I have a question regarding compression on final mixdown: what are the preferences out there - to compress the master file during the final mixdown, in other words as you are creating your final stereo track, or to compress each track as you record/prepare it to be mixed down?
If you compress the master stereo file after having compressed some of the original tracks as you were laying them down, you would be compressing compression, right?
The same question about reverb - use reverb on the individual tracks or on the master? or both?
I would love to hear some thoughts on this if any of you have any to share, and any tips....they say a wise man learns from the experiences of others, and I would love to hear what all of you have to say.
Compression and reverb on master
The answer is YES to both questions.
The qualifier is knowledge and learning to trust your ears.
For instance, most bass tracks, recorded from a real bass and not samples, will definitely do better with a separate instance of compression applied to their track, typically set around 2:1 mark but don't be afraid to push that ratio higher for certain tracks. This is because the real bass is such a dynamic instrument that the dynamic range must be compressed to prevent overdriving when the bass player is pushing -- or the bass not being felt nor heard when the player may play something softer.
When I'm doing a bass track taken from mic'd bass cabinet, not recommened actually because bass demands a looong room and the mic shouldn't be placed dead up on the grill or cabinet simply because of the wavelengths involved, I will insert an instance of EQ before the Compressor on the bass track and immediately dial out everything below about the ~40Hz mark to get rid of room mud so I'm not compressing undesired signals.
The same can be said for guitar tracks, too, and most definitely for vocal tracks.
About the only tracks I don't separate compression instances to are typically horn tracks. Although a real flute recorded with a mic might stand a soft knee compression depending upon what's being played.
As for reverb, I will put the singer in a "different room" with the 'verb, often taking advantage of the EQ before the verb again, cutting back everything below about the ~700Hz mark such that the mids and lows don't reverberate and make mud. The MTS reverb actually has controls to allow for that in it already. Nice. Adjust to get that "shhhh" sound at the end of words that end in sibilance -- then back it down some more because we tend to overdo the reverb when mixing.
I don't typically apply reverb when mastering, matter of taste, once in a while maybe if I'm going for an "in the concert hall" sound, but I think of it this way -- the Mastering Engineer out there in the real world never adds reverb. That is the job of the Tracking Engineer and is in the domain of the Producer, too. The Mastering Engineer shouldn't be trying to be part of the creative side, should just be making what's there sound as good and full as possible.
But you may have to put a Reverb on the Effects slot in MTS to free up resources on the computer, this works well and if set up right will function just like the reverb on a PA system, dialing in the amount for each channel or track.
As far as the Master section goes, I don't apply the Compressor there per say in MTS. I use the LIMITER at the very last slot. Try it. It is simpler to operate, world class in sound IMO and that's what it is designed for.
--Mac
The qualifier is knowledge and learning to trust your ears.
For instance, most bass tracks, recorded from a real bass and not samples, will definitely do better with a separate instance of compression applied to their track, typically set around 2:1 mark but don't be afraid to push that ratio higher for certain tracks. This is because the real bass is such a dynamic instrument that the dynamic range must be compressed to prevent overdriving when the bass player is pushing -- or the bass not being felt nor heard when the player may play something softer.
When I'm doing a bass track taken from mic'd bass cabinet, not recommened actually because bass demands a looong room and the mic shouldn't be placed dead up on the grill or cabinet simply because of the wavelengths involved, I will insert an instance of EQ before the Compressor on the bass track and immediately dial out everything below about the ~40Hz mark to get rid of room mud so I'm not compressing undesired signals.
The same can be said for guitar tracks, too, and most definitely for vocal tracks.
About the only tracks I don't separate compression instances to are typically horn tracks. Although a real flute recorded with a mic might stand a soft knee compression depending upon what's being played.
As for reverb, I will put the singer in a "different room" with the 'verb, often taking advantage of the EQ before the verb again, cutting back everything below about the ~700Hz mark such that the mids and lows don't reverberate and make mud. The MTS reverb actually has controls to allow for that in it already. Nice. Adjust to get that "shhhh" sound at the end of words that end in sibilance -- then back it down some more because we tend to overdo the reverb when mixing.
I don't typically apply reverb when mastering, matter of taste, once in a while maybe if I'm going for an "in the concert hall" sound, but I think of it this way -- the Mastering Engineer out there in the real world never adds reverb. That is the job of the Tracking Engineer and is in the domain of the Producer, too. The Mastering Engineer shouldn't be trying to be part of the creative side, should just be making what's there sound as good and full as possible.
But you may have to put a Reverb on the Effects slot in MTS to free up resources on the computer, this works well and if set up right will function just like the reverb on a PA system, dialing in the amount for each channel or track.
As far as the Master section goes, I don't apply the Compressor there per say in MTS. I use the LIMITER at the very last slot. Try it. It is simpler to operate, world class in sound IMO and that's what it is designed for.
--Mac
Mac - yes, I do use the Master Limiter on the very last effects slot of the master channel - you're right, it does work great there.
You've presented some very interesting ideas in your response and some things I'm going to try....
Do you EQ instruments in such a way that you minimize or eliminate overlapping frequencies between instruments, or how do you decide which instrument, say for example, would dominate at 250 Hz? The kick drum or the bass or the guitar? Do you just let your ears decide for you?
I've heard so many different responses to this question, the EQ one above, that I'm not really sure what to think. Most sounds have such a wide response to frequency that dialing out frequencies would, I think, make the sound "unnatural," but when it is mixed in with so many other sounds things tend to conflict because they are fighting over the same space.
Any thoughts?
You've presented some very interesting ideas in your response and some things I'm going to try....
Do you EQ instruments in such a way that you minimize or eliminate overlapping frequencies between instruments, or how do you decide which instrument, say for example, would dominate at 250 Hz? The kick drum or the bass or the guitar? Do you just let your ears decide for you?
I've heard so many different responses to this question, the EQ one above, that I'm not really sure what to think. Most sounds have such a wide response to frequency that dialing out frequencies would, I think, make the sound "unnatural," but when it is mixed in with so many other sounds things tend to conflict because they are fighting over the same space.
Any thoughts?
Sometimes you will read about "surgical" EQing in which, say, there may be two guitarists both playing in the same region and the doubling is thick and muddy. I typically use a parametric EQ for that kind of work, the MTS EQ functions really well for that a well as functioning as the typical graphic EQ.
But my recording practices in general take a different path now that I'm no longer tasked with the daily routine of having to track bands and musicians who just don't know about these things. So I build the tracks from the beginning with the fit in mind. If there are two of anything doing the same thing, unless they are a string section, one of 'em is not needed. Give or take the intentional doubling of a guitar track for thickness.
So I'd say the answer to this one is the same answer as to all of 'em -- ya gotta learn to listen to the tracks and trust your ears over all else. Be a discerning listener. "What's WRONG about these tracks" rather than focusing on what's right about them and just sittin' in front of the console groovin' along.
And that can only be done by monitoring at low "conversational" volume levels. Because anything and everything sounds good when loud -- and the dreaded ear fatigue kicks in much sooner -- that's the point where everything starts sounding pretty much alike no matter what changes you know you've made. Take a break, sometimes as long as overnight or two days, come back and try again at reduced SPL in the Control Room, man.
When the volume level is low, problems will just pop out of a mix...
--Mac
But my recording practices in general take a different path now that I'm no longer tasked with the daily routine of having to track bands and musicians who just don't know about these things. So I build the tracks from the beginning with the fit in mind. If there are two of anything doing the same thing, unless they are a string section, one of 'em is not needed. Give or take the intentional doubling of a guitar track for thickness.
So I'd say the answer to this one is the same answer as to all of 'em -- ya gotta learn to listen to the tracks and trust your ears over all else. Be a discerning listener. "What's WRONG about these tracks" rather than focusing on what's right about them and just sittin' in front of the console groovin' along.
And that can only be done by monitoring at low "conversational" volume levels. Because anything and everything sounds good when loud -- and the dreaded ear fatigue kicks in much sooner -- that's the point where everything starts sounding pretty much alike no matter what changes you know you've made. Take a break, sometimes as long as overnight or two days, come back and try again at reduced SPL in the Control Room, man.
When the volume level is low, problems will just pop out of a mix...
--Mac