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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2017 12:19:13 GMT -6
Do you have any suggestions for matching the bass level with the drums? I'm obviously not Billy and stand to be put in my place here. According to some a good way is to let the bass add 3db to the kick. So an easy example set the kick at -3db, then bring in the bass so that the combined level will be 0db. If your mixing at lower volumes then adjust accordingly. Then add the rest of the kit, sort out any clashing frequencies etc.
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Post by deckerator on Jul 13, 2017 12:46:40 GMT -6
Hello Billy - thanks so much for sharing all of this! I have maybe a left-field question: Watching some vids with you and checking your site, it seems you're a fan of sticking with things that have worked well for you, and not necessarily all of the newest and greatest and etc pieces of gear/plugins... That also seems to extend to some of the trappings around you, like your computer, pro control, boombox, even keyboard or mouse or working chair. I wanted to ask, have those choices come from an intentional place? Like - not buying all of the latest and greatest certainly keeps more money in your pocket for your life and family and etc. I read a quote once that said, "profit is what you don't spend" - I'm trying to reflect on that in my life, and I definitely notice how quick I am to think, "maybe I should get that thing, or maybe my work would be helped by this other thing" rather than just digging in more with the gear I already have. Regardless, it's just cool to see another way for someone to go about this whole thing and inspiring to see/hear the work you do with that and your willingness to share. Thanks man! nah....i was on protools 8 up til just a few years ago...now i am on 10...its stable and works great for me.....i am using most of the same plugins i have always used....i dont run out and grab the latest thing unless it speeds up my workflow....i got tons of dlys/reverbs/compressors /eq's etc.....hell they all start sounding the same...i just strap whatever snaps up first and crank it left or right...sounds trivial, but its the truth.....i have a saying i always fall back on...."it is the indian not the arrow that kills the buffalo....."
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Post by deckerator on Jul 13, 2017 12:50:20 GMT -6
The next inevitable question is... On average, how many hours do you put into a mix, from start to stem to finish? bout 45 min.....i then send to the clients and let them tweak til they are 100% happy...dont matter if its a demo/indie/ or a major label record, i have just learned to get up a mix quickly and then spend more time with the clients tweaking it.........ps...i have a young man who bounces all my stems for me:)
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Post by deckerator on Jul 13, 2017 12:52:14 GMT -6
Next question.. What do you do about problematic guitars? One thing I constantly run into is guitars that have been recorded poorly, or don't fit the mix very well and usually lack a DI version for reamping. Do you use a lot of tricks and work to get them to fit, or just push them down in the mix and hope for the best? on gtrs i use the api 550 b...hit a little 7k and a bit of lo end...then i "clip" em using wither the jst or event horizon or the d-clip...then i limit them for volume.....add some dly and boom:)
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Post by deckerator on Jul 13, 2017 12:52:59 GMT -6
Hmm.. I have a bunch of Kramer bundles, I didn't like any of them, but may have overlooked his compressor. I'll take a look around next time I'm mixing, thanks. Billy, are the vocal tracks you get ever printed with compression? yes, usually always...3-1....not smashed by any means.....
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Post by deckerator on Jul 13, 2017 12:54:11 GMT -6
Getting the bass to sit right has been one of the trickiest things for me. You wrote, ".i first hipass at 70 hz.....next i eq 2 db at 100hz....2 db at 125hz...-6 db at 800hz...then i put on the maxx bass plugin by waves...preset is called aggresive...hz is set at 80 hz...." Just to be clear, you typically boost 2 db at 100 Hz and at 125 Hz? Do you have any suggestions for matching the bass level with the drums? yes that is correct...as far as matching it with the kik....i just dance with it til it feels right.......
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Post by deckerator on Jul 13, 2017 12:57:19 GMT -6
Yes....in the metal world is actually named the snare killer.... I have another question Billy: I've seen your lead vocals labelled as Vox.07 and Vox2.07 with the same waveforms and automation. Are you parallel compressing your lead vocals, slamming one while mildly compressing the other? If so, do you eq one differently from the other and how hard are you slamming the one channel in what I assume is again 3 levels of compression. Or, is the copied vocal being used in some other way? ive been waiting for this one...lol.....chris lord alge would do a mix...faders kept creeping up and he would run out of headroom....instead of dropping everything and then pushing back up the returns....he would just mult out the lead vox to another track....bring it up right along side the other...boom twice as loud....my other trk is just that...a "clone"...not a double....same exact thing.....twice as loud:).....
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Post by deckerator on Jul 13, 2017 13:00:57 GMT -6
I'm curious about how your pro control fits into your workflow.. How much of a mix is done on the faders vs the mouse? Do you use it for plugin control? Thanks! Mike it doesn't at all...i only turn it on when clients come in to "wow" em......i mix and have always just used the mouse......because however i sat behind an argosy desk with a huge procontrol in it for 15 years, i got comfortable with the heigth of the desk and how the speaker were played on it....i like how they vibrate the whole desk...help me get the lo end right.....so when i moved 3 years ago to westwood, i bought the exact same thing just a bit smaller of a footprint....everything else is the same.......
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Post by jcoutu1 on Jul 13, 2017 13:16:27 GMT -6
I have another question Billy: I've seen your lead vocals labelled as Vox.07 and Vox2.07 with the same waveforms and automation. Are you parallel compressing your lead vocals, slamming one while mildly compressing the other? If so, do you eq one differently from the other and how hard are you slamming the one channel in what I assume is again 3 levels of compression. Or, is the copied vocal being used in some other way? ive been waiting for this one...lol.....chris lord alge would do a mix...faders kept creeping up and he would run out of headroom....instead of dropping everything and then pushing back up the returns....he would just mult out the lead vox to another track....bring it up right along side the other...boom twice as loud....my other trk is just that...a "clone"...not a double....same exact thing.....twice as loud:)..... I've used this trick. It's a good one. Haha.
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Post by donr on Jul 13, 2017 13:22:42 GMT -6
I'm curious about how your pro control fits into your workflow.. How much of a mix is done on the faders vs the mouse? Do you use it for plugin control? Thanks! Mike it doesn't at all...i only turn it on when clients come in to "wow" em......i mix and have always just used the mouse......because however i sat behind an argosy desk with a huge procontrol in it for 15 years, i got comfortable with the heigth of the desk and how the speaker were played on it....i like how they vibrate the whole desk...help me get the lo end right.....so when i moved 3 years ago to westwood, i bought the exact same thing just a bit smaller of a footprint....everything else is the same....... Ha, awesome.
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Post by donr on Jul 13, 2017 13:29:16 GMT -6
Do you have any suggestions for matching the bass level with the drums? I'm obviously not Billy and stand to be put in my place here. According to some a good way is to let the bass add 3db to the kick. So an easy example set the kick at -3db, then bring in the bass so that the combined level will be 0db. If your mixing at lower volumes then adjust accordingly. Then add the rest of the kit, sort out any clashing frequencies etc. If that's the Jacquire King trick via Bobby Owsinski, I've tried it and it works. Works outside my studio on anything I play it on. Good rule of thumb, accepting that there may be exceptions.
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Post by ragan on Jul 13, 2017 13:39:23 GMT -6
Do you have any suggestions for matching the bass level with the drums? I'm obviously not Billy and stand to be put in my place here. According to some a good way is to let the bass add 3db to the kick. So an easy example set the kick at -3db, then bring in the bass so that the combined level will be 0db. If your mixing at lower volumes then adjust accordingly. Then add the rest of the kit, sort out any clashing frequencies etc. Talking RMS here?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2017 14:35:46 GMT -6
I'm obviously not Billy and stand to be put in my place here. According to some a good way is to let the bass add 3db to the kick. So an easy example set the kick at -3db, then bring in the bass so that the combined level will be 0db. If your mixing at lower volumes then adjust accordingly. Then add the rest of the kit, sort out any clashing frequencies etc. Talking RMS here? Here mate I have to use this as my room's shite, seems to work .... Sorry Billy, bit off topic....
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Post by swurveman on Jul 13, 2017 19:31:03 GMT -6
ive been waiting for this one...lol.....chris lord alge would do a mix...faders kept creeping up and he would run out of headroom....instead of dropping everything and then pushing back up the returns....he would just mult out the lead vox to another track....bring it up right along side the other...boom twice as loud....my other trk is just that...a "clone"...not a double....same exact thing.....twice as loud:)..... I've used this trick. It's a good one. Haha. Now I'll know when my backing track isn't loud enough!!!
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Post by deckerator on Jul 13, 2017 20:13:06 GMT -6
Here mate I have to use this as my room's shite, seems to work .... Sorry Billy, bit off topic.... I always make my kick way too loud so i resemble this remark😂😂😂🤘👊👍
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Post by Martin John Butler on Jul 14, 2017 7:24:42 GMT -6
I tried the L3 on the 2 bus after Billy mentioned it. Dang, it actually worked. More volume that stayed within limits without changing the sound much. I feel much better now, knowing my levels are OK for mastering.
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Post by johneppstein on Jul 14, 2017 12:46:29 GMT -6
A lot of interesting stuff here. Most (but not all) doesn't seem directly applicable to me with my primarily hardware based, OTB process, but I do have one question of a more general "philosophy of mixing" nature.
I'm getting the idea that the majority of your work comes in tracked by other people. Do you ever do projects where you do the tracking as well? If so, does that change the way you approach the mixing stage?
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Post by deckerator on Jul 14, 2017 17:13:16 GMT -6
A lot of interesting stuff here. Most (but not all) doesn't seem directly applicable to me with my primarily hardware based, OTB process, but I do have one question of a more general "philosophy of mixing" nature. I'm getting the idea that the majority of your work comes in tracked by other people. Do you ever do projects where you do the tracking as well? If so, does that change the way you approach the mixing stage i have been doing nuthin but mixing since 2001.....before that thought i tracked tons.....it never did change anything bout the way i mixed......
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ericn
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Balance Engineer
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Post by ericn on Jul 14, 2017 18:41:59 GMT -6
Hey Billy, I think the biggest takeaway here, and while it goes completely contrary to the Gear Lust that makes the World Wide Web go round, and payed my bills in my gear pimp days, the real working pro attitude is : It works, it pays the bills I don't have time to play or screw with things, I'm to busy working .
I knew that but thanks for reminding me the world of a top busy pro is different than most of us!
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Post by ragan on Jul 14, 2017 20:48:41 GMT -6
A lot of interesting stuff here. Most (but not all) doesn't seem directly applicable to me with my primarily hardware based, OTB process, but I do have one question of a more general "philosophy of mixing" nature. I'm getting the idea that the majority of your work comes in tracked by other people. Do you ever do projects where you do the tracking as well? If so, does that change the way you approach the mixing stage i have been doing nuthin but mixing since 2001.....before that thought i tracked tons.....it never did change anything bout the way i mixed...... Hey Billy. Not to sound whiny but...YOU SKIPPED MY QUESTIONS! WHAAAAHHHHHH!
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Post by kcatthedog on Jul 17, 2017 4:36:32 GMT -6
RMS? 1 Yes 2 No 3 Maybe 4 What was your ? again ?
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Post by ragan on Jul 17, 2017 9:23:40 GMT -6
deckerator Couple things I'm interested in hearing from you when you get a chance. 1. I know you like to use templates; do you have 'go to' chains for things? Do you find that for say, rhythm electric guitars, you do a similar thing with most tracks? Carve out certain frequencies/use certain processing chains/bus things together in certain ways/etc? 2. If so...um...can you tell us? Any general, broadly useful tips/tricks for vox/guitars/bass/drums? I don't expect you to type out a symposium on every potential source ever (unless you feel like it). But when I say "upfront, present-but-not-rip-your-damned-face-off lead vocal" do any specific techniques pop into your mind? 3. Personal thing here...I struggle with muddiness. I'm getting better at carving out those lows/low mids, but my bent is towards overly 'big', bloated sonics. Any carving tips? How aggressive are you with HPF, low/low mid cuts? 4. Last thing I'm curious about (for the moment)...you receive, I think? pretty well cut tracks. You mentioned Rodney Atkins vox done straight to M Box with a Ref C, but I would think a lot of the tracks you get are cut by pretty solid engineers with some pretty nice gear, is that safe to say? I honestly don't give two shits about the dogmatic "hardware vs software" thing but for myself, I can't get the weight and smile-inducing sonics with plugins that I can with hardware, even relatively budget hardware. You strike me as a pretty fast-working, results guy, which is great. But I'm curious, have you done much comparing of plugs and hardware? If you were a solo dude, producing your own stuff, would you keep a few key pieces of hardware around or would you just go straight, totally clean into the DAW and take it from there with plugins? I guess that's kind of a sprawling question. Answer as much or little of it as you see fit. Thx. Here were my questions.
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 18, 2017 19:18:43 GMT -6
Hello Billy - thanks so much for sharing all of this! I have maybe a left-field question: Watching some vids with you and checking your site, it seems you're a fan of sticking with things that have worked well for you, and not necessarily all of the newest and greatest and etc pieces of gear/plugins... That also seems to extend to some of the trappings around you, like your computer, pro control, boombox, even keyboard or mouse or working chair. I wanted to ask, have those choices come from an intentional place? Like - not buying all of the latest and greatest certainly keeps more money in your pocket for your life and family and etc. I read a quote once that said, "profit is what you don't spend" - I'm trying to reflect on that in my life, and I definitely notice how quick I am to think, "maybe I should get that thing, or maybe my work would be helped by this other thing" rather than just digging in more with the gear I already have. Regardless, it's just cool to see another way for someone to go about this whole thing and inspiring to see/hear the work you do with that and your willingness to share. Thanks man! nah....i was on protools 8 up til just a few years ago...now i am on 10...its stable and works great for me.....i am using most of the same plugins i have always used....i dont run out and grab the latest thing unless it speeds up my workflow....i got tons of dlys/reverbs/compressors /eq's etc.....hell they all start sounding the same...i just strap whatever snaps up first and crank it left or right...sounds trivial, but its the truth.....i have a saying i always fall back on...."it is the indian not the arrow that kills the buffalo....." I was just happy when Billy finally got off his Commodore 64. Two years ago
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Post by Johnkenn on Jul 18, 2017 19:19:42 GMT -6
The next inevitable question is... On average, how many hours do you put into a mix, from start to stem to finish? bout 45 min.....i then send to the clients and let them tweak til they are 100% happy...dont matter if its a demo/indie/ or a major label record, i have just learned to get up a mix quickly and then spend more time with the clients tweaking it.........ps...i have a young man who bounces all my stems for me:) That's kindve badass
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Post by stevefreeman on Jul 29, 2017 11:59:45 GMT -6
Welcome to the forum! Billy has done some great work for me over the years!
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