Bobby, you opened my eyes, for a very very long time I was relying on a limiter plugins but your way of processing master bus is a huuuuge step to achieve a nice, loud and natural sound. Million thanks bro!
I've found that using a lot of parallel processing can result in a very loud mix without any obvious pumping or artifacts. I use a combination of parallel compression and something I call parallel upwards midrange compression. I'm sure there's a better name for it, but that's what I call it. The parallel midrange is set up as an aux track. On an aux track I have a Fab Filter EQ with a band pass on it, so that only 800 hz to 8k is passing through. Then after that I have a Waves MV2. I am using the upward compression slider to raise the low level signal. But because it's band passed, I'm only raising the low level signal OF THE MIDRANGE. Then I send my entire mix into this to taste. This fills out the entire midrange and gives it way more consistency. Midrange is where perceived loudness lies. When I do this I notice a huge difference on my LUFS meter, plus the whole mix sounds better -- punchier, clearer, more exciting. I think a lot of people struggle because their mixes are too scooped. If you have too much low end and high end, it's going to be difficult to get your mix to sound loud. The low end will distort too much and the high end will sound too harsh. Plus, there's just not enough frequency content where our ears are most sensitive.
I must say this simple yet effective master buss chain worked magic on my overall mix. Thank you for your time and effort you put into your videos. Greatly appreciated.
Personally, I like the Brainworx Townhouse Buss Compressor for my master buss. It's essentially the same as the Waves SSL but with one key addition: a side chain high pass filter. I find that makes a huge difference. If you use the Waves SSL on your whole mix, it'll respond too much to the low end for my tastes. It can be great on individual instrument tracks though. Anyway, loving your channel. And I don't even mix metal. But all the knowledge here is useful for the indie rock I do.
My mixes are still shitty. 😁I am working on mixing skills before i learn how to master. Kind of a learn to crawl before you can walk kinda thing. Your videos are so helpful. Your approach and the way you explain things is on point!
Great content! It would've been interesting to hear the mix before and after the chain of plug-ins. Or even after every plug-in to hear what each of those does to the mix..
Would you say that the Auto release is definitely more of a gluing effect then say something more like a hyper-fast release and a hyperslow attack on the SSL. Personally my settings tend to be 2 to 1 ratio fastest release slowest attack on the SSL
Hey bobby, mastering a black metal demo using your method and I'm wondering what should I be listening for when I increase the threshold in L1? Not too sure how far I can push the loudness. How much attenuation kicking in is too much? Thanks in advance!!
Very helpful video Bobby,if this is your mix bus and already sounds killer, how does your master chain looks like ? What kind of processing you aim on the mastering stage ? Not sure if you already have a video on that topic thats why im asking. Thanks in advance!
I second the A/B comparison previously mentioned. My question is this: is this master bus chain added and effective while you mix, or do you mix all the individual tracks (i.e. eq, comp, any effects and balancing) before you engage this master bus chain?
It varies, but generally the SSL is on there from the get-go and I add the rest during the last 20% of my mix. I have a video in the pipeline that goes over the entire process from a workflow standpoint. Thanks for watching!
Love it dude. Cant wait to try it out when i get to my new studio. Can i ask what effect you have on the snare for the break down at 12:08? sounds a bit like reverb but all the plug ins i've use i cant get anything close to that. Just room sounds, really but yours sounds like a gunshot or something. Hope to hear back from you dude. Thanks for all the videos. I watch a couple of times a week now and you're definitely my most watched producer. Liked and Subscribed, dude.
Thanks man. So this is how to do manually lmao. Usually i have my volume low and my guitar sound a bit muddy is not a big problem I just use izotope ozone master assistant and boom louder and clearer guitar tone lmao.
Hey Bobby , got a very tricky question that I'm unable to find answers to :( whenever I Mix/Master a song all the time my spectrum analyzer shows the below curve for the High end ibb.co/ph0L0M6 While when referencing to other songs , each and every single song is showing the below High end where every thing above like 16 K is completely gone ibb.co/dcPK8jS I Have no idea how to match that at all , should I Low pass each and every single track at 16 k or so ? Only you can help with this , Appreciate your help bro
Awesome stuff dude! every video you put out is filled with useful knowledge 🤘🏻 quick question regarding gain staging: I didn’t put too much thought into gain staging during my first mixes, and as a result my templates for my mixes all clip at a certain point when all my tracks meet up on my pre mix bus. This is a bus where I send all my instruments prior to the actual master bus. To solve this, I just added a gain plugin prior to the fader on the pre-mix bus and turned down the gain to avoid clipping. I then turn up the volume on my actual master bus by using the method you described in this video. Is it problematic if I’m clipping at the point in my mix that I just mentioned? I always thought as long as you don’t clip going into a daw and going out once exported then it’s not a big deal, but I was interested in what your thoughts were on this
GREAT question. I just make sure I don't clip. Also, check out this interview...Jordan Valeriote has a great way of going about gain staging and I follow a similar approach: th-cam.com/video/BKgk_fUn7Rc/w-d-xo.html
Hey Bobby, great video! Quick question, I got kind of confused when you mentioned ‘bouncing and sending to mastering engineer’ especially when you started talking about the a limiter. If you’re applying these processes on the ‘2 buss’ , why would you send it to the mastering engineer? Just need some clarification. Thanks bro!
These processes are very subtle and the limiter is just used to boost gain and not for gain reduction. Most pro mixers send the mastering engineer tracks with the their 2 bus chain applied. Think of it as part of the mix.
Yes, these processes are part of the mix itself. Mastering engineers always thank me for making their lives easier by controlling the headroom in the mixing stage. Also, these days, I usually do my own mastering.
@@FrightboxRecording hey man, thanks for the video. if I want to use this technique for mastering a song, what additional process would you add to the chain? Cheers
Hello Joseph! I throw my bus compressor on early in the rough mix stage. The tape saturator I throw on about halfway through after I have my drums and bass sorted out.
Hey man, awesome video! Your channel has been super informative when it comes to mixing metal. Quick question though: what values would you aim for (both lufs and rms) if you were to master a track for streaming? I’ve put a meter on my mix and I’m a little confused. The overall lufs is just over 7, while the rms hovers around 11. I’ve read that streaming sites normalize at around 14 lufs, but this doesn’t address rms at all. Do I just completely ignore rms values? When I compare my mix to reference tracks they sound hella quiet, but if I go by the numbers then they’re up to standard for online volume. Btw, when I say mix I’m referring to the mix with my attempted mastering processing on the master bus 🤘🏻
Hello Jacob! So happy to hear you're finding the vids helpful. Great question, I don't worry about the overall RMS for my master. I always set my ceiling to -.1DBFS. When it comes to limiting, I make sure my mastering limiter is doing no more that 2dB of limiting (minus a few peaks here and there). If my mix is well controlled and I've created sufficient headroom in the mix itself, I usually have it sitting at a commercial level with the limiter doing minimal gain reeducation. I make sure the level is hot enough by comparing to my previous masters.
right! thanks a lot :D thought i was missing a bus somewhere... lol. anyway your videos are a great source of information for us wanabee producers, thanks a lot man!
Hello Mike! Yes, in this case I am since I had a lot of headroom in the mix itself. As long as I'm hitting roughly 2dB of gain reduction in the SSL, the tape sim roughly .5-1 dB, and my C4 is doing around 2-3db on the peaks...the result will be the same.
I don't understand multiband compression. Shouldn't you have got the instruments how you like them before this stage? Why are you fixing problems on the mix bus with multiband compression? It appears you're using it to control the low end a lot. Why didn't ya just get the low end where you want it before this step? I just don't comprehend. So it looks to me like you're basically mastering? The last thing you do is raise the volume. Looks like mastering to me. So is this mastering or mixing?
Great stuff Bobby. What input level do you set for your guitar tracks? Ive been recording at -18db but I'm wondering if maybe I'm not getting a powerful enough sound before mastering.
@@FrightboxRecording tracking. Do you keep your tracking level lower(-12 to -18) or do you push it toward 0db and bring the volume back down afterward to get maximum signal and minimum noise?
►► Download your FREE Quick EQ Guide: frightboxrecordingacademy.com/free-quick-eq-guide/
I noticed your makeup gain on the Bus Compressor is maxed out. Can you explain that, please. Great Content!!
Someone give this man a medal. Been following your videos for a while man. How is this channel not big??? thanks for the tips. These videos are gold!
So glad to hear you're digging the vids man!
Agreed.. should have way more subscribers, very insightful and knowledgeable tips have helped me alot with my recordings.
Bobby, you opened my eyes, for a very very long time I was relying on a limiter plugins but your way of processing master bus is a huuuuge step to achieve a nice, loud and natural sound. Million thanks bro!
I've found that using a lot of parallel processing can result in a very loud mix without any obvious pumping or artifacts. I use a combination of parallel compression and something I call parallel upwards midrange compression. I'm sure there's a better name for it, but that's what I call it.
The parallel midrange is set up as an aux track. On an aux track I have a Fab Filter EQ with a band pass on it, so that only 800 hz to 8k is passing through. Then after that I have a Waves MV2. I am using the upward compression slider to raise the low level signal. But because it's band passed, I'm only raising the low level signal OF THE MIDRANGE. Then I send my entire mix into this to taste. This fills out the entire midrange and gives it way more consistency. Midrange is where perceived loudness lies. When I do this I notice a huge difference on my LUFS meter, plus the whole mix sounds better -- punchier, clearer, more exciting.
I think a lot of people struggle because their mixes are too scooped. If you have too much low end and high end, it's going to be difficult to get your mix to sound loud. The low end will distort too much and the high end will sound too harsh. Plus, there's just not enough frequency content where our ears are most sensitive.
I must say this simple yet effective master buss chain worked magic on my overall mix. Thank you for your time and effort you put into your videos. Greatly appreciated.
My pleasure, Peter!
6:15 that low band is freaking out and it's hilarious
That fucking Snare is a bomb! It’s a Damn landmine in the middle of a war!
Personally, I like the Brainworx Townhouse Buss Compressor for my master buss. It's essentially the same as the Waves SSL but with one key addition: a side chain high pass filter. I find that makes a huge difference. If you use the Waves SSL on your whole mix, it'll respond too much to the low end for my tastes. It can be great on individual instrument tracks though.
Anyway, loving your channel. And I don't even mix metal. But all the knowledge here is useful for the indie rock I do.
My mixes are still shitty. 😁I am working on mixing skills before i learn how to master. Kind of a learn to crawl before you can walk kinda thing.
Your videos are so helpful. Your approach and the way you explain things is on point!
Awesome video. I am trying to learn mastering and mixing better because I don't do it enough. It was helpful.
Monsters, Metal, and mixbus? This channel is golden!!!!
cheers
Glad to have you Steve! Sounds like you've come to the right place 🤘
Love that snare drum between chugs.
Absolutely fantastic master bus chain!
Great content! It would've been interesting to hear the mix before and after the chain of plug-ins. Or even after every plug-in to hear what each of those does to the mix..
Thanks for watching! I will definitely do some more A/Bing the vids I have coming up.
Your channel sir deserves a waaay more attention!!keep up good work!!Subscribed.
I'm completely new to recoding and mixing, this has been a real help!
Would you say that the Auto release is definitely more of a gluing effect then say something more like a hyper-fast release and a hyperslow attack on the SSL. Personally my settings tend to be 2 to 1 ratio fastest release slowest attack on the SSL
Would have used the C4 first to tame the low kick and then the SSL compressor on the "more even" track. Pros and cons?
This method helped me achieve a louder mix thanks for exposing these secrets
Oh shit! Now we need a tutorial for that snare! Thanks for another great vid
Hey bobby, mastering a black metal demo using your method and I'm wondering what should I be listening for when I increase the threshold in L1? Not too sure how far I can push the loudness. How much attenuation kicking in is too much?
Thanks in advance!!
Dude this is gold
Bro. the gunshot snare........bro. Ok. Wow.
Very helpful video Bobby,if this is your mix bus and already sounds killer, how does your master chain looks like ? What kind of processing you aim on the mastering stage ? Not sure if you already have a video on that topic thats why im asking. Thanks in advance!
I second the A/B comparison previously mentioned. My question is this: is this master bus chain added and effective while you mix, or do you mix all the individual tracks (i.e. eq, comp, any effects and balancing) before you engage this master bus chain?
It varies, but generally the SSL is on there from the get-go and I add the rest during the last 20% of my mix. I have a video in the pipeline that goes over the entire process from a workflow standpoint. Thanks for watching!
Great stuff like always ❤ thank you so much 🏆🙏🏻
Love it dude. Cant wait to try it out when i get to my new studio. Can i ask what effect you have on the snare for the break down at 12:08? sounds a bit like reverb but all the plug ins i've use i cant get anything close to that. Just room sounds, really but yours sounds like a gunshot or something. Hope to hear back from you dude. Thanks for all the videos. I watch a couple of times a week now and you're definitely my most watched producer. Liked and Subscribed, dude.
Fantastic Video
Thanks, this video was REALY USEFULL
that solo snare with reverb is absolutely fucking nasty
Amazing video! Straight to the point.
This guy is great.
Great tips I will give these a go on one of my old mixes thanks man
Let me know how it works for you!
Thanks man. So this is how to do manually lmao.
Usually i have my volume low and my guitar sound a bit muddy is not a big problem
I just use izotope ozone master assistant and boom louder and clearer guitar tone lmao.
Hey Bobby ,
got a very tricky question that I'm unable to find answers to :(
whenever I Mix/Master a song all the time my spectrum analyzer shows the below curve for the High end
ibb.co/ph0L0M6
While when referencing to other songs , each and every single song is showing the below High end where every thing above like 16 K is completely gone
ibb.co/dcPK8jS
I Have no idea how to match that at all , should I Low pass each and every single track at 16 k or so ?
Only you can help with this , Appreciate your help bro
Hey man great video. I see your levels are quite low and then loads of make up gain on the bus compressor, is that just personal preference?
would this master bus work with mixing rap vocals ? we would put these settings and mix into it right ?
do we turn it off after we export also ?
After adding all the master track plugins and getting everything nice, why could you not bounce it out and call that your mastered session?
Very helpful video, just like the rest of them. Keep this shit coming!
Do you know if there's any alternative pluguins like the ones you use for 32-bit DAW?
And also: Why don't you use any Multi band compressor?
Great vid bro. Thank you
I am a beginner, can someone explain why he's cranking the make up gain on the ssl Bus compressor to +15 when the gain reduction is -2?
0:44 -> about 1:00
have you cut the lenght sustain of the guitar sound by hand or some plugin ?
why it's so neat
It's all edited by hand.
Awesome stuff dude! every video you put out is filled with useful knowledge 🤘🏻 quick question regarding gain staging: I didn’t put too much thought into gain staging during my first mixes, and as a result my templates for my mixes all clip at a certain point when all my tracks meet up on my pre mix bus. This is a bus where I send all my instruments prior to the actual master bus. To solve this, I just added a gain plugin prior to the fader on the pre-mix bus and turned down the gain to avoid clipping. I then turn up the volume on my actual master bus by using the method you described in this video. Is it problematic if I’m clipping at the point in my mix that I just mentioned? I always thought as long as you don’t clip going into a daw and going out once exported then it’s not a big deal, but I was interested in what your thoughts were on this
GREAT question. I just make sure I don't clip. Also, check out this interview...Jordan Valeriote has a great way of going about gain staging and I follow a similar approach: th-cam.com/video/BKgk_fUn7Rc/w-d-xo.html
Hey Bobby, great video! Quick question, I got kind of confused when you mentioned ‘bouncing and sending to mastering engineer’ especially when you started talking about the a limiter. If you’re applying these processes on the ‘2 buss’ , why would you send it to the mastering engineer?
Just need some clarification. Thanks bro!
These processes are very subtle and the limiter is just used to boost gain and not for gain reduction. Most pro mixers send the mastering engineer tracks with the their 2 bus chain applied. Think of it as part of the mix.
So you leave all the plugging om your master fader when you send out to get mastered????
Yes, these processes are part of the mix itself. Mastering engineers always thank me for making their lives easier by controlling the headroom in the mixing stage. Also, these days, I usually do my own mastering.
@@FrightboxRecording hey man, thanks for the video. if I want to use this technique for mastering a song, what additional process would you add to the chain? Cheers
I love how you keep L1 in the older UI mode. Can't stand the new UI myself!
Hell yeah! Love dat old school vintage digital look lol.
Master buss as in master fader?
Tasty! Gonna give these techniques a shot. Always great info Bobby
Thanks Itay!
how many lufs does your master get out? (sorry for my bad english)
What do you think about top down mixing??
Very helpful!! Thank you!
Just discovered your channel. Great stuff. Do you mix into your two bus chain ala top down mixing or throw the chain on at a later stage?
Hello Joseph! I throw my bus compressor on early in the rough mix stage. The tape saturator I throw on about halfway through after I have my drums and bass sorted out.
Hey man, awesome video! Your channel has been super informative when it comes to mixing metal. Quick question though: what values would you aim for (both lufs and rms) if you were to master a track for streaming? I’ve put a meter on my mix and I’m a little confused. The overall lufs is just over 7, while the rms hovers around 11. I’ve read that streaming sites normalize at around 14 lufs, but this doesn’t address rms at all. Do I just completely ignore rms values? When I compare my mix to reference tracks they sound hella quiet, but if I go by the numbers then they’re up to standard for online volume. Btw, when I say mix I’m referring to the mix with my attempted mastering processing on the master bus 🤘🏻
Hello Jacob! So happy to hear you're finding the vids helpful. Great question, I don't worry about the overall RMS for my master. I always set my ceiling to -.1DBFS. When it comes to limiting, I make sure my mastering limiter is doing no more that 2dB of limiting (minus a few peaks here and there). If my mix is well controlled and I've created sufficient headroom in the mix itself, I usually have it sitting at a commercial level with the limiter doing minimal gain reeducation. I make sure the level is hot enough by comparing to my previous masters.
Very nice and useful tutor! Thx!
Thanks for hanging out and watching!
Please show your mastering tips and tricks
Stay tuned!
Great tutorial man, thanks for sharing!
My pleasure
What do you mean by "dither"?
Thank you
Anytime! Thanks for watching.
Great content thank you !
My pleasure!
Hello Bobby thanks for the great tips! I have a question : What do you mean when you talk about "2 bus"? thanks
Hey man! '2 bus' is just another way of saying 'Master Bus'...just different terminology. It's more old school lol.
right! thanks a lot :D thought i was missing a bus somewhere... lol. anyway your videos are a great source of information for us wanabee producers, thanks a lot man!
Are you also using the ssl comp for volume? It looks like you have the make up gain slammed 15db. Is that correct?
Hello Mike! Yes, in this case I am since I had a lot of headroom in the mix itself. As long as I'm hitting roughly 2dB of gain reduction in the SSL, the tape sim roughly .5-1 dB, and my C4 is doing around 2-3db on the peaks...the result will be the same.
Frightbox Recording awesome thanks for the info!
ahhh almost first! thank you again for yet another fcking awesome video!
Thanks for hanging and watching!
i don't listen to that kinda music but it was HEAT
Dope!!
15db make up gain on the bus compressor?? What is going on there? That's insane..
Yeah I don't get that either... he's got 2db of reduction there and makes up that much? I don't understand that at all, and he doesn't explain it.
“Can you fly Bobby”! Lol.
I don't understand multiband compression. Shouldn't you have got the instruments how you like them before this stage? Why are you fixing problems on the mix bus with multiband compression? It appears you're using it to control the low end a lot. Why didn't ya just get the low end where you want it before this step? I just don't comprehend.
So it looks to me like you're basically mastering? The last thing you do is raise the volume. Looks like mastering to me. So is this mastering or mixing?
there's no meter with my ReaEQ, hmm.
Great stuff Bobby. What input level do you set for your guitar tracks? Ive been recording at -18db but I'm wondering if maybe I'm not getting a powerful enough sound before mastering.
Do you mean in terms of the input level while I'm tracking or when I'm mixing?
@@FrightboxRecording tracking. Do you keep your tracking level lower(-12 to -18) or do you push it toward 0db and bring the volume back down afterward to get maximum signal and minimum noise?
Record to -6Db and turn it down later.
@@alterbridge9687 I track with my input peaking around -8 on the way it in and turn it down when mixing (just like Charles mentioned).
this music is so incredibly obnoxious hahaha 🤣