Monday 4 April 2011

EQ shizz inder mix - cut out the sooob bass.

Right so you've just pooped yourself a little coz yurr choon is reddee! And it's 'maaaazin'!
You have finished composition and arranging right? You are sure there is JUST ENOUGH wacky pingpong delay on that synth track, RIGHT? Riiiiiight? You are NOT going to switch the kick drum for something boofier ARRRRRRE YOU? rrrrr u? Our ewe?
If you have even a slight feeling that you'll be fiddling as we proceed from here STAWP! Fiddle away. Fuck up the whole tune and then dump it and start a new one and THEN when you are FULLY FUCKING READY come back to me.




Assuming you have followed steps whatever the fuck I said up to this point. (GO BACK AND READ IT ALL MOTHERFUCKER - except the bits where I get shitfaced/puke/get kidnapped etc.) everything sounds pretty sexy right now, but the mix is off and shit. And tbh some of it needs eqing and the loud bit is too blah blah blah.SHUTT-IT!


Let's just have a look see.



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EQing during Da Mix
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In mixing you may want to eq various instruments so they sound half decent and more importantly aren't taking up precious db's.


I read something a while back that I found hilarious, but it's probably true. "You wouln't believe the amount of bass in the air of your hihats".


dont know what that means


We'll get to that.


decibels.


thats the realtionship between dbs and frequency?


Frequency is in hertz - pitch.
Decibel level is db's - 'volume' loudness is the correct term.


and add frequencies together and you generally get more volume?


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
OH SWEET JEBUS!




Bass is possibly the best example.
Let's say you are mixing a bass guitar.


k


Prominent frequency on that instrument is mostly low. It goes buhm boohm buhduhm boohm. 80Hz-ish.
(Prominent frequency on hi-hats and cymbals is mostly high - them goes tss! TSHSHSHSH! Psst! 8kHz-ish)
(Prominent frequency of a human voice or guitar be in the mid-range - you get the jist 200Hz-ish).


Your bass may have a lot of loud sub-bass going on (below 50hz).
Strip some/lots of that off (unless you are doing WubbaDubstep - in which case you are fucked and why am I talking to you?). It's practically inaudible.
Sub-bass and bass in general will suck up your db's.


Think of it in terms of bandwidth. Sub-bass frequencies are like a popup window streaming video in the background, pointlessly sucking up Internet bandwith. YEAH! And the bass is the FILTHYgood redtube vid you are drooling over and the guiatrs and stuff are the flash ads of sexy ladies who are totally NOT in your area but some are pretty damn hot and you totally wish they were in your area and really did want to get jiggay and the cymbals are the text - shimmery enticing links and whatnot, the anticipation of which give you the cumdribble shivvvers.
PAHHHHFECT!


Use e.q. and cut that sub bass. Anything below 30hz. Gone.
Probably best to use an EEE KYEWWW FILTOR - otherwise known as an E.Q. Filter. 
Maybe use multi-band compression. DO NOT ASK ME HOW I'm about as clueless as you. Play with these things.


Tip: 'solo' the instrument. Watch your level - the little bar hopping up and down in the channel to show you how loud the 'volllyoome' (decibel, db level) is. Is it hitting zero db? (Is the bar going red?) Pull the fader down until it doesn't. EQ. Push the fader back up until it *almost* hits zero db/the red.
Sounds okay? Good, you have made room in the loudness/db's ('bandwith').




You do this with all tracks. Shuddup! Mastering comes wayyy later - when your composition and mix are FINISHED.


(NOTE: TRACKS and CHANNELS are NOT SYNONYMOUS! I don't expect you to get that, but bear it in mind. If you don't get it (and I know you don't) and ever feel the need to use the term 'track' or 'channel' always put a question mark after the word. "I'll just decrease the unvolumeinator on that... *track*?" 
No, you'll just push the fader up on that channel - but not to worry, I could rage at you all the daze about this. I'm just going to breathe deeply and pretend you understand. K? And NO POINTING OUT if I get it wrong anywhere in this guide.)


We will tinker more with your bass guitar track's eqBUT I DUN HAVE A BASS G-It's A FREAKING *EXAMPLE*! This applies to ALL your instruments... next time.


In the meantime just revise all the other shit. Read THE DISCLAIMER again. And don't laugh at me. Never EVER LAUGH AT ME.

9 comments:

  1. Haha. I loooove yer blog man.
    No. Actually. I will never see it because I see your copy/paste and raise you a middle finger dickweed.

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  2. everyone likes loudness so im going to turn up everything on max(not srs). i guess i have to play around with this stuff

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  3. I'm in love with your use of onomatopoeia <333

    Did I spell that right btw?

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  4. ouch PryON bringing down the hammer :P

    Great tips, I'd like to produce some music but I'm pretty much a noob atm.

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  5. PYR0N, I NEED YOUR SUPERB INPUT ON THE LATEST MIX I MADE, BUT NOT THE GIRLY ONE. THAT ONE SOUNDS LIKE SHIT COMPARED TO THE NEW ONE WHICH (WHEN YOUR BANDWIDTH PERMITS) YOU WILL LISTEN TO.

    http://maxpowerthedj.blogspot.com/2011/04/electro-mix-max-power-in-correct.html

    LET ME INFORM YOU AGAIN, DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYTHING EXCEPT THIS MIX WHEN YOU'RE ABLE TO LISTEN TO STUFF. THANK U XOXOX AWESOME INFO, I DIDN'T KNOW THIS CHANNEL/TRACK DIFFERENCE AND NOW I FEEL LIKE AN IDIOT OXOX

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  6. Dude reading your blogs always keeps me entertained.

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  7. SHEET MAX.

    I feel bad I still can't listen.
    The NINTENET MAN IS COMING TOMORROW!!!

    Then I will only ever stream music ever again!

    & THANKS FOR THE CAPS!!!!!

    And thanks also ThatoneNumeroUno and E.A. and Ed-word.
    (And smoochie wooch cutie poops.)

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  8. No, YOU'RE my smoochie wooch cutie poops <33333

    ReplyDelete