22-06-2013, 11:06 PM
Understanding 'headroom' can be a bit of a problem for the 'novice' recordist / mix engineer. Please forgive me if you already know what I'm about to convey here. It may help someone else though.
Think of headroom like this:
If a container can hold a maximum of 10 litres of water to fill it to the brim, that's all it can possibly take. If you try to add another 2 litres of water, there's no space for it to go. Likewise, in a mixdown, if you fill the master buss to the brim (because all the tracks are sending too much level) you run out of 'space' to make discernable changes and meaningful EQ adjustments. It becomes harder (particularly in the lower frequencies) to 'fit' these pieces (such as drums and bass) into the rest of the instrumentation and vocals with clarity. Making 'space' for the various elements of the mix is easier done by understanding how headroom 'works'.
Try starting a mixdown with really low fader levels to begin with and turn up your monitoring to compensate. As you build the mix, you'll find out out which components need to be raised (or lowered). Have you ever noticed that by the time your mix is almost balanced that you can't get the kick EQ'd or the snare loud enough - or the toms with enough clarity ? Generally. when you discover this, you've [possibly unwittingly] discovered you've run out of headroom. Sounds familiar.... doesn't it.
Always let your ears be the judge. Trust them. If a track has compression applied, you may not need to 'do' anything to it other than subtle EQ. It's all very subjective in any case. I tend not to let others personal preferences on the way they like to hear things influence my 'creative' side. It's always good to know about a 'serious' flaw though - and that's what's good about this site.
And finally....Try also to make sure you're not 'slamming' the master buss with a signal that's too hot for your final back-end plugins. It will be easier to make your final tweeks before 'printing'.
I've tried to make this explanation as simple as possible for novices. I'm old school and have been doing this stuff for more than 30 years. It can be an interesting exercise (for me at least) to explain by analogy and I hope what I've written is of some use.
Think of headroom like this:
If a container can hold a maximum of 10 litres of water to fill it to the brim, that's all it can possibly take. If you try to add another 2 litres of water, there's no space for it to go. Likewise, in a mixdown, if you fill the master buss to the brim (because all the tracks are sending too much level) you run out of 'space' to make discernable changes and meaningful EQ adjustments. It becomes harder (particularly in the lower frequencies) to 'fit' these pieces (such as drums and bass) into the rest of the instrumentation and vocals with clarity. Making 'space' for the various elements of the mix is easier done by understanding how headroom 'works'.
Try starting a mixdown with really low fader levels to begin with and turn up your monitoring to compensate. As you build the mix, you'll find out out which components need to be raised (or lowered). Have you ever noticed that by the time your mix is almost balanced that you can't get the kick EQ'd or the snare loud enough - or the toms with enough clarity ? Generally. when you discover this, you've [possibly unwittingly] discovered you've run out of headroom. Sounds familiar.... doesn't it.
Always let your ears be the judge. Trust them. If a track has compression applied, you may not need to 'do' anything to it other than subtle EQ. It's all very subjective in any case. I tend not to let others personal preferences on the way they like to hear things influence my 'creative' side. It's always good to know about a 'serious' flaw though - and that's what's good about this site.
And finally....Try also to make sure you're not 'slamming' the master buss with a signal that's too hot for your final back-end plugins. It will be easier to make your final tweeks before 'printing'.
I've tried to make this explanation as simple as possible for novices. I'm old school and have been doing this stuff for more than 30 years. It can be an interesting exercise (for me at least) to explain by analogy and I hope what I've written is of some use.