EQ Magazine - October 2008 - (Page 44)

MIX BUS so it wouldn’t work to add any lows to the bass guitar. What about the guitars? I didn’t do a lot. I used a little compression, and then I’d EQ the tone to filter out some of the low end and bring out the top end. I try not to change the guitar sound too much. How did you approach the vocal sound? The vocals were generally doubled. I’d blend them together in the box, and bring them up on one fader of the console. Then, I used a Chandler TG1 compressor and a Neve Portico 5042 Tape Emulator to add a bit of drive to the vocal sound. I set the compressor to limit, which makes the vocal sit nicely in a track. It also brings out some of the sound of the room the vocal was sung in, so you don’t have to use as much reverb or delay in the final mix. Can you detail the delay and reverb processing you did use? It depends. For delays, I tend to use short slaps around 100ms, or perhaps a 300ms delay mixed underneath the vocal to add space. Sometimes, I send the delays into reverbs, as well. Some of my favorite processors and plug-ins are the Eventide Orville, SoundToys EchoBoy, and Line 6 Echo Farm. I also like the Electro-Harmonix delay pedals. Do you compress the entire mix through the stereo bus? Yes. There’s a chain with a Manley Variable Mu Limiter/Compressor, a Manley Massive Passive EQ, and then the SSL compressor at the end. All of the compression is very subtle—no more than 1dB or 1.5dB. Why do you use two compressors—the SSL’s onboard processor and the Manley? I just like the sound. It’s more for the tone than for any sort of compression, actually. The Manleys offer a bit of added drive through their tubes and transformers, and the SSL throws in a bit of extra punch. Is there any trick to crafting a fantastic final mix? Well, I think the main goal is having everything balanced. I mean, that’s a very simple thing to say, but it’s really about moving sounds around, and putting them all in the right places. For example, having stereo tracks helps you get your sounds out of the center, which, in turn, leaves more space for your vocals. At that point, it’s just filling in any holes in the frequency spectrum with instruments, musical parts, and EQ adjustments. It can be as simple as letting the guitars take the top end, the bass take the low end, and giving the vocals their own spot. But whether a song is dense and complicated, or fairly minimal and open, you need to shape and sculpt each sound until the mix sounds right to you. cording at the Learn audio reof Recording Conservatory s. Arts & Science ording, you need 4.4 Call today! 888.60, AZ 85282 pe ool.co www.audiorecordingsch 075 career in audio rec If you’re serious about a mitted to your ording school that is as com to attend a rec success as you are. teaches you ording Arts and Sciences The Conservatory of Rec ent in eight world-class ing equipm m. on state of the art record square foot live sound roo dios, six labs, and a 6,000 stu and Platinum award ed Gold d. You’ll study under season w what it takes to succee t, ning instructors who kno win ls, Logic Pro, EAW Smaar in Pro Too You’ll earn certifications kage that helps receive a laptop pac Waves, and more. You’ll Connect ng in class, access CRAS you follow alo lum delivery system), (our web based curricu cational access and gives you 24 hour edu e. And before you even while you’re at hom as internship graduate, you’ll complete choose. at a location you help When it comes to audio… 2300 E Broadway Rd | Tem ) rt, AZ 85233 (satellite facility 1205 N Fiesta Blvd | Gilbe m/eq.html . LET WE ARE THE EXPERTS E MIX. US HELP YOU GET IN TH 44 EQ OCTOBER 2008 www.eqmag.com http://www.audiorecordingschool.com/eq.html http://www.audiorecordingschool.com/eq.html http://www.eqmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EQ Magazine - October 2008

EQ Magazine - October 2008 Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Punch In Smashing Pumpkins Guitar Trax Bass Management Key Issues Drum Heads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet Cakewalk Sonar 7 Steinberg Cubase 4 Studio Meets Stage Gear for the Studio and Stage Sounds Room with a Vu

EQ Magazine - October 2008

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