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Ask – Mixed “Sound”
2/22/2012
I mostly record bands “in the box,” and have
plug-ins that are supposedly among the best
(Waves, PSP, and Universal Audio). I monitor
through them while tracking to get the sound I
want, record the tracks dry, then use the same
basic settings during mixdown. But, I’m just
not happy with my overall mixed “sound”—it
seems sort of “hazy,” and lacks presence. Is
this what people complain about when doing
everything “in the box”? Would I be better off
with some quality hardware processors.
Keith Albrecht
Tacoma, WA
via Email
Effects can be
compared to spices,
and it sounds to us
like you’re more
concerned about
the horseradish and
pepper you’re adding
to the steak than
getting a good cut
of meat in the first
place. Just as too
much spice can ruin a
good meal, too many
effects can ruin a good
performance.
Next time you’re
tracking, try this:
Pretend that none of
your plug-ins exist. If
you’re not happy with
the guitar tone, don’t
reach for EQ; mic and
mic placement are
basically an infinitely
variable EQ. Not
enough highs? Then
change the strings.
If the bass is fighting
with the kick, ask
the bassist to use
a pick, or change
from flatwounds to
roundwounds. Or
during mixdown,
nudge the bass
20ms later so that
the kick has the first
20ms of attack all
to itself. Instead of
compressing the
vocals, have the singer
move further away
from the mic when
singing loud, and
closer when singing
softly (yes, you may
need to teach proper
mic technique). Use
fewer, not more, mics
on the drum to avoid
phase issues and
increase coherence.
Optimize the
sound as much
as you can while
tracking, before
even thinking about
adding effects. Then
during mixdown,
use effects sparingly
to add the extra 10%
that transforms a
sound from “great” to
“outstanding.”
They say that
less is more: Use less processing by getting
your sound right at
the source, and you’ll
almost certainly be more happy with your
mixes. THE EDITORS
To the untrained eye, these objects look like a mic, some
strings, and picks—but they’re also tone controls.
Got a question about recording, gigging, or technology?
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