Subject:please help. sound card question...

Posted by: pjrey

Date:10/22/2003 12:43:13 PM

ok... i just bought the creative labs Extergy sound card (external).
and i have a question. the advance tab... what is standard? i dont want to mix with too little bass, too much bass, too little treble, too much treble... what should i set these at? or should i just leave them all the way left (off)
i want it to sound the same on my computer as it will on an average stereo with the bass and treble set to 0. i know all stereos sound very different... but you get what im getting at...
the reason i care so much, is because i mix to my computer... using my yamaha 8-track.. and
when using acid i dont want to add too much bass or too little...
i wish that feature wasnt there, or they explained it better...
thank you
(i did my last project with the settings off (all to the left) http://three-fifths.pjrey.com
it turned out very well..
but still, i am curious what it should be sert at...
i hope my question makes sense ( i am very tired as i write this)
thanks a bunch!

pj
(you can email me at sonypictures_com@pjrey.com)

Subject:RE: please help. sound card question...

Reply by: marcarotsky

Date:10/22/2003 1:09:15 PM

if i were you, i would just leave everything at unity!!! (0 db) dont turn any freq. up or down!!! when you are done with your mix, listen to it on different systems, THEN bring it back into an editor to "tweak" your mixes. that should give you the truest sense of your music! you dont want to "exagerate" freq. while in the mix on your computer. you can always EQ your multi track later. if you render to stereo, youre going to be stuck with EQ'ing a whole track and not just say, youre kick drum which needs more "punch."
hope this helps....
--marc

Subject:RE: please help. sound card question...

Reply by: pjrey

Date:10/22/2003 5:04:41 PM

thanks for replying!
ok.. so, leave off the advanced HIGH and LOW (under audio properties)?
yes, i dont want to add too much or too little..
but, i dont want to overcompensate.. and add tooo much high and low because it was turned too loww..
im having a real hard time explaining myself...
but i think i get what you are saying.. thank you
pj
(there are just toooo many variables!! grrrr)

Subject:RE: please help. sound card question...

Reply by: marcarotsky

Date:10/22/2003 11:51:06 PM

rule of thumb...

whenever you are in the "arranging" part of a project, you want to try and leave EVERYTHING as close to "flat" as you can (o db, or NO eq'ing) it is risky making things "louder or warmer" while still in this stage until you have listened to it on many diff speakers and systems. THEN, bring it back in your computer and adjust what you need to adjust.
ex. the bass kick in your drum loop needs more punch...go back in to your drum loop and add a 2:1 compressor or bring up your eq a lil bit.
it is always better to add a little bit later than subtract a lot later!!
-marc

Subject:RE: please help. sound card question...

Reply by: pjrey

Date:10/28/2003 2:09:24 PM

thanks, thats good to know...
do you have an advaced botton under your audio settings? mine is under Play Control, there is a botton, adnvaced, it reads.. and there is an option to turn up the treble and turn up the bass... it was defaulted to the middle for both...
i have since turned them all the way OFF....
when i would play a mix on my stereo (car, room, friends) it was much to loud and thumpy...
to much of everyting... why is this set to that? why? to make it sound the best with computer speakers... it screwed me up a bit for a while...
i dont like this setting...

thanks
check out what i mastered: http://three-fifths.pjrey.com (printed off 1,000 cds) (rap)
http://ef.pjrey.com (rock and roll)
both are my bands... give it a listen.. tell me how i did (the top one i worked on for two years!!!)
pj

Subject:RE: please help. sound card question...

Reply by: Chienworks

Date:10/28/2003 2:16:48 PM

pjrey: you'll want to leave those controls in the middle. When you lower them you are cutting bass and treble. In the middle setting you get a flat response with no boost or cut. So, if you had them lowered all the way and then mixed your music to sound good that way then it would sound very different on other stereo systems.