MIX FOR VINYL
Lately, we’ve noticed more and more often that customers have the idea that their material automatically sounds better on record.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case – good source material will always sound warmer and rounder on record than digitally, no question about it.
Unfortunately, vinyl is a “physically preloaded” medium whose laws do not forgive certain mistakes.
It’s not that difficult to create a good mix if you learn to listen and understand your equipment.
We have found that the main reason for “unsatisfactory” mixes is poor monitor speakers – or the room in which they are set up.
If they are too close to the (unprocessed) wall, too many high frequencies will be emitted and the mix will sound too muffled.
If the room is cut unfavorably (e.g. aspect ratio 1:2 or even 1:1), “standing waves” will form in the bass range, making the image in the lower frequencies spongy.
The result: either hardly any bass, or the mids and highs are boosted to make the mix “transparent”.
The same applies to “home mastering”: the industry likes to sell you devices and plug-ins as the “definitive” solution for mastering – but the only tools are good ears and experience…
A QUICK DO'S AND DON'TS LIST
1. avoid digital overdrive at all costs (those nasty red lights… and creeping ear fatigue).
2. mix the crash cymbals down.
3. make the bass drum a little louder than you actually think (or make alternative mixes).
Above all, don’t turn the bass or exaggerated mids/treble in or out on sampled bass drums!
The punch is not in the bass range!
4. use a de-esser on the vocals = compression of the high-frequency “S” peaks without affecting the rest of the signal.
5. compress the bass a little more until it sounds even (analog peak meters help with leveling).
6. set your plugins so that you can bypass them without hearing a change in volume – just a change in sound.
7. carefully compress vocals a little more so that all words are easy to understand and there is a “natural” balance in the sound.
8. don’t screw around too much (throw away your 10-band plug-in EQ – 4 bands are usually enough.
I know, the “big” producers always say: “Turn it all the way to the right” – but remember, they’re talking about analog equipment!
9. break more rules (like no. 7, but not no. 1).
10. A/B compare your mixes with commercial releases.
THE EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST
1. good source material (like the actual sound of the musician and the performance) is more important than the type of microphone.
2. a good channel strip (preamp, EQ, compressor) is just as important as the microphone itself.
3. good converters are just as important as channel strip and microphone.
4. converters and cables (analog and digital) are more important than the audio software.
5. your monitor speakers are at least as important as everything mentioned above, because you have to judge everything described above through their “lens”. For example: If your monitors are too treble-heavy, you’ll mix everything rather muffled. If the bass is spongy, it takes weeks to figure out what really makes the bass tight and crisp – because nothing sounds tight and crisp, even if it is!
6. mix your tracks together analog if possible. Or mix your tracks really quietly (at 24bit the resolution is easily sufficient to run a track at -20dB) and pull up the master channel…