Mixing Metal for Beginners - The Ultimate Guide
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- čas přidán 4. 07. 2024
- This video is your one-stop for everything you need to know about mixing metal as a beginner!
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0:00 Overview
02:00 EQ
11:17 Compression
18:54 Saturation
25:39 Mixing - Overview and guitar tones
29:54 Bus Processing
33:22 Master Bus
35:19 Drums
36:29 Bass
40:56 Guitars
43:56 Post-Production
47:45 Automation
49:58 Impacts
52:12 Master EQ
54:50 Final Listen-through
56:59 Get the Template!
#Metal #Mixing #For #Beginners #Tutorial #Modern #Metalcore #Nolly #Hardcore #Music #Mastering #Production
I've been trying to figure out the laws of compression for years and tutorial videos just made me more confused hahaha this explained it fantastically! :D
I'm very happy to hear that since I myself was very confused by ut when I first started out 😅
Bro throwing tape saturation on everything is a god tier tip. The glue and impact it provides is fantastic!
I’ve been slowly learning to mix my own projects. After search for a multitude of videos on tips and tutorials, they don’t seem to be beginner friendly. This helped me understand compression and saturation better than any other video I’ve ever seen. Watching you go through everything piece by piece and explain every small thing in detail helped so much. I’ll progress much faster now with this information. Excellent video.
I'm super happy to hear that! 😊
nicely explained, one thing that i think is definitely missing is getting the right balance of all instruments before messing with eq/compression/saturation (but of course after making guitar tones etc)
It's sometimes just so easy to throw on plugins to fix big problems that could just be fixed by getting the right balance at the beginning
anyway , nice video!
So so true! I feel like it was a big oversight not to mention that as the first step 🤦♂️
This is super helpful, great work!
Thank you , for explaining the everything so well n clear ! We need more of this !
Your videos make my projects beautiful!
Wonderful pacing. Great advice here with no fluff. Just the facts, comprehensive explanations and amazing results! Subbed.
Great content!!
You're detailed explanations are extremely helpful. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge.
I have been following your work closely the last few weeks and you always put out such concise yet detailed instruction that is vastly improving my bedroom production skills. Thank you, friend! Keep up the good work
ive always struggled to understand compression and you are literally the only person who has managed to explain it to me in a clear and precise way, thankyou so much
Holy Roller-inspired...and damn, it sounds nice! Thanks for this very educational video!
Nailed it, thanks bro ✌️
You are a beast man. I really need to get my saturation game on point.
this chanel is gold
Your video is awesome. You give very good and clear information about how you can use plugins and what they realy do! Good Job.
Thanks man, glad you enjoyed it!
As someone starting in the mixing and mastering world the effects and audio processing can be very overwhelming. I can't thank you enough for making this awesome video! I also really like the way you explained things slowly and with simple wording. Keep up the awesome work and music :)
I feel you! It's easy to rush to advanced techniques to achieve results like your favorite mixers. It's good to know the basics first, since most more advanced techniques build on these 3 cornerstones 😊
Woooooot!!!! Here we gooooo!!
really really helpful
Right on love the analog sound! But I bet the best part of all is tapping an actual fader as you set levels😜
Thanks for tutorial
Finally someone did this video title
nice to follow up :) thx
I may be a metal producer larva.
Kinda dubble around in my daw from time to time, trying to recreate some tracks I like.
This tutorial has showed me why my mixes sound ..the way they do ~~like sh1t~~
Thank you so much, and I'm very stoked for more.
A Sub well earned!
Great tutorial! My only critique is to be careful with sweeping frequencies with a tight EQ bell curve and boosting it. Around the 10:00 mark, you will hear bad frequencies across the entire spectrum like an ice pick in your ear; you might spend a lot of time cutting frequencies that don't need to be cut, because boosting it at 10-15db will make any frequency sound out of place in the mix. This is most true around the 1.5khz or higher because this is where the human ear is most sensitive to frequencies.
A more precise method is to use an EQ soloing function (the little headphone icon) and without boosting any DB at all or only by a couple DB, sweep across the frequency spectrum from low to high. If anything stands out to you, then cut it out and A/B the EQ to see if it removed the offending frequency.
Essentially, you should be listening for "bad frequencies" that are happening before you boost something by 10-15db, because boosting any frequency by 10-15db will make it sound bad and a lot of noobs will start demolishing a sound and cause phase issues. I know a lot of pros still use the boosting method to identify bad frequencies, and have great mixes, so what do I know. I just know when I began mixing, I boosted frequencies left and right and cut them out because boosting them so high made them all sound bad. Just something to digest :)
That's a really good point! For the purpose of this video I'm using the stock EQ and I don't know if that has a bell solo feature. But generally yes, that is a better practice in a full mix if you have that feature!
Great video! So much explicative and clear! I wish to ask if it works same way if you multi route drums,thank you for the knowledge you shared 🙏🏻
The difference is that you probably then need to mix the individual drum kit pieces and bus them together so for complete beginners it's a bit more daunting. But generally the principle apply! By using EQ, compression and saturation you can achieve a great drum sound for sure.
@@MOMetalProductions thank you very much ❤️
Good stuff! Any chance you could go over room treatment or playback environment sometime?
Maybe! In general: Making a great sounding room is not easy and will most likely be very expensive. My room is far from perfect. What us better is knowing what your room sounds like, having a good pair of headphones to check mixes on and REFERENCING a lot while mixing!
Thank you so much for this! it helped me understand things much better as a beginner. I've watched some videos where they had a low pass and high pass filter on guitars and bass, we didn't do this here and it still sounds awesome ... am I missing something?
I use it if needed, but not as a rule om everything. If the bass sounds rumbling, then try adding a low cut. If the high end is too pointy, add a high cut. Those are my only rules
Modern way to mix metal. Lets talk about EQ, tone, compression, saturation. And now lets change everything on prerecorded samples. Done! 😁
before mixing we need to gain stage guitars midi bass and drum,right?
The problem with this tutorial and others like it is they all say, lets go through how to make this sound... but then load up some fancy premium effects that cost a bomb, and change a few settings and that's it. It's not much use as a tutorial if you're not going through the process start to finish using only stock effects. A "beginner" is exactly that.
Would you say these tips can be applied for most genres?
Weird question. What processing do you use for your voiceover track on these videos
I use Nectar by Izotope. But generally: Gating --> Compression --> De-esser --> EQ
What studio monitors are you using? What 5" monitors would you recommend?
I am no monitor expert so I unfortunately don't have any recommendation.
I am using the ADAM 7X's and before I had Focal Shapes. Both very good!
So is saturation like a reverb or room noise or the noise in a signal to noise ratio or like a bit of harmonic addition?
It's adding harmonics and compressing the audio slightly. If you push it very hard it then starts distorting
theres a really good fabfilter video explaining saturation and exactly what its doing
Are you the one who mixed carved from stones album on the wall? That album sounds amazing.
Edit: Jk I looked in your description and saw the Spotify playlist. Fantastic job.
Thank you! 😄
Hi, awesome video and very usefull advices, it helps me a lot.
I have a question, when I upload my VST such as Djinn Bass or GGD drums, each track is clipping (meaning it hits the red area when the track's fader is at 0 by default).
Do you set your faders in order to not clip before mixing ?
For instance I set my tracks to -5db in order to not clip, but the result is that my mix sound weaker and less loud than yours, even after mixing.
And my music sounds most of the time too boomy or muddy, and not bright.
If you have any suggestions 😅
BTW, i use Reaper.
Thanks again for your incredible contents.
Yes, I generally do that. You can adjust the main output in Kontakt in the top regardless of what instrument you have so that it is not clipping.
For workflow reasons I like to gain stage in the plugins so I can have my faders at 0 for my static mix, which makes automation work easier
@@MOMetalProductions thank you very much for your feedback.
Cheers from France
Would this be an example of top down mixing?
Yes! Top Down is essentially mixing through bus processing
I have a tendency to over compress (I think?)
What would you suggest to help mitigate this issue?
I notice in your tutorials that your guitars are a lot less harsh and you don’t cut out a massive portion of the 2.5 / 3k range like I have to. Is this just a result of incorrect compression?
I have a focusrite octo pre and a strandberg NX7 so I don’t think my gear would be an issue?
For over-compression, compress less and use more volume automation instead!
For harsh guitars: While compression can alter the tone of something, it's more often bringing out the characteristics that are already there. I'd try dialing in the guitar tone together woth the drums playing. That way you can hear immediately if it's too harsh in comparison. Also try using tape saturation, it really smoothens out the harsh resonances.
@@MOMetalProductions Absolute legend. Thank you so much for the advice!
I look forward to more in the future. Your skills are very apparent and I learn a lot from you each video!
Side note:
Do you notice latency issues while tracking? I notice a small, yet quite distracting delay in Cubase and it’s hard to get clean takes.
I didn’t have this issue in Reaper and my buffer size is not correcting this issue?
I opened your template but noticed my audio is also glitching quite a bit with quite little plugins loaded. My computer is a higher end spec as well.
@blakeharrison8008 It sounds like it's not a CPU issue then but rather something from your audio interface. Open up the settings for you interface and check the input latency there.
If that doesn't help you can also check some video on optimizing your Cubase preferences for recording.
@@MOMetalProductions I will give it a shot. Thank you again 🙏
Sounds great, thank you brother. Do you mix for hire?
Yes I do! Send an email to mometalproductions@gmail.com or shoot me a message on Instagram.
Just so I understand, the guitar di, before you put it into the project, you had 2 separate dis in mono and bounced them into one stereo track, correct?
Correct!
@@MOMetalProductions OK cool! Thank you for clarifying!! 🤘
Hello,what guitar vst is this please? Hydra?
Yes, Shreddage Hydra by Impact Soundworks
Me looking away for one second AGAIN
Him : The tape saturation here AGAIN
I'm not against it, i just find it funny and it works LOL
ehy Bro May I know what headphones do you use?
Slate VSX 🎧
Hi mate, thanks for the great video. My goal is the same as your video to glue my mix together, make it louder and balanced.
I tried all the mix moves you did in this video but my mix got a distorted sound.
Also was wondering what level you set your mix bus to?
And should I use a VU meter at -18 dB on each track to gain stage. That’s what I’ve been doing to date. Thanks again.
Sounds like something is be8ng pushed to hard, most likely the final mastering limiter or some saturation plugin.
For gain staging, the only thing I do is turn something down if I notice I am pushing something too hard. I don't have any fixed level goal
@@MOMetalProductions yep I think you’re right. Something or more than one thing is being pushed too hard. Levels are a thorn in my side atm. Eg. When I back off the input or output either in the ndsp gojira or in my daw the signal becomes too weak and the tone suffers. Really struggling with this side of it.
@filterscape backing off the output won't affect the tone at all, at that point it's just the volume that changes 😊
@@MOMetalProductions thanks. I’ll keep experimenting I guess. 👌🏽 would you be willing to do a 45min screen share and help me work this out. How much would you charge for that?
@filterscape unfortunately that's not something I do with my current schedule, the reason being that it's so much work usually to set up a good enough digital environment video and sound wise.
My suggestion would be that you go through each plugin and bypass it see where the distortion is added for you.
Hey bro, how do you do multi tracking for guitars using the Hydra?
It has built in dual and quad tracking, creating a stereo DI file 🙂
@@MOMetalProductions thanks!
@@MOMetalProductions did you do double or quad in this video?
Why add Radio Guitar effect with the mix? Thanks for the answers :)
That's a common trick to create variation and suspense in the main rhythm guitars 🙂
@@MOMetalProductions Thank you🤘
At first i wasn't sure if this video was aimed at blacksmiths or DJs.
what headphones are you using there?
Slate VSX 🎧
Is it worth switching to Slate VSX? I am currently using Sennheiser HD650.
@koenig_ursa The VSX does low-end better than the Sennheisers. I'm not sure if its really worth the price though, it all depends on if you are achieving the results you want with your current headphones
first I will shave my head then I have q why are u not using side chaining for palmmuting if Im not wrong ?and big like thank u
For the palm mutes I usually use mtiband compression just for the low-end. I didn't use that in this mix because I don't consider it a beginner technique 😊
@@MOMetalProductionsat which point in your chain would you apply that multiband compression?
@@alexhek After the tape saturation because that adds low-end
The Ultimate Guide *except vocals*
For vocals the same principles apply. Just also add some delay and you are good. (And A LOT of compression) 🤘
Now add vocals and you have to change 80% of the mix
Why would I need to do that? 🙂
@MOMetalProductions I thought the same, then I watched your video: I mixed the instruments improperly. So yeah, he does not have a point
Tip: never name a mix "Final" because it never will be lol
There's a quote I really like which goes "A mix is never finished, it's only abandoned"
Not great de easing for this video from a pro mixer 😅
Your explanation early on in compression is not accurate. Increasing the ratio doesn't increase the amount of reduction on a signal, it just keeps the signal from going over a certain amount. The way you are describing it is that momentarily the gain will drop during compression, when in reality the output gain is just subject to the ratio.
Increasing the ratio does increase the compression applied to a signal, which is the point I was trying to get across.
Here is what is written about ratio from Universal Audio that I would consider a good source:
"Ratio specifies the amount of compression applied to the signal. This setting is expressed in decibels. For example, a ratio of 2:1 indicates that a signal exceeding the threshold by 2 dB will be attenuated down by 1 dB. A signal exceeding the threshold by 8 dB will be attenuated down by 4 dB, etc. A ratio of 1:1 represents “unity gain” - in other words, no attenuation.
A ratio of around 3:1 is considered moderate compression. 5:1 would be considered medium compression. 8:1 starts getting into strong compression, and 20:1 thru ∞:1 (infinity to one) would be considered “limiting” - an effect that can be used to ensure that a signal essentially never exceeds the set threshold."
bla bla bla. ,there's no fucking rules
Agreed! But I would argue that an understanding of what each technique does and a clear intent with what sound you want to achieve with each tool is very helpful.
I think it's important to set rules when you are learning as a guidelines so with time and expirience you can understand when and how to break them.
Thanks! I'm now an expert. My rate is $800 per song.
@@josephbrant9827😂
Would you say these tips can be applied for most genres?
The principles of eq, compression and saturation sure are universal.
The ways I use them is particular to Metal in this case but my advice would be to try it out yourself and see if you like the results, even in other genres :)