Can anyone here help me 'get' mixing?

[rounakagag]

It's very possible, and probably true, that it may just be my amateur production skills that make my tracks sound amateur.
But I also have this feeling that maybe it needs mixing?
No matter how many videos I watch, when I'm watching them, it makes sense.

But then when it actually comes to it. I still have zero idea what I'm doing or looking for.

Anyway. just in case, for assessment, here's the last thing I made: https://soundcloud.com/rounakagag/futur ... al_sharing

Thanks in advance

[bluebell]

There is no such thing as the best mix. It depends on the song and much more, e.g. "should it sound ok on any device including the kitchen radio" or "should it sound great on good gear".

I am still struggling. It's a lifelong learning experience.

My present endboss challenge: s and z in the German language. Not always easy to tame without making the singer lisp.

[Largos]

I still have zero idea what I'm ... looking for.

That'll be your first problem to fix. Try finding some songs which you like and sound great in the production. Have those as a destination to work towards.

[rounakagag]

I still have zero idea what I'm ... looking for.

That'll be your first problem to fix. Try finding some songs which you like and sound great in the production. Have those as a destination to work towards.

thanks. I meant more in terms of "what's mixing going to do for this track, like, how do I want it to sound different post mixing"

But thanks for the advice! I guess I'll try to listen to similar artists or tracks in relation to the vibe i'm going for during production/mixing. The only fear is becoming just a copycat. But I guess I can worry about that once my production and mixing skills are actually good.

Thanks a lot!

[rounakagag]

There is no such thing as the best mix. It depends on the song and much more, e.g. "should it sound ok on any device including the kitchen radio" or "should it sound great on good gear".

I am still struggling. It's a lifelong learning experience.

My present endboss challenge: s and z in the German language. Not always easy to tame without making the singer lisp.

so mixing not to make it musically sound better? more for better playback? I always thought this was something something that mastering was for...

But I think I do see your point. Make good tracks. Then worry about mixing/mastering.

as for the de-esser, is that an available foss tools issue or a language issue? I guess the latter.

Thanks for sharing your perspective and experience!

[glowrak guy]

Mixing relates to timing and crowding. You don't want the melody or main theme being dominated by other parts in the same sonic range. You can adjust various part levels, EQ, entry points, and duration, to make the important part stand out. And you don't want busy parts in different ranges getting un-needed attention. You want to support and embellish the main part. Sometimes the instrument or voice of the main part isn't going to work, and an alternative is needed.

The type of song you're making also matters. There are industry standards and audience expectations for various genres. I have a few dozen songs that I occasionally listen to, and each time, I appreciate the uncluttered performance, with each part well presented, and not in competition with other parts of the song. Rick Beato has some 'what makes this song great' videos, that get into details, a playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... aiM7ryfXV_

Rhythm and tempo also matter. Sometimes some swing or syncopation can liven things up, and if a track drags, or seems rushed, it can be changed.
Audacity has an alternate 'play' button, with a tempo slider, that's handy for experiments.

[bluebell]

as for the de-esser, is that an available foss tools issue or a language issue? I guess the latter.

I use CALF Deesser.

EDIT:
I am still not happy with "s" and "z" in https://soundcloud.com/suedwestlicht/al ... -du-willst
Maybe I'll try Qtractor's new "Add Controller"-Pseudo-Plugin to automate Calf Deesser some day. so I can optimize each single "s" and "z".

[rounakagag]

as for the de-esser, is that an available foss tools issue or a language issue? I guess the latter.

I use CALF Deesser.

EDIT:
I am still not happy with "s" and "z" in https://soundcloud.com/suedwestlicht/al ... -du-willst
Maybe I'll try Qtractor's new "Add Controller"-Pseudo-Plugin to automate Calf Deesser some day. so I can optimize each single "s" and "z".

obviously I don't know much about stuff like this, but just in case, have you tried the LSP multiband compressor? (u might have to adjust UI scaling)

Everyone these days says LSP is more reliable than Calf ... ( i still mostly use Calf cuz they're simpler to use)

Cool song by the way!

[rounakagag]

Mixing relates to timing and crowding. You don't want the melody or main theme being dominated by other parts in the same sonic range. You can adjust various part levels, EQ, entry points, and duration, to make the important part stand out. And you don't want busy parts in different ranges getting un-needed attention. You want to support and embellish the main part. Sometimes the instrument or voice of the main part isn't going to work, and an alternative is needed.

The type of song you're making also matters. There are industry standards and audience expectations for various genres. I have a few dozen songs that I occasionally listen to, and each time, I appreciate the uncluttered performance, with each part well presented, and not in competition with other parts of the song. Rick Beato has some 'what makes this song great' videos, that get into details, a playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... aiM7ryfXV_

Rhythm and tempo also matter. Sometimes some swing or syncopation can liven things up, and if a track drags, or seems rushed, it can be changed.
Audacity has an alternate 'play' button, with a tempo slider, that's handy for experiments.

thank you so much for the detail explanation! as well as the playlist link! definitely going check it out! saw quite a few bands/songs i love on it..
thanks again!

[bluebell]

as for the de-esser, is that an available foss tools issue or a language issue? I guess the latter.

I use CALF Deesser.

EDIT:
I am still not happy with "s" and "z" in https://soundcloud.com/suedwestlicht/al ... -du-willst
Maybe I'll try Qtractor's new "Add Controller"-Pseudo-Plugin to automate Calf Deesser some day. so I can optimize each single "s" and "z".

obviously I don't know much about stuff like this, but just in case, have you tried the LSP multiband compressor? (u might have to adjust UI scaling)

Everyone these days says LSP is more reliable than Calf ... ( i still mostly use Calf cuz they're simpler to use)

Cool song by the way!

Thanks.

I tried multiband compressors as de-essers as well but CALF Deesser works best with my songs. AFAIK LSP has no specialized de-esser yet.

[sunrat]

I've found Auburn Sounds Lens work well as a de-esser. Just shape the sidechain curve to hit the frequencies that need to be tamed. ZL Equalizer in dynamic mode is great too, with the added advantage of being able to listen to the thin band being effected and scrolling it to find the exact right frequency.

Mixing is a fine and complicated art. The basics are just to get each track sounding good by itself with EQ, compression etc., then tweaking each a little for overall balance and making sure each has it's own space frequency and level wise. It's easy to record a whole bunch of tracks that sound great and then clash with each other when mixed. Just for instance, you might have a kick with fundamental of 50Hz which gets muddy when the bass is added, so dip the bass a little at 50Hz and highlight it a bit at say 90Hz (just random numbers, each song will be different). Another clever trick is to run a sidechain compressor on the bass triggered from the kick so the bass dips a touch on each kick beat. Many instruments can mess up the sound of others if they have prominent frequencies in the same band.
But seriously, mixing is something one continually learns and evolves with, it's a lifetime journey. There are lots of techniques to try, and adapt to use whatever is best for you. There are also lots of good Youtube tutorials, and lots of bad Youtube tutorials.

[rounakagag]

Mixing is a fine and complicated art. The basics are just to get each track sounding good by itself with EQ, compression etc., then tweaking each a little for overall balance and making sure each has it's own space frequency and level wise. It's easy to record a whole bunch of tracks that sound great and then clash with each other when mixed. Just for instance, you might have a kick with fundamental of 50Hz which gets muddy when the bass is added, so dip the bass a little at 50Hz and highlight it a bit at say 90Hz (just random numbers, each song will be different). Another clever trick is to run a sidechain compressor on the bass triggered from the kick so the bass dips a touch on each kick beat. Many instruments can mess up the sound of others if they have prominent frequencies in the same band.
But seriously, mixing is something one continually learns and evolves with, it's a lifetime journey. There are lots of techniques to try, and adapt to use whatever is best for you. There are also lots of good Youtube tutorials, and lots of bad Youtube tutorials.

thanks very much for the explanation and examples!

[Quirq]

I'd highly recommend Mike Senior's Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio. I've only got the original version, but I can't imagine the second edition is vastly different.

A lot of mixing advice seems to be "you could do this, or you could do that" or "some famous person suggests this, whilst this other famous person swears by that". Mike Senior's book gives a method for approaching a mix and reasons for using different types of processing and the pros and cons of doing so – he gives the why where most just give a what or how.