Mixdown Tips

Nice tips, I also recommend peaking a kick drum at -15dBFS at the start of the mix and try mixing without a limiter.
Build a mix round the kick peaking at this level and you will be in good shape for "self finalizing" or
professional mastering. (work at 24 bit resolution).

Also a day in between for tweaks usually bears fruit when your ears are fatigued.

Very comprehensive !

IF you have your kick peaking at -15 what would you generally suggest to have your snare(s) peaking at?
 
IF you have your kick peaking at -15 what would you generally suggest to have your snare(s) peaking at?
It depends on what fundamental frequency your snare is hitting at I think. A 200 hz snare might sit just around or slightly below the kick. A higher snare might be lower volume. Once you have your kick placed you can usually work by ear after that, but crank your monitors up once in a while in that case
 
Is there really a need to mix elements to certain db's (Kick to 15 for example) when you can just turn the volume down on a group fader or the master fader of the track to give it headroom?

If i feel the whole track is too loud then i can just bring it down and then when i have worked out all the elements im gonna use, stick something like ozone maximiser on the master to make it loud and aggressive again. Is there anything wrong with using that method?
 
Is there really a need to mix elements to certain db's (Kick to 15 for example) when you can just turn the volume down on a group fader or the master fader of the track to give it headroom?

If i feel the whole track is too loud then i can just bring it down and then when i have worked out all the elements im gonna use, stick something like ozone maximiser on the master to make it loud and aggressive again. Is there anything wrong with using that method?

I think safe and sounds reply above answers this, I think, would love some clarification on this myself. Something I have picked up myself is to look at the fader position as the ceiling of -0db, wherever that master fader is set. I mixdown my stuff with the Master set to 0db, but really try to keep the whole track hitting no higher than -10db.
I believe you need to have headroom available on all tracks so that when you come to boost the master track, each separate element has working headroom to be boosted, as each element will always be hitting at a lower level than the sum of all parts. mixing everything to 0db, then just reducing the master fader, felt to me like everything else was still coming through at 0db, so any boosting I would apply would automatically take those tracks over their 0db limit. I could be talking total bollocks though, so would love someone with the proper knowledge to answer this :)
 
Something to consider too is the plug-ins in your signal chain. Some are designed to mimic analogue gear and seem to introduce drive/(imitation analogue)clipping and/or artifacts if the input is 'hot', so just trimming the master fader wouldn't help that.
 
one of the hardest parts in starting the mixdown, is getting the sub and kick balanced, so for the purposes of a little nudge in the right direction i think its useful to have that db refrence to aim for. the more you learn, the more you realize you dont need to stick to the numbers in the same way.


subprime, what I think you are referring to, is running a channel at +0DBFS, clipping it even tho the master channel may be much lower, and you are correct, you cant stop it clipping by turning down the master fader, once a signal is clipped, theres no going back, you have to turn it down at the source to solve that problem

RE clipping and hot digital signals - a digital signal doesnt run hot at all, its either clean, or clipped, plugins may simulate a 'hot' signal, but its not really hot in the true sense - a hot signal comes on analog gear only, lets say we have a 0DBFS digital signal, the loudest possible digital signal before it clips, if we run that into an analog mixing desk, it would come thru at +8DB VU, this is a very hot signal, in the digital world it doesnt matter, the signal is calculated mathematically, so its volume level has no effect on the way it runs thru the system, but in an analog system, +8DB VU is generating significant heat in components and changes in the magnetic fields within the hardware, this adds color to the sound, changes the way it behaves, and is what is ment by a 'hot signal' (high volume = high voltage = hot electrical components)
 
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IF you have your kick peaking at -15 what would you generally suggest to have your snare(s) peaking at?

Stumbled on this page and thought I would reply... that is a subjective choice and not a technical choice. We have to remember you are making music primarily and engineering as a secondary consideration. Of course in reality there is an organic interplay between the 2 often melting into a kind of meditation without thought once you can "Let go of the raft once the river has been crossed". But that takes quite a while before confidence and comfort become one with the production process.

In direct answer... the level to the ear... of a snare will relate to spectral content (what frequencies are present in the snare)and the transient content and the body (post transient resonance of skin and drum casing) of a snare. The ear is considerably more sensitive to mid range sounds (especially around 3-4kHz) This content will produce the perceived level to the ear so I would say what fits the groove correctly as that is the most musical response and that is what you guys are making, music. As my comments seem well received check my blog out where there are other useful articles such as choosing mixing reference tracks, how to mix (the concept of course not a step by step bible) and choosing production sound sources etc.

I think they may be of interest, and if they are please share/like them far and wide Facebook, Twitter wherever you want.....

http://www.masteringmastering.co.uk/mastering-blog.html

cheers
 
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