Hi,
Do you normally put a high pass filter on every track, to help get rid of a muddy mix ?

Thanks
John

If the tracks aren't contributing anything to the bottom end of the mix then yes!

Insert a plugin like SPAN on each track just to get an idea of how much rubbish is in there, and you can use that as a starting point to determine where the filter should go.

You'll be surprised just how much you can roll of instruments like guitar & keyboards and this really helps to clean up the low end of your mix, leaving it clear for kick & bass.

You'll be surprised just how much you can roll of instruments like guitar & keyboards and this really helps to clean up the low end of your mix, leaving it clear for kick & bass.

Absolutely...
You won't believe the difference it'll make to the clarity of your mixes.


Use your ears when setting the frequency.  You'll be able to hear when you're rolling too much of the bottom end out of the guitar/vocal/etc.

Thanks guys, really appreciate your input, think I'll also check some out videos on you tube.

John

Absolutely what they both said.

If there's no mud there, don't bother cutting.

The low end of the frequency range is what makes your mix rock, ony leave instruments down there that belong i.e. bass and drums, everything else cut if it infringes and cut bass/drums so they share that range. 
 
It's suprising what low end frequencies synth pads can generate, almost always the mix benefits from a cut in this instance.

One little tip which might work for you is to route just the bass instruments, usually Bass & Kick, but other instruments like Tube, Bass Trombone, Double Bass etc in an orchestral setup, to their own bus.

Muting the buss will then instantly tell you what other instruments are contributing to your bass end and whether or not they need further filtering

Bristol_Jonesey


One little tip which might work for you is to route just the bass instruments, usually Bass & Kick, but other instruments like Tube, Bass Trombone, Double Bass etc in an orchestral setup, to their own bus.

Muting the buss will then instantly tell you what other instruments are contributing to your bass end and whether or not they need further filtering

          Thanks Jonesey, good tip, cheers

Shambler


Absolutely what they both said.

If there's no mud there, don't bother cutting.

The low end of the frequency range is what makes your mix rock, ony leave instruments down there that belong i.e. bass and drums, everything else cut if it infringes and cut bass/drums so they share that range. 
 
It's suprising what low end frequencies synth pads can generate, almost always the mix benefits from a cut in this instance.

          Something to think about Shambler, thanks !! 

I do this without thinking now. Most non-bass instruments you can cut up to about 150Hz without losing weight, often a lot higher. It definitely cleans up the bottom end and low-mids. You can cut a little more out of an instrument's low end when it's part of a dense mix than when it's part of a sparse arrangement or soloed. To my ears adding a little "bump" right at the roll-off point helps preserve some of the weight. 

sharke


I do this without thinking now. Most non-bass instruments you can cut up to about 150Hz without losing weight, often a lot higher. It definitely cleans up the bottom end and low-mids. You can cut a little more out of an instrument's low end when it's part of a dense mix than when it's part of a sparse arrangement or soloed. To my ears adding a little "bump" right at the roll-off point helps preserve some of the weight. 

           thanks for your input sharke !