Real Rad Magazine : Winter 2016

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MAKING BETTER MUSIC MIXING AND MASTERING TIPS • PART III by Harvey S. Grant I t’s 2016 and project studios have become as common as the Foreman Grill. Honestly, a laptop, headphones, audio interface, microphone, and a midi keyboard is all you need to get started to make and record your own tunes at a whim in these modern times. Although, it is true that creating music is as easy as playing a video game, making “good” music that people actually want to listen to can be as daunting as programming a video game. Regardless of the challenges, making music should be a fun endeavor especially when your music starts to sound good. That is why I have scoured the internet as well as drawn from personal experience with audio engineering to bring you tips to help you create better music.
THE “MYSTERIOUS” LOW-END ENVIRONMENT This quarterly we explore the “mysterious” low-end of the mix. Low -end instruments and sounds include the ever important kick drum, the bass, and also lower registering instruments such as the tuba. A common problem for project audio engineers is accurately monitoring the low-end of a mix. This is due to improper studio environments that can include a small bedroom, garage, or backyard shed. Often times the problem with these environments is how the low-end reflects off of objects and the walls in the environment. These reflections can create inaccurate imaging in your ear, leading to a mix that may sound good in your environment from your speakers but it will most likely fall apart in another environment due to the inaccuracies. There are devices that can be bought that will adjust the way frequencies are presented through your monitors that can help with the issue and your environment can also be treated with diffusers or bass traps to combat the reflections but these methods can be a bit pricey for the project studio engineer. “IT’S LIKE TWO BROTHERS INHERITING THE SAME LAND IN A KINGDOM. THEY ARE JUST GOING TO FIGHT EACH OTHER.” REFERENCING A reasonable way to combat the lack of funds for imaging adjustment devices and room treatment is referencing. Listen to a commercial recording that sounds similar to what you are trying to achieve. Better yet, bring that track in the mix, mute it while your music is playing and then solo the reference track to listen and compare. Is your kick as punchy as the reference track? Does your bass sound as tight as the reference track? How are the levels and loudness in comparison? Referencing is a common practice among the most elite audio engineers in the world and it is a great way to make up for less than stellar studio environments. Another obstacle a project audio engineer could face while mixing is listening to tracks with near-field monitors that do not completing replicate the sound image of the music that is being played. Some speakers may not capture frequencies below 60Hz. Inexperienced project audio engineers can become frustrated by the lack of low-end and may compensate by adding too much lowend which can actually weaken the power of the low-end. Other times the same engineer may not put enough lowend in there which will make the mix top heavy. Utilizing a reference track can help a project sound engineer discover some of the nuances that their monitors possess and can really help with how to tackle issues that plague a project studio mix. THE BATTLEGROUND Low-end is tricky and can very well be the Achilles heel to any modern music sound recording especially when the low-end houses the kick drum and the bass. Do not make the mistake of trying to make the two low-end instruments occupy the same frequency range. It’s like two brothers inheriting the same land in a kingdom. They are just going to fight each other. The sound engineer must make a decision on what instrument dominates the lower end of the spectrum in comparison to the other one. This all depends on the track that is being mixed. Sometimes the kick drum may reach down to 50Hz while the bass hangs around the 90Hz range. In a different musical composition the bass may dip to around 40Hz while the kick drum hovers at 60Hz. Again, it all depends on the track at hand. Either way, it is important to decide what instrument commands a particular frequency range. This allows the instruments to have the room in the stereo image to communicate their respective sound better. Finally, after adjusting, treating, monitoring, referencing, mixing and equalizing, listen to your mix in a different environment, along with your reference track. When it comes to music 70% of people still listen to over 60% of their tunes in a vehicle. Listen to your mix and compare your mix to your reference track in a car. Factory car speakers won’t give you all the information that the low-end pumps out but it will at least give you an idea of how your low-end will hold up in the most popular environment for music. If you are still curious of how your low-end may articulate in a club environment or you just want to hear what that sub bass accurately sounds like, take your mix to a professional studio environment. • There is a ton of knowledge to gain from a professional studio session even if it is only for an hour or so. Read more “Making Better Music” articles in past issues or Real Rad Magazine.
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Real Rad Magazine : Winter 2016

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