(3) Find a way to protect the neutral flat monitor chain from any alterations. Then listen to the great albums through that neutral chain, as ones own mixes will also come through it. (2) Then find a way to play the very best of music through your set up, in a completely neutral monitor chain.
#Tonal balance control on drum bus professional#
(1) One should make quite an effort to tune the room with sound deadening materials, using actual measuring equipment and extensive use of professional grade graphic equalizers using white noise and pink noise, to do the best that one can for a flat response accuracy. I think learning mixing happens the same way, someone teaches you the basics and then you spend years listening to songs, referencing, referencing, comparing. In learning to play guitar, someone teaches you the basic stuff, and then you REALLY learn by spending years listening to records, listening closely and trying to do it yourself.
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I’m also a fan of using sonarworks for getting mixes to translate better. With a new song I might try to emulate a certain instrument sound in a reference – say a kick drum sound – often failing miserably but always learning in the process and sharpening my ear. Sometimes I have references in mind before I even start recording a new song. I’m always listening to music and keeping an ear out for things that sound good to me – a nice sounding guitar or kick drum or whatever – my list of songs to use as references is always evolving. I don’t mind my mix being a little different/unique, I just want to be in the ballpark. (I record the drums myself at home, so they need lots of tweaks to sound anything like a real record.) I also reference later as I add reverb, especially to vocals. I even do referencing very early in the mixing process, right at the beginning as I’m EQ’ing individual tracks, especially kick and snare. I do the same thing for checking the highs. Sort of like a MixCube, but for the low end instead of the mids. For checking low end (for example), I will sometimes put a drastic LPF on the master fader so as I’m toggling between my mix and the reference songs, all I’m hearing coming out of my speakers is low end. Like others who’ve commented above, I like to use 3 or 4 reference songs, all in the same genre as my song, and I listen for aspects where my mix is not in the ballpark (where the 3 or 4 reference songs defines the ballpark). Your 4-step process resonates with me, and was very clearly explained, as you always do.
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I’m a beginner/intermediate mixer and I’ve found referencing to be very, very useful in getting better.