chuckebaby
There is no simple way around it. to mix and especially master tracks with precision and create a product worthy of listening to, it takes a lot of time, effort and studying.
 
There are many helpful videos on You tube. Problem is, there are also amateur ones that will lead you in the wrong direction. totally  bizarre, back aswards ways of working.
Find good sources and watch, learn and most importantly, listen.
Most important is levels and frequency's.
 
Most people will tell you to trust your ears and they are correct. but if there is any flaws in your monitor set up, then your ears will be lying like a rug. Trust your eyes first.

+100
Well said.

Thank you everyone.
 
My main problem is going to be deciphering what you are all saying. I don't know what a limiter is or does as well as a multi-band limiter and even compression.
 
It sounds like I need to export my mix first and then import that into a mastering template???? I don't master within my project?
 
I need to start with the basics here as I'm very new to this.

johndavidross
Thank you everyone.
 
My main problem is going to be deciphering what you are all saying. I don't know what a limiter is or does as well as a multi-band limiter and even compression.
 
It sounds like I need to export my mix first and then import that into a mastering template???? I don't master within my project?
 
I need to start with the basics here as I'm very new to this.

My advice to someone 100% new to this just to get a feeling of what is going on.
 
First Create your mix, make sure the "out" on your channels are going to the Master bus.  Then when you are exporting select Master Bus for your mixdown.  If you leave it as exporting individual tracks as well as the Master bus, it won't sound like what you were mixing in the first place.
 
After you export, open up a new project and load that stereo wav file onto a track, send that to the master bus.  On the master bus add in the LP Compressor and then the Adaptive Limiter after that.  Try some presets there, see what your ears like and take some notes of what the settings are mentally.  
 
Then start going through the LP compressor, AL manuals.
 
Also try the LP EQ, but that is one of those things where I'm guessing you already understand the concept of EQ, so you are just using this one as it is more surgical than other EQs.  
 
In addition - if you don't use Compression within the mix on your individual tracks, you entire mix won't be as loud like the "pros" to get really loud mixes that are common these days, people seems to compresses basically every track, then use mastering compression and limiting to make it even louder...personally I don't like the loudness war, but be aware that your reference track might be following that kind of recipe.  

johndavidross
Thank you everyone.
 
My main problem is going to be deciphering what you are all saying. I don't know what a limiter is or does as well as a multi-band limiter and even compression.
 
It sounds like I need to export my mix first and then import that into a mastering template???? I don't master within my project?
 
I need to start with the basics here as I'm very new to this.

There's just no getting away from having to spend a certain amount of time on the learning curve, but Loudmax  
 
 http://www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?id=2060
 
is a free and very simple limiter with only two controls that you might find easier to start with. I have al kinds of bells and whistles these days, but still use this one quite often.

Brian, thank you for that. I think I'm going to start there. I have been exporting all tracks and not just the master bus. I will do what you said and experiment with that and then start playing around with what the others said as I learn more of the language.

Brian Walton

johndavidross
Thank you everyone.
 
My main problem is going to be deciphering what you are all saying. I don't know what a limiter is or does as well as a multi-band limiter and even compression.
 
It sounds like I need to export my mix first and then import that into a mastering template???? I don't master within my project?
 
I need to start with the basics here as I'm very new to this.

My advice to someone 100% new to this just to get a feeling of what is going on.
 
First Create your mix, make sure the "out" on your channels are going to the Master bus.  Then when you are exporting select Master Bus for your mixdown.  If you leave it as exporting individual tracks as well as the Master bus, it won't sound like what you were mixing in the first place.
 
After you export, open up a new project and load that stereo wav file onto a track, send that to the master bus.  On the master bus add in the LP Compressor and then the Adaptive Limiter after that.  Try some presets there, see what your ears like and take some notes of what the settings are mentally.  
 
Then start going through the LP compressor, AL manuals.
 
Also try the LP EQ, but that is one of those things where I'm guessing you already understand the concept of EQ, so you are just using this one as it is more surgical than other EQs.  
 
In addition - if you don't use Compression within the mix on your individual tracks, you entire mix won't be as loud like the "pros" to get really loud mixes that are common these days, people seems to compresses basically every track, then use mastering compression and limiting to make it even louder...personally I don't like the loudness war, but be aware that your reference track might be following that kind of recipe.  

Frequencies, levels, power. All of the high pass filters, LPFs, mid-range, dynamic modification, spatial adjusting.

Learn the range of sound we hear and where instruments fall in the spectrum....and adjust as desired. Many people spend lifetimes in just part of the actions needed to perform, record, mix, master.

It's all good. That's what creates new music.

Sometimes we all presume too much. I mean, really I just wing it and hope for the best.
 
Compression, Expansion, Limiting, Maximisation, Harmonic Excitation and Gating are part of a group techniques which deal with dynamics. The first four and Gating rely on threshold settings and ratios. Sometimes a mixture of some. 
 
You won't learn any of this stuff overnight. Learn how to use Sonitus compressor in Cakewalk before you bother with something like SSL X-Comp or Fabfilter Pro-C.
 
It's funny the easiest ones to learn are classic emulations which give you less options however sound good nonetheless.  If you need more precision you will need to go the graphical route. 
 
Anyway, the ratio determines how much decibels are reduced at the point of threshold. 2:1 meaning 2dB for every 1dB. The envelope parameters such as Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release are a timed period when the compressor is in use with Release being the time before the sound recovers to the original volume. There are far more detailed and easier explanations to describe this on the web.
 

😎 Everything affects the waveform(s) in some way. The waveforms are what we hear. Long live the 'form. In the 'verse.

35mm
Think of mixing and mastering as being like a paint job on a good guitar. The mix is the wood stain - that lovely sun burst. It looks great and you could just leave it at that. Mastering is the clear coat and the final buffing to make it shine. It's important to remember that if you don't get that sun burst just right with the colours blended just as you want them, then no application of clear coat or buffing will fix it. You can't polish a turd, so mixing should be a pretty long and laborious process to get the mix just right before you even think of mastering.

Best analogy ever. 
Kudos.
 

I master. I don't Master.
 
m vs M
 
m = getting the best/loud mix for the style/genre while retaining as much of the dynamics on something that am I probably all too familiar (weeks to months of listening, tracking, assembling collaborators' tracks etc.).
 
I master on a song by song basis.
 
If I had and album to drop I'd have a pro Master it.
 
M = someone who can listen to the whole shebang that they have not been in bed with for any length of time. And then make the song to song transition sound as consistent as possible.
 
I not a advanced mastering engineer but I get by. I'm definitely not a pro Mastering Engineer and I won't ever pretend to be (regardless if I own the tools or not).