Subject:mixing in the box .. i suck

Posted by: frogman06

Date:10/22/2010 8:49:22 PM

when mixing in the box my mixes suck.
The balances between inst. are just not happning .
There seems to be alot of interaction between trks.
Ive been mixing for 40 + yrs in the analog world and never had this much frustration.
Ive had to put my L2 mastering limiter on the main buss to have any chance of a mix that is cohesave.
Any and all thoughts are most appreciated
FRog

Subject:RE: mixing in the box .. i suck

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:10/27/2010 11:49:20 AM

This is all really subjective, frog. The first thing I can think of is to get a nice pair of monitors so you can hear your mixes properly. Another is to get a pro-level audio interface of some sort. Going from a generic audio interface or Sound Blaster to one from M-Audio or Echo is like night and day.

Iacobus

Subject:RE: mixing in the box .. i suck

Reply by: frogman06

Date:10/29/2010 9:18:31 PM

Thanks MD
I guess i shoud have said that im using pro gear.
JBL studio mons, prosonus fire studio interface, Waves plug ins.
My prob is the interaction of the trks as i rase or lower them in relation to each other in Acid.
Frog

Subject:RE: mixing in the box .. i suck

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:11/1/2010 10:34:59 AM

Part of most mixes' problems occur from too much mixing of frequencies amongst instruments. When there isn't any separation, you're naturally going to get mud. This is why we use compressors and limiters to attenuate and boost (as you know).

A lot of instruments' frequency ranges overlap, e.g., violin, viola and cello, but where their similarities end is their timbre; you know a cello's a cello due to its large, deep nasal sound, for example. Placing instruments in a stereo field helps too.

If you're having too much interaction, then I would say think of eliminating or lowering one track while the other plays. Balance is key.

Subject:RE: mixing in the box .. i suck

Reply by: Iacobus

Date:11/1/2010 10:35:13 AM

Deleted for damn double post. xD

Subject:RE: mixing in the box .. i suck

Reply by: Geoff_Wood

Date:11/2/2010 2:21:15 PM

There should be (there is no !) no interaction between tracks. Moving a fader in Acid is absolutely no different to moving one on a mixer. Should in fact be 'cleaner' !

Maybe the difference is in the sense of touch. Are you using a control surface ? I use a Mackie MCU, but find myself equally (more ?) happy with the mouse, at least for 'levels surgery'...

Possibly the major difference is that the tracks are cleaner to start off with - most likely if comparing withtape or an older MDM, and the reduction in potentially denigrating electronics and cabling. Depending of course on the quality of your AD/DaA

geoff

Subject:RE: mixing in the box .. i suck

Reply by: ozzborn

Date:11/2/2010 5:17:43 PM

consider mixing in acid and summing out to your analog console for 8 stero tracks.

Subject:RE: mixing in the box .. i suck

Reply by: technicaltitch

Date:11/21/2010 12:59:31 PM

I've found digital mixing to be more sensitive to levels than analogue (using ACID and other DJ software). I'm much more likely to overdrive the mix on a digi setup than analogue, so I have to cross-fade the bass more carefully.

My theory is that when both channels send a fat bass kick to an analogue mixer, the circuitry naturally compresses the bass signal as it can't suddenly draw that much current. Also, my analogue kit has more headroom built in. Digi mixing is probably more accurate, mathematically adding the two signals and leaving you to clean up the mess. I've found this is more hassle, but results in really beautiful sound quality (especially using the higher quality stretching algorithms), and now I won't do pre-recorded mixes using analogue DJ gear for that reason.