platinum, Studio One 3 Pro, Win 10 (x64), AMD FX-8350, ASUS M5A97 R2.0, 16GB, RME UCX, Digimax DP88, Faderport 8, Revive Audio Mod Studio Channel, Vintage Audio M72, Summit Audio TLA-50, KRK Rokit 5 G2 Monitors, Guitars "If you wait till the last minute, it only takes a minute."
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Guitarhacker
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Re: My Mixing and Mastering Workflow - Thoughts?
2014/01/09 12:57:47
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☄ Helpfulby olemon 2014/01/12 09:11:40
I don't see anything wrong with that. I'm pretty much in complete agreement.
One thing I do however is to insert my "mastering plugs" right at the very beginning into the master bin and mix from the start, with the end in mind. That way, as I add some EQ and reverb to a track, it goes through the master and the plug there so I hear what it will sound like.
It's OK to do it either way. During the process or after the process.
My website & music: www.herbhartley.com MC4/5/6/X1e.c, on a Custom DAW Focusrite Firewire Saffire Interface BMI/NSAI "Just as the blade chooses the warrior, so too, the song chooses the writer "
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Phonic
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Re: My Mixing and Mastering Workflow - Thoughts?
2014/01/10 16:00:38
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☄ Helpfulby olemon 2014/01/12 09:11:36
I am certainly no pro when it comes to mixing and mastering although I do think I have come a long way. I used to mix into my mastering plugins and you can certainly do this, but I now feel that that may be a bit too limiting (no pun intended  ) for the following reason: How do you know what the track will sound like when it is finished and what it will require in the way of EQ or compression? In my opinion you shouldn't color the sound with mastering plugins until you have your mix almost finished. It seems to me that if you are mixing into your mastering plugins, you are already deciding the final sound of your mix without knowing what it could sound like with different mastering settings. With that said, I do tend to put temporary mastering on my tracks to see how they sound when more filled-out, but I don't leave it on when I mix. There isn't a right and wrong way to do this and I am just an avid hobbyist who won't claim to know more than he does.
i7 4770k @ 3.5 Ghz 24 GB DDR 3 Windows 7 64 bit Sonar Platinum Foxboro 64 bit MOTU 828 MK3 UAD-2 Quad
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olemon
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Re: My Mixing and Mastering Workflow - Thoughts?
2014/01/12 09:11:31
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bitflipper
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Re: My Mixing and Mastering Workflow - Thoughts?
2014/01/12 10:23:45
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☄ Helpfulby olemon 2014/01/12 11:32:11
Whether it hurts or helps to include a limiter while mixing comes down to how much of a sonic impact that limiter is going to have on the finished product.
If you're after squashed masters - perfectly legit for some genres - then it's very helpful to hear that limiter early on, because it's going to significantly alter the mix.
But if you're in the "if you can hear the limiting it's too much" camp like me, and you're only shaving off an occasional dB or two, then it doesn't matter. I leave the limiters and master EQ out until I'm nearly done with the mix, the philosophy being that if it doesn't sound good unmastered then the mix isn't done yet.
Props to the OP for leaving adequate headroom!
 All else is in doubt, so this is the truth I cling to. My Stuff
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ChuckC
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Re: My Mixing and Mastering Workflow - Thoughts?
2014/01/19 13:59:40
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☄ Helpfulby olemon 2014/01/23 10:19:24
Phonic
How do you know what the track will sound like when it is finished and what it will require in the way of EQ or compression? In my opinion you shouldn't color the sound with mastering plugins until you have your mix almost finished. It seems to me that if you are mixing into your mastering plugins, you are already deciding the final sound of your mix without knowing what it could sound like with different mastering settings.
I would agree with that, seems a little off to me. I am surprised Danny hasn't jumped in on this one yet.... In any case, I do a lot of hard rock/metal bands etc. and about halfway through a mix I will sometimes pull up the concrete limiter on my master bus, check the mix out to reference what it is going to sound like stepped on a bit. Then I will turn it back off and check back with it throughout the rest of the process. I am not aiming to have the end result squashed, but it needs to be in your face while retaining dynamics so I guess I fall somewhere in the middle... Then, when I am done I will make sure that the limiter and any other processing on the master bus is turned off and adjust my master fader to keep the level between around -3 to -6 db and export my mix. I do then import that mix into another project (along with any other songs going on the record/EP/demo) for my own little mastering if the stuff is not being sent out for mastering by an actual mastering engineer. Each song gets it's own chain as they may have different requirements for Eq, compression, stereo field adjustments etc.
ADK Built DAW, W7, Sonar Platinum, Studio One Pro,Yamaha HS8's & HS8S Presonus Studio/Live 24.4.2, A few decent mic pre's, lots of mics, 57's,58 betas, Sm7b, LD Condensors, Small condensors, Senn 421's, DI's, Sans Amp, A few guitar amps etc. Guitars : Gib. LP, Epi. Lp, Dillion Tele, Ibanez beater, Ibanez Ergodyne 4 String bass, Mapex Mars series 6 pc. studio kit, cymbals and other sh*t. http://www.everythingiam.net/ http://www.stormroomstudios.com Some of my productions: http://soundcloud.com/stormroomstudios
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Jeff Evans
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Re: My Mixing and Mastering Workflow - Thoughts?
2014/01/19 16:58:37
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☄ Helpfulby olemon 2014/01/23 10:20:06
I am of the opinion (and I think Danny is with me with this too) that when a mix is great the mastering is not going to change it very much. A really great mix should not get bent out of shape with mastering. When you reach that point then you know you are in the ball park with the mastering that follows. Sure you can screw it up too but then you can always go back and restart with that great mix again.
Sometimes I mix into some slight two buss compression but it too does not change the mix either. It just levels the music a little and performs some slight stereo mix conditioning as Danny puts it. (love that word!)
If your mix changes a lot when even light mastering processes are applied it is not a good mix and not very robust and easily twisted by any mastering processes. Go back and revisit!
Specs i5-2500K 3.5 Ghz - 8 Gb RAM - Win 7 64 bit - ATI Radeon HD6900 Series - RME PCI HDSP9632 - Steinberg Midex 8 Midi interface - Faderport 8- Studio One V4 - iMac 2.5Ghz Core i5 - Sierra 10.12.6 - Focusrite Clarett thunderbolt interface Poor minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas -Eleanor Roosevelt
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ChuckC
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Re: My Mixing and Mastering Workflow - Thoughts?
2014/01/19 21:22:10
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☄ Helpfulby olemon 2014/01/23 10:21:33
Dead on Jeff!!
For me when I pull up the limiter on the 2 bus I find the biggest difference that hits me in the face is that my subtle reverbs/delays are now too present. and I need to back them off a little. It doesn't seem to torque up the tonality of my mix but, glue it together, kick up the level, and smack me in the face with my reverb bus. haha I use it to make sure that my mix isn't going to get screwed up when I/or whomever does master it does so.
I agree, when the mix is right the mastering engineer should not need an Eq in his chain.
ADK Built DAW, W7, Sonar Platinum, Studio One Pro,Yamaha HS8's & HS8S Presonus Studio/Live 24.4.2, A few decent mic pre's, lots of mics, 57's,58 betas, Sm7b, LD Condensors, Small condensors, Senn 421's, DI's, Sans Amp, A few guitar amps etc. Guitars : Gib. LP, Epi. Lp, Dillion Tele, Ibanez beater, Ibanez Ergodyne 4 String bass, Mapex Mars series 6 pc. studio kit, cymbals and other sh*t. http://www.everythingiam.net/ http://www.stormroomstudios.com Some of my productions: http://soundcloud.com/stormroomstudios
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mixmkr
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Re: My Mixing and Mastering Workflow - Thoughts?
2014/01/19 22:30:02
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☄ Helpfulby olemon 2014/01/23 10:21:20
I'd go one step further and set the bar where I believe it really should be, in that a great mix won't need "mastering"... and I'm talking about adjusting dynamics, EQ, clean up, etc. The mastering would be more in the form of "linking" the songs together, prepping for duplication, and stuff along those lines. Just as a great performance makes for great tracks, which make for great mixes, should lead to none or minimal mastering (of the tone/dynamic nature). Of course the mastering engineer gonna do *something* to it, so they get their paycheck..... There's no need to slap compression on it at the mastering stage anymore. If the mix engineer thinks it sound better to put some on the 2 buss, then let that be the decision at that point in the process. I think people think the mastering stage will ALWAYS put the 'glue' or 'polish' on it....or whatever term you like. I equate that to "fix it in the mix".
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olemon
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Re: My Mixing and Mastering Workflow - Thoughts?
2014/01/23 10:30:32
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Very helpful information. Thank you all! I have a question though. What does the following mean? Jeff Evans
Sometimes I mix into some slight two buss compression but it too does not change the mix either.
You compress the whole mix a little at a time with two busses in series, that is, one after the other?
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smallstonefan
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Re: My Mixing and Mastering Workflow - Thoughts?
2014/01/24 11:57:55
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☄ Helpfulby olemon 2014/01/27 18:48:03
The two buss (also called 2bus, stereo bus, and mix bus) is the final buss you mix down to. (I had to look this up not long ago as it was confusing me). From what I've read around here, I started putting Waves SSL bus comp right on my 2bus before I start mixing. It only hits the signal by about 2db, but it is enough to "glue" it together and as mentioned earlier affects the stereo field. It's VERY subtle, and I use the Waves SSL because it seems very transparent and open to. (side note, I prefer the IK SSL comp better for drums as it is a tad more aggressive). I used to mix up stream, so I wouldn't have added that compression until the end. Now I find it nice to mix into it. FWIW, I also mix into Slate VCC and Slate VMT...
I hope this helps,
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olemon
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Re: My Mixing and Mastering Workflow - Thoughts?
2014/01/27 18:49:40
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smallstonefan
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Re: My Mixing and Mastering Workflow - Thoughts?
2014/01/28 14:53:24
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Glad to help! Lord knows I've received so much help here that I'm way behind on my contribution quota. :)
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