Post by ozboomer on Apr 3, 2016 1:10:24 GMT -5
Hey, all..
I'm going bananas, here...
It's now been ~10 years since I "re-started" working with guitars, keyboards and some sort of recording things "in ernest"... but I'm finding I'm out of sorts with TheWiderCommunity(tm) (whatever THAT is) in a few areas, the most significant of which is this crazy notion of -tone- (or lack thereof).
Now, most here are familiar with my various projects of modifying the electronics of my electric guitars to try and get some more tonal variation and better control of that variation... and I'm more-or-less satisfied with how the "raw" guitars are sounding these days.
However, I'm now trying to get a handle on the topics (art) of mixing and effects use.
In short, my ear is obviously still totally unsophisticated, as a LOT (read: MOST) of what I see/hear about the *sound* (tonal characteristics) coming out of the speakers revolves around using this effect to make the sound "shimmer".. or be more "cohesive"... or how there's a problem with the sound 'coz it's "muddy" or there's a "splintering" sound overwhelming the mix, blah, blah, blah...
Maybe it's 'coz I'm in my 50s and the response of my ears is declining (even WITH! religiously using ear plugs when at any live music event, whether it's open-air, in a pub/close venue or at home with some othernutcases musicians)... or maybe that I'm using "computer speakers" and not Mackie so-and-so monitors.. or JBL something-or-other speakers... or that I'm not using $2500+ Sennhesier headphones when mixing/mastering...
...but I'm *blowed* if I can hear most of the things people rave on about in their "mixing tips" or "use this effect for such-and-such". OBVIOUSLY, I *AM* hearing when you have a 15dB cut @ 100Hz with a parametric EQ... OR if you have any sort of reverb thingy in the signal chain... but "more shimmer"?... Nahh. "Extra clarity"?... nup. "...the guitar part now sticks-out more" or "the drums don't have as much punch"... I dunno what you're on about.
Heck, I don't even know what the heck difference I'm supposed to be listening for(!)
After 50+ years of listening to recordings of all sorts, "...I may not know much about what goes into the mixing effort, but I know what I like"... or something like that.
I'm simply trying to find out how to edumacate myself about WHAT these so-called "issues" are with a mix and what techniques to use to fix them; to find out how a certain sound is created - whether there is something you can DO to that "voice" (instrumental or human) to make it sound a certain way (even, what those "ways" ARE)...
So, I'm going to my favourite crowd of gurus for enlightenment
Even if there are some courses or something. I've expanded my knowledge of things musical (being scales, chord structures and playing positions, all on the fretboard instead of the keyboard) through a number of on-line/downloaded courses... and I still hit them frequently and continue to learn bits and pieces... but I haven't sighted any *real* (or useful?) similar courses for mixing/effects use (and specializing in "virtual" environments - with software mixers and effects rather than hardware devices).
Thus, I would appreciate any pointers/avenues of research that you might suggest (even IF! it's as simple as a *methodical*/*organized* approach to "tweak this, hear the effect").
Fanx!
John
I'm going bananas, here...
It's now been ~10 years since I "re-started" working with guitars, keyboards and some sort of recording things "in ernest"... but I'm finding I'm out of sorts with TheWiderCommunity(tm) (whatever THAT is) in a few areas, the most significant of which is this crazy notion of -tone- (or lack thereof).
Now, most here are familiar with my various projects of modifying the electronics of my electric guitars to try and get some more tonal variation and better control of that variation... and I'm more-or-less satisfied with how the "raw" guitars are sounding these days.
However, I'm now trying to get a handle on the topics (art) of mixing and effects use.
In short, my ear is obviously still totally unsophisticated, as a LOT (read: MOST) of what I see/hear about the *sound* (tonal characteristics) coming out of the speakers revolves around using this effect to make the sound "shimmer".. or be more "cohesive"... or how there's a problem with the sound 'coz it's "muddy" or there's a "splintering" sound overwhelming the mix, blah, blah, blah...
Maybe it's 'coz I'm in my 50s and the response of my ears is declining (even WITH! religiously using ear plugs when at any live music event, whether it's open-air, in a pub/close venue or at home with some other
...but I'm *blowed* if I can hear most of the things people rave on about in their "mixing tips" or "use this effect for such-and-such". OBVIOUSLY, I *AM* hearing when you have a 15dB cut @ 100Hz with a parametric EQ... OR if you have any sort of reverb thingy in the signal chain... but "more shimmer"?... Nahh. "Extra clarity"?... nup. "...the guitar part now sticks-out more" or "the drums don't have as much punch"... I dunno what you're on about.
Heck, I don't even know what the heck difference I'm supposed to be listening for(!)
After 50+ years of listening to recordings of all sorts, "...I may not know much about what goes into the mixing effort, but I know what I like"... or something like that.
I'm simply trying to find out how to edumacate myself about WHAT these so-called "issues" are with a mix and what techniques to use to fix them; to find out how a certain sound is created - whether there is something you can DO to that "voice" (instrumental or human) to make it sound a certain way (even, what those "ways" ARE)...
So, I'm going to my favourite crowd of gurus for enlightenment
Even if there are some courses or something. I've expanded my knowledge of things musical (being scales, chord structures and playing positions, all on the fretboard instead of the keyboard) through a number of on-line/downloaded courses... and I still hit them frequently and continue to learn bits and pieces... but I haven't sighted any *real* (or useful?) similar courses for mixing/effects use (and specializing in "virtual" environments - with software mixers and effects rather than hardware devices).
Thus, I would appreciate any pointers/avenues of research that you might suggest (even IF! it's as simple as a *methodical*/*organized* approach to "tweak this, hear the effect").
Fanx!
John