Fine-tuning STATE CHAMPS drums w/ Kyle Black

Great mixes are the product of thousands of small decisions that all add up, and drums are maybe the ultimate example of this.

To see this in action, check out this clip from Kyle Black’s Nail The Mix session where he fine tunes the drums in STATE CHAMPS’ “Secrets.” These drums sound AMAZING, and it’s because he polished every detail to perfection- for example the painstaking attention to details like gating the snare top head to get precise control over the sustain.

Mixing pop-punk/rock drums w/ Kyle Black + State Champs

Watch Kyle Black mix the drums from State Champs’ pop-punk / rock song “Secrets” in Pro Tools. He compresses them with UAD’s Distressor plugin (an emulation of Empirical Labs’ hardware unit), then uses Waves SSL E-Channel to a more compression, EQ and gate out the ring in the snare sustain.

Nail The MixNail 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 Neck Deep. Join now for instant access!

Mixing CHELSEA GRIN: guitar solo vs synths

Mixing CHELSEA GRIN synths vs Jason Richardson guitar solo

Synths can be tough to mix in metal, and are often f***ed up by inexperienced mixers– especially when there are several layers of them competing with an already dense metal mix, like in “S.H.O.T.” by Chelsea Grin.

Synths can be tough to mix, and are often f***ed up by inexperienced mixers– especially when there are several layers of them competing with an already dense mix, like in “S.H.O.T.” by Chelsea Grin (something like 10 layers of strings competing with a blazing solo). With a ton of information across pretty much the entire frequency spectrum, it’s easy for the synths to drown out the rest of the mix without the right EQ moves. And yet at the same time, you need to be careful not to EQ the life out of either the synths or the guitars. It’s a tough balance that’s one of the arrangements most commonly butchered by metal mixers (both novices and many pros).

In this clip from his Nail The Mix session, Eyal Levi shows you how to do it the right way, balancing several layers of synth orchestration and a choir with a Jason Richardson guitar solo.

Nail The MixNail 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, Gojira, Machine Head and State Champs. Join now for instant access!

Mixing quad-tracked MACHINE HEAD guitars

Quad-tracked guitars are a great way to get that massive, thick sound, but they do have their challenges.

In this clip from NAIL THE MIX, Joel Wanasek works with quad-tracked guitars in a Machine Head session, using some smart EQ moves and a little limiting to balance them against the bass and drums while retaining the thickness and depth of the guitars (the mild phasing that you’re hearing is an inherent part of quad-tracked guitars).

Mixing MACHINE HEAD quad-tracked guitars on Nail The Mix

In this clip from NAIL THE MIX, Joel Wanasek works with quad-tracked guitars in a Machine Head session, using some smart EQ moves and a little limiting to balance them against the bass and drums while retaining the thickness and depth of the guitars.

Nail The MixNail 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, Gojira, Papa Roach, and State Champs. Join now for instant access!

Analysis As a Learning Tool (Part 2)

Analysis As a Learning Tool (Part 2) | By Thomas Brett | 

As audio engineers we’re always looking to improve our craft and take our mixes to the next level. Two of the key methods to speeding up this learning process are:

  • Understanding the subtleties of the gear we’re using.

         AND

  • Knowing how to perform accurate analysis and comparisons.

Here are some of the primary tools which you can use in order to analyze and compare sounds or gear, while possibly gaining further insight into the techniques of the pros in the process:

EQ-Matching:

1 Analysis Collage

EQ-matching is an awesome feature which comes built-in to quite a few different EQ and mastering plugins these days. I often find myself using this tool as a means of testing certain things out, or simply confirming any frequency related suspicions I might have.

 

How Does EQ-Matching Work?

An EQ-match basically takes two signals you feed into it, compares their overall frequency information, and provides a corrective EQ curve which can be used to better match their tonal characteristics.

Although EQ-matching can’t achieve %100 replication due to the thousands of factors which go into capturing a specific source, it can really help towards getting you in the same ballpark as the sound you’re after.

Here are a few example situations where EQ-Matching might come in handy:
          • Comparing Your Mixes to Your Reference Mixes: This is a cool method of pinpointing possible weaknesses within your track and smoothing them out. Check out David Glenn’s Pro Audio Files video for a great show and tell on this subject.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XNPJqQ_4NM

          • Comparing Drum Samples: EQ matching is a great means of comparing your raw drum samples to processed drum samples. This can be an excellent learning tool which can help you figure out which areas your sounds might be lacking in.

NOTE: Check out my “Analysis As a Learning Tool – Part 1” blog from a few weeks ago for further insight into this technique)

          • Fixing Tonal Imbalances Between Stereo Overheads: It’s not uncommon to encounter various tonal discrepancies between individual overhead mics – Check out Matthew Weiss’ Pro Audio Files video on this exact topic for an excellent demonstration on how to address these issues using EQ-matching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IV64UWEt-WI

 

I’m sure there are a bunch more similar situations and uses which could be added to this list, but I think you get the point…

Here’s A Practical Example of EQ-Matching In Everyday Mixing Practice:

I was recently working on a project where the acoustic guitar and vocals were tracked in a different country by the singer/guitarist of the band. We had some contact before he started the tracking process, so I was able to give him advice on microphone placement for each instrument beforehand. Overall, he managed to do a decent job with the recording.

HOWEVER

The vocal and acoustic guitar raws I received at the time of mixing came to me as stereo files, which I naturally assumed was just down to incorrect rendering settings. I began EQ’ing away at the vocals without really thinking twice about the fact they were on a stereo track. After a few minutes of tweaking, I realised that they were actually sounding quite “phasey” and weird…

Here is the process I used to determine/confirm the source of the culprit:
          • I started out by splitting the stereo vocal track into two individual mono tracks using Reaper’s “explode channels” function.
          • My second step was to perform an EQ-match between the two channels using Fabfilter Pro-Q2, in order to determine the tonal differences between them.
          • As you can see below, the results of the EQ-match indicated that there was huge discrepancy in the amount of high and low-end information between the two channels.4 EQ Matching Example
          • Notice how the mid-range between 200Hz – 7kHz is pretty consistent between the two channels, but how the content below and above this range is much more prevalent in one of them.
          • By using this information we can tell that the vocals have actually been recorded in stereo, but that one of the capsules of the microphone was probably facing off-axis from the recorded sound source. (Due to the reduced proximity effect and lack of high-end clarity)
Long Story Short…

It turns out that the microphone which was used while tracking was an expensive AKG C24 stereo mic (Kind of like a stereo C12, but slightly different in sound), which he had borrowed from a friend. The problem is, due to his lack of recording knowledge (which I don’t blame him for) he had actually used both of the capsules in stereo while recording his vocals and acoustic guitar.

5 AKG C24

Overall, none of this was really a big issue… as I simply ended up using the recordings from the brighter, on-axis C24 capsule for the project and got rid of the extra channel captured by the second capsule.

Could I have instantly recognized that this was the problem from the get-go?

Sure… but my main purpose in telling you this story is to point out how EQ-matching was an extremely useful tool in confirming my suspicions quickly and accurately in order to aid my decision making mindset.


Waves Q-Clone:

6 Q Clone Plugins

This is a fairly unique and interesting plugin which I use on a daily basis for various audio tests and analytical purposes. It isn’t an EQ-matching plugin or spectral analyser as such, but rather a sine-sweep generating convolution plugin which creates real-time impulse responses of the gear it’s being fed through.

 

Why Is This Useful?

Q-Clone was originally designed as a means of accurately capturing and reproducing the filter curves of expensive analog gear and giving engineers the option to use these curves across multiple tracks simultaneously. This was probably a great selling point when the plugin was initially released, but with the advent of excellent analog-modeled digital EQ’s being so widespread nowadays, this purpose seems a bit obsolete…

Obsolete? Then Why Are You Telling Us About It?

Despite the fact that Q-Clone may have outlived its’ original purpose, another extremely valuable use for this plugin is as a measurement device:

NOTE: I won’t attempt to explain how to set up and operate Q-Clone in this Blog, as it’s fairly complicated and will vary greatly depending on the DAW you’re using. The plugin manual is probably the first place you should look if you’re having any trouble getting it up and running, but I’m sure there are also some great in-depth tutorials available online.

Here are a few example Analytical uses for Waves Q-Clone:
1 – To Learn More About The EQ Curves of Various Analog-Modeled Processors:
              • Slate VTM 15 IPS 456 16-Track Frequency Curve Analysis:7 Q Clone 15 ips 456 Tape Analysis

Note: By using Waves Q-Clone I am able to go through the various tape-type and tape-speed settings available in VTM and gain a better understanding of how these settings are affecting my audio. Notice how the “vintage sounding” 15IPS 456 tape introduces a fair amount of low-end boost while also rolling off some of the high end.

Further examples of Waves Q-Clone in Action:
              • Slate VCC Neve Console Analysis:8 Q Clone VCC Neve

Note: On the Neve console setting, Slate VCC introduces a subtle low-end shelf which is part of the reason behind it’s classic “fat” neve sound.

              • Waves PuigTec EQ Analysis:9 Q CLONE PUIGTEC

Note: Despite being set to 60Hz, the Puigtec’s low-shelf extends all the way up to 1kHz.

2 – To Discover The Secrets Behind Various “Magic Preset” Plugins:

NOTE: Before you start making fun of me: No, I wouldn’t usually use the plugins below while mixing… (Although, there’s no problem in doing so if you find a setting that sounds great!) These are simply for educational purposes!

              • Waves CLA Drums “Kick” Analysis:10 Waves CLA KICK

Note: CLA clearly isn’t shy of scooping 15dB of mid-range on a kick drum…

              • Toontrack EZmix – Andy Sneap “Overhead” Preset Analysis:
11 EZMIX ANDY SNEAP

Note: A confirmation of the classic Andy Sneap “filter the overheads up to 500Hz setting.

3 – To Analyse The Frequency Responses of Various Analog Gear:

 

In this case, I’m not talking exclusively about EQ’s. You can use Waves Q-Clone as tool for analysing and learning more about the frequency responses for pretty much any of the following pieces of gear:

              • DI Boxes
              • Audio Interfaces
              • Outboard Preamps
              • Headphone Amplifiers
              • FX Pedals
              • Etc…
Conclusion:

The simple fact about the music production business is that THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR HARD WORK. Analysis and comparison both play a huge part in the growth of an audio engineer, so unless you’re willing to put in the hours learning your gear and honing your craft, you can’t expect to turn out like Joey Sturgis, Eyal Levi or Joel Wanasek…

 

FINAL WORDS:

This concludes Part 2 of my “Analysis As a Learning Tool ” series of Blogs. I hope that this article has given you some new ideas to try out in 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!


Thomas Brett is a producer, mixing engineer and songwriter at Brett Brothers recording studio in the UK. Check out the Brett Brothers studio website for more information and articles on all things mixing www.brettbrothersstudio.com

Want mix tips from Thomas Brett? Read them here!

Nail The MixNail 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!

5 New Year’s Resolutions For The Studio

5 New Year’s Resolutions For The Studio | By Thomas Brett |

Studio Resolutions

Mixing is for life, not just for Christmas

As another year draws to a close, the time has come for the annual tradition of setting unrealistic goals that usually end up going unfulfilled.

Don’t get me wrong… It’s great to dream big, but equally important to make sure you can actually achieve your goals in the time frame given!

HERE’S A QUICK LIST OF REALISTIC AUDIO TARGETS TO STRIVE FOR IN 2017

1 – Learn A New Skill

Try Something New

Gain a new skill to open up doors of opportunity and make your services more appealing to potential clients

Nobody likes a one-trick pony, but there’s good news: One of the great things about working in audio is that it’s nearly-impossible to know everything there is to know!

Here are some valuable studio skills which will take you a long way towards becoming a jack-of-all-trades:

  • Discover the world of synthesis: Using preset synth patches is fine, but what if you could build the exact sound you’ve been hearing in your head?!? It’s a wide and wonderful world of opportunities. Who knows, you might end up being pretty good at it…
  • Always worked with drum samples or amp sims?: Why not learn how to mic up a real kit and record a real amp/cab? Or… (on the other side of the coin) Learn about drum replacement, amp simulation, and Impulse Responses. Both of these approaches have their pros and cons, so know how to nail them both!
  • Learn some basic orchestral arrangement skills: Being able to provide additional instrumentation such as string sections and percussion is an extremely valuable asset in the studio. There are hundreds of excellent, reasonably priced sample libraries on offer from companies such as Spitfire, Voice of Gaia, and Native Instruments (and exactly zero reasons not to give them a go!) 

NOTE: These are just a handful of obvious examples. Just make sure that whatever you go for, you stick with it long enough to overcome the learning curve.

 

2 – Expand Your Target Audience / Client Base

Broaden Your Horizons

If you play it safe in life, you’ve decided that you don’t want to grow anymore

It’s easy to get pigeonholed into a specific type of music in this business. Being able to switch between genres and cater to a wide range of potential customers is key to expanding your skillset and maintaining a steady, reliable income.

Try out these ideas to give your musical palate a good cleansing:

          • Write some music in a genre you haven’t worked in before: This is an excellent way of adding some new licks or rhythmic skills to your vocabulary. The awesome thing is that these new tricks are often transferable, and can result in innovation when applied to different contexts.
          • Study the greats: Learn the characteristic sonic traits that help define specific sounds and study the engineers who are “top-dog” in their respective genres. Trying out the different techniques on offer from this process is a great way of spicing up some otherwise bland mixes.

 

3 – Get Your Name Out There!
Get Your Name Out There
How are people going choose you if they don’t even know you exist?!?

Feel like your business is going nowhere fast? Might be time to step up your marketing game with some shiny new upgrades.

Here are a few practical marketing steps you can take towards getting more work in 2017:

          • Brand yourself: Think up a simple, clever logo that will catch the eye of potential customers. You don’t necessarily have to create the logo yourself, just make sure it’s memorable and relevant to what you’re all about.
          • Use social media: Create a concise and professional looking Facebook page. It helps paint a clear picture of the service quality you provide, and is a great way to spark an interest in people. It’s not a terribly difficult thing to create, but trust me when I say it’s better to do it early on in order to start building up a following for your studio.
          • Build a website: Although it may not be the best way of gaining new customers, having a professional looking website with clear examples of your work and images of your studio goes a long way towards giving yourself some credibility (make sure to check out Wix.com for an excellent DIY website building solution that won’t break the bank!)

NOTE: A “dumb” and simple-to-use website is worth a lot more to a potential customer than a flashy and complex one. If I can’t find examples of your work within 10 seconds, I most likely won’t be bothered with your website.

 

4 – Stop Procrastinating

Because of the nature of the job, we often like to really take our time trying to perfect the most tedious and miniscule things in order to satisfy our “engineer ego”

Striving for excellence is great, but if the pursuit of perfection is causing you to spend way too long trying to finish things then it’s time to take a step back and reevaluate… The simple truth is, the biggest impacts we can make on a mix often only take up a tiny fraction of the overall time spent.

Here are a few changes you can make towards getting more work finished from now on:

          • Commit to decisions early on: Giving yourself too many options and leaving all of the tough decision making for “future you” is a sure-fire way to slow-down your productions. Check out last week’s URM Blog by Dave Whalen for some excellent advice on decision making.
          • Simplify the process: Try and streamline your recording and mixing process down to the bare necessities and cut out anything that’s hindering your progress. Learn to limit yourself and focus on the bigger picture.

Question: Do you really need a chain of 15 plugins to mix a cowbell? NO! A single channel strip will do just fine…

 

5 – CONCLUSION: Learn From 2016

Mistakes

It’s fairly common to look back on previous years and phase out all of the positive things until you only see the mistakes you’ve made. The ironic truth is that mistakes should actually be the single biggest motivator of all!

How so?

If you’ve made a particular mistake that led to problems or someone being disappointed you’ll do whatever it takes to avoid repeating that same mistake.

Having a “learn from your mistakes” attitude is key to a successful career in audio!

 

Some final questions to think about:

I’ll leave you with a few simple questions about the past year. The answers to these should help decide what your primary audio goals for 2017 should be:

What worked well?

What didn’t work?

What am I good at?

What do I need to improve upon?

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

FINAL WORDS:

This concludes “5 New Year’s Resolutions For The Studio”. 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 “Analysis As A Learning Tool – Part 2” and more production/mixing related articles in the not-so-distant future!


Thomas Brett is a producer, mixing engineer and songwriter at Brett Brothers recording studio in the UK. Check out the Brett Brothers studio website for more information and articles on all things mixing www.brettbrothersstudio.com

 

Nail The MixNail 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!