Brennon Causey Mixing - 'The Calm v3'

[401kBC]

Trying to work on my Eqing skills and getting things seperated better

Update 2 - More synth 

Update v3 - Turning knobs everywhere.. Maybe this ones it

[mikej]

Hi!

A good plan I think. I think it is something that is perhaps overlooked mixing wise sometimes maybe - with the myriad of plugin distractions available these days. I feel you can get a long way with the faders, panning, a basic parametric eq and a straight forward compressor. The Drums and bass might be just touch forward for my taste in comparison with the synths - but otherwise it's good. Might also benefit from pushing the mix a db or so more into limiter too, to bring everything upfront a little bit perhaps? Again, that might just be my taste too. I guess I feel the mix needs just a touch more excitement perhaps?

Cheers!

[401kBC]

Hi!

A good plan I think.  I think it is something that is perhaps overlooked mixing wise sometimes maybe - with the myriad of plugin distractions available these days.  I feel you can get a long way with the faders, panning, a basic parametric eq and a straight forward compressor.  The Drums and bass might be just touch forward for my taste in comparison with the synths - but otherwise it's good.  Might also benefit from pushing the mix a db or so more into limiter too, to bring everything upfront a little bit perhaps?  Again, that might just be my taste too.  I guess I feel the mix needs just a touch more excitement perhaps?

Cheers!

Thanks for the feedback! Very true, you can easily find yourself going deeper and deeper adding plugins, but really it can make the whole mix get slowly degraded. I turned the drums slightly down, and I added some more EQ and comp to the synths and a delay and got the threshold pumping on a cmpressor on the masterbus

[mikej]

Hi!

Getting there. I feel I might have given you the wrong steer regarding the drums... I just lined up your two mixes in the DAW with my mix and the library mix snare is a bit louder and has more sustain to it, thanks to the reverb, and maybe a bit more 6-8k, or something like that. I think it was maybe the snare that had me thinking the kick and bass were a bit off. Some of the supporting synth elements might be getting masked a bit at times by that lead synth too maybe? What are your thoughts?

Cheers!

[401kBC]

Hi!

Getting there.  I feel I might have given you the wrong steer regarding the drums... I just lined up your two mixes in the DAW with my mix and the library mix snare is a bit louder and has more sustain to it, thanks to the reverb, and maybe a bit more 6-8k, or something like that.  I think it was maybe the snare that had me thinking the kick and bass were a bit off.  Some of the supporting synth elements might be getting masked a bit at times by that lead synth too maybe? What are your thoughts?

Cheers!

Hmm the library mix does seem to have more energy with the synths when I listen to it. Its a great mix. I actually picked this song because I knew it was gonna be hard, since I don't really click so easily with it. I know I need to up the bell like Chorus Synth, and maybe EQ down the lead synth A little.. Do you think the library mix needs maybe something in terms of its direction? its super hard for me to judge this song haha

I will try to let my ears adjust before I make any decisions, I've been mixing through songs in the last hours 

[mikej]

Yeah I think the library mix is what to aim for. I'm not really sure what else to reference for this one to be honest!

Can't quite remember what I did for this one. I think it's mainly a case of getting the balance right, and using that kind of 2-8k-ish range to get things up front, along with just a touch of reverb.

You can maybe try things like creating a send with something like a 20ms delay (no repeats) panned hard left, and a similar 30ms delay panned hard right and use just enough of it so the sound just pops out the speakers, without the effect being obvious to give a bit of presence boost to leads and things. You kind of just tuck it underneath. Works well on vocals on occasion too. Play around with the delay times until you get something that feels about right.

You can also play around with very small boosts on the mixbus eq too to help bring things forward out of the mix.

Certainly not many people have tackled this one so far.

[401kBC]

Yeah I think the library mix is what to aim for.  I'm not really sure what else to reference for this one to be honest! 

Can't quite remember what I did for this one.  I think it's mainly a case of getting the balance right, and using that kind of 2-8k-ish range to get things up front, along with just a touch of reverb. 

You can maybe try things like creating a send with something like a 20ms delay (no repeats) panned hard left, and a similar 30ms delay panned hard right and use just enough of it so the sound just pops out the speakers, without the effect being obvious to give a bit of presence boost to leads and things.  You kind of just tuck it underneath.  Works well on vocals on occasion too.  Play around with the delay times until you get something that feels about right.

You can also play around with very small boosts on the mixbus eq too to help bring things forward out of the mix. 

Certainly not many people have tackled this one so far.

I gave it another go and focused more on how the library mix sounded. I did end up boosting around 7-8kish more for everything, and gave the snare some reverb, and widened the bass out