Dear Diary: Obsession VS Progression

DEAR DIARY

There's something therapeutic about preparing the session for mixing. I love organizing tracks, grouping like elements, labeling, coloring and naming. I might actually enjoy starting a mix more than finishing one. I am most at ease and happy when I'm "in the mix." My brain is totally focused on making the sounds work together to enhance the song. I love to obsess over the mix. But what if I'm obsessed with being obsessed.  Am I spending more time thinking than actually mixing? When does obsessing over decisions actually become counterproductive?

MIX THIS MIX LIKE THE MIX HE MIXED

It's easy for me to spend a few hours on the lead vocal. It's my favorite part. I apply the de-essing I think is necessary and insert an EQ plugin. The vocals I record usually have the signal I need. However I do apply some heavy EQ. I reduce any bass or mud made prominent by the proximity effect. Next I pull up a reference mix to compare vocal frequencies. I want the vocal I am mixing to be similar to the vocal in the reference. I do my best to pick a reference mix that features an artist with a similar voice to that of the artist in my mix. I will literally mix the vocal into the reference mix. Generally speaking I think its a good idea to mix a vocal while using a reference but I'm starting to think doing more than spot checking for brightness or bass may be pointless. My logic dictates that if the vocal is "mixed into" the reference mix then my song will ultimately sound more like the reference mix. In theory this makes sense but the instruments in my mix may be nothing like that of the reference mix. Moreover if I am mixing into someone's mix where is the creativity? What decisions am I making based on the sounds I have? Wheres the fun?

MR. BIG SHOT

I'm totally guilty of creating and applying unnecessary technical and time consuming techniques. I've placed an 808 sample under every single kick in an entire album...by hand. I've split the kick drum into four tracks just because I wanted to. I've faded every single harsh vocal plosive in multiple songs whether it would be heard or not. Unless someone can hear it why should I spend any time doing it? Maybe I want to apply these techniques because I think it will increase the potential of the tracks in the mix. This may be a clear indicator that I need to work on my ability to hear a session and know what I am actually capable of doing. I think this is something that will improve with experience but nothing will improve unless I spend more time making decisions and less time obsessing. 

JUST DO EET

When we have the time its easy to spend endless hours perfecting the mix. Personally, I like to think I'm sharpening my chops to ultimately compete with my heroes. But my heroes aren't wasting time. They're making decisions, getting it right and finishing quickly. More importantly they're putting out a high volume of work that advertises their talent. 

So I have a problem I need to work on. And if you suffer from the same problem I challenge you to join me in ending our obsession. The project is not an abstract figment of our imagination. Its a record. It will be finished. It will be judged. It may suck. But either way there will be much to learn!

    As always thanks for reading my blog!

    -

    B

Affordable "Analog" Flavor for ITB Mixers

This week I'd like to share some of my favorite free or affordable analog emulation plugins.  

In the last few years software companies have released console emulation plugs in an effort to make the sound of high-end analog mixing consoles available to folks that can't afford them. There has also been an influx of plugins that simulate the warmth that analog gear is known for. This is good news for anyone that wants to add some analog mojo to their ITB mixes. Its GREAT news for guys like me who haven't mixed on anything that didn't have a mouse attached to it. I won't hear if the SSL console emulator is nothing like an actual SSL. I will however hear the benefit it brings to my mixes. I think there are many mixers out there that feel the same way. ITB mixing is getting better every year thanks to technology like this. In the future plan on seeing some awesome preamp emulation. I've heard some rumors that have me very excited!

If you read the reviews you'll see that some people believe the plugins sound similar to the consoles they emulate and some people think they don't.  If you are looking for the exact sound of a particular Neve console chances are you'll be disappointed. If you're looking for something that will add another cool harmonic layer to your mixes then you should check it out. Here are two different console emulator plugs for less than $50 that will surprise you:

Sonimus Satson

StripBus

Because I mix a lot of records that have old samples in them I am frequently faced with the challenge of getting the clean vocal to blend with a dirty sample. One of the ways I do this is with a plugin called Tape Head. The demo version is free and doesn't expire. You can put the plugin directly onto the track or try my method and isolate the frequencies you want affected on a duplicate track and add the Tape Head effect in parallel. Either way this is a fantastic tool!

Two other free plugins I swear by are the Nebula 3 Free Bundle & Aquavox. These plugins are super subtle but really do add an analog feel to your sounds.  They're pretty heavy on processing power so I suggest applying them and bounce/printing before adding any other plugins. This might add a little time to your mixing process but its worth it. As I understand it these type of emulation plugins are created by analyzing the audio signal sent through a particular piece of analog gear. The processed signal is compared to an identical unprocessed signal and they use the differences to recreate the effect in the form of a plugin. The difference in the processed signal is measured as the impulse response. Plugin developers use this technology for reverb too. This produces WAY better sounding reverb than "traditional" digital reverb in my opinion.

Last but not least my favorite analog flavor to add is courtesy of Voxengo's Warmifier. In this case I'm not sure exactly what its doing but it sounds awesome. I like to use it on bass elements and sounds that I want to add interest to. I've even put it on the master bus. Don't tell. The Warmifier is only $49.95 and worth much more. I recently found out that Voxengo also makes some great FREE plugins. Check out their website here.

I could write a book about these type of plugins because they all do something different. I wish I could dedicate a week to trying them all out. If you are an ITB mixer it can get a little restricting when considering what is actually possible with the tracks in your session. ESPECIALLY when they weren't recorded under ideal circumstances. When I first started mixing the idea of making a vocal sound dirty made no sense to me. As I encountered sounds that I wanted to mask, the benefit of distortion became obvious. These plugins not only provide a solution but an opportunity to take a weakness and turn it into a strength. Emulation & warmth plugins help me add character and interest to cold or flat recordings and I hope these will do the same for you!

If you are looking for more legitimate free plugs one of my favorite websites in the world is Bedroom Producer's Blog. I check this website at least once a week for the latest and greatest. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

-
B

Learn me Something Vol. 1: Vocal Compression

 

In my continual learning I have developed an understanding of vocal compression that involves using layers of compression to get the sound I want.  However, I would still like to improve. This week I'd like to go off the beaten path a little and explain my vocal compression/limiting process and ask you for feedback. I in no way have everything figured out. That being the case, I want Audible Mention to be a two way street where you feel free to shoot down my ideas and teach me something. I'm very lucky to have talented readers. I'd love to involve you in my learning process so I can digest that information and share it as part of my journey. If you would like to give some feedback after reading this post feel free to throw a comment up or shoot me an email at audiblemention[@]gmail.com. 

  

My Vocal Compression/Limiting Technique

On The Way In

Right now I record my lead vocals through a dbx 160x. I get 3-6db of reduction with an 8:1 ratio. I use the dbx to cut off peaks because that's what I read I should do and it sounds great most of the time. The overall goal in each layer of compression I apply is to tame dynamics without adding artifacts or any other indicator that makes it painfully obvious that I am compressing.

On The Track

After EQ adjustments I insert a compressor plugin with leveling amp settings to bring up the ends of words and phrases with 3db of reduction. I also do this to thicken the vocal. Next, to make the vocal sit still I insert a limiter with L1 settings. I am very conservative with vocal limiting so I shoot for a maximum of 2db peak reduction.

On the Group Bus

After I apply EQ and compression to each track individually they go to an appropriate group bus where I apply additional compression and automate if necessary. With vocal buses I typically use SSL style settings to shave off another 3db. This does a good job of making all the vocals on the bus "exist" at the same depth in the mix if that makes sense. For example this would prevent a highlight/double track from sounding unnaturally close to the listener when compared to the lead vocal track because they are  subjected to the same compression.   

On The Stereo Bus / 2 Bus

"On the bus of all buses" I will apply another stereo compressor to emphasize the relationship between all of the tracks in the session. When the kick and snare hit the threshold, the compressor reduces the gain of the entire mix momentarily which creates a pumping sensation that corresponds with the tempo of the song. Most importantly this adds another layer of compression to our lead vocal.

Mastering

I prefer not to master my own mixes because I like to get a second opinion. However, mastering is frequently not in the budget so I end up handling it. In addition to EQ, while mastering I apply another conservative SSL style compressor, some light parallel compression and one or two L2 type limiters with no more than 2db reduction each. 

After looking at my process above while proofreading I appear to be using a ton of compression. Either way I'd love to hear how this compares to your technique. To give you an idea of how my vocal mix/mastering sounds I've pasted a link below. The vocal was recorded onto a two track instrumental courtesy of Thievery Corporation Whats the point of writing about it if I don't put my mix where my mouth is?  

http://maniamusicgroup.bandcamp.com/track/kane-mayfield-middle-class

Thanks so much for reading my blog!

--

Brandon 

Background Vocals

Last week I went over some of my general strategies in tackling a large amount of percussion tracks. This week I would like to go over exactly how I handle background vocals. A background vocal is technically any vocal that is not the lead. So for the purposes of this post I will be referring to R&B style vocals that all sing the same lines stacked on top of each other.

EDITING

When I start on background vocals the very first thing I listen for is if the vocals are stacked tightly. By that I mean do all the words line up in a way that they almost sound like one voice. If they do not this is a problem I address immediately with editing because no amount of reverb or compression can make that sound right. You can make well recorded tracks sound awesome but you can't work miracles with sloppily recorded tracks without some serious editing. I frequently mix somewhat sloppy vocals that I did not record that cannot be re-tracked. So I'm stuck with what I've been given. With a lof of editing almost anything is possible so remember goonies never say die! Here's a picture of some automation editing I did on a lead vocal to give you an idea of what I mean.

MIXING

Background vocals are different than 30 percussion tracks but you can still get a lot of frequency crowding. I almost always end up putting an EQ on each track. I cut each vocal at 400hz and 600hz until there isn't any crowding in mono. Next I place a compressor on each track. I'll use a multipressor if EQing and general compression doesn't control the crowded frequencies sufficiently. Unlike percussion you can get a build-up of sibilant sounds in background vocals. I typically like to apply de-essing first but with background vocals you can process them individually or as a group-and this applies to EQ and general compression as well. So the order is up to you. And by groups I mean sending the outputs of all the background vocal tracks to a stereo bus. This can save some processing power and time if the individual tracks don't need treatment.  

PLACEMENT

I generally like to have the lower octave vocals towards the middle but sometimes that just doesn't work. I know a few high end mixers that put all background vocals in a mono group believe it or not. I don't really like how that sounds but thats just me. My general rule is if there is a lot of bass in the song I put the lower octave vocals all the way out and the higher octave vocals toward the middle. This of course is all contingent on the placement sounding good so don't use rules, use your ears!

EFFECTS

I like to consider effects in mixing the "Wild Wild West" because there aren't any rules, you can do what you want. Generally with background vocals I use some delay and reverb but here lately I love to put a widening chorus on the background vocal group bus. It kind of melts the vocals together and smears them across the stereo field. I love this part of mixing in general because I get to experiment with all of the effect plugins I don't typically spend much time with. 

Hopefully this gives you some ideas on dealing with background vocals. 


As always, thank you for reading my blog!!

-
Brandon

Mixing 50 Drum Sounds at the Same Same Time!

This week I wanted to talk about a recent mix. The feel of the record was an R&B drum circle, similar to some of the breaks and openness found in Kanye's 808's and Heartbreak.  The total track count was 50, which isn't too bad but there were around 30 individual percussion instruments. Getting them to play nice together was a challenge but I'd like to pass on what I learned to you. 

Play Your Position

When I imported all of the tracks, I pushed the faders up and compared what I was hearing to the rough mix I was given. The rough mix sounded great. Everything was placed perfectly in the stereo field and you could feel everything working together to contribute to the groove.

Recreating that groove is always at the top of my list when I start mixing because what I'm hearing in the rough mix is typically what the artist and or producer had in mind for the record. My job is to recreate that groove and improve upon it, which can be intimidating when the rough mix is awesome. 

To recreate it in this case I literally started pushing up faders (with my mouse) on top of the rough so it sounded like the same record except the percussion and drums were a little louder. I’m told this is maddening but it works for me. I knew I had it right when I could take the rough mix out and my mix felt the same.

Don’t Crowd Me

When there's a lot of a particular sound in a mix, frequencies can pile up, especially with vocals. In this case I was dealing with drums and percussion so I put the mix into mono to hear if there was any crowding. If there is, you will hear it in mono. To deal with it, my first thought is to reach for an EQ but I find myself using compression more often lately. If I like the way an instrument sounds I try not to alter the frequencies when I can control them with compression. Every element is in the session because of how it sounds and feels so I don’t like to mess with that balance unless I have to. In this case the producer picked sounds that worked together so I didn’t have any crowding issues. I went ahead and bounced my percussion tracks onto three stereo tracks: African Drums, Congas & Random Percussion. I chose not to bounce the kick drums and snares because I knew I may have to change them later. So from around 30 tracks I was down to 9 and this simplified things. It especially gave me more processing power.

Point Out the Bounce

I used to be weary of bouncing tracks because I felt like it was cheating. The fact is, this is how records were made before we had unlimited track DAWs. Being confident to bounce tracks is a skill I want to continually refine. I feel that it forces me to commit to my choice. If I had forever to work on a project…I would.  So for me, bouncing increases productivity…when I make the right choice.   

Charlie: Assistant Engineer & Protector of Freedom

Sit. Stay.

I didn’t want to mess with the relationship between any of the sounds so I didn’t compress them individually. The three African Drums, Congas and Percussion bounce tracks where each compressed with stereo bus compression settings. My goal was to make sure every sound was heard clearly without sacrificing dynamics. The kick drums and snares were lightly compressed with the same technique on a mix bus specifically for them. To help the kick and snare cut through the compression without having them be so out front or on top, I used side chain compression. I set up a compressor on each of my three bounce tracks that would be triggered by the kick and snare. So any time they hit, the volume of the three bounce tracks would drop slightly allowing the kicks and snare to cut through. Later on in the mix I put a limiter on each of my three bounce tracks to further control the dynamics. Many books will tell you that you shouldn't use limiters liberally but I've seen a ton of engineers use them directly on everything from lead vocals to drums.

At this point the drums sounded clear, full and groovy to me so I went ahead and brought the vocals up in the mix. There were around 15 vocal tracks and I will tell you exactly how I tackled the vocal groups next week.

    Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!

     -

     Brandon 

BassTrap Mountain: A Love Story

Bass Traps & Acoustic Panels  Made the Biggest Improvement in my Mixes.

In the 14 years I have been trying to improve my mixes I have made many upgrades. None of them have  produced the difference in my mixes that acoustic panels and bass traps have. For a long time I thought as long as I had acoustic foam that the room wouldn't effect the mix. I wans't aware that acoustic foam mainly effects high frequencies. Unless you treat the mid to low range issues in the room there will always be a frustrating difference in how your mixes sound in the room verses everywhere else. Once you treat your room the difference is pretty astonishing. At least it was for me. In my control room it always seemed like I couldn't "see" the bass the same way I could "see" the vocal in stereo placement. Once I treated my room all of the sounds came into focus and I was able to hear the same detail in bass that I was able to hear in high frquencies with only acoustic foam on the wall...and by acoustic foam I mean mattress pads cut up to serve as acoustic foam.

Whatchutalkinbout

Just a heads up, going into this subject can be a little intemidating. It was for me.  There is a wealth of information and many schools of thought on how detailed your installation & design should be. You can pay an expert to do it or you can do it yourself. But I know if I can understand it anyone can. So I'll keep this as simple as possible because the message I want to communicate overall is that traps & panels are not just for big studios, there's no big mystery aboout them. They make a big difference in mixes and should be veiwed in the same light as acoustic foam. 

Also, in this post I will use the terms "acoustic panels" and "bass traps" almost interchangebly because the only difference in the way I make them is that a bass trap is two inches thicker. They both look

like the picture below.

 

How Many? 

As I understand it, quantity comes down to how good your control and live rooms sound. The less ideal they are the more you will want to put up. I put 16 up in my control room and 22 in my live room...but keep in mind I prefer my control and live room dead so I put up more than are essential.  

Bass Trap Bawse

I used the John's Sayers' design listed as "The 25 Minute $25 Acoustic Panel / Bass Trap." on his website forum at johnlsayers.com. I sincerely thank him for providing a forum for people to learn about the acoustic treatment process.  Its easy to follow and gives you a list of everything you'll need. Being that John is in Australia and I am in the US (Baltimore, MD) we have access to different materials. Below I have listed the materials on John's website and what I used.

Materials Needed

Here's the list from Mr. Sayer's forum. Under each item I'll tell you what I used and how much I paid. Keep in mind that you really only need bass traps in the corners. You can use an acoustic panel anywhere else.

1. Owens-Corning 703 ($17/panel incl. shipping)

OC 703 is rigid fiberglass...usually in 2' X 4' panels. I use a knock-off made by ATS Acoustics. Its a little cheaper than OC 703 and according to the website the "Sound absorption, density, appearance, and physical properties are virtually identical." If you find it for less than $64 per six let me know!

2. 8' Furring Strips (1"x3") ($1.24 each)
I payed closer to $1.60 each at Home Depot. You will need a circular saw to cut these unless you really, really like to saw. I used a battery powered circular saw that worked fine. Each panel/trap will require two 24" pieces and two 19" pieces so you'll want to plan accordingly. 

3. Heavy Duty' Stapler with 1/2" staples ($3-4 per box)
This info is dead on. I built 38 and went through 2 boxes of staples. 

4. Burlap Fabric 1 & 1/2 yards @ $2.09/yard ($3.00) 

1.5 yards is ideal but the price above isn't really current from what I've seen. The cheapest rate I found was 4.49 yd at Fabric Empire. Get the 60" wide roll. 

5. Spray Adhesive ($3-5 per can)
Home Depot & Lowes have this for $5. You won't need more than one can.

6. Liquid Nails ($3.17 per tube)

Home Depot & Lowes have this for around $3. 

Assembly

Once you cut your fabric into 4.5' sheets and have your furring strips cut to length you can use the liquid nails and staples to put them together. See instructions here on John Sayers' website. 

Placement

As I understand it, determining the placement and quantity of traps & panels comes down to how good your control and live rooms sound. The less ideal they are the more you will want to put up. I put 16 up in my control room and 22 in my live room. But keep in mind I wanted my control and live room dead so I added more than are essential. For placement used the above picture as my guide. I wasn't able to afford the corner traps as pictured so I used 4" thick panels in the corners. In the live room I tried to cover as many corners and open areas as possible. I have a drop ceiling in my studio which made ceiling panels pretty easy to put up. Mounting in the control room is a little more technical because you have to take your mix position and monitor location into consideration. To me, the most important areas to cover are:

1.   Corners behind your monitors
2.   Mirror points closest to those corners (see image below)
3.   Corner where the wall in front of your mix position meets the ceiling 
4.   Ceiling out towards you until your mix position is covered overhead.
5.   As much of the wall directly behind you as you can

Mounting

Due to budget I had to get creative because not only do you need to attach it to the wall but you want to create some space between the wall and the frame. This makes it seem like the bass trap is thicker by it being further into the room. So I used 4 inch screws screwed in 1inch to provide three inches of space. I then placed felt pads on the heads of the screws to prevent them from scratching the walls (above). I then screwed two hooks into the frame for mounting.

I then put corresponding Ook Hooks (20lb rating) into the wall. I connected the hook on the frame to the Ook in the wall with 16 gauge wire cut to length. You'll have to play with the wire measurements until you get it right.  The best part about this method is that the wire is very forgiving and sturdy. So if your panel is and inch lower on the left you can pull down the other side to match it without having to take it off the wall. For the ceiling traps I screwed four hooks onto each frame and installed wire through the drop ceiling to match up. See below.

Once the frame was attached it was just a matter of leveling to taste. Since my live room is not the ideal height I made sure to install panels above where the vocalist would record and where my overhead mics would be for drums. I can always move them around if needed. When you are done hopefully your studio looks something like this:

      Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!

       -
       Brandon

Como Say Wha? Monitoring on Everything

When I started mixing I had a pair of Behringer Truth Monitors. They are not known for being awesome...at all. But I loved them. They can take a ton of abuse. One literally fell off a stand one time, crashed onto the floor and didn't die. 

As I learned more about mixing and my ears matured I started to notice their limitations frequency-wise. I picked up the habit of checking my mixes on all of the speakers and headphones I had. This taught me a lot about what each pair emphasized and revealed. I finally upgraded last year to Adam A7X's but I still refer to my Truths and every other speaker and headphone I own. I think its real easy to obsess on getting the best monitors but sometimes you can get the results you want for much less money. This week I'd like to list all of the speakers/headphones I monitor with and tell you why and what I listen for. 

THE MAINS

Whatever your main monitoring speakers are...call them "The Mains." It sounds cool. 

These are the speakers you know best. You know exactly how your favorite mixes sound on them because this is were you've studied them the most. You also know what they lack. For example, I knew my Truth's would always tell me what was happening around 125Hz but I also knew that any adjustment made around 3k was a gamble. I rely on my mains to give me the big picture. The better your monitors are the clearer that "picture" will be. If you're like me and didn't start out with a great "camera" to capture that big picture you're going to have to use some tools to help reveal those problem areas. 

EAR BUDS

They can be your ear buddies. 

One of the first indicators of a bad mix is the vocals. Its easy to get them wrong and I still struggle with them. Earbuds do a great job of emphasizing vocal clarity and muddiness. If you have too much 3k-4k your vocals will feel like they are on top of the mix can eventually hurt your ears literally. If you have too much mud in your vocals it can make them sound very woofy. I typically cut waaay too much mud and presence with earbuds but its ok because now I know exactly where my problem areas are. I can always add anything back if it sounds unnatural. 

HD HEADPHONES

Having a solid pair of HD headphones in your arsenal is a good idea. I use Sennheiser HD280s. To me HD headphones sound like they zoom into the center of the mix. The stereo field feels panoramic and the lows sound extended. When listening to the far left and right keep in mind that headphones really emphasize whats happening out there. It will almost always sound too loud on headphones but just right on speakers. 

People always say never mix bass on headphones but I do all the time. I just do it knowing that I am getting an exaggerated representation of the sub bass. I know I'm zooming in so my adjustments are minor.  The last thing I listen for with HD headphones is how everything in the center gets along. The kick, snare, lead vocal relationship is a real big deal for me so they have play nice together. 

CRAPPY COMPUTER SPEAKERS

My favorite computer speakers are five or six inches tall, they have to be rewired all the time and they sound like my boom box from elementary school. I want them to sound warm, muffled and woofy. By that description you can pretty much figure out that I listen for bass and warmth, especially with the kick drum, key/guitar bass and bass in vocals for EQ purposes. Also, if you don't have enough compression on those three you will notice very quickly. If the bass elements aren't fighting on these speakers they typically won't be anywhere.  

THE CAR CHECK

We all know that it doesn't matter how much we spend in the studio, it all comes down to the car check.  I know my car speakers almost as well as my mains because I spend a lot of time in the car listening to them. So this is one of those situations where you know how your music should sound. Typically by the time I get to the car check I've done most of my mixing. I may cut some mud or adjust highs but I'm really listening for levels. I make sure each element in the mix comes through the way I want.
I like to cheat by mixing in the car via the headphone jack to my car's aux in from my laptop. Saves a lot of time and CDs! I try to keep my car stereo EQ settings on neutral in the car but it doesn't always work out. So the name of the game is to pick one setting for your music and stick with it so you have a good point of reference when you check your mix there. 

LAPTOP SPEAKERS

The final stop for my mix is the laptop speakers. All I want to hear is that the instruments  (especially the kick) pop up out the speakers and wrap around the vocal like a lion mane. If your mix has come together as it should you won't have much to do at this point but laptop speakers can really bring out problem areas so its ok if you find something else you need to fix. Better you know now than find out when its on the radio.

Learning the equipment, software and theories behind mixing is an undertaking in it of itself but I think the toughest part is digesting the information in a way that makes sense to you. How you understand a problem will determine what tool you use to solve it. For me, the most important part of mixing is having a tool to fix the problem as you understand it. When I run into problems I can't fix, I look at it as an opportunity to find a new tool that will help me in the future. Hope this helps someone!

Thanks so much for reading my blog!!!

--
Brandon