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URM Academy
Making kicks punchy with sidechain compression
Dan Braunstein demonstrates how to achieve a punchy kick and better separation in a mix using sidechain compression with the FabFilter Pro-C 2 on bass. By sending the kick signal to the compressor's sidechain input, Braunstein ensures that the bass ducks out of the way, allowing the kick to cut through the mix with clarity and impact. He starts with extreme settings and dials them back to achieve 3-6 dB of gain reduction. This technique enhances the mix's overall movement and clarity, making the kick more prominent without overwhelming other elements. Braunstein also uses the FabFilter Pro-Q 3 to EQ the kick and bass, deciding whether the bass should occupy the sub frequencies and the kick the low mids, or vice versa. He ultimately prefers the kick to dominate the low end, giving the bass more harmonic presence. This strategic frequency separation reduces muddiness and enhances the mix's overall balance.
URM Academy
Sidechaining for a bigger snare room
In this session, Dan Braunstein focuses on using sidechain compression to enhance the snare room sound in a mix. He demonstrates how adjusting the attack and release settings on the sidechained compressor allows the snare's decay to shine through. The key is going for a longer attack time, so that the ducking makes room for the snare's decay rather than the initial snap. Dan sets up the sidechain to duck bass and guitars when the snare hits, allowing the room sound to pop through. Dan suggests sourcing the sidechain signal from the most direct snare track rather than the entire snare group, ensuring that the room's ambiance is effectively highlighted without overwhelming the mix. This approach is part of his broader strategy to make drums punch through the mix with clarity and presence.
Mix with the Masters
Mid-focused monitoring for precise mix balance
Xavier de Rosnay from Justice shares insights on using mid-focused monitoring to enhance mix balance. By simulating a radio setup, this technique isolates the midrange, allowing for precise balancing between elements without the distractions of low and high frequencies. The filtering is achieved with a steep low cut at 150 Hz and a steep high cut around 1.5 kHz. This approach helps avoid the misleading fullness that abundant low-end can create, ensuring a clear understanding of the musical content. The producer highlights this method as an effective, old trick for achieving faithful and consistent mixes.
Produce Like A Pro
Finding bass definition in the 800Hz sweet spot
Marc Daniel Nelson highlights the importance of the 800Hz frequency range for achieving bass definition. This area is crucial for capturing finger noise, which adds character and clarity to the bass without sacrificing its low-end power. Nelson shares that he learned this technique from Bruce Swedien, emphasizing that the 800Hz to 1kHz range is a sweet spot for most bass tracks. By focusing on this frequency range, you can maintain the thunderous low end while enhancing the bass's presence and detail. After establishing definition, Nelson suggests adding vibe and grit through distortion, further enriching the bass sound.
Produce Like A Pro
Taming acoustic guitar to sound like on tape
Marc Daniel Nelson demonstrates how to achieve a tape-like sound on acoustic guitar using a chain of plugins. He starts with Softube Tape for subtle tape saturation, which adds warmth and glue without being overly aggressive. Next, Nelson uses FabFilter Pro-Q 3 for dynamic EQ, targeting the low-end boominess around 280Hz and taming harsh high frequencies. This step ensures the guitar sounds fuller and less muddy, enhancing its presence in the mix. Compression is applied with the Klanghelm MJUC, adding color and slightly tightening the sound without compromising its natural dynamics. Nelson then employs Waves Trans-X for transient shaping, smoothing out harsh transients to make the guitar sit well in the mix and not interfere with the vocal. Finally, a touch of Waves Abbey Road Reverb Plates adds depth and warmth, creating a more natural and inviting acoustic guitar sound. Nelson emphasizes the importance of using these techniques in a subtle way to maintain the instrument's dynamic integrity.
GGD
Using Saturn's dynamics to tame cymbal bleed
Adam 'Nolly' Getgood demonstrates using FabFilter Saturn's dynamics to effectively reduce cymbal bleed on snare tracks. Inspired by Eric Valentine's approach to high-frequency saturation, Nolly applies Saturn's multi-band expansion to gate high frequencies above 1K, significantly minimizing cymbal bleed while maintaining the snare's attack and presence. During a live recording session, Nolly discovered that Saturn's dynamics knob could intelligently manage bleed without introducing latency or compromising the snare's character. He provides an A/B comparison to showcase the dramatic difference, highlighting how this technique enhances the snare's clarity in a mix. Nolly also explores Saturn's potential as a multiband channel strip, using it to adjust the snare's tonal balance during tracking sessions. By setting the crossover at 1K and fine-tuning the dynamics, he achieves a natural, present snare sound with reduced bleed, demonstrating Saturn's versatility in both mixing and tracking scenarios.
Schwabe Digital
Turn listening preferences into better mix translation
Ryan Schwabe delves into the art of making mixes translate well across different playback systems by focusing on EQ and monitoring techniques. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the differences between studio and consumer playback systems, as well as personal listening preferences, to achieve better translation. To create a neutral studio playback environment, Schwabe suggests using tools like IK Media Arc, Trinoff, and Sonar Works for corrective EQ, alongside proper speaker placement and room treatment. This helps ensure that mixes are not skewed by the acoustics of the studio, allowing for more accurate mixing decisions. Schwabe also highlights the diversity of consumer playback systems, from bass-heavy club setups to bright laptop speakers, and stresses the need for well-balanced mixes that can hold up across various environments. He advises engineers to be aware of their own biases, such as a preference for deep bass, and to adjust their studio setups accordingly to counteract these tendencies. Practical steps include balancing the playback system, tuning it based on personal preferences, and using feedback from trusted clients to refine playback EQ. By controlling the studio environment and compensating for personal biases, engineers can create mixes that translate effectively, despite the unpredictability of consumer systems.
Mix with the Masters
Taming harsh vocals with multi-stage notch EQ
Stuart White demonstrates how to remove harshness from vocals using multiple instances of Notch EQ in series, employing plugins like FabFilter Pro-Q 2, MDW MDW5B, and Waves Q10. By making small, incremental adjustments rather than drastic EQ changes, White effectively smooths out harsh frequencies, such as those around 2800 Hz, that can be piercing at high volumes. This technique ensures the vocals remain warm, thick, and even, allowing the mix to be played loudly without discomfort. White emphasizes the importance of identifying and removing these problematic frequencies to achieve a balanced and pleasant listening experience.
Mix with the Masters
Get 808s to cut through with parallel distortion
Jaycen Joshua demonstrates how to make 808s cut through a mix using parallel distortion with the UA Ibanez® TS808 Tube Screamer plugin. In the parallel path, he begins by rolling off unwanted high frequencies using the FabFilter Pro-Q 3, focusing on reducing everything above 129 Hz to clean up the sound. This approach allows him to add his own upper harmonics with the Tube Screamer, resulting in a more musical and pleasing presence without harshness. By emphasizing these upper harmonics, Joshua ensures that the 808s remain audible even on speakers that lack sub-bass response, achieving a balanced and impactful low-end that stands out in the mix.
Produce Like A Pro
Better vocal placement with multiband compression
Marc Daniel Nelson demonstrates how to use FabFilter Pro-MB for sidechained multiband compression to place backing vocals behind the lead in a dense pop mix. By sidechaining the lead vocal into a multiband compressor on the backing vocal bus, Nelson ensures that the sibilant frequencies of the lead vocal trigger compression on the backing vocals. This technique reduces the harshness and phasing issues caused by multiple vocalists starting their s's at slightly different times. Nelson emphasizes that this method allows the lead vocal to remain the focal point without overly compressing it, while maintaining the clarity and presence of the backing vocals. This approach helps achieve better separation and makes the mix sound more cohesive and pleasant. Using this technique, Nelson effectively manages a complex mix with over 150 tracks, ensuring that the lead vocal stands out clearly while the backing vocals sit well in the mix.
Produce Like A Pro
Combining hard clipping with limiting for clean loudness
Marc Daniel Nelson demonstrates how to achieve clean loudness by combining hard clipping with limiting. He uses the SIR StandardCLIP to distort signal peaks before they reach the FabFilter Pro-L 2 limiter, allowing the limiter to work less aggressively and maintain transparency. By monitoring the limiter's effect on the mix, Nelson identifies areas where distortion occurs and adjusts the clipper to handle these peaks. This multi-stage processing approach helps retain the punch and clarity of transients, particularly in the snare and kick, while achieving higher loudness levels. The limiter breathes more easily, resulting in reduced artifacts. The monitoring of limiting artifacts is a built-in feature of the FabFilter Pro-L 2, but it can also be achieved by listening to the limited and unlimited mix simultaneously, with levels matched for loudness and phase flipped on one of the two.
Streaky
Tight and lively low-end with multi-band compression and expansion
Streaky refines the low end of a mix by using a multi-band compressor and expander, such as the FabFilter Pro-MB. The idea is to divide the low frequencies into two specific bands, one with compression, and one with expansion. The compression band is set to below 115 Hz and aims to tighten and control the sub frequencies. The expander band is side-chained from the sub band and enhances the upper bass range from 115 Hz to 350 Hz. So whenever the sub frequencies are reduced, this band adds punch back in. The combination of the bands contributes to a lively, moving low-end that is clear and controlled.
Streaky
Widen the vocal to lift up the chorus
Streaky demonstrates how to use the UA UAD Studio D Chorus to widen a vocal, enhancing its perceived size and impact, particularly during the transition from verse to chorus. What is special here is how he ensures the effect is applied only to the stereo sides, leaving the center vocal clean. This technique helps the track's chorus lift and expand without overwhelming the listener with an obvious chorus effect on the vocal. To achieve this, Streaky employs the FabFilter Pro-Q 3 to apply a brick wall EQ, isolating the mid frequencies and allowing only the side signal of the chorus effect to be heard. This approach maintains the vocal's clarity while adding a subtle yet effective stereo expansion.
Streaky
Get the bass to cut through with parallel saturation
Streaky demonstrates how to make a bass cut through on smaller speakers using parallel compression and saturation with FabFilter Saturn. He sends the bass to a parallel bus, applying an SSL compressor with a 4:1 ratio, slow attack, and fast release to maintain transient clarity while achieving a fat, compressed sound. Next, he uses FabFilter Saturn to add saturation, focusing on the higher frequencies above 140 Hz. This technique enhances the bass's presence by introducing harmonics without altering the low-end character. By blending this processed signal back into the mix, the bass maintains its power on club systems while ensuring clarity and presence on smaller speakers. This approach effectively balances the bass's impact across different playback systems.
Mix with the Masters
Gain clarity with simple subtractive EQ
Jaycen Joshua demonstrates a simple yet effective approach to achieving clarity and openness in drum mixes using the FabFilter Pro-Q 3 EQ. He focuses on reducing excessive low-end energy in the drums by cutting frequencies around 1100 Hz and below. This prevents the drums from becoming too heavy and allows the upper harmonics to shine through. By removing some of the weight, Joshua achieves the desired separation and openness in the mix, ensuring that each element has its own space and clarity. This method highlights the importance of subtractive EQ to enhance the overall balance and definition of a track.
Reverb.com
Add excitement and character to the drum bus
To enhance the character of a Black Keys-style drum recording, Noam Wallenberg is using a series of processing techniques on the drum bus. The Decapitator is employed to inject aggressive distortion, immediately adding excitement and a sense of controlled chaos to the drum sound. To smooth out transients, the Satin tape emulator is introduced, providing additional distortion and excitement while taming the sharpness of the hits. The Oxford Inflator, though somewhat mysterious in its exact function, is used to enhance dynamics and add mid-range presence, making the drums sound more lively and engaging. Further refinement is achieved with a Distressor to regain attack, followed by a multi-band compressor to balance the frequency surges and maintain control over the dynamic range. Finally, a touch of subtractive EQ with the FabFilter Pro-Q 3 is applied to manage the mid-range, ensuring the drum bus remains balanced and characterful.
Produce Like A Pro
Smooth out a vocal with dynamic EQ and de-essing
Marc Daniel Nelson demonstrates how to smooth out a vocal using dynamic EQ and de-essing, focusing on reducing sibilance and unwanted frequencies. He starts with the Waves DeEsser to tame the harsh sibilance around 5-10kHz, followed by the FabFilter Pro-Q 3 for dynamic EQ to address additional sibilance and honkiness around 500Hz and 100-250Hz. Nelson emphasizes the importance of careful de-essing to avoid making the singer sound unnatural, and uses a wider bell curve on the EQ to subtly reduce low-mid muddiness. By addressing these issues before applying compression and further EQ, Nelson ensures a clean, balanced vocal that integrates smoothly into the mix.
Mix with the Masters
Smoothen the attacks with dynamic EQ
Tony Maserati employs dynamic EQ in the upper midrange (1kHz, 3kHz) to smooth the attacks of the vocal. Making the cuts dynamic instead of static helps preserve presence and energy while at the same time getting a softer sound that sits better in the track.
Sam Evian
Get a tight, defined low-end with compression and EQ
Owens uses the UAD LA-2A compressor to balance the bass guitar's dynamics, engaging the "Emphasis" control to introduce a high-pass filter in the compressor's sidechain circuit. This technique selectively reduces sensitivity to lower frequencies, concentrating compression on the midrange to smooth out the instrument's tonal imbalances. Following compression, Owens applies the FabFilter Pro-Q 3 for more presence and refined low-end clarity. He is rolling off frequencies below 70Hz to ensure the kick drum's low-end remains distinct. Owens emphasizes the strategic importance of deciding on a clear hierarchy in the low-end frequencies between the kick and bass, often preferring to prioritize one over the other to minimize frequency masking. He illustrates this concept with the Beatles' "Taxman," noting how the song achieves a clear low-end by featuring a pronounced bass guitar while keeping the kick drum thin and punchy, demonstrating effective frequency separation and minimal masking when both elements are combined. Lastly, Owens adds a bit of stereo chorus to give the bass a fuller and slightly wider sound.
Produce Like A Pro
Get presence with multi-band expansion
Marc Daniel Nelson shares a background vocal mixing technique that he discovered by accident, which has since become a staple in his mixing arsenal. This approach involves using the FabFilter Pro-MB as an expander to emphasize the higher frequencies (between 2 kHz and 15 kHz) of the background vocals, thereby enhancing their brightness, punchiness, and presence in a distinct manner. To ensure the background vocals remain supportive and do not overshadow the lead, Nelson incorporates two stages of de-essing and employs a Klanghelm MJUC compressor with a high-pass filter in the sidechain, set to around 400 Hz. This technique creates a sense of space and airiness around the vocals, yielding a polished pop sound that is especially effective for dense arrangements with a high track count.
SonicScoop
Give a tambourine length and depth with reverb
Mick Guzauski uses the FabFilter Pro-R 2 reverb to add length and depth to a tambourine. By adjusting the EQ and decay time of the reverb, he enhances the sustain and high-end presence of the tambourine, making it more prominent and immersive in the mix. Guzauski follows up with a touch of compression to further refine the tambourine's texture, ensuring it sits perfectly within the overall track.
Eric Valentine
Create punch with gating and multiband distortion
Eric Valentine creates a punchy and clear kick drum sound using a combination of gating, EQ, compression, and multiband distortion. He starts by gating the inside kick mic with FabFilter Pro-G to ensure tightness and prevent bleed from other drum elements. He then uses the Massenburg MDW5B EQ to high-pass at 270Hz, focusing the inside mic solely on the attack. Valentine adds multiband distortion with FabFilter Saturn, targeting the mids and high mids to enhance the kick's click and presence. Having no distortion in the low-end avoids intermodulation distortion, resulting in a crisp and exciting high-end. The multiband distortion is followed by a Soundtoys Decapitator for additional subtle distortion. For the outside kick mic, he applies similar gating and EQ techniques, scooping out 278Hz and boosting at 40Hz to add weight. By using the same multiband distortion settings on both mics, he maintains phase consistency, ensuring they sum correctly without unwanted cancellations. Finally, he runs the combined signal through a Waves Renaissance Compressor to add punch and smack, achieving a powerful and well-defined kick sound.
Aulart
Create space in the low end with sidechain multi-band compression
Felguk uses two stages of multi-band sidechain compression to create space in the low end and make the kick and the bass work together in a well defined way.
SonicScoop
Add excitement with EQ, parallel compression and limiting
Mick Guzauski enhances his mix bus with a combination of EQ, parallel compression, and limiting to add excitement and punch to pop and funk tracks. He starts with the UAD Millennia NSEQ-2 and Sonnox Oxford EQ to open up the top end and add presence, creating a more exciting and airy mix. Next, Guzauski employs the Elysia Alpha Compressor for parallel compression, blending the compressed signal at a 50% mix to add punch without losing the dynamics of the original track. Finally, he uses the FabFilter Pro-L 2 limiter to take off peaks and increase loudness, ensuring the mix is competitive and matches the client's reference levels.
Mix with the Masters
Control sibilance with multiple stages of de-essing and EQ
Use multiple stages of de-essing and EQ to control sibilance and make the vocal sound smoother.