06-05-2024, 01:59 PM
Hey SonicTramp !
Thank you for reading me and bravo for your open-mindedness, Cambridge MT should be a place of exchange and knowledge. I didn't smile while listening to your mix. I respect everyone's work. But I was still surprised by this mix which accumulates technical faults (I'll come to that later) and questionable artistic choices (yes your mix, a bit forced, sounds more rock than folk).
On the technical side, you perfectly understood the theory of LUfs. Yes, dB above zero can cause problems in certain circumstances. Is this audible? It all depends on the style of music. Currently in the pop-rock-folk field, we persist in wanting to "dirty" the sound of digital origin to rather "sound" analog. So... In a good number of titles (even those produced by large studios) the sound is quite questionable and these audio standards are absolutely not taken into account. This is not important given the (questionable) quality of the final result. The digital broadcasters themselves are wreaking havoc (each has their own standards). Is the “loudness war” over? Oh yes ?
The most interesting indication is the "LU" = Loudness Range which gives an indication of the DYNAMIC of the piece, i.e. the difference between the weakest passage and the loudest passage. The higher the number, the better the dynamics. A very good dynamic range would be around 8 dB= 8 LU. In fact you are at 3.8 LU which corresponds to low dynamics generally linked to a "compressed" sound. For me this is the most important criterion. And often the numbers only confirm an auditory sensation. Nothing more.
We come back to your mix. I've already said the essentials. Turn down that unbearable guitar. Vocal highlights+chorus. Mix the drums in stereo. Don't forget all the high frequency cymbals, etc..., support the kick a little more (low end + sub) as well as the timpani... Set all potentiometers to zero. Start all over again. Mix the drums. Add the bass. Check kick and bass together. Mix all the guitars together separately then add the piano. Then listen to it all together. Mix the vocals separately. Add them to the instrumental mix. From there you can equalize both the instrumental part and the vocal section. At this stage you can start using the compressors. In this sense create at least two buses if not more, ideally one buss for the drums, one for the bass, one for the rest of the instruments and one for the vocals, each with the appropriate compressor. You cannot use ONE compressor on the master track. You simply have to use a limiter on the master to stay within technical standards. There, it should be good.................................................
Francis
Thank you for reading me and bravo for your open-mindedness, Cambridge MT should be a place of exchange and knowledge. I didn't smile while listening to your mix. I respect everyone's work. But I was still surprised by this mix which accumulates technical faults (I'll come to that later) and questionable artistic choices (yes your mix, a bit forced, sounds more rock than folk).
On the technical side, you perfectly understood the theory of LUfs. Yes, dB above zero can cause problems in certain circumstances. Is this audible? It all depends on the style of music. Currently in the pop-rock-folk field, we persist in wanting to "dirty" the sound of digital origin to rather "sound" analog. So... In a good number of titles (even those produced by large studios) the sound is quite questionable and these audio standards are absolutely not taken into account. This is not important given the (questionable) quality of the final result. The digital broadcasters themselves are wreaking havoc (each has their own standards). Is the “loudness war” over? Oh yes ?
The most interesting indication is the "LU" = Loudness Range which gives an indication of the DYNAMIC of the piece, i.e. the difference between the weakest passage and the loudest passage. The higher the number, the better the dynamics. A very good dynamic range would be around 8 dB= 8 LU. In fact you are at 3.8 LU which corresponds to low dynamics generally linked to a "compressed" sound. For me this is the most important criterion. And often the numbers only confirm an auditory sensation. Nothing more.
We come back to your mix. I've already said the essentials. Turn down that unbearable guitar. Vocal highlights+chorus. Mix the drums in stereo. Don't forget all the high frequency cymbals, etc..., support the kick a little more (low end + sub) as well as the timpani... Set all potentiometers to zero. Start all over again. Mix the drums. Add the bass. Check kick and bass together. Mix all the guitars together separately then add the piano. Then listen to it all together. Mix the vocals separately. Add them to the instrumental mix. From there you can equalize both the instrumental part and the vocal section. At this stage you can start using the compressors. In this sense create at least two buses if not more, ideally one buss for the drums, one for the bass, one for the rest of the instruments and one for the vocals, each with the appropriate compressor. You cannot use ONE compressor on the master track. You simply have to use a limiter on the master to stay within technical standards. There, it should be good.................................................
Francis