5 Tips for Getting Better Mix Balances
Summary
TLDRJustin de Sonic Scoop comparte valiosos consejos sobre la fundamentación de la mezcla de sonido, específicamente la importancia de establecer equilibrios. Destaca la necesidad de prepararse antes de comenzar a mezclar, asegurándose de que las ediciones y compuestos vocales estén finalizados y de establecer rutas de efectos en avance. Sugiere comenzar con los elementos más importantes de la mezcla, ya sea la batería, las vocales o cualquier otro que sea crucial para la canción. Justin aconseja no confiar automáticamente en que los tambores son el punto de partida, sino considerar la importancia de cada elemento en particular. Ofrece técnicas para encontrar los niveles adecuados de volumen y resalta la importancia de tener cabida de cabeza en la mezcla para evitar distorsiones y peores resultados. Finalmente, recomienda escuchar la mezcla lejos del control para obtener una perspectiva fresca y hacer ajustes más precisos.
Takeaways
- 🎛️ Primero prepare y luego mezcle: Es importante tener todas las ediciones y compuestos listos antes de entrar en modo de mezcla.
- 🔄 Comience con los elementos más importantes: Identifique y establezca primero los elementos más cruciales de su mezcla, ya sea la batería, la voz principal o cualquier otro.
- 📊 Establezca niveles sin usar EQ o panning: Intente configurar los niveles de forma que priorice y no utilice ajustes de ecualización o panorámica al principio.
- 🎚️ Utilice la técnica de niveles extremos: Suba el fader hasta que suene demasiado fuerte y luego ajuste hacia abajo hasta encontrar el nivel adecuado.
- 🔩 Coloque el compresor en el bus temprano: Utilice un compresor en el bus para mezclar y permitir que las cosas suenen más sueltas y naturales.
- 📉 Deje headroom en la mezcla: Asegúrese de tener espacio en la mezcla para evitar distorsiones y poder ajustar adecuadamente los niveles.
- ⏪ Revisar la mezcla sin estar en los controles: Escuche su mezcla lejos de los controles para ganar una perspectiva fresca y detectar áreas que requieran ajuste.
- 🛋️ Tomar un descanso y escuchar la mezcla de otra manera: Permita que la mezcla se enfríe mientras se toma un tiempo para escucharla de una manera diferente.
- 🔁 No se apresure y tome su tiempo: La mezcla es un proceso que requiere tiempo y atención detallada para ajustar los niveles adecuadamente.
- 🔧 Utilice herramientas como plantillas de efectos: Prepararse con herramientas y plantillas de efecto puede ayudar a ahorrar tiempo y mantener la concentración en la mezcla.
- 🔁 Comience con un enfoque iterativo: Agregue elementos uno por uno, ajustando los niveles para que cada uno encaje bien en la mezcla.
- ⚙️ Considere la dinámica del elemento: Si encuentra una gran diferencia entre lo que suena demasiado fuerte y lo que suena demasiado bajo, puede necesitar ajustar la compresión o la dinámica del track.
Q & A
¿Por qué es importante establecer los balances en la mezcla de sonido?
-Establecer los balances es fundamental en la mezcla de sonido porque permite ajustar los niveles para que nada esté demasiado bajo o demasiado alto, asegurando que todas las partes se ajusten bien entre sí.
¿Por qué Justin sugiere prepararse antes de comenzar a mezclar?
-Justin sugiere prepararse primero porque permite enfocarse completamente en la tarea de mezclar sin distracciones, como componer voces o editar, que podrían interferir en el proceso creativo.
¿Qué incluye la preparación antes de la mezcla según el script?
-La preparación incluye asegurarse de que las ediciones estén hechas, establecer efectos de envío y retorno, y posiblemente crear una plantilla de efectos para enviar a reverbs y demoras, y configurar buses para grupos de instrumentos específicos.
¿Cuál es la primera estrategia que Justin menciona para comenzar a establecer balances?
-La primera estrategia mencionada es lanzar todas las palancas de audio y comenzar a trabajar inmediatamente, lo que es especialmente efectivo en tableros de mezcla analógicos.
¿Cuál es la segunda estrategia para establecer balances que recomienda Justin y por qué es útil?
-La segunda estrategia es comenzar con los elementos más importantes de la mezcla, lo que es especialmente útil para ingenieros de mezcla en las primeras décadas de su carrera, ya que permite establecer primero los sonidos principales y luego ajustar el resto en torno a ellos.
¿Por qué es recomendable no confiar automáticamente en que los drums son el elemento más importante al establecer balances?
-Es recomendable no confiar automáticamente en los drums como el elemento más importante porque, dependiendo de la canción, el elemento central podría ser la voz principal, una guitarra acustica o el bajo, entre otros.
¿Cómo sugiere Justin establecer los niveles de audio cuando se encuentra en duda?
-Justin sugiere subir el fader hasta que el sonido sea demasiado fuerte, luego reducirlo hasta el punto en que su instinto le diga que es razonable, y finalmente ajustarlo hasta encontrar el nivel correcto entre los niveles demasiado altos y demasiado bajos.
¿Por qué es beneficioso utilizar un compresor de bus en la mezcla?
-Un compresor de bus es beneficioso porque puede mejorar el sonido, permitir un mayor control sobre los niveles de audio y proporcionar una mezcla más armoniosa y coherente.
¿Qué ventaja ofrece el compresor de bus al permitir ajustar los niveles de audio de manera más instintiva?
-El compresor de bus permite ajustar los niveles de audio de manera más instintiva y exagerada sin tener que preocuparse por el control total de los niveles, ya que el compresor restringirá ligeramente los niveles al final.
¿Qué sugiere Justin que haga si se encuentra en una situación en la que todo suena demasiado fuerte o demasiado débil en la mezcla?
-Si todo suena demasiado fuerte o demasiado débil, Justin sugiere bajar todos los niveles y luego subir el nivel del elemento que desea que sea más fuerte, para regresar a una posición con headroom y poder ajustar mejor la mezcla.
¿Qué ventaja tiene escuchar la mezcla sin estar en los controles?
-Escuchar la mezcla sin estar en los controles permite obtener una perspectiva nueva y fresca, lo que puede hacer que se identifiquen decisiones obvias y ajustes de balance que no se notaron mientras se mezclaba.
¿Por qué es importante tener headroom en la mezcla?
-Tener headroom en la mezcla es importante para evitar el clipping y para asegurar que todos los elementos tengan espacio para ser ajustados y se puedan escuchar claramente sin saturar el master fader.
Outlines
🎙️ Fundamentos del balance de mezcla: preparación y enfoque
Justin, de Sonic Scoop, habla desde Joe Lambert Mastering sobre la importancia del balance en la mezcla. Destaca la necesidad de prepararse antes de comenzar a mezclar, evitando tareas como comping de voces o edición mientras se mezcla. Se enfatiza en la importancia de concentrarse únicamente en los balances y en los efectos secundarios. Además, discute la estrategia de comenzar por los elementos más importantes de la mezcla, ya sea la batería, las voces o cualquier otro sonido que sea central para la canción, antes de ajustar los niveles de los demás elementos.
🎚️ Ajuste de niveles y técnicas para mantener la perspectiva
Se discuten técnicas para ajustar los niveles de manera efectiva y mantener la perspectiva durante la mezcla. Se sugiere comenzar con el nivel demasiado alto y luego reducir hasta un punto razonable, lo que ayuda a determinar el nivel óptimo. También se aborda la importancia de utilizar el compresor en el bus temprano en el proceso de mezcla para obtener un sonido más natural y dinámico. Finalmente, se recomienda dejar headroom en la mezcla para evitar distorsiones y se insiste en la ventaja de escuchar la mezcla lejos del panel de controles para obtener una perspectiva fresca y hacer ajustes más precisos.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Balances
💡Mixing
💡Preparation
💡Faders
💡Drum Tone
💡Lead Vocal
💡EQ Adjustments
💡Buss Compressor
💡Headroom
💡Listening Perspective
💡Mixing Career
Highlights
Preparation is crucial before starting to mix. Ensure all edits are done and focus solely on balancing.
Setting up effect sends, returns, and possibly a custom effects template can streamline the mixing process.
When setting balances, there are two main approaches: starting with all faders up or beginning with the most important elements.
For new mix engineers, it's recommended to start with the most important elements in the mix, such as drums or vocals.
Identifying the central element of a mix is key before adding other elements and adjusting their levels.
Use level adjustments to prioritize elements in the mix, aiming for 70-85% of the desired balance before introducing EQ and panning.
When unsure of a level, bring the fader up until it's too loud, then adjust back to a reasonable level.
A large gap between too quiet and too loud may indicate the need for additional processing or compression.
Applying a buss compressor early in the mix can help control overall levels and allow for more creative fader movements.
Headroom is important; avoid clipping the master fader by adjusting levels and not over-amplifying elements.
Listening to the mix away from the controls, such as during a walk, can provide new perspective and clarity on balance decisions.
Mixing courses are in development to help individuals improve their skills and achieve their desired level of expertise.
Subscribing to Sonic Scoop on YouTube and their website provides access to a wealth of mixing resources, tutorials, and industry insights.
The importance of not getting ahead of oneself and focusing on achieving a solid foundation in balance before introducing additional effects.
The strategy of starting with the lead vocal or another prominent instrument to establish a strong foundation in the mix.
The concept of 'window dressing' in mixing, which refers to the aesthetic and technical aspects that come after establishing balance.
The suggestion to use a buss compressor not just for sound enhancement but also to help with overall level management during the mix.
The advice on giving oneself headroom in the mix to prevent distortion and maintain control over individual element levels.
Transcripts
hi this is Justin from sonic scoop
coming at you from Joe Lambert mastering
today when I talk to you about one of
the foundations of mixing setting
balances
setting balances should be easy right I
mean this is basically the most
fundamental task in mixing you are
adjusting levels making sure nothing's
too quiet nothing's too loud that all
the pieces fit together nicely
unfortunately setting balances can
sometimes make people want to pull their
hair out it's easy to lose perspective
and I want to talk to a few ways to make
sure you can keep perspective and make
sure that you're going to be really
effective in setting balances throughout
your mix session
all right so item number one prepare
first then mix this is huge
not enough people do it you don't want
to be comping vocals doing edits while
you're mixing generally you're going to
get the most mileage if you are able to
fully engage with one task and right now
the task is mixing it's not comping
vocals it's not editing it's not ideally
making too many arrangement decisions at
this point it really is supposed to be
just focusing on balances and then the
effects and window dressing so make sure
you're prepared first make sure your
edits are done before you're getting
your mind into mix mode this also
includes things like setting up your
effects sends and returns it might be
helpful for you to make your own effects
template where you're sending out to
anywhere between one to three reverbs
one two three delays maybe you have some
busses set up for specific instrument
groups that might have compressors or
uqs on them but the idea is if you can
do a lot of this routing in advance as
well you'll be able to just focus on the
creative aesthetic and technical aspect
of mixing getting all that out of the
way so that's not true trick if you can
force yourself to do that first you're
going to be in a much better position
and then there's question number two
where do I start there's a couple of
different ways to approach where you
should start in setting balances there
are two main schools of thought here one
is throw up all the faders and just
start working and there are some mix
engineers or do very well with this
technique this works better if you're on
an analog mixing board than if you're in
the computer
I think but a lot of other mixing
engineers take a different strategy and
this is a strategy I'd strongly
recommend especially when you're in the
first decade or so of your mixing career
and that is to start with your most
important elements now often enough
people just go into drums or just go
into the kick drum
but the question should be is that your
most important element and on some mix
as the answer is going to be yes the
drums are such a central element along
with the vocals you want to establish a
big you know honking drum tone first and
then you're putting other things around
that big primary piece of the puzzle
with a kick in the snare sounding really
nice and then fitting other things
around and making sure nothing is
detracting from the beat but that's not
the case with all mixes and I know some
engineers who have great success also
starting with the lead vocal and some
engineers will switch back and forth
between these two methods I mean if the
most important elements in your mix or
the lead vocal and the gorgeous acoustic
guitar sound those are the sounds to
establish first and then fit in
everything around those sounds so I hope
that makes sense
start with your most important element
don't just think automatically that's
the drums it may be but it could also be
a vocal acoustic guitar or bass really
anything that said yeah most commonly
for most engineers it's going to be
drums it's going to be vocals see how
far you can get add in one element after
another not using EQ adjustments not
using panning adjustments and just
trying to set levels that really forces
you to prioritize you should be getting
yourself hopefully 70 75 80 85 percent
of the way there just at this stage
that's your foundation and everything
else is window dressing and stage
lighting and and all that's really
important as well for a nicely polished
finish aesthetic work but don't get
ahead of yourself focus on your balances
first before you start breaking out all
these other tools from the toolbox quick
tip number three setting balances is
really about honing in on the
right level chances are you're not going
to get there the first time so whenever
you're in doubt about the level for a
particular fate or particular element
try this
bring your fader up until that sound is
too loud you're going to know when it's
too loud your instincts will tell you
and then tuck it back from there till
just where you've crossed that rare
threshold where you feel like okay now
it's reasonable good from there pull
down your fader until you're in a place
where it's clearly too quiet all right
it's just not working right just too low
all right now scoot it back up until
you've just gotten into a place where it
sounds pretty much reasonable all right
so now that you have a quiet level and a
hot level establish that are kind of
reasonable and work you know that where
you want to be is somewhere between
those two if it's a very narrow gap good
you're probably in a place where you
don't need to do too much additional
processing on that element if you've got
a really big gap between what sounds too
quiet and what sounds too loud maybe
there's too much dynamics in that
element and you'll want to maybe dig in
on some individual track compression or
think about your buss compressor
settings and seeing if they're at an
appropriate place quick tip number four
this one bears repeating if you're going
to mix through a buss compressor put it
on early and mix into that buss
compressor it can be really fun to mix
them do a buss compressor not just
because compressors can sound pretty
cool on the bus and they can but also
because instead of feeling like you have
to turn everything down you kind of get
to push things up a little bit more and
you can be a little bit more loose and
instinctual with some of your fader
settings and you can do kind of more
exaggerated fader rides with your bus
compressor kind of reeling you in a
little bit at the end alright and the
last quick tip for today give yourself
Headroom in the mix if you find yourself
in a position where you've put in your
most important element and now you're
putting in other sounds louder than them
and now you're trying to make your most
important
louder again and now you're trying to
make everything louder and louder and
now you're clipping the master fader and
everything is a mess and you can't get
anything loud enough and you can't hear
anything well if you're doing that you
probably didn't listen to the first few
tips and didn't abide by them but if you
find yourself in that position just turn
everything down bring the element that
you want louder up and now you're back
in a place where you have Headroom again
you can do this in Pro Tools by turning
on your all group using your trim tool
and turning down everything at once and
then take that element that you can't
get loud enough and just bring that one
element up another great step that can
work is to listen to the mix when you're
not at the controls we do some of our
best mixing when we're not mixing so
force yourself to lie down on the couch
in the back of the room or put your
current working mix on your phone and
put some earphones on and listen to it
taking a walk around the block you will
immediately hear obvious things obvious
choices you should make obvious balanced
decisions when you're really listening
for once and not just fiddling ideally
you can bring that kind of perspective
into your practice so that you can get
into that mode at the console or at the
mouse whatever you happen to be using
but even if you're able to do that quite
well can really help to get away from
the mix stop fiddling knobs sit on the
couch walk around all the sudden you'll
find yourself listening in a new way new
perspective and you'll know immediately
what you should do I guarantee it
alright if you enjoyed these quick tips
for today make sure you subscribe right
here on youtube also go to sonic scoop
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been Justin Coletti for Sonics group at
Joe Lambert mastering thanks for hanging
out with me see you next time
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