Mixing and EQ your track guides and the such

[TheReptilianElite]

I've been finding tons of great info on getting a great dubstep influenced mix/EQ. I'm just wondering if anyone has come across any guides or helpful resources for those of us that could use the tips from pros.

I'm currently using ableton live and use spectrum/EQ8 for my EQ as well as trying to pan to a decent extent. I'm also quite found of my ears as my reference tool.

But for those of us who are looking to make our mixes shine, and I'm sure I'm not the only one, any tips or guides or videos and tutorials would be tops.

Also, what sort of layers do you guys use for drums? Type of samples for kick snare , etc? I just recently made a track and have 3 kicks and 3 snares layered and yet I've got no life to them even with moderate EQ.

Suggestions?

Warm Regards,

Drewcifer

[Brothulhu]

I've been finding tons of great info on getting a great dubstep influenced mix/EQ. I'm just wondering if anyone has come across any guides or helpful resources for those of us that could use the tips from pros.

Don't search for Dubstep mix/EQ tips, just general mixing tips is what you need

Also, what sort of layers do you guys use for drums? Type of samples for kick snare , etc? I just recently made a track and have 3 kicks and 3 snares layered and yet I've got no life to them even with moderate EQ.

Don't layer randomly, actually think what the sample needs. Say you have a snare with a nice punchy bottom end but a shite top end, EQ out the top and layer it with a nice splashy top end snare (EQ out the bottom of this obviously) then compress them together

[TheReptilianElite]

Thanks for the response. I've been just going nuts and random with drum samples. Any suggestions of the best drum sample packs? Heard vengeance is good. I currently use gold baby and zenhiser.

Looking for more punchy stuff. Think knife party skrillex kick and snare.

Anyone else have good info tips on EQ/mix? Mostly looking for setting it up for a master. Also using izotope for mastering after bounce.

[TheReptilianElite]

Also, does anyone have any clue on the relation to using ableton a spectrum in relation to EQ8? I have trouble with visual vs using my ears.

[Brothulhu]

Looking for more punchy stuff. Think knife party skrillex kick and snare.

Search for Halftone on here

[Add9]

Thanks for the response. I've been just going nuts and random with drum samples. Any suggestions of the best drum sample packs? Heard vengeance is good. I currently use gold baby and zenhiser.

Looking for more punchy stuff. Think knife party skrillex kick and snare.

Anyone else have good info tips on EQ/mix? Mostly looking for setting it up for a master. Also using izotope for mastering after bounce.

I use vengeance samples a lot, they are quality but layering is important. Usually for my kicks I'll take an attack from one sample that I like and layer it with another sample that's more subby. Then put some compression and maybe a little overdrive to make it gel together, eq to take out unneccessary midrange, and it sounds pretty good. Honestly I don't do much processing on kick drums.

Then if you want the punchy skrillex snare you can take a tom sample that happens to hit at around 200-230 hz. Then layer that with a regular snare and find something with a nice punchy attack to layer with it (this could be a tom, or a snare, or even the front end of a kick). But the tom is very important, if you listen to a lot of brostep, the snare hits hardest right around 200-230 hz.

[Crimsonghost]

Try to focus more of finding a good sample that goes with the song instead of trying to force a bunch of shit samples to sound good. That's not to say you should never layer, but just think about why your layering and what you want each sound to bring to the track.

And as others have said, just look for general mixing tips/tutorials. And try to pay attention to where your elements are sitting in the frequency spectrum i.e. kick @100hz, snare @200@, ect.

[TheReptilianElite]

Thanks guys!

I've been reading so many stupid producers who are using 3-5 kicks and just the same for snares. I just find that technique (if it even is one) to be ridiculous to the tenth.

So another question: izotope vs. ableton plugs for mastering a mix?

Also do you guys group you wobbles/lfo modulated tracks and add EQ to the group channel?

I have a 3 track wobble/modulated/automated section that I use eq8 to mod the frequencies. Just wondering if it makes sense to creat a group for that and add EQ to the group rather then the individual tracks. Another words, I already utilize eq8 to create formant growls, etc. if I low pass/high pass on those modulated eq8s it kills the intensity.

[Add9]

Thanks guys!

I've been reading so many stupid producers who are using 3-5 kicks and just the same for snares. I just find that technique (if it even is one) to be ridiculous to the tenth.

So another question: izotope vs. ableton plugs for mastering a mix?

Also do you guys group you wobbles/lfo modulated tracks and add EQ to the group channel?

I have a 3 track wobble/modulated/automated section that I use eq8 to mod the frequencies. Just wondering if it makes sense to creat a group for that and add EQ to the group rather then the individual tracks. Another words, I already utilize eq8 to create formant growls, etc. if I low pass/high pass on those modulated eq8s it kills the intensity.

Yeah I group all my basses so I can hi-pass them all at the same frequency (usually 100 hz or so). I don't ever use the same eq for hi-passing or low-passing as I do for eq modulation, but I don't see why you couldn't do that. Why would hi-passing kill the intensity of a formant growl... unless you're hi-passing at a really high frequency the growl should be intact.

[TheReptilianElite]

I guess bc what to normally do is create a patch in fM8. Then I'll add an EQ8 (vowel frequency preset in ableton) and start assigning macros to each independent frequency across all 4 bands. That way I can really get the growl out. But I noticed when I apply a 2nd to the track it totally changes the sound completely. Unless I'm not doing it right somewhere beforehand. Basically I modeled it around the drops in Skrillex "scary monsters". The track. Not the entire album. I can only really hear a few synths happening but they all sound so thick and deep.

Maybe I'm doing things wrong. Suggestions/corrections are always valued and welcome.

[fragments]

Thanks guys!

I've been reading so many stupid producers who are using 3-5 kicks and just the same for snares. I just find that technique (if it even is one) to be ridiculous to the tenth.

I rarely layer more than two kicks or snares together, very rarely I'll go for three if I want a really, really banging perc sound. I find if you do the sound starts to eat the whole frequency spectrum and you have to EQ it anyway. A lot of the "general wisdom" floating around about these topics seems to include a lot of redundant layering and processing.

Pick/design good sounds and plan how they are going to fit together in the mix. Don't pick/create a bunch of random sounds then EQ the shit out of them. Don't distort/process/over-FX/layer everything until every sound eats 3/4 of the frequency spectrum.

Picking/designing the right sounds, minimal EQing, thought full gain staging, and a little bit of compression here and there is all you need to get a big, wide punchy mix. Yes, we've got a giant ocean of fancy VST tools, but people made awesome, modern sounding music w/o all that nonsense. Too many tools get used just for the sake of using them.

[TheReptilianElite]

Thanks guys!

I've been reading so many stupid producers who are using 3-5 kicks and just the same for snares. I just find that technique (if it even is one) to be ridiculous to the tenth.

I rarely layer more than two kicks or snares together, very rarely I'll go for three if I want a really, really banging perc sound. I find if you do the sound starts to eat the whole frequency spectrum and you have to EQ it anyway. A lot of the "general wisdom" floating around about these topics seems to include a lot of redundant layering and processing.

Pick/design good sounds and plan how they are going to fit together in the mix. Don't pick/create a bunch of random sounds then EQ the shit out of them. Don't distort/process/over-FX/layer everything until every sound eats 3/4 of the frequency spectrum.

Picking/designing the right sounds, minimal EQing, thought full gain staging, and a little bit of compression here and there is all you need to get a big, wide punchy mix. Yes, we've got a giant ocean of fancy VST tools, but people made awesome, modern sounding music w/o all that nonsense. Too many tools get used just for the sake of using them.

Couldn't agree more! And I thought I was doing stuff wrong. Sometimes I guess it pays to just not listen to some "pros" and go with guts.

[fragments]

Thanks guys!

I've been reading so many stupid producers who are using 3-5 kicks and just the same for snares. I just find that technique (if it even is one) to be ridiculous to the tenth.

I rarely layer more than two kicks or snares together, very rarely I'll go for three if I want a really, really banging perc sound. I find if you do the sound starts to eat the whole frequency spectrum and you have to EQ it anyway. A lot of the "general wisdom" floating around about these topics seems to include a lot of redundant layering and processing.

Pick/design good sounds and plan how they are going to fit together in the mix. Don't pick/create a bunch of random sounds then EQ the shit out of them. Don't distort/process/over-FX/layer everything until every sound eats 3/4 of the frequency spectrum.

Picking/designing the right sounds, minimal EQing, thought full gain staging, and a little bit of compression here and there is all you need to get a big, wide punchy mix. Yes, we've got a giant ocean of fancy VST tools, but people made awesome, modern sounding music w/o all that nonsense. Too many tools get used just for the sake of using them.

Couldn't agree more! And I thought I was doing stuff wrong. Sometimes I guess it pays to just not listen to some "pros" and go with guts.

Don't get me wrong--some people can pull off all that super complex stuff, but I don't think a lot of amateurs know why they are doing something they just think they are supposed to, so they do.

Personally, I don't do well with really complex processing and all the side chain, stereo width tool, dimension expander, enhance/distort boost everything mumbo jumbo. Sometimes I read threads where people are asking for help and the second thing they've done processing wise has canceled out the first thing they've done and the third thing they've done reintroduces what the first thing has done that was canceled out by the second thing.

Point is. Keep it simple and know why your doing everything. The biggest mistakes I made during my thesis defense were not knowing why I had made a choice in my work. Experienced and talented people (despite what they may say in interviews/on camera) know why they are doing everything. There are no random choices, but sometimes happy accidents.