CRASH COURSE in Mixing

[badongrodrigs]

okay, i've seen threads here with stuff about mixing (ofcourse) but most of em, if not all, contains/uses a lot of mumbo jumbo terms that the average man like me cannot understand. if there ever was a thread like this, well, sue me. but i didn't find it when i made the search.

anyway, here's a situation. we have all the tracks needed for an instrumental song (not sure if that matters). and for the record, the tracks were recorded by humble and the below 1k Raon Shure mics. (please don't throw at me the "garbage in, garbage out." saying; we already know this, but we have no choice in the matter)

EDIT (EDIT MORE!): here are the tracks:
1 for egg shaker (recorded by placing near the mic)
1 for bass (plugged in the mixer)
6 for guitars (1 for left guitars, then double-tracked. 1 for right guitars, then double-tracked. another for a few licks and solos. 1 for rhythm guitar. again, plugged in the mixer)
1 for acoustic guitar (recorded by placing mic just before the hole)
1 for the xylophone (yeah haha! recorded by placing mic underneath)
1 for claps and a few background paparaps (recorded by placing mic in front of us while clapping)

we've recently setup a rehearsal studio for ourselves (my band and i) and we're just exploring the recording paths.

what i am looking for are answers to the following questions: (in layman's terms for the average people like me)

1. if i am just a guitar player and i didn't know where to start or what to do for the mixing process, and i have all these tracks in front of me, what do i do?

2. what are the steps that i need to do in order for me to get the most out of what we recorded?

3. do i really need to bother with EQing all the tracks? how do i know what EQ works best for X track?

4. and lastly, for a little side-dish, what's going on when one is "mastering" a song?

any comments would be highly appreciated, thank you in advance!

EDIT: anyway, its been mixed by my band-mate, who's just a newbie in this recording stuff like myself (well, compared to you guys )

here's the first mix:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=402651&songID=5677670

badong

[xjepoyx]

Welcome to the world of recording brader

okay, i've seen threads here with stuff about mixing (ofcourse) but most of em, if not all, contains/uses a lot of mumbo jumbo terms that the average man like me cannot understand. if there ever was a thread like this, well, sue me. but i didn't find it when i made the search.

anyway, here's a situation. we have all the tracks needed for an instrumental song (not sure if that matters). and for the record, all tracks were recorded by humble and the below 1k Raon Shure mics. (please don't throw at me the "garbage in, garbage out." saying; we already know this, but we have no choice in the matter)

what i am looking for are answers to the following questions: (in layman's terms for the average people like me)



any comments would be highly appreciated, thank you in advance!

badong

no problem bout the crappy mics coz you're only starting on your home studio mixing...

i think almost everybody here started from  crappy equipmets

we've recently setup a rehearsal studio for ourselves (my band and i) and we're just exploring the recording paths.

what i am looking for are answers to the following questions: (in layman's terms for the average people like me)

1. if i am just a guitar player and i didn't know where to start or what to do for the mixing process, and i have all these tracks in front of me, what do i do?

try to level all recorded tracks 1st. meaning ... you can hear all the tracks in your mix

then do seperations by the use of panning.

eg.:
 bass track - center, guitar track (rythym1 )  1 panned 25% left ,guitar track 2 (rythym2) panned 25% right, GT3 (guitar fill-ins1) panned 50% left, GT4 (guitar fillins2) panned 50% right 

stuffs like that...

just try to explore all possibilities

2. what are the steps that i need to do in order for me to get the most out of what we recorded?

do automations on levels, plug-ins, pannings

laymans term: you can actually automate the levels of a certain track.

screenshot:

3. do i really need to bother with EQing all the tracks? how do i know what EQ works best for X track?

yes...


but for starters... as soon as you are already satisfied with the sound and you're happy with it... you're done

4. and lastly, for a little side-dish, what's going on when one is "mastering" a song?

Mastering is the final stage of a Mix. Effects, Compressions etc etc for the song

ask master BALDO hehehe

=====


Hope this helps


just wait for others inputs and you're good to go

[badongrodrigs]

sir jepoy salamat sa insights! yes i read in a thread once about the panning of certain (or all) tracks to give them their separate and private spaces.

when you say "automation on levels" you're referring to volume, right? as in, increase/decrease in dB?

the reason i was interested in EQing because our records all seem to have a, well, they seem to sound as if there's a blanket covering the speakers that somehow dulls the sound. when we recorded in a pro studio, it was the same, but when we were given the temporary mixes for our approval, the sound was clear as day! you can do that with EQs, can't you?

unfortunately na-mix na yung song, so all i can do to help now is just ask for your criticisms. maybe there will be time to do a 2nd (or 3rd, or 4th, or 5th) mix.

here's the song:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/songInfo.cfm?bandID=402651&songID=5677670

again, thanks!

[KitC]

We could give you tips and pointers, but there's the Bruce A. Miller Audio School, an online free (that's right - free) audio course.Why reinvent the wheel? Bruce will show you the how's and why's of tracking and mixing. Mastering, on the other hand, is another discipline altogether; just concentrate on getting the right mix.

If you think GAS was bad when it comes to guitars, think again...

[badongrodrigs]

We could give you tips and pointers, but there's the Bruce A. Miller Audio School, an online free (that's right - free) audio course.Why reinvent the wheel? Bruce will show you the how's and why's of tracking and mixing. Mastering, on the other hand, is another discipline altogether; just concentrate on getting the right mix.

If you think GAS was bad when it comes to guitars, think again...

salamat sa link, sir kit!! and no, i don't think im going to get GAS from pro audio stuff anytime soon.

[BALDO]

ehem.. thanks jepoy..sa mastering ( sa pagkaka alam ko) heto ang kailangang gawin
1. ayusin yung EQ's ng overall sound para hindi masyado ma bass at hindi kulang ang bass at ganun din sa treble na hindi sobra at hindi kulang.
2. alisin yung ingay - na lumalabas sa anyo ng click, hum o ano mang nakakabuwiset sa pandinig
3. lagyan ng nararapat na reverb para mahigpit o madikit ang tunog ( cohesive) ng bawat instrumento na sa pandinig mo eh tinutugtog sa isang lugar. hindi pwedeng dry o walang reverb yung ibang intrumento tapos yung vocals puros reverb kundi magtutunog karaoke yung recording mo.
4. aalisin o babawasan mo ang malalakas o sudden spike sa mga instrumento para sadya mong mapalakas
yung lahat ng tunog na hindi sasagad sa pinakalamakas ( 0 dB) yung level. nagagawa ito sa pag gamit ng compressor o sa paraan ng manual na pag guhit ( hindi lahat gumagawa nito).
5. palalakasin mo ang recording ( volume) sa tamang level.. iba iba ang palagay ng iba dito - me gumagawa ng sobrang lakas, me gumagawa ng mahina at me gumagawa ng tama lang
6. lagyan ng "silence" yung mga parte na talagang walang tumutugtog para tahimik ang recording.. yung iba gusto din ng me kaunting ingay - depende sa producer , arranger o banda
7. sisiguruhing maganda ang tunog ng mga kanta sa kahit na anong cd player ( kung ilalagay sa cd) ito patutugtugin eh hindi sabog ang tunog sa mumurahing cd player o boom box o walkman.
8. pagpapareho parehohin yung lakas ng lahat ng kanta sa buong album.  
9. aayusin yung fade in ( kung meron) sa umpisa ng kanta, o ang pag pasok ng tugtog at fade out sa pagwawakas ng kanta
10. pag aayos sa order ng pagkakalagay sa cd
11. paglalagay ng extra data sa bawat kanta..ex. composer nung kanta, anong year ginawa atbp.
12. ang ang huli, ( sana nasabi ko na lahat) yung paglalagay ng mga kanta sa cd ( glass master ready) na maganda ang pagkaka "burn" para maganda ang pagkopya o reproduction nito sa commercial na cd.  

[BALDO]

ps
 naalala ko lang kailangan din pala na..
12. siguruhin na pareho ang lakas ng L and R channel kapag tumutugtog at kung hindi pantay e pagparehohin.
13. ayusin ang "stereo imaging" kapag masyadong makitid ang tunog. yun lang siguro..baka me maidadagdag pa yung iba..
14. alisin yung sibilance sa boses kung meron..pero actually sa mixing pa lang dapat inaalis na ito.

[abyssinianson]

If you think GAS was bad when it comes to guitars, think again...

Oh yes...I've been good so far though. I was tempted with some API stuff a couple of weeks ago but I held to my guns. Tukso! Layuan mo ako!