Few questions about mixing and stuff...(long)

[nutrinoland]

Hey..
so i've been producing electronic music since a while...
i have gotten pretty decent at expressing my ideas musically speaking but my mixing skills still suck...most of my tracks come out sounding dull, flat and lifeless....
I know that it has something to do with the methods i use to mix, EQ, compress etc...
I have been able to find lots of info about mixing acoustic instruments..but very little regarding electronic music in particular.
I just saw the Andi VAx videos on Youtube.they were helpful..

I have been using my EQ in quite a wrong sorta way....i am in the habit of using mostly Highpass, lowpass and bandpass filters and not shelving or peaking or notch sort of filters on my parametric EQ...
also i have been using really strange EQ curves on stuff....almost like trying to have everything in its own little band of frequencies...I guess this is why most of the sounds start sounding lifeless and tinny....
I am realizing that i should use peaking filter types more and just cut or sometimes boost just a few dB ...

I am also wondering about synth leads and parts that use filter sweeps....how do i EQ them since i want the sweep to sweep through many frequencies.. ?
Also do u guys mix in the end after making and arranging all the parts....at what stage do u automate the filters and stuff...at the mixing stage or while composing ?

I have been using Fruity since many years and for some reason (apart from my mixing blunders) the bounced/exported Wav sounds dull and low in volume level....it sounds different than what i am hearing in the sequencer...
I have heard ppl say that fruity sucks for mixing and final rendering....i have been it denial about this for a long time..cause i love fruity and am so used to using it in a quick manner....i have resisted moving to another sequencer for a long time..maybe it is time to do so.. i want more pro results now, as i am starting to get some work ...i am sometimes worried to showcase my music because i am concerned about the lack of sound quality and bad mixing.... i really wanna overcome this...i am quite frustrated with this chronic issue i have been having...


Do you guys have any tips or would you please share some of your mixing techniques..especially EQ for different parts....also if you could upload pics of the EQ curves you use for the different parts, that would be very very helpful...
also if you know of any online resourses that talk about mixing electronic music in particular.....


Thanks....

[MBTC]

In terms of dull and low volume, you didn't mention using a compressor on mixer tracks, do you use one? I highly recommend Maximus (ImageLine plugin) for this. Even if I stop using FLS one day I will probably reach for this as my primary compressor.

[feedingear]

Well theres lots of stuff to comment on and first I should state I am definitely no professional and am only just starting to get mixes that are somewhat passable.

That said, theres a few simple things to clear up your mixes. Firstly use a lowpass on every single instrument with a gentle slope. Sweep it across until you notice the low frequencies begin to disappear from the sound, and roll it back til you get that sweet spot just before they disappear. Doing this will clean up a lot of low frequency mess that while not being noticeably audible, will muddy up your bottom end. Youll notice a great deal more clarity.

Also try not to boost eq over 3db generally speaking. EQ sounds better subtractively then additively, particuarly with digital eqs.

Another quick and easy tip - if your working in dance music, set your kick to -6db to begin with and start mixing around that as your basis. You should be left with plenty of headroom in your mix that way and avoid digital distortion/clipping on the master bus.

Mate i recommend if you are really keen on learning you check out sonicacademy.com and do some of the tutorials. Its about 140 bucks for a yearly subscription and you go from scratch to mixdown across a whole stack of genres.

[MBTC]

Also, this is not such a statement about mixing, EQ or volume/lack thereof.

But you might want to check out the demo for Camelspace as a mixer effect. It can give you a lot of inspiration with regard to EQ variations, panning, gating etc that can really make a difference. I'm probably the worst in the world to forget how important something as simple as panning is to the overall impact of the mix to the listener, I get too caught up in sound design to think about it but things like that are part of what makes it sound alive and make the listener remember it even if subconsciously.

If you've ever heard Alchemy by Camel Audio (high end softsynth), I swear I think the Camelspace mixer effects are the magic behind much of it, and the plug in itself is a lot cheaper than Alchemy.

[mitchiemasha]

You should post up some links of your work as an example.

I tend to do all my filtering over a few loops of a melody I've wrote before I even build up my track. Especialy so for my style because the whole track will be based on how a certain loop will filter in and out.

Panning, When I use unison you can spread you synth sound out more in the stereo field leaving space for other sounds to be louder else where. Just changing this 1 knob (Pan Spread) you can hear how your sound spreads out wide or back in. Just adjust it till you hear your sound sits where you want it. panning is even more so important on your percussion, listen to inna hot play & win instrumental, A very basic track, It's the panning what makes it come alive, This guy knows his ping pongs and possibly the most panned percussion in a dance track I know of. Placing the different percussion sounds in different panned positions gives the track a great, lost in the sound feeling, especialy on those big club systems.

Sidechained compression, Lots of big sounds eat up your frequency range adding sidechain will let you get more in. This is done in every dance track now, with out it you just wont get the punch from your kick and your track wont pump.

Ducking, on the full track. Listen to Laidback Luke Time Bomb Instrumental Mix. As each synth sound is introduced it makes makes the latter quiter. Through the main section all the sounds are there but really pay attention to how each idividual sound is louder at different times. Thats what makes these type of tracks grab you by the balls on a club sound system. He really is pushing the volumes to the max. It's all about compression.

I'll try get some links up of stuff I've been doing.

[mitchiemasha]

3 loops I'm working on at min in the link. Not that I'm a pro but it shows how the ideas are used. The 1st 1 has the sidechain start at 15 seconds I turn it off at 39 seconds purely to show you how cluttered it is with out it then back on at 47 seconds. I tend to automate the amount of sidechain I use in a track too as an effect itself. As show in the next tracks.

The other 2 tracks are just me listening to the loop with the various possible positions for my automation anchor points in cubase, for the filters and other things i'm using. I will listen to 1 section, 16 beat in 1 loop over and over, trying the different possibilities/position of where the filters or effects automation can be (this is of course after spending many hours just going wild on the filters and amp release freestyle). Once I like what I've drawn in I move on to the next 16 and so on, layer in a quick kick and some hats just to see how it will work or flow. At a later date, when I get good at eq, mastering and general mixing better I hope to come back and finish them off. Untill then this is all I know though.

I must have at least 16 tracks like this. All half ideas.

http://www.4shared.com/audio/PqyfVAH..._examples.html

[nutrinoland]

Thanks Guys for these useful tips....
I will try to use them in my next track...

@ mitchiemasha -Thanks for the uploads...i'll listen to them and get back to this post...also I'll upload some of my mixes soon...


Thanks for the help....much appreciated

[grs]

My current method is to use eq as little as possible (but the usual highpass on rumbly stuff and a low q notch/boost for flavour). Using fader moves to highlight a track for a few beats or a bar. Also the same with compressors, only use them if the source is changing volume undesirably.
The main goal is to have sounds sound like they are meant to. If you run out of space to put all the sounds then there are too many sounds.