30-04-2023, 12:16 PM
Yes! Exactly. It's the intention that matters. Knowing why you are making a particular mix move.
My answer to the question - yes for me, after balancing a mix I suppose I generally cut what I don't want first (usually any mud, resonances, rumble etc), then I boost what I want more of. Because I don't want to boost more of what I don't want. I boost more than I cut, because that what works for me. I mean, if you should never boost, surely the eq wouldn't have a boost knob? Towards the end of the mix I will maybe make the odd small dip here and there if something is covering up another track that I want to cut through. I don't find I do a whole lot of this and I find it's generally only small moves of like a db or so that's required. I think you can get a bit too hung up on this and do too much - and your mix ends up sounding weird.
*Edit: Of course I might add some cuts and the end or even the middle of a chain, you know if I add some saturation and it makes things too muddy. I generally eq before compression, but you might want to boost bass, top end, or whatever after it, if the compression changes the freq balance too much. Or if you are trying to add a big top end boost and the compressor is eating it up. Another common question is eq first, or compress first? Depends what you are trying to achieve. When you know, you know.
Really, I guess what I am saying is my view is don't worry too much about rules. Just do what is required to get a great mix out the speakers. Collect all the ideas, tips and techniques that you can. Add those things that work for you to your own personal mix toolbox so you can pull them out the bag when required. Build your own mix philosophy. If always cutting, never boosting works for you, then great!
Some examples of 'rules' that don't seem to work for me:
Never add drum samples because it's 'cheating'. Never boost, always cut. Always mix to -14 LUFS. (I think deep down everyone knows that the correct LUFS value for EDM and Pop-punk is -5
).
I read somewhere that a top (pop) mix engineer always sends his mixes to the mastering engineer at around -7 LUFS so as not to give the mastering engineer much room to alter the mix too much.
Yes the streaming services might turn a mix down to -14 LUFS, but the mix as delivered likely won't be -14 LUFS, unless it's jazz perhaps...
Cheers!
My answer to the question - yes for me, after balancing a mix I suppose I generally cut what I don't want first (usually any mud, resonances, rumble etc), then I boost what I want more of. Because I don't want to boost more of what I don't want. I boost more than I cut, because that what works for me. I mean, if you should never boost, surely the eq wouldn't have a boost knob? Towards the end of the mix I will maybe make the odd small dip here and there if something is covering up another track that I want to cut through. I don't find I do a whole lot of this and I find it's generally only small moves of like a db or so that's required. I think you can get a bit too hung up on this and do too much - and your mix ends up sounding weird.
*Edit: Of course I might add some cuts and the end or even the middle of a chain, you know if I add some saturation and it makes things too muddy. I generally eq before compression, but you might want to boost bass, top end, or whatever after it, if the compression changes the freq balance too much. Or if you are trying to add a big top end boost and the compressor is eating it up. Another common question is eq first, or compress first? Depends what you are trying to achieve. When you know, you know.
Really, I guess what I am saying is my view is don't worry too much about rules. Just do what is required to get a great mix out the speakers. Collect all the ideas, tips and techniques that you can. Add those things that work for you to your own personal mix toolbox so you can pull them out the bag when required. Build your own mix philosophy. If always cutting, never boosting works for you, then great!
Some examples of 'rules' that don't seem to work for me:
Never add drum samples because it's 'cheating'. Never boost, always cut. Always mix to -14 LUFS. (I think deep down everyone knows that the correct LUFS value for EDM and Pop-punk is -5
). I read somewhere that a top (pop) mix engineer always sends his mixes to the mastering engineer at around -7 LUFS so as not to give the mastering engineer much room to alter the mix too much.
Yes the streaming services might turn a mix down to -14 LUFS, but the mix as delivered likely won't be -14 LUFS, unless it's jazz perhaps...
Cheers!
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