well, i disagree with stxx on which is better, since i've heard both..
 
but yes, he hit on a good point..
 
you have to turn the arc OFF when bouncing or exporting the final mix.
otherwise you have clownphucked your project.

batsbrew
 
you have to turn the arc OFF when bouncing or exporting the final mix.
otherwise you have clownphucked your project.

I do, as I pointed out in my original post.

try my method.

Kenny's post brings me to another good question.  How do you read a spectrum analyzer?  I take notice in the Pro Channel as well as Ozone 8 Elements and Waves L3 Multimaximizer (all of which I have) it shows a wave moving in real time.  Is this where to look to determine where to cut?  If, say, there is too much of a high wave in the bass frequencies to the left does that mean I need to bring that area down closer to the center horizontal line (0db)?
 
John B

Johnbee58
Kenny's post brings me to another good question.  How do you read a spectrum analyzer?  I take notice in the Pro Channel as well as Ozone 8 Elements and Waves L3 Multimaximizer (all of which I have) it shows a wave moving in real time.  Is this where to look to determine where to cut?  If, say, there is too much of a high wave in the bass frequencies to the left does that mean I need to bring that area down closer to the center horizontal line (0db)?
 
John B

The spectrum analyzer will show you where the loudest frequencies are - whether you should cut them or not, should be up to your ears, not what you see.
 
For example, quite often for a bass guitar it'll show nothing on the spectrum analyzer for the high end, but cutting the high frequencies has an obvious audible effect. Obviously cutting the frequencies where it is showing a signal has an even more audible effect.
 
Having said that, the spectrum analyzer is useful for showing you exactly where build up may be happening, especially in the low mids.
 
But like I said, use your ears not your eyes.

spectrum analyzers simply show a moment in time.
 
it does not tell the whole story.
 
could be, that one frequency you want to cut according to the analyzer, is the one important moment in the song, and it needs to be there....
and isn't there the rest of the time.

msmcleod
 
The spectrum analyzer will show you where the loudest frequencies are - whether you should cut them or not, should be up to your ears, not what you see.
 
For example, quite often for a bass guitar it'll show nothing on the spectrum analyzer for the high end, but cutting the high frequencies has an obvious audible effect. Obviously cutting the frequencies where it is showing a signal has an even more audible effect.
 
Having said that, the spectrum analyzer is useful for showing you exactly where build up may be happening, especially in the low mids.
 
But like I said, use your ears not your eyes.

I'm going to both agree and disagree with the above statement, at least in John's particular circumstance.
 
Mark's correct in saying that a visual representation only tells you so much. It's difficult to correlate what you see on a graph to what you're hearing. A spectrum analyzer can only tell you that your mix is over-represented at 500 Hz, not which track should be chosen to own that range and which tracks should be cut there.
 
However, as much as we'd like to think otherwise the truth is that you cannot always trust what you hear. Especially in the bass frequencies.
 
There are many reasons for this, but most often it's because of the acoustical signature of your room. That's where SPAN or something similar comes into play, because it doesn't care how small your room is or whether you have bass traps or how close your speakers are to the wall. It's an objective and consistently reliable reference.
 
But inserting a spectrum analyzer is just the first step. The obvious next question is how to interpret what the analyzer is telling you, and how to turn that information into action. It's neither automated nor intuitive, but it can be learned without too much work.
 
Create a project and import several commercially-made songs into it. Choose reference material that's similar to what you do. Examine the low frequencies in SPAN for each of your references. They won't all be exactly the same, but there will be obvious similarities. Take some screenshots if necessary. Now export your latest project and then import it into this same test project so you can compare your mix to those references. Get your low end in the same ballpark and you'll be OK.
 
Another technique is to spend time listening to those references in your room. For most of them, you've probably only listened to them outside of your recording space before. But after a few hours of just listening - no need to measure or take notes, just listen - and your ears will gradually "learn" what a good spectral balance sounds like on your speakers in your room. Eventually, you won't need the spectrum analyzer except as a double-check.
 

Some real good people I respect chiming in here in this thread
 
I don't have ARC so I cannot comment on using it .
FWIW I have seriously wanted to pick it up . My hesitation has been the same two old brick walls I have hit in the past ...
Having the money to get ARC with out having to go out on a limb in other areas of my life and more importantly when I am being a 100 % honest with my self I know there are areas of my skill set that have large holes in them ...
 
Will buying a new set of tools change much for me ? or am I more in love with the idea that I like the rush of going on an all expense paid up front VST production suite honeymoon ..
My time might be better served methodically learning what I have already on hand with my tools .
If I was to invest a little focused time in reviewing and relearning the some of the basics I learned half a$$ed along the way in my journey  .
I will be able to even out my knowledge and production skills to bring a few areas I'm lacking in up to speed ...
 
As far as what a few people have said here , I agree with much of what has been said and I also disagree peacefully with a number of things that have been said also .
It is not my desire to be contentious or to take sides ...
I will say that when it comes time to engage in the activity of self produced music , there is absolutely no reason to do so while flying blind and deaf ...
If I'm looking at things too much in my DAW and I'm getting hypnotized by all the dancing objects in my GUI
I will close my eyes and listen to see  if my eyes are doing all the listening ...
Or on the opposite side of things , if I'm grooving on the playing and I'm digging how the song is coming along yet I am blocking out sections that just don't sound right too me I may need to open my eyes and make some changes.
If my foot ain't tapping and I'm not saying wow that section gave me chills .Chances are the tune is gonna die on the vine anyway .
 
Good points have been brought up on being able to understand what you see and hear while using your production tools .
Those skills are never static because each and every new song or musical project you involve your self with will present it's own unique set of challenges ..
The people here on the forum that perform and record in multi genre forms of music can attest to that ...
 
anyway it has been nice talking w you ,
 
Kenny

As others have mentioned some great input on this subject which shows why the Cakewalk community is a great resource. Well I thought I would throw my 2 cents in as I have experimented with ARC over the years.
 
I have used ARC in a couple of situations and since it is software based you have to start off right as others have mentioned. I have just set up my room in a totally different way and have not used the new ARC 2.5 with the new microphone yet but something I might do in the future.
 
Proper initial measuring is an absolute must!
If you are using this you cannot shortcut this. Also the more measuring points you can do the better. I sort of look at the measurement points like changing a tire when you go to tighten the lug nuts, there is a specific pattern to it and it goes the same way when using ARC. The readings are based on a geometry that correlates the position of the measuring mic to the distance from the speakers to create the profile so that is why this has to be done right.
It is very tedious at first but crucial.
 
The other issue is that if you adjust the position of the speaker after your measurement you have to do the process again so make sure your speakers are placed where you need them to be before starting the process.
I have a couple of monitor pairs Tannoy and actually the IK Multimedia iLOUD Micro monitors (which are surprisingly amazing) so you would have to do separate measurements for each pair.
 
This is a learning process and no matter how long you have been working with music the learning never stops. Be open to learning something new and do not close your mind to ideas that at first might not seem logical. In the end of the story you will take away what works for you in hopes that your production quality can continue to rise.
 
Best regards to everyone and best of luck.

One tip I'd have for any ARC users....
 
Get a some old carpet (a light colour, like beige) about 3' or 1m square and write down the measuring points on the carpet with a sharpie.
 
Next time you need to measure, you just throw down the carpet and line up the bottom of the stand with the measuring points as you go through. Taping a laser pointer to your mic stand can also help.
 
It's a pity IKMultimedia don't supply a suitably sized ready-marked polythene sheet for this, but I guess it would be different for each room.