Music by Garrett Biggs “Momma Didn’t Raise No” out everywhere now! Produced, mixed, and mastered by yours truly. I have a new video in the works detailing the production from start to finish of that song.
The magic is in the midrange! - Im gonna remember this dude. Mixing Trance myself which is very layered, like yours by the sound of it. 200-2 K it is then.. 👍
It certainly was for me for quite a handful of years. That’s the point I’m attempting to make in this video though, it doesn’t have to be. Thanks for watching!
Been there. Not as bad now that we're digital. True pain was waiting 10 minutes for a CD-RW to burn a $2 disc for the car and realizing the mix sucked about 8 beats in.
yes sir been there many many times, regretted paying the small fortune i spent having a CD player put my car. and if anybody else is old enough to remember DAT tapes..............
Mixing in mono has helped me focus on the mids more. I feel like stereo can hide some overlap of frequencies but, switching to mono immediately tells me where the problems are.
I support. I do like. 90% of the entire process in mono. Then when it sounds where each elements has its place I switch to stereo and pan the drums etc..
One thing that really helped me when checking car mixes: When I get in the car, I actually listen to part of a reference track FIRST before I play my mix. It's such a drastically different experience compared to monitors. I would have to remind myself that "Hey, this is what these crappy car speakers sound like with a pro mix (reference), so take a sec and listen to this first." It's easy to get depressed about your mix on car speakers, but in reality, nothing sounds super amazing in that environment. If you're going to make major mix decisions based on how it sounds in a car, then you kinda have to "learn that room's sound" just like you would in your home studio.
That's a good tips. If you don't know how your car "sounds" its a good idea to use a track you know as a reference. That tips apply to any unfamiliar audio setup too.
I use this method too. I use adptr metric a/b to compare my songs & mainstream music. This save me a lot of time instead of relying on my car audio. Car audio is the approval stage lol
Hello everybody from Italy, I would add that listening first to a track reference also in the studio before and during mixing is very useful too... Not only in your car, at least in my experience. You need to always have in mind what you are doing and where you are going after hours of tweakings the mix. Of course is recommended to choose among track references the one(s) that most stay close to the song you're mixing, I mean the same genre/kind of music and in general the overall sound you wish to "translate" on the mix you are working with. Thank you very much for sharing these things, they can help a lot and improve the skills of everybody!
@@yoiboi8515 Okay cool. Make sure that while mixing in mono you check it in stereo as well throughout the mix. And also make sure it's in stereo when you bounce the song out
My boy colt giving out great tips instead of giving vague information about something in order to sell a course or a book. This is what makes a good content creator
Except if you listen through apple headphones your ears start to hurt and any change in the mix you make over time becomes less and less noticable because of ear fatigue
Not true. Can’t mix the low low end through those because of the cut off. But generally it’s good to check in those. Super awful for prolonged times of working.
If it is working for someone that is fine, but I cannot imagine it for room and low end mixing. To listen to a mix on earphones you are usually listening is good for checking back. If you get a chance it is good to listen to a mix on a pa system as well. 'car mastering' is great to me as well.
Same. But you probably have a LOT of buddies with the worst conceivable audio setup. Try it there that's the whole point XD Or buy cheap headphones .... hell I'd even say... if you are one of those with a pair of beats... that worst. Beats are not in any way flat. and they are a lot colored. If it sounds good on them then chances are your mix is at least fine. Just don't do your mixing with them!!!! Other wise your mix will sound good on beats but not on other headphones.
Colt, very good video brother a lot of people needed to hear this. I’ve been saying the same thing for years . But you laid it out very simple and basic.
In recording school in '82 my teacher was an engineer that had worked with the Cars. We had all this driven into us...and shown to us. We had hands on teaching. I did a lot of tape aligning and mic cable winding initially. We had Big Reds in soffits and ns-10s and Auratones on the MCI desk. It is just different when learning today. I'm sorry it took you as many years as it did, but you surely got there...and then some. You nailed this tutorial. Excellent!
Excellent advice. I also only focused on 'bass" and "treble" for years and my mixes sounded utterly awful - but the real magic lies in crafting the mids.
Some great advice there. I too had a few of those moments where the light bulb came on. Used to run a Studio in Vancouver Canada in the 1980s - just before digital. Had NS10m reference monitors as well - we also had client speakers. The mid range analogy is solid. I think using the ns10s forced me into that frame of mind - also had killed the tweeters a few times and ended up putting fuses in. So was a little hesitant to push the top end as well. A few lessons I learned for the mix came from being in a recording session with a world known producer that would come into the studio late in the afternoon - the engineer and myself were excited about working with him and had the drummer for the band come in really early - so we could work on the kit and have the respect of this producer. Anyway after hours of having the drummer kick away, and tons of eq - room mics - reverb noise gates, compression etc. we thought we had it nailed down. The producer walked in - listened to it - walked out into the studio and listened - then came back and took off everything and flatted the eq - pulled the fader. Went back in and moved the mic about 7 inches and redirected the room mic. Came back in the booth and pushed up the fader and Boom - the best sounding kick drum I had ever heard. The lesson was that everything you do in recording music - is from the source. You work from the source - to the final mix. If the source sounds great - everything after is subtle and is only to make it sound better. The other lesson was from Elton John - he arranges his part of the production by splitting his piano hands and leaving the hole for the vocal. When you hear a great production, and you can hear every note, ( Steely Dan's aja ) that philosophy is part of the reason. Everything has space for the other things. So when you mentioned the bass and the kick drum - that is the way to get those two things to seperate in the mix and sound great. The kick drum story has been with me ever since - A guitar amp- a singer - horns - starts from the source - what comes out of the singers mouth is where it starts - in the mic - down the line to the mixer - if it sounds good to that point - it will sound good everywhere. I am now 60 and have for the last decade been involved with consulting and color grading post production in the film industry. Still use the same philosophy - "We'll fix it in the mix later" rarely ever works. You are also correct that people are really lucky to get such valuable information like what you are presenting here. Great job. There is another way to fix the car mix though - only sell your music to people who have the same car as you. Easy.
Lol this story truly makes me smile when I read that the producer walked in and out then completely blew your minds with that simple (yet massive) change.
Good chit! I was a motion picture "Color Timer" for many years, i.e. working with analog film. The tools have gotten way better, but it still comes down to starting with a quality SOURCE...film or video. Same is obviously true with audio. :thumbsup:
The source is spot on.... Go into a mixer before the interface giving analogue EQ to each channel before even touching EQ on screen....... Mid range pull down is all I norm do save tweak the source,,,, add low and hi EQ. I do all my studio tracks in 24hrs as can't stand reopening old projects if listen to the black star has fallen you'll get an idea .... Any other q Just ask away ,,,I wish I had someone to ask when I started off..... Even few years in. All good now I only do 3 checks now with no car that's from Laptop speakers for LOUDNESS. SHOULD BE LOUD ,PUNCHY. THROW ON HEADPHONES TO MAKE SURE ITS NOT HURTING EARS IN ANY WAY OR DISCOMFORT. 3 A studio front house moniter setup with a sub woofer and studio monitors. With all that seems the cars just sounded great..... Just a few thoughts my end but there's no exact way and why there's some world producers, Phil Collins, Simon Garfunkel, Molly Meldrum. Bowie . It's all about the ears though MJ. Go with ears, tweak EQ, start with a good source.... Get an EQ pedal from boss to run things through before the mixer, then from mixer to DAW. Your EQ before DAW will be epic!
Reminds me of when my band got our first album back from the studio and we got it at like midnight and we went out to my car and listened to it and it sounded so good we cried.
I've been in studios where one of the monitor pairs was a low end pair of car speakers. its not the same acoustic space but their limited response shined a light on whats missing.
Slow Steady collection of everything I could afford in Equipment I am recording my stuff and will mix soon. Acoustic Fields Study for all the sound material and Sound study. After 4 years ago running into your channel has Helped SO much. Thank You Colt.
Game changer. First mix I did after watching this sounded great after the first wav render. I used to have to do several before I got it right. In the car, on the iPhone speaker...this video helped me nail it. thanks for the help!
It ALWAYS happens to me, I usually have a good job mixing, and when I'm showing it to a friend while we are driving, the mix sucks, and this friend is like "did not like the result bro".
When I started producing, I dont remember where I heard it, but I was told to start with the low end and focus there. This is super fresh and I never thought about it like this. I appreciate this man, thank you.
I forgot who said this but a mix engineer said that u need to trust your monitors. They arent going to be accurate, but no matter what speakers u are using, if know them and know what they sound like then u can make better mixing decisions.
opening mix sounded fire by the way, i feel like i've been hitting a brick wall with my mixes and you just gave me a new direction to go in, so thank you!
Enlightening. This makes a lot of sense. Mid range is the most sensitive area of our hearing and also the thing that changes the personality of speakers the most. Thanks for the vid.
Mixing in mono is THE BEST tip I’ve ever had and when you do it right it makes stereo MAGICAL.. but now I’m Gonna focus on the mid range in mono and see how much that helps!
Reid Music Thanks for watching! Feel free to subscribe and hit the bell next to the subscribed tab so you get notified with new videos! Much appreciated!
Thx man definitely been neglecting my mids b/c I thought bass and highs were more important! Really appreciate the intro tooo the gold hard truth of bedroom producers
Ric O’Casic(spelling) of The Cars always used to run out to the car after a new mix. He always said that if it sounds good there, it will sound good everywhere. The thing is, that’s were most people will hear the mix. I am in the same boat here, trying to find that “sweet spot” it is a learning curve trying to find the right EQ and settings. Great content here.
Pensaaaadooooo!!!! )))) yeaaahhhh !!!!! That was my very first tutorials 10 years back )))) aaawwww..... time flies)) haha )) SO MUCH LOVE FOR YOUR CONTENT BRO !!!!
Everybody who mixes and masters music runs in to this, and it's usually in the beginning, and your'e absolutely right about the reasons for it. I would like to add, one of the big problems is controlling low end. It's so tempting to make the kick drums, bass guitar, snare and guitars have the biggest, fullest most up-front bass as you can get away with from your monitors. What we really need to be doing is getting all those instruments to sit in the mix evenly WITHOUT pushing a lot of bass through the monitors. For example, mix so that you can hear the kick drum loud, but EQ the bass frequencies out completely (almost) and then re-introduce those bass frequencies during the mastering stage. But keep it tasteful, don't max out the bass as much as you can get away with....instead, master so that there is as little bass as you can get away with, without sounding thin or lacking. Let your car stereo or home theater do the work, give your subwoofers something to enhance instead of putting so much bass in your mix that you end up having to cut your bass freq's and lower your subs in order to compensate. Doing this has made such a HUGE difference in my productions, it gives the sound system a chance to do it's own enhancements. I encourage anybody struggling with the issue of translating to follow Mr. Capperrune's advice here, as well as give my bass frequencies trick a try too.
When the songs allows it, Personally I like to use sidechain compression for the Kick and Bass. (lower pitched synth too if there are any) It allows you to Have more of let say the bass guitar. without having to crank the kick that much more for it to be heard. You should also definitely EQ the Kick and bass to their spot in the mix. You Generally don't want them to collide. That's when you get the Muddiness I find.
Don't ask bass players what they think of your mix. They'll tell you it sounds thin and wimpy. By the time you put on as much bass as they want, you'll blow out the subwoofer in your Honda Civic.
Yes, especially rock. Sit and listen to CLA mixes or Andy Wallace. The bass guitar is about 20% of the mix, almost feathered in. Get your guitars and drums about even, then bring the bass fader up to just where you can hear it pretty good. Stop. It should never be as loud as the snare or kick or anything else frankly. In general of course. Even hip hop will have the kick louder than the bass. Good luck everyone.
Great video man, I was shocked the first time I listened to a mix of mine in the car - will definitely be trying out the midrange focus trick on my next mix!
I’m a TOTAL ROOKIE at this recording/mixing thing!!! Dude, I totally appreciate EVERY video you do! So informative!!! So rad!!! Anyways, one huge thing that I’ve noticed so far, and it is freaking HUGE....stuffs a lot easier to dial in if you don’t drag and drop a bunch of them stupid plugins in on yer’ individual tracks!
This is huge for me. Thanks for calling out people like me. I need it. I’m realizing now 99% of the EQ I do is high end and low end and I never touch the midrange. I definitely have been overlooking it.
Awesome and very informative video! As a noob engineer I can't tell you how much I appreciate getting tips condensed and applicable to real world applications like this! You've got my subscription from here on out!
a decent car stereo is a fantastic way to see how good your mixes "really" are...i was also blown away by a friend of mine (who played in a bunch of L.A. sessions in the early 70s and also did a ton of mixing/producing...) checking out one of my mixes "against" another cd of a recording he thought was really well done to see how it stacked up...couldn't agree more that how your final mix translates to the real world is the real test...
This is brilliant. I was having this issue and muddy / phasey sound in the room through my monitors, so I starting going back and forth between the monitors and two different sets of headphones, then emailing the track to myself as an MP3 so I can listen on cheap earphones on my iPhone, and through a Bluetooth speaker from my iPad. And I finally got around to getting some acoustic treatment for my room to improve the original monitor mix so it translates. They are definitely getting better across all those listening environments. You’ve just covered everything in one short video and explained everything I’ve been working towards. Bravo sir.
I was mixing on my 400$ worth of headphones for over a year. Then I switched to presonus r80 and first track I did was sounding outstanding, then I checked it on my headphones and realized how crappy song actually is. The one thing that was all wrong was kick, kick was amazing and punchy on monitors, it was perfect in the mix but lacked bass on headphones. Then I listened professional songs and realized that besides my kick lacking low end, everything was perfect. It was my headphones that was crap actually. Then I realized I needed some reference tracks to get used to my new monitors, and this was jackpot for me. Now I just check low end on headphones and that's it. Amazing subject 👍🏻 It would be great if you can do video about reference tracks.
Get to know a FEW mixes by engineers you really admire, IN your chosen mix environment, get really familiar with how "A level "mixes sound in that same environment and that helped me lower my WTF moments when mixes go to the car or other "foreign" environment
Yea. Too much low in your headphones can totally change the outcome. I play thru 3 different types before I do a final mix. Always play in a car first. I used different cars because they have different quality systems
This is well thought out and honest advice! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 thank you for taking the time to make this video. It helped to reassure me that I was heading in the direction and also helped me gain some confidence I needed. Keep doing what you’re doing! 🙏🏼
Oh Man! Oh Man! Oh Man! It wasn't the car but I can remember it like yesterday when I kind of knew how to play a little guitar, had bought a spanking brand new Tascam PortaOne 4 Track tape recorder (yes, I'm no longer a teenager haha!) plus a pair of headphones I had from my Sony Walkman and I had recorded A SONG Ì HAD MADE! I rushed over to a friend house and I knew he had a perfectly good stereo we had listen to countess records and cassette tapes on and I hit play and my song just ... died!!!!!!!!!!! o_0 I had never in a million years even dreamed of THAT difference from my Walkman phones to my buddy's stereo. The world lost its color, I got tunnel vision, started to hyperventilate and finally I had to go home. Eventually I recovered and now I know better! :D
I use my phone and Bluetooth speaker as my reference checks. I feel like if your mix sounds good thru phone speakers, it'll translate over to other sound systems. Also I ALWAYS use the COMPRESSED audio file (mp3 or wav) as my reference point. It always sounds different as a file rather than directly coming out your daw
Haven’t tried that midrange trick yet. And good stuff I never heard anybody say that about foam treatment but I had a feeling I was cheaping out. Good video bro
Great vid! Honestly, I think that one of the MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS you will ever learn is to set your monitoring system AT AN AVERAGE REFERENCE LEVEL that is comfortable for every-day listening (the Goldielocks paradigm)...and then NEVER ADJUST IT! Due to our auditory system, our sensitivity to the frequency spectrum IS NOT LINEAR. Look up the "Fletcher-Munson Curve". That means that if you constantly adjust your listening levels "to suit the track", your "reference" is ALWAYS A MOVING TARGET and is therefor no longer an accurate reference you can trust. Listening to the midrange balance of your mix at 70-80dB is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than if you are listening to it at 85dB to 90+dB. Choose a "reference track" and try this for yourself. You will always make DIFFERENT CORRECTIONS to the same track if you listen to it at 75dB compared to 85+dB! Your Target or "reference" is MOVING and you'll never "learn to trust your monitors and your room". Set Your Levels AND DON'T TOUCH IT! Sure, it's good to check things on some tracks at a LOWER level. To do this just use your monitor controller's "DIM" function, and set it so that it is always at a consistently lower listening level. If you want to hear how it sounds at louder levels, ONLY do this outside of your mixing environment, i.e. your home HiFi or car audio system, etc. L8r!
No matter what i do, EVERY time i bring it out to my car its super bass heavy. I always try and cut the low end out, but it never seems enough. I really need practice with EQ
Well, you need monitors or subwoofer(s) in your mix room monitoring system that allow you to hear what's happening in the low end. 5" 2-way KRK Rokit's ain't gonna do it! OR....when the kick drum hits and your NS10's just start to "fart" on each hit, you know it's perfect, haha! OEM car system's are designed with a lot of emphasis on the mid-bass frequencies to overcome the low-frequency drone of tire and road noise as well as engine/exhaust noise. They usually don't do much below about 45Hz though. However, the transfer function or "cabin gain" in a vehicle helps to boost the low-end response, though....and that natural boost or peak is usually in the 45Hz-55Hz region. If you check, all of the really great Grammy-winning engineers use monitoring systems that reach down low and reproduce the low end fairly accurately w/o huge peaks or nulls in the response.
This intro is fantastic! I've been there for 20 years 🤣 I stopped mixing with studio monitors about a year and half ago. I only mix with Tascam headphones now. I've repurposed my monitors for referencing the mix. Mostly for tweaking mic placement, gain staging, initial EQ etc. I also ditched the DAW for recording individual live tracks. I only use the DAW for editing, mixing/mastering, and sequencing midi, or if I need to record a large number of tracks, like a big drum kit or a whole band at once. Instead, I use a small Tascam PortaStudio for individual tracking through a digital mixer and export everything to the DAW to edit and final mix with the headphones. Sounds great in the car - first time, every time now 👍
Excellent video, I have struggled with the dreaded car check for literally a decade and after 3 different redesigns of the acoustic treatment in my room until finally getting the right setup, room eq software (massive improvement BTW) going thru 4 sets of monitors to realize the room is actually more important than the speakers themselves and I am finally getting to the point to where I can get a mix to translate across multiple systems but I still struggle to be consistent. Your midrange tip is something I really haven’t tried but everything you are saying is right on, so thank you for sharing and giving me a new perspective and a method to improve my mixing. I am trying this on my next mix for sure!!!
I took a tip from Chris Lord-Alge in that he uses a lowly boombox in his multimillion dollar studio to check his mixes. I can't remember the brand, but he bought up a ton of them. I myself found one from the late 80's that has zero enhancements (x-bass, etc.), and just has balance, treble, bass and volume. I keep the tone controls at unity, and I check my mixes on that for my "consumer" perspective mix - in fact I mix on it for a portion of the time. It helps A LOT! If I can hear everything balanced on that, it sounds great on my studio monitors, where I can tweak to "perfection". I also use the younger brothers of the NS10's - a pair of HS50's, and then for the big stuff, my suite of JBL LSR4328p's. Having those multiple sources to mix on has been IN-VALUABLE, but as you indicated, my acoustic treatment was paramount. Thanks for this video! It reallly affirmed everything that I do, and should prove to be extremely helpful to others that have struggled like we have!
Pensado's place was absolute GOLD back in the day! I remeber watching his vocal processing episode, where he was doing the 3 verbs short, mid and long and then adding delays and sending the delay tails to the verbs and all sorts of amazing tips ... and instantly my vocal mixing leveled up from watching it.
Been doing mixes with trained engineers for years. Co-Vid struck, learning how to do it myself but my masters aren't sounding as loud/forward as professional masters sound while in in the car.
Im definitely looking forward to the tutorial on mixing while focusing on the mids! I think I am currently in a similar position as were back then when you focused too much on the low and high end side of things!
I heard you mention 808’s and Synths. Do you use the same focus on the midrange technique when working on music that is heavy on 808’s and low octave synths?
I actually think it’s especially important when working on electronica music. The low end of program percussion, and synthesizers is usually really really good already. As opposed to a real kick and snare, or guitar that sometimes can need a lot of work to make sound great.
I remember making a beat with a basic synth line and trying to make it sound phat. I was mixing on headphones-I think Beats, at the time (😖)-and after achieving a mix I was happy with, I decided to show it to my friend in his car. I didn’t test it in a different car by myself first. And when we played it, the car was practically exploding with bass, like the low end was 10 dB louder than everything else in the mix. Haha it was embarrassing 😂 I’ve definitely grown a lot since then and this video has still helped open my eyes. I think I’ve heard a lot of the tips/insights in this video a million times, but the way they’re all gathered here tied them all together for me. Thank you!!
Music by Garrett Biggs “Momma Didn’t Raise No” out everywhere now! Produced, mixed, and mastered by yours truly. I have a new video in the works detailing the production from start to finish of that song.
Now is this just for mix engineers or do producers need to know this stuff too.
This is so true, but I've learned after I mix something I walk away for about 20 minutes and then listen back to it to see if it still sounds good
The magic is in the midrange! - Im gonna remember this dude. Mixing Trance myself which is very layered, like yours by the sound of it. 200-2 K it is then.. 👍
The problem is the Mp3 format
MP3s are not hi fi
The problem is Mp3 are not hi fi
A car stereo is like...the last boss in the mixing game.
It certainly was for me for quite a handful of years. That’s the point I’m attempting to make in this video though, it doesn’t have to be. Thanks for watching!
LOL. Sitting in the car with a Macbook mixing through the Aux cord.
@@spinningbackkick6021 I literally started doing this out of pure frustration and desperation.
it fecks me every time!
Spinning Back Kick Or with a PC running Linux 😬
Cheat code:
Mix your music inside your car with a laptop and aux cord
That’s what I do, can’t do it anywhere else fr
The real advice is always in the comments lol.
Recipe for the perfect mix
I've done that and that definitely works. I rather not keep running back and forth to the car to mix hundreds of tracks though 🤷🏽♂️
Or just get a decent monitoring setup lol
I interned at a studio that had a car inside it to check mixes on
where do i apply
That's awesome
Why dont all studios have that lmao
@@030yk Because it's cheaper just to check it in your car. It was mostly just a flex. Took up a lot of real estate
@@SocialGore I clearly wasnt being serious lmao
Been there. Not as bad now that we're digital. True pain was waiting 10 minutes for a CD-RW to burn a $2 disc for the car and realizing the mix sucked about 8 beats in.
"Unable to read the disc"
😂😂..!!! I’ve been there. It’s so annoying!
yes sir been there many many times, regretted paying the small fortune i spent having a CD player put my car. and if anybody else is old enough to remember DAT tapes..............
Well imagine when you had tapes. I can imagine why the old head hates the new Gen lol
Old skool asf
Mixing in mono has helped me focus on the mids more. I feel like stereo can hide some overlap of frequencies but, switching to mono immediately tells me where the problems are.
That is great! We listen to many mono devices, and to listen in mono is something that will help the result.
I support. I do like. 90% of the entire process in mono. Then when it sounds where each elements has its place I switch to stereo and pan the drums etc..
Them some jewls I try mixing my vocal that way thanks
Mixing in mono is good for phase checks, and mids, but if you're in a car and you've got things panned hard, it's goodnight mix.
How does one mix in mono?
One thing that really helped me when checking car mixes: When I get in the car, I actually listen to part of a reference track FIRST before I play my mix. It's such a drastically different experience compared to monitors. I would have to remind myself that "Hey, this is what these crappy car speakers sound like with a pro mix (reference), so take a sec and listen to this first." It's easy to get depressed about your mix on car speakers, but in reality, nothing sounds super amazing in that environment. If you're going to make major mix decisions based on how it sounds in a car, then you kinda have to "learn that room's sound" just like you would in your home studio.
That’s not a bad idea at all! Thanks for sharing!
Golden advice here. Always, always do this!
That's a good tips. If you don't know how your car "sounds" its a good idea to use a track you know as a reference. That tips apply to any unfamiliar audio setup too.
I use this method too. I use adptr metric a/b to compare my songs & mainstream music. This save me a lot of time instead of relying on my car audio. Car audio is the approval stage lol
Hello everybody from Italy, I would add that listening first to a track reference also in the studio before and during mixing is very useful too...
Not only in your car, at least in my experience. You need to always have in mind what you are doing and where you are going after hours of tweakings the mix.
Of course is recommended to choose among track references the one(s) that most stay close to the song you're mixing, I mean the same genre/kind of music and in general the overall sound you wish to "translate" on the mix you are working with.
Thank you very much for sharing these things, they can help a lot and improve the skills of everybody!
Mixing in mono helps me a lot. When I get it to sound good in mono, it sounds good everywhere
It really does help
Wow, really?
@@yoiboi8515 I don't know if you are being sarcastic or not, but yes it helps
@@gphillimo I was being serious.....
Ok thanks that helps
@@yoiboi8515 Okay cool. Make sure that while mixing in mono you check it in stereo as well throughout the mix. And also make sure it's in stereo when you bounce the song out
I have the opposite problem: sounds better in the car that in my studio lol.
it's just a very good car
Lmfao for real?
Same here !
You need a better studio 😂
And I dont even own a car😂
My boy colt giving out great tips instead of giving vague information about something in order to sell a course or a book. This is what makes a good content creator
A friend of mine mixed songs using apple headphones only. He said if it sounded good using those shit headphones it sounded good on everything.
Thats the truth
apple headphones make everything sound good what do you mean???
Except if you listen through apple headphones your ears start to hurt and any change in the mix you make over time becomes less and less noticable because of ear fatigue
Not true. Can’t mix the low low end through those because of the cut off. But generally it’s good to check in those. Super awful for prolonged times of working.
If it is working for someone that is fine, but I cannot imagine it for room and low end mixing. To listen to a mix on earphones you are usually listening is good for checking back. If you get a chance it is good to listen to a mix on a pa system as well. 'car mastering' is great to me as well.
My mix win/loss record against my car stereo sub system looks like this:
Me - 0 wins
Car - Infinity Gauntlet
Bryan oh no hahaha 💀💀💀
Fraggin' Thanos!
Hahaha
I'm in the "I don't own a car" side of things.
Same. But you probably have a LOT of buddies with the worst conceivable audio setup. Try it there that's the whole point XD
Or buy cheap headphones .... hell I'd even say... if you are one of those with a pair of beats... that worst. Beats are not in any way flat. and they are a lot colored. If it sounds good on them then chances are your mix is at least fine. Just don't do your mixing with them!!!! Other wise your mix will sound good on beats but not on other headphones.
hahah, no radio on the triumph???
Mister Nobody Preach!!
*ITS BECAUSE YOUR IN QUE TO OWN A F&CKIN SPACE CRAFT* 😐
“It’s just because your mix sucks” love that comment brother, You Rock!
Colt, very good video brother a lot of people needed to hear this. I’ve been saying the same thing for years . But you laid it out very simple and basic.
Helped me too
😭😭😭😭😭😭😂😂😂😂
In recording school in '82 my teacher was an engineer that had worked with the Cars. We had all this driven into us...and shown to us. We had hands on teaching. I did a lot of tape aligning and mic cable winding initially. We had Big Reds in soffits and ns-10s and Auratones on the MCI desk. It is just different when learning today. I'm sorry it took you as many years as it did, but you surely got there...and then some. You nailed this tutorial. Excellent!
PENSADO'S PLACE: Episode 22 - Jack Joseph Puig ⬇️
th-cam.com/video/H-Sw0eSnp8A/w-d-xo.html
Excellent advice. I also only focused on 'bass" and "treble" for years and my mixes sounded utterly awful - but the real magic lies in crafting the mids.
Some great advice there. I too had a few of those moments where the light bulb came on. Used to run a Studio in Vancouver Canada in the 1980s - just before digital. Had NS10m reference monitors as well - we also had client speakers. The mid range analogy is solid. I think using the ns10s forced me into that frame of mind - also had killed the tweeters a few times and ended up putting fuses in. So was a little hesitant to push the top end as well.
A few lessons I learned for the mix came from being in a recording session with a world known producer that would come into the studio late in the afternoon - the engineer and myself were excited about working with him and had the drummer for the band come in really early - so we could work on the kit and have the respect of this producer. Anyway after hours of having the drummer kick away, and tons of eq - room mics - reverb noise gates, compression etc. we thought we had it nailed down. The producer walked in - listened to it - walked out into the studio and listened - then came back and took off everything and flatted the eq - pulled the fader. Went back in and moved the mic about 7 inches and redirected the room mic. Came back in the booth and pushed up the fader and Boom - the best sounding kick drum I had ever heard. The lesson was that everything you do in recording music - is from the source. You work from the source - to the final mix. If the source sounds great - everything after is subtle and is only to make it sound better.
The other lesson was from Elton John - he arranges his part of the production by splitting his piano hands and leaving the hole for the vocal. When you hear a great production, and you can hear every note, ( Steely Dan's aja ) that philosophy is part of the reason. Everything has space for the other things. So when you mentioned the bass and the kick drum - that is the way to get those two things to seperate in the mix and sound great. The kick drum story has been with me ever since - A guitar amp- a singer - horns - starts from the source - what comes out of the singers mouth is where it starts - in the mic - down the line to the mixer - if it sounds good to that point - it will sound good everywhere.
I am now 60 and have for the last decade been involved with consulting and color grading post production in the film industry. Still use the same philosophy - "We'll fix it in the mix later" rarely ever works. You are also correct that people are really lucky to get such valuable information like what you are presenting here. Great job. There is another way to fix the car mix though - only sell your music to people who have the same car as you. Easy.
Lol this story truly makes me smile when I read that the producer walked in and out then completely blew your minds with that simple (yet massive) change.
Good chit! I was a motion picture "Color Timer" for many years, i.e. working with analog film. The tools have gotten way better, but it still comes down to starting with a quality SOURCE...film or video. Same is obviously true with audio. :thumbsup:
The source is spot on.... Go into a mixer before the interface giving analogue EQ to each channel before even touching EQ on screen....... Mid range pull down is all I norm do save tweak the source,,,, add low and hi EQ. I do all my studio tracks in 24hrs as can't stand reopening old projects if listen to the black star has fallen you'll get an idea .... Any other q Just ask away ,,,I wish I had someone to ask when I started off..... Even few years in. All good now I only do 3 checks now with no car that's from Laptop speakers for LOUDNESS.
SHOULD BE LOUD ,PUNCHY.
THROW ON HEADPHONES TO MAKE SURE ITS NOT HURTING EARS IN ANY WAY OR DISCOMFORT.
3 A studio front house moniter setup with a sub woofer and studio monitors. With all that seems the cars just sounded great.....
Just a few thoughts my end but there's no exact way and why there's some world producers, Phil Collins, Simon Garfunkel, Molly Meldrum. Bowie . It's all about the ears though MJ. Go with ears, tweak EQ, start with a good source.... Get an EQ pedal from boss to run things through before the mixer, then from mixer to DAW. Your EQ before DAW will be epic!
Reminds me of when my band got our first album back from the studio and we got it at like midnight and we went out to my car and listened to it and it sounded so good we cried.
I've been in studios where one of the monitor pairs was a low end pair of car speakers. its not the same acoustic space but their limited response shined a light on whats missing.
"the magic is in the midrange" makes perfect sense as most of human hearing is in the midrange.
Slow Steady collection of everything I could afford in Equipment I am recording my stuff and will mix soon. Acoustic Fields Study for all the sound material and Sound study. After 4 years ago running into your channel has Helped SO much. Thank You Colt.
Game changer. First mix I did after watching this sounded great after the first wav render. I used to have to do several before I got it right. In the car, on the iPhone speaker...this video helped me nail it. thanks for the help!
It ALWAYS happens to me, I usually have a good job mixing, and when I'm showing it to a friend while we are driving, the mix sucks, and this friend is like "did not like the result bro".
me: dude they aint ready for this mix
my car: mhm sure
No matter how great your monitor are, they are forgiving compared to a car. Great vid you’re killing it Colt. ✌️
When I started producing, I dont remember where I heard it, but I was told to start with the low end and focus there. This is super fresh and I never thought about it like this.
I appreciate this man, thank you.
The struggle is real!! Thank you so much for the video. It's the starting point I needed!
I forgot who said this but a mix engineer said that u need to trust your monitors. They arent going to be accurate, but no matter what speakers u are using, if know them and know what they sound like then u can make better mixing decisions.
Holy Crap! That intro, all the work, then the call for your old job back?? You captured my exact feelings yesterday!!😂👏
ABSOLUTELY!!! LOL...
I love the part when he says, "Can I have my job back?"
Been there.
Best intro to an audio engineering video on TH-cam!!
opening mix sounded fire by the way, i feel like i've been hitting a brick wall with my mixes and you just gave me a new direction to go in, so thank you!
I just love the algorithm of TH-cam. This is exactly what I needed
Enlightening. This makes a lot of sense. Mid range is the most sensitive area of our hearing and also the thing that changes the personality of speakers the most. Thanks for the vid.
It’s funny how TH-cam recommending this to me the second time.
And I needed it exactly
Mixing in mono is THE BEST tip I’ve ever had and when you do it right it makes stereo MAGICAL.. but now I’m
Gonna focus on the mid range in mono and see how much that helps!
Hey James, i was wondering how this helped your mixes.
Watched your studio set up video when it was released. Haven't seen a single video in my recommended since. Glad this one popped up.
Reid Music Thanks for watching! Feel free to subscribe and hit the bell next to the subscribed tab so you get notified with new videos! Much appreciated!
The car is the only place that i actually like my mixes...
Always. Car tests are killing me. Thanks for the vid, bro
Thx man definitely been neglecting my mids b/c I thought bass and highs were more important! Really appreciate the intro tooo the gold hard truth of bedroom producers
Most relatable mix tip on the Internet thanks man! I subscribed
Ric O’Casic(spelling) of The Cars always used to run out to the car after a new mix. He always said that if it sounds good there, it will sound good everywhere. The thing is, that’s were most people will hear the mix. I am in the same boat here, trying to find that “sweet spot” it is a learning curve trying to find the right EQ and settings. Great content here.
Thanks for that funny skit at the intro bro! Cracked me up! Very practical advice is well appreciated. Instant sub! stay well.
Ahhhh... The joy of discovering the importance of mids...
Pensaaaadooooo!!!! )))) yeaaahhhh !!!!! That was my very first tutorials 10 years back )))) aaawwww..... time flies)) haha )) SO MUCH LOVE FOR YOUR CONTENT BRO !!!!
I don't listen to country but this is just as important you're so good at explaining
you have the best tutorials .i will be tuning in. found your channel today
Everybody who mixes and masters music runs in to this, and it's usually in the beginning, and your'e absolutely right about the reasons for it. I would like to add, one of the big problems is controlling low end. It's so tempting to make the kick drums, bass guitar, snare and guitars have the biggest, fullest most up-front bass as you can get away with from your monitors. What we really need to be doing is getting all those instruments to sit in the mix evenly WITHOUT pushing a lot of bass through the monitors. For example, mix so that you can hear the kick drum loud, but EQ the bass frequencies out completely (almost) and then re-introduce those bass frequencies during the mastering stage. But keep it tasteful, don't max out the bass as much as you can get away with....instead, master so that there is as little bass as you can get away with, without sounding thin or lacking. Let your car stereo or home theater do the work, give your subwoofers something to enhance instead of putting so much bass in your mix that you end up having to cut your bass freq's and lower your subs in order to compensate. Doing this has made such a HUGE difference in my productions, it gives the sound system a chance to do it's own enhancements. I encourage anybody struggling with the issue of translating to follow Mr. Capperrune's advice here, as well as give my bass frequencies trick a try too.
When the songs allows it, Personally I like to use sidechain compression for the Kick and Bass. (lower pitched synth too if there are any) It allows you to Have more of let say the bass guitar. without having to crank the kick that much more for it to be heard. You should also definitely EQ the Kick and bass to their spot in the mix. You Generally don't want them to collide. That's when you get the Muddiness I find.
Don't ask bass players what they think of your mix. They'll tell you it sounds thin and wimpy. By the time you put on as much bass as they want, you'll blow out the subwoofer in your Honda Civic.
Well said
Yes, especially rock. Sit and listen to CLA mixes or Andy Wallace. The bass guitar is about 20% of the mix, almost feathered in. Get your guitars and drums about even, then bring the bass fader up to just where you can hear it pretty good. Stop. It should never be as loud as the snare or kick or anything else frankly. In general of course. Even hip hop will have the kick louder than the bass. Good luck everyone.
Jason Newstead discussing problems mixing the low end and no one else laughed? Lol and justice for all ring a bell guys?
This is SO RELATABLE!!!! Amazing video man. Some of the best advice I’ve ever heard.
Great video man, I was shocked the first time I listened to a mix of mine in the car - will definitely be trying out the midrange focus trick on my next mix!
Dropping some gems in this video- much appreciated Colt!
I’m a TOTAL ROOKIE at this recording/mixing thing!!! Dude, I totally appreciate EVERY video you do! So informative!!! So rad!!! Anyways, one huge thing that I’ve noticed so far, and it is freaking HUGE....stuffs a lot easier to dial in if you don’t drag and drop a bunch of them stupid plugins in on yer’ individual tracks!
Yes! Listen with your ears and rely on them. More plugins won't do the work.
Keep up the process of becoming better 😊
Music Nerd Revolution ...thank you for the “reply”! You just gained another subscriber!
Thank you. I just subbed after realizing I wasn’t already subscribed. This video is gold!
This is huge for me. Thanks for calling out people like me. I need it. I’m realizing now 99% of the EQ I do is high end and low end and I never touch the midrange. I definitely have been overlooking it.
Awesome and very informative video! As a noob engineer I can't tell you how much I appreciate getting tips condensed and applicable to real world applications like this! You've got my subscription from here on out!
a decent car stereo is a fantastic way to see how good your mixes "really" are...i was also blown away by a friend of mine (who played in a bunch of L.A. sessions in the early 70s and also did a ton of mixing/producing...) checking out one of my mixes "against" another cd of a recording he thought was really well done to see how it stacked up...couldn't agree more that how your final mix translates to the real world is the real test...
Dude, thank you SO MUCH for putting these videos out. You have no idea how helpful and encouraging they've been for me. MUCH MUCH MUCH appreciated.
You use that first car mix as a preset for clients that don't pay their full balance, don't you? ;) J/K. Great topic and video as always!
LMAO! That’s a great idea! Thanks for watching yet again!
Lol
🤣
My buddy Clayton just did a track with you, and the mix I heard sounds amazing.
Yes this has happened to me. Ouch, my mix sucked but hey, at least there are awesome people on YT helping us to mix better when we suck 😃 thank you!
This is brilliant. I was having this issue and muddy / phasey sound in the room through my monitors, so I starting going back and forth between the monitors and two different sets of headphones, then emailing the track to myself as an MP3 so I can listen on cheap earphones on my iPhone, and through a Bluetooth speaker from my iPad. And I finally got around to getting some acoustic treatment for my room to improve the original monitor mix so it translates. They are definitely getting better across all those listening environments. You’ve just covered everything in one short video and explained everything I’ve been working towards. Bravo sir.
Thanks so much! I hope it helped!
Came here to get rid of my old ways
My old ways: Needs another Soundgoodizer
Soundgoodizer on the master
One of the best tutorials I seen in a while, honestly felt like I didn’t deserve this for free on TH-cam, keep it up!
I was mixing on my 400$ worth of headphones for over a year. Then I switched to presonus r80 and first track I did was sounding outstanding, then I checked it on my headphones and realized how crappy song actually is. The one thing that was all wrong was kick, kick was amazing and punchy on monitors, it was perfect in the mix but lacked bass on headphones. Then I listened professional songs and realized that besides my kick lacking low end, everything was perfect. It was my headphones that was crap actually.
Then I realized I needed some reference tracks to get used to my new monitors, and this was jackpot for me. Now I just check low end on headphones and that's it. Amazing subject 👍🏻
It would be great if you can do video about reference tracks.
Fantastic story man! Thanks for the comment! Reference tracks would be an interesting video, thanks for the suggestion!
@@ColtCapperrune Thank you, looking forward for that video 💪🏼
My whole set up is Presonus!! Absolutely love it!! 🎶❤️
Get to know a FEW mixes by engineers you really admire, IN your chosen mix environment, get really familiar with how "A level "mixes sound in that same environment and that helped me lower my WTF moments when mixes go to the car or other "foreign" environment
Yea. Too much low in your headphones can totally change the outcome. I play thru 3 different types before I do a final mix. Always play in a car first. I used different cars because they have different quality systems
This is well thought out and honest advice! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 thank you for taking the time to make this video. It helped to reassure me that I was heading in the direction and also helped me gain some confidence I needed. Keep doing what you’re doing! 🙏🏼
I have a motorcycle, that's why my mixes suck 🤪
You rule brother. You have helped me out tremendously, thank you.
The way you're doing that face in the car bro😂😂
This video worth a lot. My you’re good at explaining and elucidating small details.
Thank you.
Oh Man! Oh Man! Oh Man! It wasn't the car but I can remember it like yesterday when I kind of knew how to play a little guitar, had bought a spanking brand new Tascam PortaOne 4 Track tape recorder (yes, I'm no longer a teenager haha!) plus a pair of headphones I had from my Sony Walkman and I had recorded A SONG Ì HAD MADE! I rushed over to a friend house and I knew he had a perfectly good stereo we had listen to countess records and cassette tapes on and I hit play and my song just ... died!!!!!!!!!!! o_0 I had never in a million years even dreamed of THAT difference from my Walkman phones to my buddy's stereo. The world lost its color, I got tunnel vision, started to hyperventilate and finally I had to go home. Eventually I recovered and now I know better! :D
Sometimes those portastudio tracks are magic.
Man the intro to your video hit the nail on the head
I use my phone and Bluetooth speaker as my reference checks. I feel like if your mix sounds good thru phone speakers, it'll translate over to other sound systems. Also I ALWAYS use the COMPRESSED audio file (mp3 or wav) as my reference point. It always sounds different as a file rather than directly coming out your daw
I love that this is actual, honest and practical advise. Thanks man!
Haven’t tried that midrange trick yet. And good stuff I never heard anybody say that about foam treatment but I had a feeling I was cheaping out. Good video bro
Finally, a video that talks about this problem lol also, that intro track sounded killer!
Thanks so much!
TL;DW - use Aurotone-Avantone single mid range speakers.
Workaround : Use an EQ with filters on around 200hz to 3khz filtered out on your master bus.
a) use your workaround
b) spend the money you saved on some beer instead
I filter sweep every frequency. It should sound good on all sweeps.
Great realist and honest insight Bro. Keep up the content. Peace.
I don't own a car and many times when I want to check my mix I have to call few friends who is willing to destroy their ears🤣🤣
Got to do what you Gotta do! That’s amazing! Thanks for watching!
@@ColtCapperrune thank you for sharing this great tips😍🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻😍
😂🤣
Great vid!
Honestly, I think that one of the MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS you will ever learn is to set your monitoring system AT AN AVERAGE REFERENCE LEVEL that is comfortable for every-day listening (the Goldielocks paradigm)...and then NEVER ADJUST IT!
Due to our auditory system, our sensitivity to the frequency spectrum IS NOT LINEAR. Look up the "Fletcher-Munson Curve". That means that if you constantly adjust your listening levels "to suit the track", your "reference" is ALWAYS A MOVING TARGET and is therefor no longer an accurate reference you can trust.
Listening to the midrange balance of your mix at 70-80dB is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT than if you are listening to it at 85dB to 90+dB.
Choose a "reference track" and try this for yourself. You will always make DIFFERENT CORRECTIONS to the same track if you listen to it at 75dB compared to 85+dB!
Your Target or "reference" is MOVING and you'll never "learn to trust your monitors and your room". Set Your Levels AND DON'T TOUCH IT!
Sure, it's good to check things on some tracks at a LOWER level. To do this just use your monitor controller's "DIM" function, and set it so that it is always at a consistently lower listening level.
If you want to hear how it sounds at louder levels, ONLY do this outside of your mixing environment, i.e. your home HiFi or car audio system, etc.
L8r!
One time I brought my laptop into the car to mix using the aux input into the speaker system...
Thanks for sharing focusing on the mid-range 200-3k. Never thought of this before! But it actually sounds very logical! Gotta try it!
No matter what i do, EVERY time i bring it out to my car its super bass heavy. I always try and cut the low end out, but it never seems enough. I really need practice with EQ
Well, you need monitors or subwoofer(s) in your mix room monitoring system that allow you to hear what's happening in the low end. 5" 2-way KRK Rokit's ain't gonna do it!
OR....when the kick drum hits and your NS10's just start to "fart" on each hit, you know it's perfect, haha!
OEM car system's are designed with a lot of emphasis on the mid-bass frequencies to overcome the low-frequency drone of tire and road noise as well as engine/exhaust noise. They usually don't do much below about 45Hz though. However, the transfer function or "cabin gain" in a vehicle helps to boost the low-end response, though....and that natural boost or peak is usually in the 45Hz-55Hz region.
If you check, all of the really great Grammy-winning engineers use monitoring systems that reach down low and reproduce the low end fairly accurately w/o huge peaks or nulls in the response.
This intro is fantastic! I've been there for 20 years 🤣 I stopped mixing with studio monitors about a year and half ago. I only mix with Tascam headphones now. I've repurposed my monitors for referencing the mix. Mostly for tweaking mic placement, gain staging, initial EQ etc. I also ditched the DAW for recording individual live tracks. I only use the DAW for editing, mixing/mastering, and sequencing midi, or if I need to record a large number of tracks, like a big drum kit or a whole band at once. Instead, I use a small Tascam PortaStudio for individual tracking through a digital mixer and export everything to the DAW to edit and final mix with the headphones. Sounds great in the car - first time, every time now 👍
I don't own a car, I've no idea what my mix sounds like in one - it's a fear in the back of my mind 😂
Excellent video, I have struggled with the dreaded car check for literally a decade and after 3 different redesigns of the acoustic treatment in my room until finally getting the right setup, room eq software (massive improvement BTW) going thru 4 sets of monitors to realize the room is actually more important than the speakers themselves and I am finally getting to the point to where I can get a mix to translate across multiple systems but I still struggle to be consistent. Your midrange tip is something I really haven’t tried but everything you are saying is right on, so thank you for sharing and giving me a new perspective and a method to improve my mixing. I am trying this on my next mix for sure!!!
Im also learning to give my ears a break after every hour of mixing. It's amazing the difference when you return to listen.
Hell yea a break really does help.
I took a tip from Chris Lord-Alge in that he uses a lowly boombox in his multimillion dollar studio to check his mixes. I can't remember the brand, but he bought up a ton of them. I myself found one from the late 80's that has zero enhancements (x-bass, etc.), and just has balance, treble, bass and volume. I keep the tone controls at unity, and I check my mixes on that for my "consumer" perspective mix - in fact I mix on it for a portion of the time. It helps A LOT! If I can hear everything balanced on that, it sounds great on my studio monitors, where I can tweak to "perfection". I also use the younger brothers of the NS10's - a pair of HS50's, and then for the big stuff, my suite of JBL LSR4328p's. Having those multiple sources to mix on has been IN-VALUABLE, but as you indicated, my acoustic treatment was paramount.
Thanks for this video! It reallly affirmed everything that I do, and should prove to be extremely helpful to others that have struggled like we have!
Means you're mixing too high end. I mix backwards now. Start on a $20 computer speaker, then earbuds, then I tweak the low end in my HS80ms
Pensado's place was absolute GOLD back in the day! I remeber watching his vocal processing episode, where he was doing the 3 verbs short, mid and long and then adding delays and sending the delay tails to the verbs and all sorts of amazing tips ... and instantly my vocal mixing leveled up from watching it.
Been doing mixes with trained engineers for years. Co-Vid struck, learning how to do it myself but my masters aren't sounding as loud/forward as professional masters sound while in in the car.
Hahahaha the way you sold it in the beginning of the video was genuinely so convincing lol.
I use my laptop and cellphone for the buzzkill checker
I loved seeing this.....because boy oh boy was this me! Glad to hear I'm not alone.
Yall ever been so broke, you Have to finish your final mix in a car.😂
The intro to this video was hilarious and super true lmao
I dont have a car... im scared to hear my mixes in a car now 😂
Im definitely looking forward to the tutorial on mixing while focusing on the mids! I think I am currently in a similar position as were back then when you focused too much on the low and high end side of things!
I heard you mention 808’s and Synths. Do you use the same focus on the midrange technique when working on music that is heavy on 808’s and low octave synths?
I actually think it’s especially important when working on electronica music. The low end of program percussion, and synthesizers is usually really really good already. As opposed to a real kick and snare, or guitar that sometimes can need a lot of work to make sound great.
I remember making a beat with a basic synth line and trying to make it sound phat. I was mixing on headphones-I think Beats, at the time (😖)-and after achieving a mix I was happy with, I decided to show it to my friend in his car. I didn’t test it in a different car by myself first. And when we played it, the car was practically exploding with bass, like the low end was 10 dB louder than everything else in the mix. Haha it was embarrassing 😂
I’ve definitely grown a lot since then and this video has still helped open my eyes. I think I’ve heard a lot of the tips/insights in this video a million times, but the way they’re all gathered here tied them all together for me. Thank you!!