Good potential mixes

[AuruxBlu]

I used to have my ears trained to hear clipping and other frequencies that I didn't need in my mixes, but recently I have become unconfident with all of my mixing. Just looking for some advise as where to approach a good mix. Here are some things I already do.

-Always highpass/EQ uneeded frequencies in drums, percussion and percs.

- Always lowcut 0 - 30/40Hz on the master EQ and highcut highcut between 16000Hz - 20000Hz

- Sidechain bass to make room for the kick

- I use a soft clipper on all of my mixer tracks.

- Use a compressor to make my kicks and drums hit harder without tweaking the volume too high on the mixer and samples

Those are just some of the basics of what I do but I seem to keep having trouble making my mixes somewhat louder without clipping. I have tried some mastering plugins but most of themm kill my pc such as iZotope Ozone. I like the layout of the plugin but just want something a little more conservative. I thought about trying out Maximus which seems nice but I already know all of you are going to recommend iZotope Ozone.

My current method to finalizing my mixes is the multiband compressor which isn't that bad either. But I know I could be using something way better.

[The-iMortal]

At 8/13/12 12:00 AM, AuruxBlu wrote: My current method to finalizing my mixes is the multiband compressor which isn't that bad either. But I know I could be using something way better.

When you say finalizing mixes, do you mean finalizing your mix for the mastering process, or do you skip the mastering process?

[AuruxBlu]

At 8/13/12 12:28 AM, The-iMortal wrote:

At 8/13/12 12:00 AM, AuruxBlu wrote: My current method to finalizing my mixes is the multiband compressor which isn't that bad either. But I know I could be using something way better.

When you say finalizing mixes, do you mean finalizing your mix for the mastering process, or do you skip the mastering process?

I pretty much use the multiband compressor as the mastering process. But, no matter what I do it always comes out muddy... :/ I do my best to make room for low basses and mid basses to prevent other frequencies of crowding up the low end of the spectrum. Which is why I always EQ and highpass everything that shouldn't be in the low end.

[The-iMortal]

At 8/13/12 12:44 AM, AuruxBlu wrote: I pretty much use the multiband compressor as the mastering process. But, no matter what I do it always comes out muddy... :/ I do my best to make room for low basses and mid basses to prevent other frequencies of crowding up the low end of the spectrum. Which is why I always EQ and highpass everything that shouldn't be in the low end.

Don't rely on a master compressor to make your mixes sound good. Tailor each individual track to mix together well before putting anything on the master channel.

I can think up a million reasons why your mix could sound muddy, but to get a real idea how to help you, I'll need to hear your mix. Upload it to an file-hosting website, and post the link here. I'll give it a listen and give you some ideas if I have any.

[AuruxBlu]

At 8/13/12 03:57 AM, The-iMortal wrote:
Don't rely on a master compressor to make your mixes sound good. Tailor each individual track to mix together well before putting anything on the master channel.

Yes, Thank you! I know there were a lot of different ways I used to approach my mixes but forgot about them when I had writer's block. This certainly refreshed my memory.. Now that I recall I never inserted anything on the master track except for maybe an EQ. I will finish up a preview of the current song I am working on then I will post it here.

[HyperTrough]

If you've got Maximus, give that a go as a mastering plugin! It's pretty much the same as the multiband compressor. Just has few extra knobs, but the result differ greatly!