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Mixing Secrets – Volume 5: Synths

Introduction to the series:

In this weekly series of Blogs I’ll attempt to take you through some of the most popular and effective audio processing techniques used in professional studios all over the world.

Each installment of this series will focus on a different instrument and provide you with links to relevant video examples of industry-leading engineers demonstrating these techniques.

 

This week, we’re exploring a weird and wonderful world that helps bridge the gap between heavy music and the mainstream: Synths

 

Here are some tips and tricks from the EDM world on how to make your Synths sound awesome:

 

1 – Channel Their Energy (Envelope Automation):

A great way of limiting the amount of audio real-estate your synth sounds are taking up in the mix is through the use of tactical volume automation.

The Problem?

When it comes to rock and metal production, synths are generally used in a supporting role rather than as a main attraction. In these cases, a key part to making them fit well with the numerous other elements within the mix is to make sure they aren’t taking up too much space at any given moment.

NOTE: The most common way to resolve this kind of clashing is through the use of Side-Chain Compression, which I won’t be talking about in this Blog as I’ve already discussed it thoroughly in previous Articles.

– Check out my “20 Simple Mix Tricks” Blog from a few months back for an in-depth explanation of side-chaining and a few practical examples:

https://urm.academy/20-simple-mix-tricks-part-1/

 

Although side-chain compression is probably the most commonly used technique to resolve this issue, my personal preference is to use Volume Envelope Automation:

Manual Volume Envelopes:

The most obvious way of doing this is via manually writing in volume envelopes in order to help reduce any clashing/masking that may be occurring between instruments:

In the example above, I’ve applied a manually written volume envelope onto a Synth-Bass in order to duck its overall level every time the kick drum is playing. This produces similar results to the classic “side-chain the kick to the bass” technique, but allows for further customisation and enhanced curve manipulation.

Although manually writing in exact automation curves is technically the most accurate way of weaving your synth sounds around the other elements in the mix, it’s also the most time-consuming… Cue “Kickstart”:

Automated Volume Envelopes – Nicky Romero’s “Kickstart”:

With “Kickstart”, Chart-topping EDM Producer Nicky Romero designed a plugin that aims to simplify this process in an intuitive way:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3XpTKpUem4

By providing the user with a great selection of tempo-synced volume envelopes to experiment with. Kickstart helps slim down the side-chaining process down to just a few clicks of a mouse button.

A few examples of the volume envelopes Kickstart has to offer.

How Do I Use It?

It’s super-simple: Insert the plugin on your Synth channel, choose the envelope and note value that work best for the specific part and you’re good to go!

DJ/Producer Nicky Romero demonstrates various EDM mixing techniques, including using his “Kickstart” volume envelope automation plugin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A88CTrQtgi4

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2 – Cut Them Down To Size ( Mid-Side EQ):

A typical metal mix consists of some pretty intense elements that each require their own frequency range in order to convey their full impact. Can you really afford to clutter up this vital space with “huge” synth sounds?

The Problem:

A common misconception a lot of beginners have while learning to mix is that every element in the mix needs to be huge in order to achieve a “big” sounding result. The truth is, the real secret to a mix that punches you in the gut is making everything fit together and work as one cohesive unit.

How does this apply to Synths?

Unlike EDM and its’ sub-genres in which synths are the primary mid-range instrument, rock and metal is already at near-full capacity in this area from the get-go due to multiple distorted guitar parts and clanky bass guitars.

For this reason, It’s probably a good idea to trim off some of the excess fat from your synth sounds in order to leave more space for the instruments that really need it.

The fact that a lot of Synth Sounds are used in stereo makes them a prime candidate for one of my all-time favourite tools:

Mid-Side Equalisation

Mid-Side EQ allows for independent control over the middle and side channels of a stereo signal:

• This kind of processing is especially powerful and effective when applied to synthesised sounds as they tend to handle drastic EQ manipulation more comfortably than most “organic” or acoustic elements.

In the example above, I’ve used FabFilter’s Pro-Q2 EQ plugin in Mid-Side mode to demonstrate some uses for this kind of processing when it comes to synths.

• A high-pass filter on the sides-only to help channel the low-end into the center of the stereo field – This is a great way of focusing the low-end of your mix and keeping it nice and punchy.

• A bell-cut in the presence range on the center channel to free up some space for the vocals to live – Cutting this area with a mid-side EQ rather than a Stereo EQ allows you to retain some of the bite in the synths while carving out a nice hole in the middle for the vocals to slot right into.

• A gentle high-shelf on the side channels to help widen the sound and push it out further from the center – Wide mixes are awesome. Brightening the high-end information on the sides of a synth will help make them appear larger than life.

NOTE: These are just a few examples of the many powerful tricks you can apply via mid-side equalisation while processing synth sounds. Try it out for yourself – I’m sure you’ll come up with some cool uses in no time!

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3 – Send Them To Space! (Creative FX):

Synthesised sounds are like a blank canvas on which you can splash out your creative colors and completely go-to-town.

A Chance To Experiment:

Metal tends to be fairly formulaic as to how the instruments are laid out and treated within the stereo field: Rhythm guitars are usually dry and panned hard-left and right, the bass guitar goes in the middle, the kick drum needs a clicky high-end, etc, etc…

Most of the time, these “unwritten rules” of metal production exist for valid reasons and therefore tend to be the obvious choice. (The main one being that the majority of our favourite classic metal albums sound this way…)

When it comes to synths however, there aren’t really any constraining rules due to the immense number of possibilities and variations in personal taste involved in the creation process. For this reason you can afford to go crazy with your use of delays, reverbs, phasers… Pretty much any kind of effect you can get your hands on!

Here are a few creative FX Plugins to try out the next time you’re mixing Synths:

SoundToys PanMan:

SoundToys’ PanMan plugin allows you to automate tempo-synced Panning envelopes to give your Synths some awesome movement and excitement in the mix:

• Adding BPM Synced panning to your Synths can help turn them into a kind of additional percussive element and give your track a “Rhythmic Lift”.

• This effect works REALLY WELL in “ethereal” intro or bridge sections where you’re trying to convey a spaced-out vibe.

• Using this effect as a reverb or delay send is awesome for achieving super-wide FX returns for mono instruments.

Side-Chain Gating:

Everybody’s heard of Side-Chain Compression – but have you ever tried Side-Chain Gating?

• The concept is fairly similar: You sidechain a Synth to a percussive element like a kick drum. The difference is, instead of the kick triggering a compressor on the synth every time it hits, it will open up a gate on the synth channel.

• This effect is awesome for achieving humanised, rhythmic synth sounds that take up little space in a mix.

• Any old gate with a built-in external side-chain function will work for this job. My personal favourite tool for this application is FabFilter’s Pro-G due to the huge amount of customisation it offers.

ReaperMania’s Kenny Gioia Demonstrates Side-Chain Gating:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9gZNXUlNms

Sugar Bytes Turnado:

A fairly recent favourite of mine is Sugar Bytes’ amazing “Turnado” Multi-FX plugin:

• Dozens of unique and interesting effects to choose from with minimum technical hassle.

• Automating individual (or multiple) parameters allows for some awesome sound-design possibilities never-before-heard sounds.

• The wet-dry control comes in handy when trying to maintain some of the direct punch of the original synth sound.

The guys at Pro Tools Expert demonstrate Turnado on Synth sounds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Non9s-jajzU

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4 – Make Them Move (Parameter Modulation):

Unlike a lot of elements in a metal mix that tend to remain rather static throughout the duration of the track, synths can really benefit from some serious movement in order to imply various emotions or a certain sense of progression.

Here are a few Synthesiser Parameters you should consider experimenting with using Automation:

Filter Cut-Off Frequencies:

Starting out with a fairly rounded and smooth synth sound and gradually transitioning into a more present sound with more high-end does a great job of building excitement in the listener. A great way of achieving this effect is through automating your Synth Cut-Off frequencies in time with the track:

Cut-Off frequency controls in NI Massive.

• Having extremely gradual transitions between smooth and grainy synth sounds over long periods of time conveys a certain tension which eventually begs for a huge release in the form of a hard-hitting drop or impact.

NOTE: Listen to Deadmau5’s track “Strobe” for a prime example of this effect.

Check out this video for a great demonstration of filter automation on a synth sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmCo6JqQaow

ADSR Envelopes:

Automating the attack and release parameters of your synth patches is another great way of creating “living” sounds that spark an increased interest in whoever’s listening:

An ADSR Envelope in NI Massive

• Boosting the initial transient of the synth during the chorus and decreasing it again for the verses can really give each section a boost or decrease in energy.

• Another method of doing this is to create a parallel “Synth transient” track which only consists of an initial “click” sound. You can then automate this track in and out to give your initial synth more punch.

Check out this tutorial for a great demonstration of Synth transient enhancement:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkQa1V-UkHo

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5 – Synth Frequency Guide (EQ):

Synths are fairly similar to guitars when it comes to EQ, and generally require comparable processing. Remember that the context in which your synth sounds are being used will also determine how heavily they should be treated. Aka: a synth bass is comparable to a bass guitar, a pad or pluck sound is comparable to a rhythm tone and a synth lead is comparable to a lead guitar, etc…

Keeping this knowledge in mind will help you make the right decisions when EQ’ing your Synths for each specific purpose.

A Quick Word On Additive/Reductive EQ Methodology:

It’s important to note that the EQ’ing route you choose to go down when processing will dictate whether or not you’ll need to address certain frequency bands in a specific way. Keep this in mind when EQ’ing, as you don’t necessarily NEED to mess with EVERY SINGLE frequency band just because I’ve told you about it.

Example: If you’re boosting a lot of high and low-end then you won’t need to remove as much mid-range, and vice versa…

Here are some of the general areas to look at while EQ’ing Synths:

Note: Take these numbers as general guidelines, not as hard and fast rules! The exact frequencies you’ll need to boost/cut will vary greatly from track to track due to the sheer amount of variables involved in the recording process. Always make sure to sweep around and fish for the areas which complement the sound best!

Low “Boom & Sub” @ Between 20-200Hz: How you should deal with the low-end information on a Synth sound depends on what role it’s being used in:

• Treat the low-end of a Synth-Bass similarly to a bass guitar.

• You can often afford to filter out some of the low-end information from Pad, Lead & Pluck sounds and treat them similarly to guitars.

TIP: Try using the “split processing” technique I mentioned in my “Mixing Secrets – Bass” Article from a few weeks back in order to achieve a tight and aggressive synth bass sound:

https://urm.academy/mixing-secrets-volume-bass/

Low-Mid “Mud” @ ~200-250Hz: This area generally requires some carving in order for the synth to take up less space in the mix. Don’t remove too much however, as lot of the “meat” of a synth also lives in this range:

• In a dense mix, you might want to filter out some of this area in order to leave room for the bass guitar to live.

• I’ll often automate high-pass filters on a per-section basis depending on how much low-end is necessary from the Synths in context. AKA: You can afford more low-end in Sparse sections etc…

TIP: Multi-Band compression is often a better solution for controlling the low-mids than removing them with EQ. Check out my “Mixing Secrets – Guitars” Article for more information on this trick:

https://urm.academy/mixing-secrets-volume-4-guitars/

Mid-Range “Clutter” @ ~500Hz: A wide “scoop” in this area will often help open up a lot of frequency real-estate for your guitars and drums to live in.

Mid-Range “Flatness” @ ~800Hz: A cut in this area can really help prevent the synths from poking out of the mix unnaturally and prevent them from sounding too “nasal”.

NOTE: Don’t automatically reach for a reductive EQ in every area I’ve mentioned – Use your ears! I’ve found that 800Hz can end up sounding awesome when boosted on a synth-bass in some situations…

Upper-Mid “Presence” @ ~1-2kHz: Boosting this range will go A LONG WAY towards making a lead or bass-synth cut through the mix and sound “in your face”:

• Sweep a bell boost in this area in context of the whole mix in order to find the perfect spot for the particular synth sound you’re using.

• Don’t go overboard with these boosts if you’re synths are playing simultaneously with your vocals, as they’ll most likely start to overpower them.

Upper-Mid “Harshness” @ ~2.5kHz: If necessary, you can remove some harshness in this area in order to make some extra space for your vocals to live in.

• In the case of a lead Synth solo section this area can potentially aid in the sound cutting through a dense mix, so don’t just blindly get rid of it!

High-End “Fizz” @ Above ~8kHz: Much like electric guitars, a lot of distorted/saturated synth sounds will have a fair bit of fizzy high-end content above ~8kHz:

• Although this information can be useful towards helping the sound cut through and remain upfront in certain situations, it can also really get in the way of the clarity of your guitars and vocals in the case of a dense metal arrangement.

• Using a gentle (or not-so-gentle) Low-Pass filter to get rid of as much of this content as necessary will go a long way towards making your synths sit more comfortably within the bigger picture.

TIP: Try using a steep 24+ dB/Octave Low-Pass filter to get rid of high-end hiss without drastically altering the tonal character of a synth sound.

Conclusion:

Although Synthesis may appear complex at first, the creative possibilities it has to offer once you overcome the learning curve are well worth the effort.

Having the knowledge and skills necessary to be able to provide electronic music elements when necessary will go a long way towards making your services more desirable to potential customers and even help open up new streams of revenue in the future.

Whether you like it or not, Synths are a part of the metal world at this point:

 

So get on with it and learn how to NAIL THEM IN THE MIX!

FINAL WORDS:

This concludes “Mixing Secrets – Synths.” I hope that this article has given you some new ideas to try out during your next project. Be sure to comment below if any of this information has helped you out, or if you have any questions.

Stay tuned for more production/mixing related articles in the not-so-distant future!

 

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Read Mixing Secrets – Volume 1: Vocals here!

Read Mixing Secrets – Volume 2: Bass here!

Read Mixing Secrets – Volume 3: Drums here!

Read Mixing Secrets – Volume 4: Guitars here!

Nail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Chelsea Grin, Machine Head and State Champs. Join now for instant access!

We’ve been hard at work improving the quality of what we are offering the audio community over the last year and a half at Nail The Mix. We’ve pushed ourselves to deliver more and more value to our students, and we think we’ve done that — but we haven’t changed the price of NTM since the BETA launch in November, 2015. NTM has come a long way since its initial inception, and we’ve seen several of our users landing big mixing gigs which is exciting to say the least! We are no longer a beta – and our experiment turned out to be a game changer.

When we started we were working with local bands, in our home studios, and with zero employees. Since then we’ve added 9 amazing employees, and have brought you top of the line artists and mixers like Meshuggah, Gojira, Kane Churko, Papa Roach, Tue Madsen, Andrew Wade, A Day To Remember, and the list goes on. Our operation has grown as have the costs of delivering to you. Guys, Meshuggah doesn’t come cheap.

On April 1st the price for any NEW subscriber to Nail The Mix will be $24.95 a month. We know it’s April fools but we aren’t fooling around – this is a serious service that is changing lives. For those of you who are current members of our Nail the Mix service, you will enjoy your original price of $19.99 as long as you are subscribed. That rate remains locked in until you unsubscribe.

Don’t worry, URM Enhanced will stay the same price it has always been – keep digging into your vault!

Our annual rates will renew at your original rate if you buy/bought one before April 1, 2017. That means that your annual subscription will lock in at $199 every year you remain a member. If you purchase an annual subscription on or after April 1, 2017 the price will be $249.95. That’s still two months free!

Make sure to sign up for our April session with Billy Decker where we will be giving you access to 5 brand new songs and a whole lot more. Buckle up because it’s all going down at NailtheMix.com!

If you have any questions, please visit http://urmsupport.com

Happy Mixing!

You Shouldn’t Record Your Own Band | By Dave Whalen | 

In 2017 it’s easy to say technology hasn’t completely turned the audio world on its head.

Let’s face it, every other kid has a MacBook and every MacBook has the ability to churn out million-dollar productions with the click of a few buttons in GarageBand. Or for a couple hundred dollars you can get Logic and the buttons click themselves right?

Every band these days has a guy that does all of this stuff. He engineers, mixes and masters. Heck he even programs the harp solo the band desperately wanted at the end of the breakdown. This guy is extremely motivated and is dedicated to making the best recordings with the limited resources available.

But there’s one problem…

The recordings always suck.

 

I was that guy:

In fact, I had people paying me to produce recordings that, looking back, weren’t really all that good.

Like many budding engineers I was basically a guy with a set of microphones, a copy of Cubase and no experience. Regardless of how hard I tried, I couldn’t make my recordings sound great. They were good for what they were, but I could never get them to sound full and balanced. As a result, I could never get them to be as loud as a commercial mix.

In other words, they weren’t good.

Tool Problems:

At first I tried upgrading the tools I was using. After all, my compressor didn’t act or sound like an 1176. That’s what the pros use, so that’s why my mixes sounded terrible. I always upgraded to the latest version of Cubase with the new gadgets and the fancy lights.

It didn’t work. In fact, it just left me with less money to spend on what really mattered:

Education and experience.

You see, the sad truth is not that your tools are inadequate.

Professional engineers have been making your favorite records, with a tiny fraction of the options at your disposal, for decades.

 

The problem was me:

There’s no doubt that I could have listened to my favorite records intently every day for hours, but I wasn’t doing it in an environment that equipped me to reproduce the sounds I heard on them.

I didn’t have anyone to help me break down the elements of the songs and explain why they were important to the mix.

I had no idea what elements went into getting a great drum recording – how to mic the kit for proper phase-coherence, where to position room mics, or how to utilize the various voices in the mix.

Mic position on a guitar cab or how to dial in a good tone? I was completely clueless about that.

I sure as heck didn’t understand that the secret to a great guitar tone has less to do with the gear you’re recording, and more to do with how the player attacks the strings.

Window-reverb on vocal takes, and motivating a vocalist to greatness were ideas that were completely beyond my grasp.

In other words…

I didn’t know what I didn’t know. And my recordings suffered for it.

 

You shouldn’t record your own band:

Don’t get me wrong, you should by all means pursue your craft and be the absolute best you can be, and often recording demos for your band can be a great tool to achieve that. After all, you can’t gain experience without actually putting the faders up on some material.

The problem is that if you haven’t been directly involved in that world or worked in that environment, you may not know what good sounds like. A well-recorded and produced song is more than just an end result, it’s the product of literally hundreds of small decisions made during the process, starting with how well it’s performed, to the amount of compression an instrument receives. Each one of these decisions requires a degree of experience and knowledge.

I think one of the best ways to acquire the information and experience you need to succeed in audio is to find a studio in your area who has a track record of putting out great productions in your style of music, and hire them to record you. You don’t have to necessarily get a 12-song record done, but ask them to do your 5-song EP. Hire a producer too. The insights you can glean from this process are numerous and invaluable:

• You’ll be able to hear what “good” sounds like as it relates to your music
• You will see first-hand how the engineer goes about capturing music you’re intimately familiar with, which you can use to enhance your own processes
• You’ll be able to witness different engineering techniques and see how they affect the sounds of your individual instruments
• You’re likely to learn about arrangement as you work with your producer to re-arrange the songs for maximum impact
• You can ask your engineer/producer about the finer points of why they are doing what they are doing, and get an explanation in real-time
• You develop a relationship with some local pros which could end up being a mentor/student type of relationship
• As it’s a band project, provided they’re not complete deadbeats, you can get your band to cover part of the cost of your education

Cheaper than college:

Of course nothing in this world is free, so it will cost a bit of money. But hey, it’s still cheaper than signing up at a university (especially if you get those deadbeat bandmates to cough up some money), and you get a sweet record out of the deal!

Even if it’s still a little out of reach for your budget, don’t despair. There are an ever-increasing number of sources where you can get world-class instruction for free or next to nothing. There are also many Facebook groups full of engineers who love to help.  Whatever you do, make sure you find a place with people you trust, and get to work learning your craft.

 

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Nail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Chelsea Grin, Machine Head and State Champs. Join now for instant access!

Mixing Secrets – Volume 4: Guitars

Introduction to the series:

In this weekly series of Blogs I’ll attempt to take you through some of the most popular and effective audio processing techniques used in professional studios all over the world.

Each installment of this series will focus on a different instrument and provide you with links to relevant video examples of industry-leading engineers demonstrating these techniques.

 

This week, we’ll be taking a look at the instrument that metal and rock are famous for:

 

An instrument which rock and metal engineers (and fans) take a lot of pride in and often spend countless hours obsessing over is the Electric Guitar. For this very reason, it’s crucial that your guitar sounds live up to what’s expected from a great metal production.

In this Blog we’ll take a look at some of the many mixing tricks we can use in order to a achieve an aggressive, clear, and powerful Electric Guitar sound that’ll help win over a heavy audience:

 

1 – IR’s As EQ (Speaker & Microphone Simulation):

A common mistake which a lot of newer engineers tend to make when dialing in guitar tones is using the wrong Speaker Cabinet & Microphone setup in the first place.

NOTE: In this case, I’m primarily talking about in-the-box guitar tones. The following principles DO apply to both in-the-box & out-of-the-box situations, however switching between speaker & mic variations in real world is a much longer and more tedious process that requires some serious experimentation.

 

Impulse Responses Are A Blessing!

The various speakers, cabinets, microphones, and placements that were used in its creation all play a significant part in an impulse response’s final sound.

As much as you could argue that there are certain downsides to using digital amp & cab simulation, you could also argue that they offer an equal (if not larger) number of advantages.

When it comes to forging a digital guitar tone, simply trying out a different Speaker IR can get you much closer to the sound you’re after than trying to EQ your way there. The fact that current digital recording technology allows us to change multiple parameters with a single click is simply phenomenal!

How Do I Pick The Right IR?

The main downside to having the ability to change IR’s so easily is the fact that there are so many options to choose from:

NOTE: Check out my “Recording Guitars” URM Series from a few months back for a detailed guide on choosing the right Impulse Responses:

RECORDING GUITARS – SILENT RECORDING OPTIONS (PART 1)

RECORDING GUITARS – SILENT RECORDING OPTIONS (PART 2)

NOTE: It’s important to remember that having too many options can be just as harmful as not having enough. My advice is to do some shoot-outs between various IR packs and try to narrow it down to a manageable number of go-to impulses which cover a broad range of tonal variations.

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2 – Layered Control (Dynamics):

A key technique to making your guitars sound present and aggressive within a dense mix is to use layered compression.

Layered?

Distorted guitars don’t take kindly to large amounts of compression due to the fact that they are already fairly clipped. For this reason it’s often a better idea to give them layers of subtle dynamic control in several stages instead of pummeling them with a single dynamics processor.

Let’s take a look at the various layers of dynamic control we can utilise in order to cement our guitars firmly in place:

 

Multi-Band Compression:

It’s not uncommon for the low-mids in an electric guitar track to jump out unnaturally within certain playing styles or particular sections. While most beginner engineers would usually reach for an EQ to resolve this issue, a more dynamic and natural-sounding solution is to address the problem area with a multi-band compressor:

• Multi-Band compressors offer similar controls to a regular compressor, but allow you to compress a specific band of frequencies without affecting the entirety of the signal via the use of crossover points:

Waves C4 – Example Settings For Controlling Guitar Low-End.

NOTE: This type of low-end “jumpiness” usually isn’t constant throughout the entire song, and most prominently occurs in chuggy/palm-muted sections. For this reason, using an EQ to remove these frequencies can often lead to the guitars sounding thin.

Check Out This Video of Joey Sturgis Demonstrating Multi-Band Compression on Electric Guitars:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFUx5oShfU

Buss Compression:

A great way of adding an extra layer of control and subtle pick-attack enhancement to your guitar sound is applying some buss compression across your guitar stereo group:

• Using a med-slow attack time and fast release setting will allow some of the initial transients through, effectively making the guitars sound like they were picked harder.

Example Settings On Waves’ SSL Comp Plugin

• Don’t go overboard with the amount of buss compression you apply to guitars as over-compressing them can end up sounding brittle and harsh. As little as 2dB of compression often goes along way!

Limiting:

Another cool technique to help maintain a constant overall volume balance for your guitars within the mix is limiting:

Waves’ L1 Is A Favourite For Most Limiting Applications

• Inserting a Limiter on your guitars can help control drastic peaks that may cause digital clipping and, in turn, give you more headroom to work with.

• It often works well to Limit after your reductive EQ & Low-End control in order to reduce the amount of gain reduction needed and prevent any unpleasant pumping artefacts.

Watch Joel Wanasek Demonstrate Limiting on a Rhythm Guitar Track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3TepnWv5P0

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3 – Finesse Your Filters:

Using filters to roll-off any unnecessary low-end “rumble” or high-end “fizz” is common practice on guitars… But are you getting the most out of your filters?

“But filtering is simple…”

Although filtering might seem like a simple, no-brainer process that we often skim over rather quickly, there are a few cool tricks we can use in order to sweeten and “perfect” our filters so that less processing is required later on.

Here Are A Few Things To Consider While Filtering Guitars:

Filter Resonance (Q):

The “Q”, or resonance control of a filter determines how steep or smooth the initial frequency roll-off is:

• The steeper the “Q” of the filter, the more resonant the cut-off frequency will become (and vice versa). Keeping this fact in mind can really help to get the best results out of your filtering decisions.

• It often works well to compensate for your filtering with a subtle boost at the filter’s cut-off point. Engineers will often insert an additional bell or shelving filter for this purpose. However, boosting the “Q” of the filter slightly achieves a similar goal without the need for additional bands of EQ.

Check out this quick and simple demonstration of how filter resonance works by Wickiemedia:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA_WnyA7D6k

Filter Slope (dB/Oct):

The severity of the slopes you use while filtering have a huge impact on how natural they sound:

• Steeper filters often do a better job at dealing with the low-end, while gentle filters will sound more natural on the high-end.

• Try using a gentle 6/12dB slope while filtering high-end for a smooth, natural sounding roll-off and a steep 18/24dB slope while filtering low-end for a tight & punchy sounding low-end.

In this video, Periphery’s Misha Mansoor demonstrates Resonant Filtering while EQ’ing a guitar track:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er9VhozNHNk

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4 – Gain Or Loss?

Heavy metal is often associated with cranking the gain to the max. The truth is, there comes a point where less is actually more while setting the gain for a brutally heavy rhythm tone…

Glenn Fricker Dials in A Metal Guitar Tone On A Peavey 5150:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko_EIHinv-o

Let’s take a quick look at a few of the downsides to using too much gain while dialing in a metal/rock guitar tone:

• Added Noise & Hum: This is a fairly obvious one: Turning up the gain too high also enhances and brings forward all of the unwanted low frequency hum and noise from the amp. Although this isn’t a problem in the digital world, it’s fairly annoying to deal with while working with a real amp and is better to avoid completely.

• High-End Fizz: Another side-effect to using too much gain is the drastic high-end fizz it results in. Although removing fizzy high-end with a low-pass filter is fairly simple, making sure you’re not over-cooking it in the first place is a far better approach.

• Loss of Impact & Dynamics: Pushing your guitars too far into distortion effectively chops off all of the peaks, resulting in a dynamically “flatlined” end signal. Remember: If everything is hitting hard then nothing is hitting hard!

Check out this video in which CSGuitars Explains and Demonstrates the drawbacks of using TOO MUCH GAIN:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYtXBUS_kwY

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5 – Guitar Frequency Guide (EQ):

A Quick Word On Additive/Reductive EQ Methodology:

It’s important to note that the EQ’ing route you choose to go down when processing will dictate whether or not you’ll need to address certain frequency bands in a specific way. Keep this in mind when EQ’ing, as you don’t necessarily NEED to mess with EVERY SINGLE frequency band just because I’ve told you about it.

Example: If you’re boosting a lot of high and low-end then you won’t need to remove as much mid-range, and vice versa…

Here are some of the general areas to look at while EQ’ing Guitars:

Note: Take these numbers as general guidelines, not as hard and fast rules! The exact frequencies you’ll need to boost/cut will vary greatly from track to track due to the sheer amount of variables involved in the recording process. Always make sure to sweep around and fish for the areas which complement the sound best!

• Low-Mid “Mud/Flub” @ 200-250Hz: As I’ve talked about previously in this blog, this area is often better controlled with a Multi-Band compressor. However, don’t be afraid to reduce this area further via EQ if necessary.

• Mid-Range “Boxiness” @ ±500Hz: This is the area which a lot of guitarists and engineers will often cut out for a “scooped tone”. Although there is definite value in removing some of the content in this area if needed, don’t over-do it! Removing too much mid-range content from your guitars will result in a weak and lifeless tone that can’t compete in a dense mix.

• Mid-Range “Flatness” @ 700-800Hz: Excessive build-up in this frequency band can cause your guitars to stick out in an unpleasant and lifeless way. Make sure to address this area in context with the other instruments; removing too much can kill your guitars entirely.

• Upper-Mid “Presence” @ 1kHz-2kHz: A subtle, broad boost in this range can help push your guitars further in-your-face and accentuate the pick attack.

• Upper-Mid “Harshness” Centered @ 2-3kHz: This is where the “bite” and “aggression” of your guitar sound lives. It’s often a good idea to reduce some of the content in this range in order to make more space for your vocals. Controlling this range will also help towards making your guitar tracks less fatiguing during prolonged listening.

• Static Ringing: Most distorted guitar tones will have a few unpleasant ringing frequencies that offer absolutely nothing beneficial to a mix. Cutting out a few of these frequencies with a narrow notch can really aid towards the clarity of your tone.

NOTE: Try not to go crazy with this procedure, as each cut you make will evidently make another frequency stick out. Cutting out 1-2 of the most obvious “rings” is usually enough.

• High-End “Clarity” @ ±8kHz: Boosting a healthy dose of high-end into your guitar tracks (where necessary) is probably the quickest way of getting them to sound more “mix-ready”.

Check out this video by Joel Wanasek for a great example of boosting high-end on guitars:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hplhOnwmUk

• High-End “Fizz” @ 8kHz-12kHz: Filtering off the excess high-end in this range will help to clear up a lot of space and free up a lot of the “air” range which is crucial for vocals.

Joey Sturgis Demonstrates some Overall Guitar EQ’ing Techniques:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KhR_o-eBtU

 

Conclusion:

It’s important to realise that the tips I’ve mentioned in this article are designed to help you make a good tone sound even better. If your core tone or performance is weak, then no amount of “fix it in the mix” will suffice.

REMEMBER THIS:

Great guitar tone isn’t something you can just pull out of thin air. It requires proper attention to detail at every step of the recording process.

Make sure to put the right amount of time and effort into mastering the art of guitar production, as NAILING the guitars is one of the most important things you can do towards crafting an awesome rock/metal mix!

 

FINAL WORDS:

This concludes “Mixing Secrets – Guitars.” I hope that this article has given you some new ideas to try out during your next project. Be sure to comment below if any of this information has helped you out, or if you have any questions.

Stay tuned for more production/mixing related articles in the not-so-distant future!

 

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Read Mixing Secrets – Volume 1: Vocals here!

Read Mixing Secrets – Volume 2: Bass here!

Read Mixing Secrets – Volume 3: Drums here!

Read Mixing Secrets – Volume 5: Synths here!

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