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Keeping the level between tracks in a studio mix


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If this is gonna be a sound design and plugins thread, perhaps I could ask this:

 

I'm doing part of a mix (mixtape as opposed to mix of one track) in REAPER and have a section where one track drops into another and the second is noticeable weedier than the first. I plan to remedy this with FX, the first being EQ. If I was gonna boost the bottom end of a track (Cabbage Patch by the World Class Wreckin Crew) what frequencies should I be upping? Is this the best way to beef it up?

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Why does it sound weedy in the first place? If it's because of the source file (assuming it's an MP3, not a record) then look for a better quality rip rather than tinkering with the one you have.

 

If you do end up using EQs, then as Wax said, just play around with them to boost the low frequencies and see what sounds good.

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I just split this topic out because I don't really think it's got anything to do with sound design or synthesis.

 

The perceived volume of a track/sound is a combination of the dynamic range present and the frequencies present. Dynamic range can be squashed out with a compressor to make the track sound louder and eq can boost some lower freqencies. However these might be destructive to the track and you might find that to make a track sound as loud as another you end up completely destroying it.

 

My recommendation would be to adjust the eq a bit and so that it sounds nice with the tracks you are missing, you can also add some compression too if you want but generally not too much.

 

The all important thing is to then adjust the levels so the mix sounds balanced, the very important part is that you do this with your ears and not your eyes, don't do it so the waveforms look the same volume but so that the mix sounds balanced!

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Cheers Tom. Steve that's a reasonable point but I believe they're both the same quality, possibly 192.

 

Bitrate != quality necessarily, cos MP3 encoding is GIGO. It depends on the source, how it was recorded (if it's a vinyl rip) and the encoder used when converting to MP3.

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  • 1 year later...

If you really want to give it more meat then I would suggest relayering the drums. Done this on a few Mixtape projects with oldschool material.

 

Compression will squeeze the dynamics but if the original studio mixdown is poor it won't be so effective. You need to find an appropriate kick and snare, you can find HQ samples from pretty much any drum machine online.

 

It's then a case of going through the file and adding the layer hits to the existing drums.

 

Yes it is a LONG process and will probably give you neck ache but it's by far the best approach IMO.

 

Then you can compress/EQ to taste and make the track stand up with better productions.

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