Pre defined eq, compressors ect.

This is all I can help you with. I hope this information helps you. Let me know.

The Perfect Mix
There are many ways to get your songs to final form. Lets assume, for this article, final form means a beautifully polished piece of music in 16 bit 44.1 khz digital audio (i.e., the "red book" cd audio standard) or a standard wave file. You need to start, of course, with a fully or almost finished song. This is the point where the writing ends and the TweakMeistering begins. I'm going to give you some hard earned tips on Mixing and Mastering.
Mixdown and Mastering, traditionally speaking, are two very separate processes. Mixdown is the art of leveling, equalizing and effecting all the various sources from many tracks down to a stereo Mix. Mastering is the process of taking the stereo mix and putting it in the final album-ready form. Recent software and hardware developments make these processes easier and less expensive than they ever have been in the history of making music. Given that much of the time we can stay in the digital domain we can add processing to our heart's content and maintain a high signal to noise ratio and achieve optimum dynamics for the piece at hand.

The Mix Process
Please consider these parameters not as rules but a starting point for you mixes for the standard pop song or ballad using an analog mixer. Of course the instruments change if you are doing techno or symphonies, or ambient stuff, but the reference may still be helpful.
Match the following instruments when soloed in place to the db markers on your mixing desk or your mixdown deck or software.
Set the trims: Solo each instrument in succession and set the trim so the signal peaks a 0db.
Kick drum 0db +3 eq at 50 Hz +1 db at 3khz -3db 275 hz No FX except maybe subtle ambience You will tweak the kick again, this is just to get you going. In an instrumental piece, the kick is the first and last tweaked. It's got to be just right.
Snare -2 db eq to taste in the frequencies above 4khz. Add reverb if the song calls for it. Do the best you can to keep it out of the way of the vocal, even if you have to pan it a few degrees. Near the end of the mix you need to come back here to perfect it.

Lead Vocal 0db use a low cut filter to eliminate rumble and plosive pops around 100-200 hz. Carefully enhance the delicate high end around 15khz to add air and sheen and don't overdo it! This is the trickiest adjustment and may often spell hit or dud. Perfectly center the vocal and pan it not with pan controls, but with very subtle left/right hi freq eq's. Put on the cans (headphones) and make sure its in the absolute center of your forehead.. Every word must be intelligible. Add reverb and delays but don't let it get smeared. Before you print to tape or DAT or whatever, check the vocal any make those tiny adjustments that are needed.
Cymbals -25 db Avoid letting these get in the way of the vocals. Pan them to 2 o'clock and remember their main function is to add the glue to a track to hold the music together--they do not have to be loud or present. Think about how horrible they will sound on your girlfrind's or boyfriend's car stereo if you let then get too loud.
Synth pads -20 db Do these in stereo and hard pan left and right with generous effects if needed. However, keep them in the back. Pads indeed are beautiful additions to a song but don't let them overshadow any of the main elements of the song. Yet for a sense of dimensionality, let these create a "landscape" the listener can walk on.
Bass -10 db maybe hotter Always front and center. If you use FX restrict yourself to chorusing or a light flange--no reverb. Note that the quality we associate with "good" music is a tight syncopation of kick drum and bass. If you hear any duff notes make sure you fix them.
Rhythm guitar -15 db pan off center eq: use a low cut filter to get rid of any bass and add a mid range eq for a slight narrow boost, but make sure it is not competing with the vocalist's sweet spot.
Percussion -20db- put these elements off center unless they are essential to to basic beat. EQ in a tasteful way if necessary. I shoot to get a little skin sound on the hand drums if possible,
Watch the meters when you play the whole mix through the board. You should have peaks at +3db. If what you have is more notch down every fader in 1 db increments until you get there.
Mono Check: Always check you mix in Mono and look for sudden drop outs or instruments that disappear. That's phase cancellation at work, and it happens with stereo tracks and effects.
No faders above 0db rule: When getting a mix started follow this religiously. If you find your vocal doesn't sound good unless its at +5db then move everything down 5 db. Conserve headroom. You don't want your mix compromised by that awful crackle at the peak of your song.
Now you fine tune to taste. Listen for the quality to "lock". There is a definite point where this happens. Suddenly it all falls into place, given you have good material. A great mix of a great song will fill you with absolute elation. You'll be blown away and in awe. You will feel in love with it. No kidding. Might sound corny to the less mature among us, but I assure you its true. A great artist friend of mine puts it this way. Greatness in art depends solely on how much love you put in to a work. You put it in, it pays you back, your friends back, and everyone who listens. Moral of this lesson. Never take mixing and mastering lightly. The tiniest fader movements make a difference. Be exacting!
The Mix is a Dynamic, Moving Process
Don't just sit there while your mix goes to tape, or disc, or DAT. If you are using a board, assign the faders to subgroups. For example, if you have 4 subgroups you might want to send your vocal tracks to groups 1 and 2 and everything else to 3 and 4. This way you can slightly alter the balance between the vocalists and the band as the piece goes to tape. This technique, while tricky, can yield outstanding results. You can give the vocalist a touch more edge just when they need that oomph and when the vocalist takes a break you can subtly boost the band a bit. If you have 8 busses you might dedicate 5 and 6 just to drums and 7 and 8 just to effects, nudging each as is appropriate. If you have a digital mixer, this is where you want to automate.
The Role of Compression at Mixdown
On it's way to the recording device, you can patch a compressor/ limiter/gate. The Gate simply cuts out any audio below a certain threshold so that any hiss or noise coming from your synths or mixer is eliminated before the music starts. The limiter keeps your peaks under a certain fixed level and will not let them go higher. A Compressor is a volume slope applied to the audio material going through it. It can amplify the "valleys" and attenuate the "peaks". Essentially compression reduces the dynamic range we have just struggle to achieve in our mix. You might wonder why you would want that. In many circumstances, you don't want it. However, in the majority of cases you will find it useful, especially if you want your music to be "hot", "have punch" "be as loud as possible", or have the consistency of a radio mix. The stereo compressor also helps balance the song and give it a uniform character we are so used to hearing in commercial music. It essentially gives you the strongest and smoothest mix and calms down some of the 'jaggged edges' that might disturb the casual listener. However, it is also very easy to make a mix totally lifeless with a compressor and reduce its dynamic power. What started as a powerful orchestral arrangement can end up a wimpy piece of Mall Muzak so be careful and bypass it frequently to make sure you like what you are tweaking up. I think compression works well to attenuate that occasional peak that rips through the roof of a digital audio recorder and ruins the track. Also if you have the cash for a fine analog tube compressor. or even a high quality compressor plugin, there is lots of magic you can do at this stage.
The Role of the Mastering processor
Mastering processors are becoming more popular these days. The TweakMeister likes them. I have noted over and over how the effective use of a mastering processor can transform a good mix into a great master recording. If you have one, you might consider using that in lieu of a compressor at mixdown as mastering processors usually have all the functions and additional functions such as mastering eq, multi-band compression as well as limiters and gates. These mastering tools can go a long way to giving your music a unique sonic imprint. There are many uses. In addition to adding the refining touch to your mix as it goes to the recorder, it can be used to give all your songs on an album a consistent uniform character and balance the volume between widely different songs giving your project a professional touch.

Using narrow band mid range eqs can give you a very contemporary sounding presence and make your dance tracks come alive with freshness. Pumping the compressor a little at 50-60hz can give you the "kick in the chest" kik drum without wrecking the delicate dynamics of the high end vocals. There are many more applications such as using them to send midi tracks to your digital audio mixer compressed optimally, ducking for voice overs, de-essing, warming through "tape saturation" parameters and Hard Gate effects on individual tracks. Remember Tweakheadz rule of thumb: Any piece of gear can be used in any way as long as it enhances the quality of the final product.
Software Mastering and Post-Production
A good digital audio sequencer will let you master in the digital domain of your computer. Some softwares that I think are of particular merit for mastering are Logic, Cubase, Sound Forge and Vegas. I'm just going to look at Vegas here, because I am enamored with it right now. The main thing is to be able to draw a volume envelope over the whole waveform. Rather than botch a fade 20 times on an analog mixer, simply draw in the perfect fade with the mouse. Where the piece loses intensity, notch it up a tad, to restore your intended dynamism to your mix. Say you have the perfect mix except for one horrible "sp-p-p-lat" where your sequencer choked at bar 72. No prob. Just remix the offending bar again, cut out that piece in Vegas and drop in the new one and let the automatic crossfading give you the absolutely perfect, digitally calculated crossfaded splice. Works! Need to touch up the EQ and do your compression in software? Tweak it in. It's all undoable, so your not going to ruin anything. Decided the mix you did last year really sux? You need to cut out a chorus or fade 5 seconds earlier? Say you did a trance piece but the kick is so wimp that it makes you cringe? Just drag in a looped 808 kik and paint it on the next track, setting the volume and compression to make the whole song whupass. :) Vegas gives you the tools. In fact, I like it better for post pro than as a multi track.
The Final Touch
You've worked hard on a song, maybe several weeks, maybe longer. Its now in final form, just a matter of the last transfer to DAT, Tape, Wave or CD. Here we enter into the subtlest, but arguably, most far reaching of your tweaks. Sometimes it makes sense to compare the quality of masters to metals. Do you want a mix of raw iron? Steel? Silver? Gold? Of course we choose gold for most things. Gold is firm, strong, yet soft, malleable, pleasing. This takes you right to the heart of the digital vs. analog controversy. And you no doubt have heard the advice "use your ears!". And perhaps you've heard of engineers said to have "golden ears", indeed a point of much pomp and egosity in the field. What does the golden eared producer have that you don't? Listen close now, here's a secret, your reward for reading so far. What they have is an aural image in their minds of how things can sound beautiful, and they have the gear that allows them to get the audio to that place in their heads.
Think about that OK? It's like religion. The believers all see a truth that is obvious that no one else can. Is your audio like velvet? Silk? Or is it more like uncomfortable rayon, or dull like flannel or harsh like sandpaper.

The final touch is never easy. You are also fighting with "the audience in your head" on how something should sound. Finally, you have been working on it so long you might NOT be hearing what it really is as your brain is conditioned to filter what you want to hear. If you can't nail it by the 3rd or maybe 4th play in a session, can it for the rest of the day. Bring everything up to spec as close as you can and come back tomorrow. The most important factor in the final touch is not gear; it's the interaction between your ear and your mind. Yet having good gear at this stage helps your ear and mind "find" that doorway to quality, where you blow yourself away into sonic ecstasy, and your final master communicates that to everyone who hears it. This, my friends is the "holy grail" of audio. It's where a song becomes more than a song, it's an adventure, a voyage, a statement. I wish you happy journeys.
Summing Up:
Whether you are writing industrial hardcore or the darkest ambient, a 100 piece orchestra or a stark minimalist a capella mix, always keep your ears tuned to making an artistic statement, a work of unforgettable beauty. This is the bottom line. The more control your Mixer gives you, the better you can paint the overall image. Working with compressors and mastering processors gives you a shot a polishing that image much like we polish a stone to bring out its colors. Hope this article helped you get a handle on the concepts of the perfect Mix, mastering and post-production, and the Final Touch.

EQUALIZATION BY THE OCTAVE

BY ROBERT DENNIS

Equalization is the most-used, most-mis-used, most-over-used and most-under-used signal processing device. It is also the most powerful. By definition an equalizer is a gain control that raises or lowers gain at a specific set of frequencies without affecting the gain at other frequency ranges.
I learned a lot about equalization by sitting down with a graphic equalizer and lots of records. After about 30 hours of listening to the effect of different bands of equalization on the records, I began to "hear" the effect of certain frequencies on overall mixes. Since I had a job in mastering, this was a direct application as to how I was going to use equalizers.
Doing an exercise like this is the very beginning of training in using equalization. There are commercial CD packages which attempt to duplicate this type of test. They are no real substitute for switching the equalization on and off as the CD (or music source) plays.
The next step in the training is to apply specific equalization to specific instruments. Recommended or "key" frequencies are used and the equalization is switched on and off while soloing the instrument and then while listening to the instrument in the mix.
The point of this "ear" training is to gain the ability to hear what frequencies would be needed to bring up or down in a specific mixdown. Until one obtains the ability to "hear" frequency, one has only limited ability to use equalization.
Frequency Ranges:

A key to understanding equalization is to gain an understanding of the effect of different frequency ranges on music and instrument sounds.

The "First Octave"

The first usable octave for most recording is the 40 - 80 Hz range, with equalization settings centered around 50 Hz. This range of frequencies is often referred to as "Low Bass"
There is sound between 20 Hz and 40 Hz but little or no sound from instruments. The lowest pipes of a pipe organ will get into this range but more "ordinary" instruments like Bass Guitar, Upright Bass and Foot Drums do not. The lowest pitch on a bass guitar or string bass is at 41 Hz. Thunder, earthquakes and rumble from the building shaking extend below 40 Hz. While mixing, watch out for objectionable sounds below 40 Hz caused by building shifts and mic stands moving with heavy footsteps. If there is objectionable sounds in this range, the range can usually be taken entirely out with a filter.
The first octave that we deal with (40 - 80Hz) gives more of a "feeling" and sense of "power" to the sound. This range is way down or non-existent in smaller stereo systems. This range is difficult to hear at all at medium and low volume levels because of the Fletcher Munson Effect.
To properly set the amount of low bass in your mix or in your instrument sound, you must listen both loud and soft. You also may want to listen to the mix or instrument on large and small speaker systems. Too much energy in this range will make the mix sound muddy on large speakers played loud and still sound good on small speakers played at a medium volume. You want the mix or instrument to sound larger and more powerful over large speakers without sounding muddy.
Rap, Hip Hop and "Dance" music (under various names) often have extra energy in the low-bass range. This is what causes cars equipped with sub-woofers to shake. Usually, however, it is not the entire mix that is boosted below 80 Hz, but just, for example, the foot drum. By boosting the energy on only one or two instruments, "clarity" can be achieved without "mud."

The Bass Range

Covering about 1.5 octaves, from 80 Hz to 250 Hz, this range of frequencies determines the "fatness" and "fullness" of the instrument's sound. Equalization is usually applied centered around two frequencies, 100 Hz and 200 Hz.
For guitars and bass, the 100 Hz range tends to add body and fullness. Excessive energy in this range tends to make these instruments sound "boomy.," This range of frequencies is still greatly affected by the Fletcher-Muson Effect; this means you will need to listen to the mix and instrument both loud and soft. Similar to how the 50 Hz range affects the bass and foot, the guitars should sound fatter when played loud, not boomy. Reducing the 100 Hz energy on the guitar will usually cause distinction between the bass and guitar parts. The lowest fundamental frequency on a guitar is around 80 Hz.
For vocals the 200 Hz range determines the fullness of the vocal. This range can often be reduced to increase distinction on the vocal. If, however, boosting in higher frequencies on the vocal makes the sound "thin" or "small" a boost of 200 Hz. will restore fullness.
When 100 Hz is reduced on a guitar or bass to reduce "boom," at small boost at 200 Hz can be helpful to keep the instrument from sounding "lumpy" (certain notes hard to hear and others standing out). The guitar and bass have almost equal energy at their fundamental and 2nd harmonic frequencies. Thus if a range of notes becomes hard to hear because of a at lot of 100 Hz, reducing energy at 100Hz and adding energy at 200 Hz will help the notes be heard again.

The Bass Presence / Lower Mid Range

Covering about one octaves from 250 Hz to 500 Hz, this range accents ambience of studio and adds clarity to the bass and lower-string instruments (Chello and Upright Bass). Too much boost can make higher-frequency instruments muffled sounding and low-frequency drums (foot and toms) have a cardboard box quality. Equalization in this range is applied at many frequencies but most often between 300 Hz and 400 Hz.

The lower part of this range (250 Hz to 350 Hz) is sometimes referred to as "Upper Bass" and is used to increase distinction and fullness on the vocal, especially on female singers.

The Lower Mid Range in general can be viewed as the "Bass Presence Range" Increasing this range gives clarity to the bass line and the lower-register of pianos and organs. Clarity and distinction can be obtained between the foot drum and bass guitar by both reducing the foot and increasing the bass guitar in this range, at the same frequency.

This range is often reduced for overhead drum and cymbal microphones to increase clarity and presence on these instruments' and reduced on lower drums (foot and toms) to reduce boxiness.

The Mid Range

The Mid Range band of frequencies covers two octaves from 500 Hz to 2 kHz. This range can give a horn-like quality to instruments (500 Hz to 1 kHz) and a "tinny" sound (1 kHz to 2 kHz) or a telephone-like quality (all of the range). Equalization usually centers around 800 Hz and 1,.5 kHz.

The mid-range also tends to accent the presence (800 Hz) and attack (1.5 kHz) of the bass guitar. The lower pitches of a rhythm guitar can be given more attack by a boost at 1.5 kHz.

For your Mid Range Instruments (vocals, guitars and piano) this range is most-often reduced rather than accented. Reducing 500 - 800 Hz on an acoustic guitar can remove the "cheep" sound and make it sound more "silvery." Reducing 800 Hz on a vocal makes it sound less nasal and have more body and presence. For snare drums, a reduction of 800 Hz can take the tinny, cheep sound out of the drum and make the snares have more sizzle rather than rattle.
The Upper Mid Range

Covering about one octave, this range of frequencies is responsible for the attack on percussive and rhythm instruments and the "projection" of mid range instruments. Equalization can be applied at any frequency in this range but still somewhat centers around 3 kHz.
On the foot drum, boosting 2.5 kHz or 4 kHz increases the attack. 2.5 kHz sounds more like a felt beater and 4 kHz sounds more like a hard-wood beater. These frequencies can also be used to increase the attack or "hit" sound on toms and snare drums.
Guitar lines often get more attack and distinction with equalization added at this range. A small boost (1-3 dB) for the vocal will increase projection. Adding too much energy, in this range, makes it hard to distinguish the syllables of the vocal and can cause listening fatigue. This range of frequencies is often reduced on background vocal to give them a more "airy" and "transparent" sound.

The Presence Range

Although this range covers a mere half-octave of 4 kHz to 6 kHz, it is an often-used band of frequencies. This range makes most vocals and melody instruments sound closer and more distinct. Over-boosting causes a irritating and harsh sound. Equalization centers around 5 kHz.
The Treble Range

Covering approximately that last two octaves of sound (6 kHz to 20 kHz), this band of frequencies is responsible for the brilliance and clarity on instruments. Equalization centers around 7 kHz, 10 kHz and 15 kHz.
The vocal "S" sounds are at about 7 kHz, making this a frequency that is avoided for vocals. Care must be exercised in reducing 7 kHz on vocals, however, because the vocal will sound dull very fast. The breath sound of the vocal is at 15 kHz and above, giving a breath quality without much accent on the "S": sound of the vocal.
The 7 kHz frequency is also the "metallic attack" frequency on drums The "sizzle" of cymbals is at 15 kHz.
When equalizing, 10 kHz and above is often used as a general "brilliance" frequency band.

Compression/ Limiting Guidelines

Many people fail to realize how important using compression actually is. Whether you're recording or mastering, you need compression. Whether you're independant or professional, you need compression. Whether you're selling 500, or 500,000 units, you need compression. Every album you've purchased has used some form of compression. Music just wouldn't be the same without it, so take a seat and prepare to enter the world of compressed recording.

Although I'll be giving you some numbers and ratios to use, these are just guidelines, nothing more. You won't find the perfect compression guide because such a thing doesn't exist. You must realize that everything varies per track. Not all music is the same, and in that sense, not all FX are going to be the same.

Note: Because hip-hop is one of the most heavily compressed forms of music, this article is written in the perspective that you'll be applying the following techniques to a hip-hop track.

What does compression do?

com·pres·sion
n.
1. The process of reducing dynamic range of a given audio signal by making the loud parts quieter and the quiet parts louder.

Compression literally squashes the sound. It works by making quiet parts of the music louder, and loud parts quiet. By using compression and reducing the dynamic range, you can smooth out the sound by finding a medium between the lowest and highest peak volumes.

Terms to know:

Attack: How fast a compressor will react once the threshold is breached. 0ms will result in immediate action.

Decibles (db): Measure of sound pressure.

Gain: Used to increase or decrease compressed sound. (measured in DB)

Knee: A compressor characteristic that affects the way a compressor behaves.

Milliseconds (ms): Attack and Release times measured by milliseconds.

Ratio: How much a signal is compressed. With a compression ratio of 3:1, a signal which is 9db over the threshold level would be reduced to 3db. A signal of 3db over the threshold would be reduced to 1db.

Release: How fast the compressor will return to its normal state after the signal has moved below the threshold. 0ms will result in immediate return.




Threshold: Threshold level determines which signals are subject to compression. With a threshold of -5db, all signals above this level (-4db < ) would be compressed by the set ratio.
---

Before beginning, you'll need a large decible meter, preferably with a digital readout. As a general rule, your mix before mastering should fall around or below the 0db mark. Leaving a ceiling will allow you to compress and boost, without having to do too much limiting.

Drums: Perhaps the most important element in a hip-hop track. DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Alchemist, Havoc, RZA, Marley Marl, Jay Dee, and Timbaland. What do all these producers have in common? Their thumping drums. Now imagine if all those beatmakers had used weak drums. Premier's "Come Clean" probably wouldn't be considered a classic, nor would Pete Rock's "T.R.O.Y". Compression is very much needed on drums, especially in the hip-hop world. What exactly does compression do to help? Fatten, thicken, louden, and sharpen. Deep, rumbly kick drums and sharp, snappy snares. Ah, the wonders of compression.

Threshold: -10db to -15db
Ratio: 6:1 to 8:1
Attack: 3ms
Release: 10ms
Knee: Hard
Gain: +5db to +7db
---

Percussion: Although not all hip-hop tracks contain, or need percussion, a lot of the newage pioneer beatmakers are using bongos, congas, triangles, steel drums, as well as other percussion instruments. Percussion doesn't require a lot of compression because usually, the percussion track rests behind the drum track. Bongos, congas, and the likes usually have an immediate popping sound that doesn't need compressing, so the attack should be set slower than drums.

Threshold: -3db to -7db
Ratio: 3:1 to 6:1
Attack: 5ms to 7ms
Release: 15ms
Knee: Hard
Gain: +2db to +4db
---

Bass: A common problem with bass is that the low notes seem to disappear into the mix while the higher notes stick out like a sore thumb. With many instruments, reverb could solve this problem. However, using reverb on the bass track usually gives it an undesirable effect. By using compression, you can bring up the lows, and submerge the higher notes into the mix. Often times, there is an initial "pluck" to the bass sound, and it can be more beneficial to let this sound slide through uncompressed.






Threshold: -4db to -9db
Ratio: 4:1 to 8:1
Attack: 3ms (if there is a plucking sound, use an attack closer to 7ms)
Release: 100ms on short bass sounds / 300ms on long bass tones
Knee: Hard
Gain: +2db to +4db
---

Brass / Wind instruments: Brass and wind instruments require a "transparent" type compression. Any obvious processing can noticably ruin the sound. Brass and wind instruments have a lot of variety in playing styles. Trumpets can be played expressivly loud, and a smooth, mellow flute will need much different processing.

Threshold: -2db to -4db
Ratio: 6:1 (lighter instruments) to 15:1 (deep brassy instruments)
Attack: 3ms (If a transient sound needs through uncompressed, use 6ms)
Release: 300ms
Knee: Hard
Gain: Varies

Cont.:

Guitars: When working with acoustic guitars, compressors tend to reveal themselves more so it's a good idea to use a very "transparent" compression. If working with electric guitars, make small increases to the ratio and threshold.

Threshold: -2db to -3db
Ratio: 3:1 to 4:1
Attack: 3ms (If there is an initial pluck, use 5ms)
Release: 30ms to 60ms
Knee: Soft
Gain: 0db to +1db
---

Samples: If you're a sampled based producer (specifically, phrase sampler), chances are you don't get to compress several instruments in different ways. Using the following numbers, you'll be able to smooth out the entire sample without too much limiting.

Threshold: -2db to -4db (If the sample is recorded bad, and there's lots of peaks, use a higher threshold around -8db)
Ratio: 2:1 to 3:1
Attack: 2ms
Release: 400ms
Knee: Hard
Gain: +1db to +3db







---

Full Mix: The final mix doesn't require much compression, although some hip-hop songs have been compressed with up to a 4:1 ratio, most aren't needed that much. A final compression should act as a limiter, keeping the signal close to the 0db mark.

Threshold: -4db to -7db
Ratio: 1.5:1 to 2.5:1
Attack: 5ms
Release: 200ms to 500ms
Knee: Hard
Gain : Varies
---

Remember, those are just guidelines. There are no rules to mixing, and no rules to mastering.

If you're in need of a compressor, there are several software compression tools that you will find handy. If you're using Fruity Loops 3.0 +, the Fruity Compressor is great. If you're using any software that allows Direct-X plugins, I strongly reccommend the Waves Gold Bundle Plug-ins.

Waves Plug-ins Tips:
You'll notice there are several compressors, each have different options.

The C-1 Compressor is the standard compressor. All other compressors in the Waves Bundles have an attatched EQ. Use the C-1 compressor on drums, and anything else that doesn't need heavy EQ'ing at the moment.

L1 Ultramaximizer - This is great for creating a ceiling on your mix to keep the peak at 0db. Using "Setup A" should work fine.

MaxxBass - This is another great plug-in that works wonders on basslines. I suggest trying this one out. (Use only on bass tracks)

Darkside

Wow! Now that is a dissertation if I ever saw one!

yea he wrote alot... still could use more if anyone has it

hell, who needs school when you got great stuff like this floating on the web? i'll be studying this post for days!

Can you explain that middle part?

Great postt darkside. There is literally months of information in there for my skill level.

Thanks

a real lession.

adding credits to the original author wouldn't have hurt either.

SilverfoxUK


adding credits to the original author wouldn't have hurt either.

http://www.tweakheadz.com/perfect_mix.html

One setting goes basicly with one recording. Each recording/studio/singer/amp setting/microphone etc. needs it's own settings for FX and filters.

+1! We can only hope they're listening, Kalle. The myth of magic global settings is hard to let go of.

Again Bit and CJ and Kalle all give the right answers to this. There is no such thing as a pre made setup for FX.  Avoid anyone that says there is. EQ is pehaps the least likely to transfer to another track. Compression is also unlikely to use the same settings on any track. So you may ask why do so many have presets? Because they want you to think a preset will do the job but is really only a starting point.

Those controls that all FX have need to be used.

If you're looking at the EZ way of doing things and relying on presets, you might consider this: http://routenote.com/blog/the-simple-ezmix-plug-in-from-toontrack/

Alloy from Izotope is pretty much preset oriented. For quick mixes or in depth mixes it';s great  and easy on the resources. It's made to be inserted right in the tracks-but of course can be usd anywhere. With that and Ozone I am pretty darn set

in answer to your question about db it tends to be 4-6 db that you aim for in terms of how much you squash somthing.  Once again there is a formula, dont have it here at the moment.  but aim for 4-6db gain reduction.  Unless your after the bonham thing, then it can be 10-12db gain reduction.  Yes Sonar is the only DAW.
Viva la Revolution Ben B.C.T (Bachelor Of Creative Technology)
http://www.myspace.com/audiomystics

if you record in a typical fashion, you'll use different sounds, tones, mics, all that, every time.


otherwise, everything you do will sound THE SAME.

and you don't want to do that, trust me.



the way you get good at mixing, is by mixing a lot.

you also ignore any presets.

that way, you practice actually using the tools you have (your ears, your brain, and some plug ins and outboard gear).
 
 
you find a way to capture the sound you want exactly like it is, from the source.

garbage in, garbage out, yada yada

so, having good SOURCE material, is the single most important thing to getting consistent mixes.

that, and consistently good arrangements. this is almost more important than the source material.


the way you use compressors, and eq's, and all that, is really the least important thing of all.

you have to train your ears to tell the truth. that's the hardest part of all, and it don't happen overnight.


seems that most of the time, when folks are asking for presets, it means they really haven't learned what they're doing yet, and are looking for shortcuts.

i'd bet that's really not what you want, and the short answer to all this is, practice, practice, practice.

and get good monitors, and be in a room that's treated for mixing.