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[FiRez]

I bought the AKAI Mini and I've been playing around with the DAW that comes included with it: Ignite, it's probably the most user friendly DAW I've used yet, so far I've this:

edit: reuploading because the encoder totally ruined the last part
edit2: fixed: http://firez-tbr.tumblr.com/post/72794936470/wip-2

Can I get some feedback on it? I'm extremely noob, so sorry beforehand, if this rather laughable, I've some segments that sound better but I still don't know how to "connect them" with the rest of the song, some others don't even match the rythm but I've not discarded them because I came up with them by pure chance.

 

[BlueSteel]

What is everyone doing to get a good and balanced mix?

I'm really trying to figure out how to set up a good routine. What I've been doing in the recent past is to fire up a spectrum analyzer (voxengo span) and just seeing where the frequencies are for each instrument and track, then just kind of EQing willy nilly until I can hear everything.

I figure there's got to be a LOT more right?

 

[thezerofire]

Would anyone know why my Korg Volcas are so much quieter through my audio interface than they are just with headphones plugged in? Scarlett 6i6 for the interface, btw

 

[soundahfekz]

Don't really share really often but a quick snip of a track

https://soundcloud.com/soundahfekz/nsy-snip

 

[neos]

What is everyone doing to get a good and balanced mix?

I'm really trying to figure out how to set up a good routine. What I've been doing in the recent past is to fire up a spectrum analyzer (voxengo span) and just seeing where the frequencies are for each instrument and track, then just kind of EQing willy nilly until I can hear everything.

I figure there's got to be a LOT more right?

Don't forget to pan your instruments, sometimes is the only way to let your track breathe!

 

[Cidfox]

What is everyone doing to get a good and balanced mix?

I'm really trying to figure out how to set up a good routine. What I've been doing in the recent past is to fire up a spectrum analyzer (voxengo span) and just seeing where the frequencies are for each instrument and track, then just kind of EQing willy nilly until I can hear everything.

I figure there's got to be a LOT more right?

I think one of the biggest things that help mixes is subtractive eqing. If it's not your kick or subs you want to cut all the low end out. around 100 hz and up depending on the instrument. sub cut is around 40hz. kick around 60hz. Also you want to cut out any high end that might be on your basses. I will do hi cuts until I notice the sound is changing. then I pull back a tad. We just had a mixing session with a great friend of ours who helped make one of our new tracks really stand out. here's the link. As neo said as well you want to take advantage of your stereo area. pan stuff and if you have a sick lead that's layered make some of them hit the sides while the main one hits the center like a fucking brick to the face. just remember that when you're done mixing you want to make sure you give your mastering engineer around 4.5-6db headroom to work with. So your highest point in your mix shouldn't go above that point.

https://soundcloud.com/officialgoldenfox/not-coming-down-candyland-zak

 

[Professor Chaos]

What is everyone doing to get a good and balanced mix?

I'm really trying to figure out how to set up a good routine. What I've been doing in the recent past is to fire up a spectrum analyzer (voxengo span) and just seeing where the frequencies are for each instrument and track, then just kind of EQing willy nilly until I can hear everything.

I figure there's got to be a LOT more right?

You could do a lot worse than starting to watch Pensado's Place. It's one of the best mixing resources on the internet. Check out the Into the Lair where he covers a specific mixing problem each episode.

And this is not just directed to you, every producer could learn something from this, I highly recommend it to everybody.

 

[Fusebox]

Y'all seen the first pic of the new TR-08 drum machine from Roland? I'm on mobile so can't post the pic directly but it's halfway down the page here as an attachment, post 459.

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/elec...-new-roland-hardware-aira-19.html#post9757101

Looks absolutely superb for my workflow!!

 

[lil smoke]

You could do a lot worse than starting to watch Pensado's Place. It's one of the best mixing resources on the internet. Check out the Into the Lair where he covers a specific mixing problem each episode.

And this is not just directed to you, every producer could learn something from this, I highly recommend it to everybody.

I love when Pensado listens to something and gets that twinkle in his eye.

Recently started watching, what a great and generous guy.

I wish this thread were more active.

 

[deli2000]

Fuck it. I'll post a rough demo here: www.soundcloud.com/ekochambermusic/hustle-demo

 

[lil smoke]

What is everyone doing to get a good and balanced mix?

I'm really trying to figure out how to set up a good routine. What I've been doing in the recent past is to fire up a spectrum analyzer (voxengo span) and just seeing where the frequencies are for each instrument and track, then just kind of EQing willy nilly until I can hear everything.

I figure there's got to be a LOT more right?

Try setting balances in mono without using EQ first. Try drums loud, music at conversation level. See if you can get good balance before touching EQ and comps via arrangement.

 

[Fusebox]

Are you referring to stereo balance or gain staging? Getting a good stereo balance is an important way to make space, two hard panned parts don't have frequency clashes, but I wouldn't recommend doing it all in mono. Check the master in mono occasionally to hear how it all sits though. For gain staging, I start by getting all my parts bouncing up to about -12db and no higher, except for the kick which sits at about -6db and then I adjust from there, but this usually leaves me just the right amount of headroom at the master.

Edit: this is for house music, not for rock.

Also, TR-08 people! TB-03 to be announced very shortly as well.

And now a redesigned Sub Phatty pops it's head up!

http://forum.moogmusic.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21222

Oh yes.

 

[cory64]

latest

 

[neos]

Fuck it. I'll post a rough demo here: www.soundcloud.com/ekochambermusic/hustle-demo

Not my genre, but that sounded good. I'd like a bit more warmth on the bassline, make it more present. Maybe just personal taste.

My latest
https://soundcloud.com/blindzoom/veronican-rhapsody-original
this was made on commission and made me earn 5€, i'm not very happy of this because it lacks on structure, i feel it doesn't have a proper theme, but my friend was satisfied so here it is.

Now i've restarded working on a ff7 remix i've been working on since maybe 2010, i left it a year ago and reopened the project yesterday,and god what were i doing, it was messy as hell. Took me a day just to figure out which devices where doing what.....

 

[BlueSteel]

Thanks for all the advice guys! Definitely picking up some new things, and I'll be watching pensado's videos for sure.

 

[Fusebox]

2 more days until NAMM starts, c'mon Roland TR-08 don't disappoint:

I suspect roland will also be showing off early prototypes of SH-101, TB-303 and RE Space Echo remakes - hey a guy can dream can't he?

Moog Sub 37 artist mockup based on the Moog PDF panel release looks wicked:

Nord have announced the new A1 modeling synth YAAAAAWN, sorry.

And Blofeld are teasing a new product to be shown at NAMM too, kind of reminds me of the Rocket from this glimpse:

Izotope teasing a new plug, possibly BTs break tweaker or a soft synth:

And Rob Papen will be showing off his blue II plug as well.

And personably I'm super interested in Unit Audios new analogue summing boxes, something typically well outside my price range but these guys are doing hand wired boxes for a song:

 

[Professor Chaos]

And a Bitwig release date? They're probably going to steal the show if they do announce it. I'm a little past the hype for it by now, but I'd definitely like to check it out some day.

 

[Fusebox]

Hahah, yep Bitwig will be there showing their DAW, same as last year and the year before. Have we ever seen a product release stretched over 3 NAMMs before? Anyway my bitwig hype has cooled a lot too since moving to Studio One but this should definitely be the year bitwig announces pricing and release.

 

[Fusebox]

Thought this might be interesting. My setup a year ago...

My setup now...

Replaced my synth army with a Virus Ti2, replaced my rack with a smaller soundcard and a stack of Waves plugs, replaced my desktop with a laptop so I can get up and take my DAW and whatever song I'm working on with me and my workflow has gone through the roof. Also I don't miss ANY of those synths, the only synth I sort of miss is my eurorack but that was a bitch to use anyway, even if it did sound like Gods own vocal fry:

 

[TheHollowNight]

Working on a new track. Sort of rough at the moment in terms of mixing & direction. Looking to add some vocal samples next, before I do anything else.

https://soundcloud.com/axionmusic/meridian/s-mizlW

 

[Sadsic]

Working on a new track. Sort of rough at the moment in terms of mixing & direction. Looking to add some vocal samples next, before I do anything else.

https://soundcloud.com/axionmusic/meridian/s-mizlW

this is a pretty cool thing, but i think maybe the chords sound a little too simple? otherwise i think its kinda magnificent

heres a thing ive been working on over the weekend

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/40086894/Denial Brand (ft. Fifi Rong).mp3

 

[thezerofire]

have to shell out for real ableton today, not looking forward to the hit on my bank account lol

 

[Fusebox]

have to shell out for real ableton today, not looking forward to the hit on my bank account lol

Nice one. Hit the track limit with Lite? I have a soft spot for Ableton. If I was performing live I would probably be using it still, it's an awesome performance DAW but they just couldn't get the plug-in delay compensation sorted out properly so I sold mine, the sound quality just wasn't up to par with other DAWs. Not sure if that's been sorted yet.

 

[thezerofire]

Nice one. Hit the track limit with Lite? I have a soft spot for Ableton. If I was performing live I would probably be using it still, it's an awesome performance DAW but they just couldn't get the plug-in delay compensation sorted out properly so I sold mine, the sound quality just wasn't up to par with other DAWs. Not sure if that's been sorted yet.

I've been using the 30 day trial for Live 9 Suite and it's up. I really like all the default instruments/effects they give you and the tons of samples

 

[Fusebox]

Yeah Ableton Suite sure is loaded up alright, stacks of sounds and there's some great inbuilt synths and effects too. Enjoy man, plenty of Ableton users here too so hit us up if you have any technical q's.

 

[gryz]

i have hundreds of dollars of gear and software but use nothing but the Korg 3DS M01 program now

 

[Fusebox]

Hundreds?! That must be quite the professional studio.

Why exclusively produce on the 3DS though? I find limitations can definitely foster creativity but there's still a limit to how much I'd limit myself and you're definitely pushing that limit to the limit.

 

[thezerofire]

Hundreds?! That must be quite the professional studio.

Why exclusively produce on the 3DS though? I find limitations can definitely foster creativity but there's still a limit to how much I'd limit myself and you're definitely pushing that limit to the limit.

think I'm basically set in terms of hardware for now, but I've got my eye on the MS-20. My Volca Beats and Bass get it done for the present

 

[Outdoor Miner]

Thought this might be interesting. My setup a year ago...

My setup now...

Replaced my synth army with a Virus Ti2, replaced my rack with a smaller soundcard and a stack of Waves plugs, replaced my desktop with a laptop so I can get up and take my DAW and whatever song I'm working on with me and my workflow has gone through the roof. Also I don't miss ANY of those synths, the only synth I sort of miss is my eurorack but that was a bitch to use anyway, even if it did sound like Gods own vocal fry:

Turn in your analog lovin' card NOW.

 

[Fusebox]

Turn in your analog lovin' card NOW.

Haha, I got a lifetime ban from the analog club and they already cut my card up!

I still have a hard on for all things analog though and I'll probably pick up another analog desktop module someday, I'm keeping an eye on the Xenophone at the moment:

http://www.hypersynth.com/xenophone.html

Looks amazing on paper, love the fact they've announced a matching VST plug but I'm yet to hear an audio demo which blows me away. Still a bit of time to go before they release it though.

 

[Tr4nce]

Good to see this thread is still alive. Haven't got the time to check it out often but I'm glad to see the usual suspects and also new people posting. Fusebox, setup looks great. Keep up what you're doing everyone. Eventually you will hopefully get there. For me personally things are going great. Was asked to do a remix for Roald Velden's 'Last Flight Home' and also we did a collab together. Cheers everyone.

 

[Professor Chaos]

Bitwig release date and price announced. 26th March $399/€299

That's not exactly the buy me now price I was hoping for

 

[thezerofire]

Bitwig release date and price announced. 26th March $399/€299

That's not exactly the buy me now price I was hoping for

Is the daw really good? I've been learning Ableton but haven't purchased yet

 

[lil smoke]

Is the daw really good? I've been learning Ableton but haven't purchased yet

Ugh, I would not trust a new DAW. They takes decades to mature.

 

[thezerofire]

Ugh, I would not trust a new DAW. They takes decades to mature.

that's kinda what I was thinking

 

[lil smoke]

That price is ridiculous too.

Why the heck would I invest 400 into an unproven DAW?

Maybe there's something I'm not getting here.

I use Cubase but Reaper seems to be a very good and affordable DAW, has a great community base as well.

 

[Professor Chaos]

Is the daw really good? I've been learning Ableton but haven't purchased yet

I would stick with Ableton if you enjoy using it.

That price is ridiculous too.

Why the heck would I invest 400 into an unproven DAW?

Maybe there's something I'm not getting here.

One of the main reasons I'm excited about it it is that it will be (I don't think at launch) completely modular under the hood, so you can take apart their devices and make/share your own new instruments and effects etc. Obviously there are applications that allow you to do this already, like Max for Live or Reaktor, but it's the first time it has been implemented in a DAW.

 

[Fusebox]

Is the daw really good? I've been learning Ableton but haven't purchased yet

If they hit all their targets then yes, this DAW will be the shit and half the employees are ex-Ableton so there's no reason to think there's gonna be a 10 year wait until it gets good.

Personally for me it's all just a little too late, my hype has been and gone and I'm so happy with my workflow in Studio one I couldn't imagine changing again. Having said that though I'm definitely gonna be checking out the demo.

If you haven't pulled the trigger on Ableton yet I say don't, wait until some reviews land for Bitwig, it could be just what you need,

 

[thezerofire]

If they hit all their targets then yes, this DAW will be the shit and half the employees are ex-Ableton so there's no reason to think there's gonna be a 10 year wait until it gets good.

Personally for me it's all just a little too late, my hype has been and gone and I'm so happy with my workflow in Studio one I couldn't imagine changing again. Having said that though I'm definitely gonna be checking out the demo.

If you haven't pulled the trigger on Ableton yet I say don't, wait until some reviews land for Bitwig, it could be just what you need,

I guess I'll just fire up the Lite version that came with my Scarlett then, there's no way I can go two months without a DAW

 

[Servbot24]

Planning to get a Novation Impulse 61 soon. Seems to be the way to go since I prefer piano keys. Also going to get the standard Shure SM58, and I already have an Apogee One for the interface. That should cover my basic needs right? I'll get monitors later but will just use my headphones for now.

 

[Professor Chaos]

iZotope Break Tweaker. This thing looks insanely good. I can't wait to demo this badboy.

 

[thezerofire]

iZotope Break Tweaker. This thing looks insanely good. I can't wait to demo this badboy.

wow, that's incredible

 

[Fusebox]

Haha, I played with the BT demo for 5 minutes and then bought the full version straight away! It's amazing for making complex percussion parts in record time. Probably one of the most useful plugs I've bought in yonks and easily my fave NAMM software.

With Breaktweaker, Nicky Romeros Kick and Kickstart plugins (ignore the name, the plugs are killer) and Chris Lord Alges Waves drum mixing plugin I can spit out a chunky, evolving house beat faster than it takes for an analog synth to warm up.

 

[J10]

That UI is horrendous looking.

 

[Fusebox]

Doesn't bother me. Looks like they nicked omnispheres color scheme and the UI needs to be scalable so I can see all 8 bars at once but in terms of usability the UI is fantastic.

Other things I like from NAMM:

Apollo twin desktop soundcard - if I wasn't already invested in waves and if I needed a new soundcard I'd be all over this DSP thunderbolt bad boy.

Softube console 1 software and controller - looks like killer workflow, bet it sounds wicked too but I've already got all the SSL bits and pieces with other software. I think dedicated hardware controllers for VSTs are a brilliant idea.

Behringer X touch - screw mackie, if I wanted a DAW controller for mixing I would buy this in a second.

Sub 37 - possibly my fave moog of all time in terms of sound! features and looks. If I wanted an analog mono synth right now it'd be top of the list

 

[Mecha]

So what's a good way to get into mixing? Are there any good books to read or solid starter equipment?

 

[Fusebox]

Mixing in what context? Mixing two tunes like a DJ or mixing an electronic tune you made or mixing a band?

 

[Mecha]

Mixing in what context? Mixing two tunes like a DJ or mixing an electronic tune you made or mixing a band?

Sorry that I wasn't clear, mixing a band.

 

[Outdoor Miner]

Watching the SonicState Moog Sub 37 preview. Dear god that is one beautiful fucking piece of hardware.

 

[silentcapybara]

Haha, I played with the BT demo for 5 minutes and then bought the full version straight away! It's amazing for making complex percussion parts in record time. Probably one of the most useful plugs I've bought in yonks and easily my fave NAMM software.

With Breaktweaker, Nicky Romeros Kick and Kickstart plugins (ignore the name, the plugs are killer) and Chris Lord Alges Waves drum mixing plugin I can spit out a chunky, evolving house beat faster than it takes for an analog synth to warm up.

Are you on a Mac? When I download the demo from the site, it only downloads the wav file content, not the application itself. Do you know why this might be?