Share any music production tips and tricks you discovered

#41

The gain staging you talking about ? Because yeah, it’s the real deal when mixing in the box. When you suggest to lower the fadders to around-20dB, it’s a good start for sound coocking but needs some further work, you agree ?

#42

What kind of further work? Of course you need to mix further, and maybe if you mix everything and clipping occurs then these actions are enough. You typed it automatically without thinking >>> cooking. :smile::smile::smile::policewoman:

#43

why ?? don’t we say that the mix process is an own & each different recipe ? it is like cooking to me, a bit of this, a hint of that, mixing flavour etc etc , i like the analogy of cooked-mix.
About the extra work : for instance, your plugins calibration, depending on the frequencies you work on.
I often work like this to avoid clipping as much as possible :
1 - pre-fader levels
2 - plugins calibration ( 0dB in = 0dB out - try On-Off your plugins you’ll notice different levels )
3 - gain staging
4 - mix process as the artistic approach of the track
5 - sound stage placement
6 - stereo field
7 - mix process
8 - master bus process
( 9 ) - mastering process

just saying this because i didn’t get your point here …

that’s totally the opposite, if after a mix, clipping occurs, when mixing in the box, it then means that something is wrong. There shouldn’t be any clipping after a proper mix, no ?

#44

i think he means that if you have a good mix and it’s just clipping the master, turning down all the faders is enough for a fix.

#45

1000% agree.
when a mix is good, just leave it like this, i sometimes & probably too often , put the mess on good stuff just trying to get “the” sound.
so yeah i agree with you.

#46

i found new trick is break the rules. :grinning::grinning::grinning::grin::fire:

#47

Imho that’s kinda the same for rejecting your own mix that you worked on a lot when you compare it to the first rough print :wink: And when you figure out what you did wrong with all that work, you might make some significant improvements.

#48

For me, I only like to break the rules that I’m familiar with. Knowing the rules first sometimes gives you the creative freedom to color outside the lines when it’s necessary

#49

Just a silly little thing, but ALT-rescanning your plugin folder (clicking on rescan while holding Alt) in Live can be very helpful if you encounter any problems with plugins. In my case, Adaptiverb just didn’t load anymore when reloading projects after an update. Live told me it didn’t find the plugin even though it was in my plugin list. I just ignored the problem since Adaptiverb is very heavy on CPU, so bouncing to audio is a good option anyways. But today I realized it was working perfectly in Bitwig and Zynaptiq support told me to try an Alt-rescan of the plugin folder and that completely solved it. Interesting that a rescan can help with something like that.

#50

I’ve done this enough times that I’ve learned to check back frequently… getting tired of learning from that mistake! :sunglasses:

#51

So true… you gotta know the rule before you can break it. The rule is useful for something… learn that! Then you will know when the rule doesn’t apply and the consequences of breaking it… sometimes those consequences are a useful new tool or idea. :sunglasses:

#52

Just found out today for wide stereo synths to help improve mono compatibility and have them cut through the mix (especially if it’s your lead) you can set up a mono send and put distortion/exciter/saturation on it and then mix it back in with the original. I tried it out on a track I’m going to put out for 909 day where it made my lead easily audible a whole octave lower. I originally wanted the lead there, but couldn’t get it to cut through the mix so had to shift it up. Now it’s right where I want and audible in mono or stereo.

#53

If your mix doesnt stand against commercial mix add a limiter +30 dB . Thank me later.

#54

I’m gonna try this instantly.

#55

That “mixing with your ears” doesn’t always cut it. I’ve found when creating my own kicks, and even (psy)trance basses that it’s really very helpful to get visual feedback both through let’s say LFOTool and Voxengo SPAN.

#56

These sound silly, but I’ve come to find my process is always the same, yet I always forget it:

  1. Stop mixing while you write. Write the damn track first because it’s much more important.
  2. The first mix DEFINITELY sucks. Don’t render it; make a sandwich, rest your ears and come back.
  3. Reference it in the car and on that cheap pair of 'buds. Yes, it absolutely matters.
  4. The second mix also sucks, don’t upload it to soundcloud. It’s not ready yet.
  5. ??? (Spongebob voice: 12 hours later…)
  6. The mix still sucks, but at least it’s the best you can do with your current skill set.
#57

I got a new freaking one !!!
Buy some cheap Kontakt libraries … like these ones.
Some large content here (40Go)
& that’s where it all comes great …
As these particular libraries comes with a lot of modulations … put the mess in the sample folders … replace with some random drum samples etc etc instead of the originals = computer freaking !!!

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Make sure you backup everything before you mess it up.
& do the same for every libraries.

So, for instance, you can turn Aquiver into an amazing drum processor …
Or, turn Synferno into some Random drum player.
Or, replace the samples of Hypernode (drum sequencer) with the one from Supine, & then turn Hypernode into an amazing multitimbral freaking synth.

Resample all that stuff.
Put every sample banks into their original places.
Add the freshly resampled material to these sample banks …

Just an idea that crossed my mind.

#58

All that arps in trance are actually no arps but bunch of delays. Experiment and you get it.

I make a vid

#59

Some pads are just arps with lots of reverb, sometimes I resample the reverbed arps as the impulse for a convoluted reverb applied to a synth…other times I would resample it with a beat slicer for glitch effects and add buffer override…then reverb. Or just adsr the synth add filtered delays, maybe pitch shift, and whatever type of reverb…theres convoluted reverb, plate reverts, etc…etc…

for some arps time stretch the sample then resample it with a granular synth modding the parameters playing a sequence add effects and apply envelope controller to get an arp rhythm going…

#60

Nice video. The idea of keeping the synth voices on separate tracks is brilliant. Thanks!