Subject:decibel stuff

Posted by: ClipMan

Date:5/1/2010 7:46:14 PM

Hi,

I have 9 tracks that are not clipping yet the Master is clipping. Go figure. I put a limiter on the Master and it sounds like crap. It rolled off all the nylon string snaps on the acoustic guitar. Don't want to do that. Where do I go from here? TIA for any advice.

Brian

Subject:RE: decibel stuff

Reply by: Geoff_Wood

Date:5/1/2010 11:21:49 PM

Um, each of the 9 tracks may not be clipping, but the mixed SUM of those tracks pobviously is. You need to reduce the track volumes until the master is NOT clipping.

This is a basic mixing on any software or hardware.

Compressed clipping will of course sound worse still ....

geoff

Subject:RE: decibel stuff

Reply by: ClipMan

Date:5/2/2010 6:03:05 AM

Thanks, Geoff

Mixing tracks isn't nearly as much fun as laying out the initial arrangement. Tedious, to say the least. Took a couple of hours but finally got there.

Brian

Subject:RE: decibel stuff

Reply by: JohnnyRoy

Date:5/2/2010 6:28:49 AM

Hi Brian,

I know that the book that Iacobus and I wrote called: Instant ACID is old now (it was based on ACID Pro 5) but the chapters on Mixing and Organizing with Buses and Sends are still a valuable reference and it works the same way in ACID Pro 7. If you are new to all of this and are mixing without using buses to group like instruments, and placing FX individually on tracks for everything instead of using sends (assignable fx) you might benefit greatly from this book.

The only two chapters that are really obsolete are the recording Audio and MIDI which has changed dramatically when ACID added multi-track recording (in ACID Pro 5 it was one track at a time only) Other than that, I feel it's still a valuable reference.

You said in your other post that you wish you could "hire someone with smarts to do this"... well the book is a lot cheaper and helps you get the "smarts" that you need. (BTW, Iacobus an I don't make any money off the book anymore so I don't benefit in any way from this... just trying to help) ;-)

~jr

Subject:RE: decibel stuff

Reply by: ClipMan

Date:5/2/2010 7:34:27 AM

Hi, Johnny

I tracked down the book through Amazon here in Canada and placed the order. I understand busses but didn't think to use them with only 9 tracks. As for midi and recording, I don't do either. Anyway, here's a clip of the project I just finished. I must have heard it a thousand times during the mix. I don't think I want to hear it anymore.

http://76.74.255.198/brian/01.mp3

Brian

Subject:RE: decibel stuff

Reply by: Geoff_Wood

Date:5/2/2010 1:48:50 PM

If things are sounding about the right balance, but red on the master and maybe a bit grungy, then 'Select All' your tracks and simply pull down the track(s) level in unison until no more clipping on the master.

Then you may need to turn up your monitoring level.

You could also think about adding more compression on the individual tracks if some are excessively dynamic, which would increase the overall apparent level with reduced propensity for peaks that 'over'.

geoff