Mix your song.
Hello everyone!!
I'm new to this forum,my name is Ken Sutton..... I'm a Mixing and Mastering Engineer and owner of WaterFall Records./ SweetKenny Sound.
I know many of you want to get that BIG SOUND and realy don't know how.
you can get that sound with just a little work and some TIME.The key is to LISTEN,LISTEN,LISTEN!!!!!
You don't need to spend any money to do this cool!
WaterFall Records Learn to Record Page
Setting up a Mixing session
by Kenneth Sutton
After you record your song and you like what you have recorded, you need to mix your song. Mixing is very easy and is not hard at all; the trick to mixing is listening. Set back and Listen to your song. You'll then begin to hear and get an ideal of how you want it to sound.
Play with the Levels in your song, some things sound better in a mix if they are lower than others, don't be afraid to take things out and put them back in at different times.
To set up your tracks in a mix is up to you, there is no right or wrong way to mix a song.
But, to make things fatter in your mix there are some things you can do, like doubling tracks, in most software programs this is as quick as a click of the mouse. Go up to where it says Edit and click it. In your dropdown window you should see Doubling Tracks. Click that and you should get a new track. (Make sure you highlight the track you want to double.)
You can also send your tracks to an AUX track and have all your Drum parts in a mix, and still have control of all your drum parts.
Sub Mix
Here you can add EQ, Compression etc. To do this, you will need to set up a send. A send is just what it says; you are going to send your track to another track.
In your track, (lets say Guitar) click on your Send button, (or Buss) and lets call it 'Buss 1-2'.
Now open up a new track called AUX, set your fader to 00dbs, and where it says 'Input' on the Aux track click Buss 1-2.
Play your track to hear the Guitar, set your levels to your liking. (If you don't hear your Guitar or see a level in the Aux fader, go to your send and set it to 00dbs). With Aux Tracks you can do the same thing with Effects, just send the audio track to the effect.
EQ'ing
There is a lot you can do with EQ, also known as 'Coloring' . But too much can hurt a song, so don't over EQ!.
Kick Drum EQ. 4-band.
Gain: -20dbs
Fq: -13.0 khz
Gain: -2.0 dbs
Fq: -4.20 khz
Q: - 2.40
Gain: -3.0 dbs
Fq: 160 hz
Q: 1.90
Gain: 0.0 dbs
Fq: 210 hz
Drum Kit EQ. 4-band.
Gain: 4.0 dbs
Fq: 11.0 khz
Gain: -3.0 dbs
Fq: 4.40 khz
Q: 2.60
Gain: 2.0 dbs
Fq: 460 hz
Q: 0.98 hz
Gain: -2.0 dbs
Fq: 190 hz
Bass Guitar EQ. 4-band
Gain: 1.0 dbs
Fq: 6.00 khz
Gain: -1.0 dbs
Fq: 620 hz
Q: 2.6
Gain: -3.5 dbs
Fq: 200 hz
Q: 3.50
Gain: 1.5 dbs
Q: 95 hz
Vocal EQ.4-band
Gain: 3.0 dbs
Fq: 12.0 khz
Gain: 2.5 dbs
Fq: 5.20 khz
Q: 0.94
Gain: -4.0 dbs
Fq: 850 hz
Q: 1.40
Gain: 2.0 dbs
Fq: 290 hz.
Compression.
I like to use a 4:1 ratio on most everything but in some I use a 8:1 ratio on Guitars,Kick Drum,Bass Guitars.
Make sure you put the Compressor on before the Eq because if you do it the other way around you'll lose the top and mids when the compressor emphasizes the spot that you Eqed.If you compress frist,then add bottom,then you're gonna hear it better.
I hope I have help'ed some of you in mixing your song.
If any of you need my help just send me an email and I'll help out.
Good Luck! and Happy Recording.
Ken Sutton.
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