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I'm newbie in EDM. Recently I found myself doing default stuff. I used a lot of EQs, filters, compressors probably on every channel. So, my CPU usage was extremely high. But the fun thing is, I opened my old projects up and deleted all the default stuff(except really necessary) and mixes started to sound better(or not worse). Now I start to understand that mixing can't save bad track. But if it's good, proper mixing can seriously improve it.
@@TheHardRage13 Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe he's talking about when people get in the habit of adding a high pass filter on every kick, bass, snare before they can even hear the mix. If it sounds like you need a high pass on a snare or hat, create a bus channel with your high pass instead of going to each individual track adding separate high pass filters.
The highpass thing really depends on the kind of music that you make. On electronic music I even highpass the different layers of distorted bass sounds and replace the low end with a pure sine. So when I mute the kick and the sine bass there is nothing below 80Hz. That way the subwoofer gets pure sine waves. Subs love sine waves, you know :-)
With every genre it's an issue use plugin doctor and just see when u boost and low cut.. Absolute mess. That's why edm sounds like crap.. Overprocessed over equied use instead filters if u want to get rid of bass or highs
That’s completely unnecessary. Taken to the extreme, a distorted bass is approximately a square wave. A square wave is just a sum of sinusoidal components. The fundamental, e.g 50 Hz, and then the third, fifth, seventh etc. harmonic. So with crossovers in the sound system and everything, what you really should be saying is: subs won’t be reproducing anything but sine waves, even when feeding distorted bass to the system
I’m a very amateur producer, so sorry if I’m doing something really wrong, but: Is it okay to high pass below 20hz by default? We can’t hear those frequencies and I don’t want it taking up headroom, and I’m not mixing a genre where a lot of sub is beneficial. Obviously I wouldn’t high pass below 80hz or something by default, but is what I’m doing okay?
Finally someone said it. Energy is important, just because you don't see doesn't mean you don't feel it. This can really save you years of headaches from mixing.
Basically every mixing decision should have a purpose. I’ve been mixing for almost 10 years and I just learned to stop using plugins just to try and make the plugin shine when it should be the song that shines. I have so many fancy plugins that I automatically reach for them and put them on mixbuses but I tried a test exporting with all plugins then taking most of them off that didn’t serve a specific need and volume matching and I was shocked at the percentage of songs that sounded better when I took off a lot of plugins. Adding plugins just because they are nice will most likely not improve it. So i’d say the biggest thing I’ve learned as an engineer is to only make decisions based off of need and not by default like you said. Great advice.
I actually found that using a low shelve cleans My tracks much more and removes mud much better than high-passing... I have tried this with the tracks of my first album which were poorly recorded and suddenly applying a low shelve cleaned My guitars and made them appear much more clearly in one move than applying a high-pass, a Bell at 220hz a low pass to remove hiss and a bell to Boost the highs, suddenly I could get almost the same tone on My guitars but sounding much more clearly and natural just by cutting the lows by ear with a low shelve. To me it was a Game changer
It's funny how the guy is just saying, "high passing is great, just use it properly" and everyone is getting butthurt. He is helping you all get a good mix. Phase issues are a new engineers nightmare. If a new engineer does it by default because some guy on TH-cam says to cut everything then they are gonna be beating themselves up wondering why their mix is falling apart. It is great advice. If you are getting offended by a guy trying to help you out, maybe you need an ego check.
I’ve seen some videos from In the Mix recommending high passing above 20hz by default, is this okay? We don’t need anything below that because we can’t hear it, and I don’t want it removing headroom. Obviously I wouldn’t high pass like 80hz by default but is what I’m doing okay?
@@OK-ei7io honestly highpassing at 80 isn't bad in itself depending on the instrument. High-passing rolls down to 0 it doesnt cut at 80. That means cutting at 20 rolls down to 0 which only controls the very very low frequencies under 10 depending on the curve. I would say get an analyzer and see if there is any buildup down there. Download voxenga span. It is very helpful and free. Check your mic's frequency response too. There is a good chance that your mic doesn't even pick up anything that low so cutting at 20 wouldn't really change anything unless there were a lot of artifacts down there. If you want to adapt the cutting at 20 rule then do it on a master group channel or the actual master channel at the end. Messing with eq too much can mess up your phase which in turn can cause some big headaches in the future. If you are using a synth, high-passing is only needed to shape the sound to clean it up and fit it in a mix by giving bass more room. If you record a vocal, high-passing can take out possible mic stand hits or low frequency pops from the "P" sound. If you are highpassing a guitar track you can literally pull it as far as you need to isolate it over the bass. For guitar just remember you want to feel some bass of the guitar to 1. Make the instruments feel like they're still in the same place and 2. So you can still feel the hit and body of the notes. There is a lot of misinformation online from people copy and pasting mixing tips. The thing to remember about mixing is that there is no standard, no magic numbers and every genre, instrument and song needs different numbers. That is why learning by ear is so important. High-passing is totally fine in any situation, just remember to always check your phase. If your phase is doing fine, go nuts with your high-passing just remember that lots of instruments benefit from having a balanced low end over having no low end. Send me a message if you'd like some advice for your specific situation.
Haha well said. I'm not surprised David is getting fed up. He is just trying to help and people are trying to shit on him. I guarantee his mixes are better than all these complainers combined.
@@OK-ei7io I sometimes even push it to 30 and it sounds ok but ye, humans can't really hear that sound but be careful and don't cut too much, I usually do that cut during the mastering stage, but cutting too much takes away a lot of the energy
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Instant subscribe from me. Most channels show you how to mix something but never explain why you should do the following things and what that does. Keep up the work!
I've had a sneaky suspicion of this for years, but every single video I've ever seen regarding mixing has said that you should HP all tracks except kick and bass. I'm gonna try a different approach on my next mix and see how it turns out. Thanks for the advice man!
I seriously did not know that EQs will cause phase shifting like that... that changes everything. EDIT: Years later, after learning more.. it does not change everything lol This is one of those things that, while technically true, gets blown way out of proportion.
It doesn't really, we have been using minimum phase EQs for a 100 years with no problems! Anybody who mixed on analog equipment will laugh at all this BS. The phase shift is what gives an EQ it's tone, it's the reason why we love certain EQs. Phase shift isn't a bad thing it's the mojo, you just have to know how to use it to your advantage.
Holy Shit, This is exactly the frustration i have with mixs. thinking i'm doing the right thing whith HPF. Can't wait to try it. I also remember bringing up an earlier version to grab a clip and thinkin. Shit the old one sounded better so now i'm trying to recreate that sound by removing plugins later. Now i just trash all plugs and start over with the current version ....who's with me on this one
Lost days doing this, stated again cropped al lot off stuff out and ended with a better mix!! phase issues are like chickens they all come home to roost.
Thanks for providing some really important info, and for clarifying issues that most tutorials leave out. I admire you for having the balls to go beyond the usual fare, and actually teach something that gets to the heart of an issue, instead of just offering a one-size-fits-all solution. Cheers, homie.
Extremely important advice! The best recording/mixing/mastering engineer I know personally told me once to not abuse the High Pass Filter, but I never heard before the phasing issue generated by zero latency eq's. The Linear Phase Eq tip is the gold of this video. I never heard it before!
The trick is to use a gentler slope on the HP so the low end cut is gradually blended into the higher frequencies. Try a single pole (6db/oct) HP and watch your mixes instantly improve.
Such good advice, this is the 1st video I've seen addressing this issue, It was driving me mental trying to get my mixes sounding right and I decided to take nearly all of the HPFs off, it makes a massive difference. Here's my advice, if you DO need to Low cut... 1. Use a linear Phase EQ, yes it uses much more CPU but that's a good incentive to use less instances. 2. Use the minimum slope you can get away with - it's tempting to always use a 48db/oct slope, but always start with a 6, 12, 18 or 24db/oct slope, trust me. 3. If you have a pair of NS-10s, use them to adjust the HPF in isolation, they will show you what it is really doing to the signal.
So glad I finally found someone that can explain in more detail what is really going on when you EQ or other types of processing. Hope you will continue with these vids! Great job!
Dude, when I saw the video title, I was prepared to not agree with you because I do a lot of high pass (I find it very useful when doing live sound engineering) but your reasons and explanations are valid and make good sense. You opened my eyes, even though I kinda knew this but had gotten myself into the "high pass by default" mode. Thanks for a great video, you got yourself a subscriber!
I'm a beginner who works with a professional musician, recording artist, producer and studio owner. He works on the national stage, so to speak. As I have been applying my learnings, the first thing he does when he sees my mix is take off all the EQ, especially the HP filters. I tell him, "but all the courses and TH-cam videos say to HPF pretty much everything but the kick and bass to eliminate unuseful low end that causes muddiness. " He said, but I never understood, "that just complicates your mix." I never understood it and thought maybe it is because he came up on tape machines, analogue tracking, etc. - ole school. But this video is very eye opening.
Man, in my immaturity as a mixer, I was finding impossible phasing problems with my kick and snare mics between my overheads while mixing. They were perfect before mixing. Very helpful. The energy in the low end really does make sense! Thanks!
A cut in the low mids often fixes what u think is a low end problem. A cut in the high mids often fixes what u think if a high end problem. Forwhatever reason people think u can to hp and lp everything and it sounds awful.
@@Jupiter1423 yeah i believe its called mirrored EQ, taking from a region adds to the region next to it, like cutting in the low mids like 200 - 400 hz helps a lot the mid highs sound clearer, so you dont need to boost it.
@@Jupiter1423 I'm in the same boat -My goal is always to EQ as much as possible with the mics anyway. Ideal for me is pull up the faders and have that be the mix. Done. Buuut -I'm a big fan of some parametric EQ, for sure it really brings the mix to another level -Especially if you're working with less than ideal mics...
I got the LoCut advise from a mastering engineer who has a name in the industry. His name is Friedemann Tischmeyer. He published one of the first mixing in the box books years back. You can read it there.( F. Tischmeyer, Internal Mixing, pp. 142; 206) He suggests exactly what you call bullshit. Locut on everything that is not Bass or Bassdrum. And to do it multiple times even. Up to four locut instances for vocals eg. On the microphone, on the pre amp, on the individual channel and on the vocal group channel again. Acoustic guitars in case you just want the hi end can take locut at around 250 Hz (cf p142 as well) The only reason that you instead have to call it b.s. is the phase shifts that you may encounter. Hello? Every non linear phase eq will have this "problem" Thats why there are linear phase eqs on the market if you want one. But in the vast majority of cases we do not even want one!!!! We want the phase shifts, my friend. Examples of famous non linear phase eqs wanted? Manley Massive Passive, Pultec, etc I have seen the reference list of artists that Tischmeyer mixed or mastered. And he is also a known adviser of broadcasting international on the mere technical aspect of audio and if I remember it correctly was on the team of the EBU that provided the new loudness industry standards. In short he is an acclaimed audio expert. I benefitted a lot from the locut advice. My bass section became not only more defined but also more powerful without the mud from the other tracks. I do not know your name or your reference lists of artists that you have mixed. Just shouting bullhit on youtube is not enough to shake trusted mixing techniques followed by many.
Perfectly right. I absolutely don´t know what is the point of your video. When you say don´t hipass everything except for bassdrum and bass by default, it is the exact opposite of what Tischmeyer says, when he suggests exactly that BY DEFAULT. That is MY POINT. One thing for reconciliation: There is some good advice in your video, but it is hidden, because you create the impression that you call locutting everything other than bass and bassdrum bullshit. Which it is definitely not. The good advice is varying the locut point. Even more so because some eqs have a hump before the cutting point. But don´t forget, the locut that is built in in the mic, is always fixed. Some pre amp locuts are also. I used them anyway. The benefit is far greater than the "damage" done. And I dont also criticize the multi mic situation where grouping before locutting is useful.
Even if someone with reputation says you need to do something by default, doesn't necessarily mean that. I find it very, very odd to suggest that you absolutely need to high pass everything but the bass and the bass drum. The frequency content of a track depends on so many things that it's virtually impossible to make rules to how to eq it! It depends on the instrument itself (even two of the same kind are likely to sound different) and how it's played, the type of mic that was used, and in what kind of room, from which distance and angle... The factors are so many that everything just depends. Yes, in many cases high passing does help, and that's why mics and preamps have the option. But there's a reason they also have the option to turn it off!
Thank you, thank you a million times! I've been mixing a track with several mics on guitar cabs and I chose 3 to work with. After 3 days of banging my head on the wall I came across this vid. Started the mix over and had a killer mix in 3 hrs. The other mix wasn't terrible but the guitars weren't as ballsy as the reference tracks I used and I just couldn't figure it out. Much appreciated man!
I've been doing the same low cut EQ to all elements except kick and bass in all the mixes I've done so far. At the end of the day, my mixes were always messing up. I think the reason is clear lol. thank you very much
This is brilliant. I tried these ideas on a hardcore/metal song I've been practicing with after watching and immediately noticed a difference, especially on the guitars (4 tracks), top and bottom snare, and overheads. The phase issues were waaaay better when I didn't EQ the shit out of each track alone, rather just apply some highpass on their respective buses. Thanks very much! You've got my sub.
LOL.... let's kill our ears by cutting anything below 2k please so no one can hear music ever again. That is our goal as producers and musicians yeah? ROFLMAO
Officer Oink In reverbs I like to cut the low end pretty drastically, but that is an EQ on an EFFECT, not an original signal for a track. There is a huge difference in my opinion.
Officer Oink "What about reverbs? Abbey roads cut below even 700 Hz as a default." ~ Officer Oink I was just talking about reverb. Of course I use the HPF on cymbals or anything that belongs in the 5k~ range. I was just saying that anything that has reverb is generally going to be in the midrange to highrange spectrum.
It's all about giving each instrument its own room to breathe and using your ears. Yes, hi-pass on a distorted rock guitar at the appropriate frequency to give the kick and bass their room to breathe in the low-end. This COULD mean cutting below up around 200hz, depending on the material and song, as always.. But let's say it's a clean hollow-body on a jazz track, cutting below 200hz would castrate the guitars and murder the sound of the track. So yes, you'll almost always want to use a hi-pass and a lot of tracks, but as always, the frequency varies wildly. You just have to listen. "Where can I apply the hi-pass that doesn't cut off this instrument track's balls?" As an example, there is never a reason in my mind where, in general, you'd need anything below 60hz on a rock guitar track, or below 300hz-ish hz in the hi-hat, So yes, in general, hi-pass on almost everything. No sense in mixing 24 tracks of mic rumble stacking on top of each other turning the entire track into stale, low-end mud.
There's a lot of great advice and useful information in this vid, but I think the problem is perhaps a bit over emphasized. High-passing is imho still the best tool to shape the low end of your mix and actually help the low end to sound more punchy and pronounced. Yes, phase shifts are a consequence, but it's a very natural one that is not necessarily something to worry about too much. I pretty much never use linear phase EQ because I think it tends to replace a (usually non-) issue with something that's more problematic and unnatural, but ymmv. If I start EQ-ing, cutting super low frequencies that have no real musical information is typically the first thing I do on pretty much any track. Often even the kick drum. If done right, it makes the low end sound fatter and the whole mix louder as a bonus. Adding a low cut at 80Hz or something doesn't really remove anything below 80Hz, a HPF there just shapes what's going on below (and around) there and can actually emphasize a low frequency range while attenuating unnecessary rumble at once. For example: If you want to make 60Hz more pronounced for your kick to make it fatter, add a high-pass filter at 60Hz; if it's not fat enough make the EQ slope steeper (it'll cut more below 60 and emphasize around 60 more). "Don't do anything by default" is fantastic advice in general of course, but high-passing is perhaps not the best example to make that point.
Just absolutely wow over here, this is the actual information that my confused brain needed right now.. I've been doing it the mainstream youtube guide way, and always been in wonder why the track sounds weak after mixing. Thank you. Please make a video on how you would go by attacking such issue. This is surely useful info!
I was just about to close this video but then you got to the meat of the concept just before the 4:00 mark but then you hit the nail on the head. The phase correlation conflicting between multiple mic'd tracks was also a great point to consider.
While I never just high-pass at set frequencies, I have been high-passing almost everything but kick and bass, as recommended by so many. It turns out I was high-passing too much on many of the other instruments. After watching this video, it makes perfect sense to me. Take out a few db if you need to, but don't just lop off the entire spectrum of all your instruments in that range. D'oh! Thanks for the eye-opening info. :)
Thank God for this video. For years I have struggled with thin mixes because I have been 'programmed' to high pass everything, when intuitively I love the warmth I'm subtracting. I actually realised the other day, when making minute eq adjustments in Cubase's channel EQ, that there was phase shifting happening and I was actually just hunting for the place where the phase sounded the most solid. I then came across a guy talking about EQing for transient phase as opposed for frequency adjustment, and now this video clearly demonstrates the reality and practical application of not just the phenomenon itself but also how to potentially avoid it, with linear phase EQ. I layer all my drums generally, often with different versions of themselves and high pass each individual part by habit. I genuinely think this is the main cause of what I always considered to be over processing, leading to a thin end result. I could never explain it but now it makes sense. Its all about the minute phase shifts building up due to excessive and unnecessary high passing and EQing of sounds. Thank you, Sir. I feel liberated at last.
Great tip, this is prob one of those things i used to do all the time, and i acatuallty tought it sounded better when i didnt low cut, but since all those producers from future music where sayin it, i just did it, haha, but i stoppet after i accidentally removed all my eq from my busses, and noticed the track i was working all of a sudden became so much fuller and fatter, and this video just confirms that yes, Low end is absoloutly necesarry
Wow just discovered your channel 1 hour ago and I really like this video, the video addressing high-passes and your channel in general. Finally some critical voices between the static! Please continue sharing this useful information. I totally dig it. Cheers!
As a Mastering engineer for almost 25 years and mastered and technically reported over 650 albums, I would like to comment that I double HPF, once with the analog chain and further, in digital domain, around 25/35 Hz because there is almost nothing really musical down there. For the rare cases of LFE, this very last octave usually eats a lots of headroom and does not add musically. Also, concerning HPF filters, the phase shift above its Fc is minimum. We have to have an eye and ear in what the phase shift that shall be messing in the frequency zone prior to Fc.
Hm. I get where you are coming from but I have made the opposite discovery. When reference-listening to American rap records like 50 Cent I was kinda baffled when I saw that there were lots of things going on below 30 Hz, and when I lowpassed them the music lost it's punch.
This is a video a lot of metal mixing engineers should watch. I did this mistake aswell on drums. I HPfiltered the parallel compression bus and didn't even notice the loss of low end from the kick drum at first. I compensated it by making a synthetic sub kick. That worked fine but after listening again and readjusting some settings a few days later I noticed that as soon as I un-muted the parallel bus, I lost the low end of the kick. I got rid of the HPF on the parallel bus immediatly and HPF the kick bus instead and obviously got my low end back. I still used the synthetic sub kick at the end but with 6db less volume.
From someone who has done a lot of work mixing live, I do high pass anything I can get by with as it helps to minimize stage rumble etc. But yes in studio situations it's not always ideal as it's properly acoustically treated. best bet, set the highpass cutoff to something that you don't hear the change from said instrument or other audio source.
Thank you for this video on HPF & LPF tracks, David. It is very helpful in understanding what problems you create if you’re unaware of the psycho acoustics of mixing music… 👍🏾
There are fundamental frequencies for every type of instrument, there are charts available to see what those are. Use them to know where you can cut off low end without destroying the fundamental frequencies.
I think that most of the time artists forget the nature that comes from recordings, there's proper rich harmonics that should be up, I'm completely agree with "don't do anything by default" that's a huge trap that make you lose your human touch while mixing.
I thought i was missing something... until I got to 3:48. Then I realised I was just recording rumble and unwanted spill on everything. This video tightened up my low end without even making any adjustments!
some good advice here. I haven't really seen a whole lot of bad advice since I learned what bad advice was, lol, because I don't need a tutorial on some things like sidechaining or something now. Using my ears has been the solution to my real problems. You can hi pass a lot of things and it be a huge improvement. You can do the same things on another song and it sounds terrible. Every track is different and it's just a matter of treating the problem areas at first, then boosting what needs it, and not all things need boost either. You nailed it on the head when you said "BY DEFAULT". "Default" mixing is mindless.
Why not use HPFs to cut out much of the woofy, useless-in-the-mix sound that chews up your headroom? Particularly on mid-range instruments such as guitar amps - HPFs on your tracks can help clean up unnecessary low end that is covering up your bass and kick drum. That's the theory I've always worked under, and its never made my mixes thinner in a non-musical, non-helpful way.
I think what he is saying is that you shouldn't use a HPF for every instrument. He is talking about people that don't have the capacity or equipment to record live instruments correctly. Yes, use the HPF on instruments that are meant to be in the mid/high range; I think he is just saying that you shouldn't overuse the HPF and never stick to a standard of using it on every instrument because you don't have the proper tools to record your low end instruments effectively. Every session that you are responsible for mixing/mastering on a professional level should be approached in a way that has many variables, and use the HPF as a tool when you see a certain abnormality. Use your judgment instead of some rule book that will limit your success. Chill out bro, it sounds like he really knows what he is talking about.
You should render hpf and move the clip to put inphase... Thats the way i keep the correlation betwen clips but always is easy not to hpf the instrument jajajja
Absolute gold! Thank you for a brilliantly clear explanation of an often very murky topic. Finally, someone talking sense. There is no one template that one can or should lay over all tracks and all mixes. Keep up the great work, guys.
I think people are right about it being genre specific. In a metal band doing more brutal styles like Death Metal, you really need to make sure that none of the instruments get in each other’s way, so you need high and low pass filters to prevent interference, and especially because usually the frequencies you’re cutting is just sound. I do think that I will keep most of the things here in mind though. Good video.
This video made me a fan. Absolutely great! I´ve read several books and many of them had information about phase shifts but none of them made it clear how to deal with it and to actually take it seriously. Most of the time you find information like "yeah high passing shifts phases.. but yeah of course don´t forget to cut the lows on every track as high as you have guts to.." Hope you have a video about those linear phase eq´s too and explain that pre ringing issue with those! haven´t found any decent information about that from anywhere :} Your channel is worth it´s weight in gold!
@@hjon5988 try taking them all off and comparing. If it sounds better, then sure. I prefer really thin and airy hihats so I always highpass them, but it’s completely an artistic choice.
Awesome TIP for the studio! But not so much in the Live sound world. Yes there can be the same problems in the live sound world but you almost have to hipass on the instruments that do not need certain frequencies just to control low end feedback. But in the live situation you have so many anomolies working against you like the room, the sound system , sub-harmonic distortion, stage volume etc. GREAT VIDEO and it is so true and is what I do in the studio.. but as a live engineer it just has to be used more! Thanks and Cheers!
home boy spoke abt studio, and u up here bringing up live shit. y'all always got some smart to say. like u think we dont know the difference between live and studio. man, i hate ppl like u trying to always add some smart shit just to be seen or heard. lol dont hate me i speak the truth. love all of yall
I agree. Low end needs to be alive with tension,,,,like a water ballon full of water which vibrates under the tension of the balloon. I believe the trick is to manage the frequency population for low end / cutting so 10 items are not sharing or/// competing for that frequency
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I think phase is the most thought about aspect of mixing and is as important as the song tracks all being time aligned. Like the latency of a recording being corrected. Without mixing just that will clear things up while keeping them exciting.
Thank you so very much for this video! This single piece of proliferated advice (ie: use HPF's everywhere) literally screwed up my mixes. Kudos to you, I now have a better understanding of when, where and how to use HPF's/LPF's.
I also used hi pass filter on every channel. My mix sounds good but without a rich sound. I tried to make a final master 2 track about 37 times and no matter what I do it sounds harsh without punch and energy. Now I'm going to remix everything and try removing HPF.
i think it also has something to do with the HPF notching certain higher frequency range (especially in zero latency mode, i think FabFilter has that video)and making your mix sound weaker...
Great advice. Time to rethink how to deploy the ‘EQ pipeline’ in my mixes. Also, it seems to me that enforces the idea of using more analog EQ while recording.
Good video!!! This is why i love the Vst "Sonalksis TBK" Filter ...because it filters some of the unwanted frequencies without affecting the dynamics of your sound.
It makes you wonder why "so many" producers, sound engineers, etc- give this advice. One thing I've learned in music production is that there are more people not willing to teach and share their formula as opposed to the few who do share real tips. This is a competitive industry now because of the media outlets to get out musical product. Like most professionals or companies who dont give out their secrets or acquired knowledge to success, neither do producers and engineers. Ive mostly gotten a sense that many just don't want to share it and alot in this industry tell others, - "if you want to know how to (mix, master, use some sort of software, etc) then learn it on your own like we did." Which I get...sorta. But the truth is, even they learned from someone else. Whether through the "circles" or via higher learning. In saying all of this, your video is refreshing and real and I appreciate you reminding us all that at the end of the day, there may be general rules when mixing but that not all rules are meant to be applied. All creations are created in the image of music but they are nor are they all the same. At the end of the day, it truly is about how it sounds and resonates with ones soul. That's where we all strive to fulfull our creations
It depends what the guitars are tuned to. If for example they are tuned to standard E then a HPF set to around 80Hz (The bottom E string is 82.41Hz) is appropriate. Always think of the relative pitch of frequencies.
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"Do not do anything by default."
Best advice for all artists.
So by default he meant dont use the same high pass settings all the time?
I'm newbie in EDM. Recently I found myself doing default stuff.
I used a lot of EQs, filters, compressors probably on every channel. So, my CPU usage was extremely high. But the fun thing is, I opened my old projects up and deleted all the default stuff(except really necessary) and mixes started to sound better(or not worse).
Now I start to understand that mixing can't save bad track. But if it's good, proper mixing can seriously improve it.
True
if its a good enough mix, it doesn't even really need to be messed with in the master bus.
@@TheHardRage13 Someone correct me if I'm wrong but I believe he's talking about when people get in the habit of adding a high pass filter on every kick, bass, snare before they can even hear the mix. If it sounds like you need a high pass on a snare or hat, create a bus channel with your high pass instead of going to each individual track adding separate high pass filters.
The highpass thing really depends on the kind of music that you make. On electronic music I even highpass the different layers of distorted bass sounds and replace the low end with a pure sine. So when I mute the kick and the sine bass there is nothing below 80Hz. That way the subwoofer gets pure sine waves. Subs love sine waves, you know :-)
How much do you high-pass your bass?
Totally agree.
With every genre it's an issue use plugin doctor and just see when u boost and low cut.. Absolute mess. That's why edm sounds like crap.. Overprocessed over equied use instead filters if u want to get rid of bass or highs
That’s completely unnecessary. Taken to the extreme, a distorted bass is approximately a square wave. A square wave is just a sum of sinusoidal components. The fundamental, e.g 50 Hz, and then the third, fifth, seventh etc. harmonic. So with crossovers in the sound system and everything, what you really should be saying is: subs won’t be reproducing anything but sine waves, even when feeding distorted bass to the system
sure, but there's the possibilty you're fukcing with the phase alignment of the bass.
'If you cut everything down there we get rid of a lot of energy.' - Yep!
Am I the only one who got the pun XD or there was no pun 😅
'Don't mix by default' is a really good tip to keep in mind. Thanks for the info this is a great video!
"Don't do anything by default" single greatest device I've ever heard
I’m a very amateur producer, so sorry if I’m doing something really wrong, but:
Is it okay to high pass below 20hz by default? We can’t hear those frequencies and I don’t want it taking up headroom, and I’m not mixing a genre where a lot of sub is beneficial. Obviously I wouldn’t high pass below 80hz or something by default, but is what I’m doing okay?
@@OK-ei7io yes you can!
"If you cut everything 'down there' you will lose a lot of energy."
As a male, I totally agree with that statement ;)
based and manpilled
Finally someone said it. Energy is important, just because you don't see doesn't mean you don't feel it. This can really save you years of headaches from mixing.
Basically every mixing decision should have a purpose. I’ve been mixing for almost 10 years and I just learned to stop using plugins just to try and make the plugin shine when it should be the song that shines. I have so many fancy plugins that I automatically reach for them and put them on mixbuses but I tried a test exporting with all plugins then taking most of them off that didn’t serve a specific need and volume matching and I was shocked at the percentage of songs that sounded better when I took off a lot of plugins. Adding plugins just because they are nice will most likely not improve it. So i’d say the biggest thing I’ve learned as an engineer is to only make decisions based off of need and not by default like you said. Great advice.
I actually found that using a low shelve cleans My tracks much more and removes mud much better than high-passing... I have tried this with the tracks of my first album which were poorly recorded and suddenly applying a low shelve cleaned My guitars and made them appear much more clearly in one move than applying a high-pass, a Bell at 220hz a low pass to remove hiss and a bell to Boost the highs, suddenly I could get almost the same tone on My guitars but sounding much more clearly and natural just by cutting the lows by ear with a low shelve. To me it was a Game changer
You're really a miracle man... The clarity of your speaking is unparalled... In 1000 reviews i've watch... You are the best of the best of the best...
It's funny how the guy is just saying, "high passing is great, just use it properly" and everyone is getting butthurt. He is helping you all get a good mix. Phase issues are a new engineers nightmare. If a new engineer does it by default because some guy on TH-cam says to cut everything then they are gonna be beating themselves up wondering why their mix is falling apart.
It is great advice. If you are getting offended by a guy trying to help you out, maybe you need an ego check.
I’ve seen some videos from In the Mix recommending high passing above 20hz by default, is this okay? We don’t need anything below that because we can’t hear it, and I don’t want it removing headroom. Obviously I wouldn’t high pass like 80hz by default but is what I’m doing okay?
@@OK-ei7io honestly highpassing at 80 isn't bad in itself depending on the instrument. High-passing rolls down to 0 it doesnt cut at 80. That means cutting at 20 rolls down to 0 which only controls the very very low frequencies under 10 depending on the curve. I would say get an analyzer and see if there is any buildup down there. Download voxenga span. It is very helpful and free.
Check your mic's frequency response too. There is a good chance that your mic doesn't even pick up anything that low so cutting at 20 wouldn't really change anything unless there were a lot of artifacts down there.
If you want to adapt the cutting at 20 rule then do it on a master group channel or the actual master channel at the end. Messing with eq too much can mess up your phase which in turn can cause some big headaches in the future.
If you are using a synth, high-passing is only needed to shape the sound to clean it up and fit it in a mix by giving bass more room. If you record a vocal, high-passing can take out possible mic stand hits or low frequency pops from the "P" sound. If you are highpassing a guitar track you can literally pull it as far as you need to isolate it over the bass. For guitar just remember you want to feel some bass of the guitar to 1. Make the instruments feel like they're still in the same place and 2. So you can still feel the hit and body of the notes.
There is a lot of misinformation online from people copy and pasting mixing tips. The thing to remember about mixing is that there is no standard, no magic numbers and every genre, instrument and song needs different numbers. That is why learning by ear is so important.
High-passing is totally fine in any situation, just remember to always check your phase. If your phase is doing fine, go nuts with your high-passing just remember that lots of instruments benefit from having a balanced low end over having no low end. Send me a message if you'd like some advice for your specific situation.
Haha well said. I'm not surprised David is getting fed up. He is just trying to help and people are trying to shit on him. I guarantee his mixes are better than all these complainers combined.
Simp
@@OK-ei7io I sometimes even push it to 30 and it sounds ok but ye, humans can't really hear that sound but be careful and don't cut too much, I usually do that cut during the mastering stage, but cutting too much takes away a lot of the energy
Instant subscribe from me. Most channels show you how to mix something but never explain why you should do the following things and what that does. Keep up the work!
Wow, the most solid 12 mins of mix advice I've had the pleasure of listening to!! Thank you, you rock!!
I've had a sneaky suspicion of this for years, but every single video I've ever seen regarding mixing has said that you should HP all tracks except kick and bass. I'm gonna try a different approach on my next mix and see how it turns out. Thanks for the advice man!
I seriously did not know that EQs will cause phase shifting like that... that changes everything.
EDIT: Years later, after learning more.. it does not change everything lol This is one of those things that, while technically true, gets blown way out of proportion.
I learn a lot in 10 minutes
It doesn't really, we have been using minimum phase EQs for a 100 years with no problems!
Anybody who mixed on analog equipment will laugh at all this BS. The phase shift is what gives an EQ it's tone, it's the reason why we love certain EQs. Phase shift isn't a bad thing it's the mojo, you just have to know how to use it to your advantage.
Holy Shit, This is exactly the frustration i have with mixs. thinking i'm doing the right thing whith HPF. Can't wait to try it. I also remember bringing up an earlier version to grab a clip and thinkin. Shit the old one sounded better so now i'm trying to recreate that sound by removing plugins later. Now i just trash all plugs and start over with the current version ....who's with me on this one
Lost days doing this, stated again cropped al lot off stuff out and ended with a better mix!! phase issues are like chickens they all come home to roost.
MIXING DOESN'T HAVE RULES!
IT HAS GUIDELINES.
One rule should be: don't sound like shit. Bass drowning out everything else violates this rule, yet a lot of sound guys are stupid about it.
Bob LeGlob I am guy
@@bobleglob162 even if you sound like shit you may have bunch of followers came to listen to your "weird, but interesting" music
@@paulminter3511 any music you can't really hear can't be that interesting.
@@kbmsmania5053 why?
Thanks for providing some really important info, and for clarifying issues that most tutorials leave out. I admire you for having the balls to go beyond the usual fare, and actually teach something that gets to the heart of an issue, instead of just offering a one-size-fits-all solution.
Cheers, homie.
100% agree
"If you can't hear it, you can't mix it." That's the quote of the day.
Extremely important advice! The best recording/mixing/mastering engineer I know personally told me once to not abuse the High Pass Filter, but I never heard before the phasing issue generated by zero latency eq's. The Linear Phase Eq tip is the gold of this video. I never heard it before!
The trick is to use a gentler slope on the HP so the low end cut is gradually blended into the higher frequencies. Try a single pole (6db/oct) HP and watch your mixes instantly improve.
I do happen to high pass almost every track and I get my mixes sounding loud, full and clear using this technique.
I have more recently been using a lot of 6db hp. It’s nice how high you can cut above the fundamental before it’s apparent to the ear.
Don’t know why but I love that linear phase ringing sound.
More of an 8/9db per octave guy myself, but I agree haha
Such good advice, this is the 1st video I've seen addressing this issue, It was driving me mental trying to get my mixes sounding right and I decided to take nearly all of the HPFs off, it makes a massive difference. Here's my advice, if you DO need to Low cut...
1. Use a linear Phase EQ, yes it uses much more CPU but that's a good incentive to use less instances.
2. Use the minimum slope you can get away with - it's tempting to always use a 48db/oct slope, but always start with a 6, 12, 18 or 24db/oct slope, trust me.
3. If you have a pair of NS-10s, use them to adjust the HPF in isolation, they will show you what it is really doing to the signal.
You gotta watch the entire video, or you'll never use a high pass again
So glad I finally found someone that can explain in more detail what is really going on when you EQ or other types of processing. Hope you will continue with these vids! Great job!
A serious and deep explanation. Finally
Dude, when I saw the video title, I was prepared to not agree with you because I do a lot of high pass (I find it very useful when doing live sound engineering) but your reasons and explanations are valid and make good sense. You opened my eyes, even though I kinda knew this but had gotten myself into the "high pass by default" mode. Thanks for a great video, you got yourself a subscriber!
Cheers mate! I'll be watching more of your stuff soon!
I'm a beginner who works with a professional musician, recording artist, producer and studio owner. He works on the national stage, so to speak. As I have been applying my learnings, the first thing he does when he sees my mix is take off all the EQ, especially the HP filters. I tell him, "but all the courses and TH-cam videos say to HPF pretty much everything but the kick and bass to eliminate unuseful low end that causes muddiness. " He said, but I never understood, "that just complicates your mix." I never understood it and thought maybe it is because he came up on tape machines, analogue tracking, etc. - ole school. But this video is very eye opening.
Very good presentation. I'm guilty of the high pass thing.
Man, in my immaturity as a mixer, I was finding impossible phasing problems with my kick and snare mics between my overheads while mixing. They were perfect before mixing. Very helpful. The energy in the low end really does make sense! Thanks!
Often, softening the lows with a gentle shelf is much more effective than high passing in my experience.
A cut in the low mids often fixes what u think is a low end problem. A cut in the high mids often fixes what u think if a high end problem. Forwhatever reason people think u can to hp and lp everything and it sounds awful.
@@Jupiter1423 yeah i believe its called mirrored EQ, taking from a region adds to the region next to it, like cutting in the low mids like 200 - 400 hz helps a lot the mid highs sound clearer, so you dont need to boost it.
@@ericktellez7632 i honestly focus on sourcing so i barely use eq or compression anyways
@@Jupiter1423 I'm in the same boat -My goal is always to EQ as much as possible with the mics anyway. Ideal for me is pull up the faders and have that be the mix. Done. Buuut -I'm a big fan of some parametric EQ, for sure it really brings the mix to another level -Especially if you're working with less than ideal mics...
I got the LoCut advise from a mastering engineer who has a name in the industry. His name is Friedemann Tischmeyer. He published one of the first mixing in the box books years back. You can read it there.( F. Tischmeyer, Internal Mixing, pp. 142; 206) He suggests exactly what you call bullshit. Locut on everything that is not Bass or Bassdrum. And to do it multiple times even. Up to four locut instances for vocals eg. On the microphone, on the pre amp, on the individual channel and on the vocal group channel again. Acoustic guitars in case you just want the hi end can take locut at around 250 Hz (cf p142 as well) The only reason that you instead have to call it b.s. is the phase shifts that you may encounter. Hello? Every non linear phase eq will have this "problem" Thats why there are linear phase eqs on the market if you want one. But in the vast majority of cases we do not even want one!!!! We want the phase shifts, my friend. Examples of famous non linear phase eqs wanted? Manley Massive Passive, Pultec, etc
I have seen the reference list of artists that Tischmeyer mixed or mastered. And he is also a known adviser of broadcasting international on the mere technical aspect of audio and if I remember it correctly was on the team of the EBU that provided the new loudness industry standards. In short he is an acclaimed audio expert.
I benefitted a lot from the locut advice. My bass section became not only more defined but also more powerful without the mud from the other tracks.
I do not know your name or your reference lists of artists that you have mixed. Just shouting bullhit on youtube is not enough to shake trusted mixing techniques followed by many.
Perfectly right. I absolutely don´t know what is the point of your video. When you say don´t hipass everything except for bassdrum and bass by default, it is the exact opposite of what Tischmeyer says, when he suggests exactly that BY DEFAULT. That is MY POINT.
One thing for reconciliation: There is some good advice in your video, but it is hidden, because you create the impression that you call locutting everything other than bass and bassdrum bullshit. Which it is definitely not.
The good advice is varying the locut point. Even more so because some eqs have a hump before the cutting point. But don´t forget, the locut that is built in in the mic, is always fixed. Some pre amp locuts are also. I used them anyway. The benefit is far greater than the "damage" done.
And I dont also criticize the multi mic situation where grouping before locutting is useful.
Yes you are so right Mister Willi. This clearly a click bait video to make himself feel important
Willi Schirwa I think doing it multiple times may be like using serial compression, a few 12 db/oct cuts may do less damage than a super steep cut
Willi Schirwa wer ist Tischmeyer? Hab sein Buch selbst und finde es war rausgeschmissenes Geld.
Even if someone with reputation says you need to do something by default, doesn't necessarily mean that. I find it very, very odd to suggest that you absolutely need to high pass everything but the bass and the bass drum. The frequency content of a track depends on so many things that it's virtually impossible to make rules to how to eq it!
It depends on the instrument itself (even two of the same kind are likely to sound different) and how it's played, the type of mic that was used, and in what kind of room, from which distance and angle... The factors are so many that everything just depends.
Yes, in many cases high passing does help, and that's why mics and preamps have the option. But there's a reason they also have the option to turn it off!
This is Invaluable video. As most of David's are. Common sense. Seeing the waveform phase shift was life changing lol.
Thank you, thank you a million times! I've been mixing a track with several mics on guitar cabs and I chose 3 to work with. After 3 days of banging my head on the wall I came across this vid. Started the mix over and had a killer mix in 3 hrs. The other mix wasn't terrible but the guitars weren't as ballsy as the reference tracks I used and I just couldn't figure it out. Much appreciated man!
I've been doing the same low cut EQ to all elements except kick and bass in all the mixes I've done so far. At the end of the day, my mixes were always messing up. I think the reason is clear lol. thank you very much
This is brilliant. I tried these ideas on a hardcore/metal song I've been practicing with after watching and immediately noticed a difference, especially on the guitars (4 tracks), top and bottom snare, and overheads. The phase issues were waaaay better when I didn't EQ the shit out of each track alone, rather just apply some highpass on their respective buses. Thanks very much! You've got my sub.
Cut below 500hz said no one ever.
LOL.... let's kill our ears by cutting anything below 2k please so no one can hear music ever again. That is our goal as producers and musicians yeah? ROFLMAO
What about reverbs? Abbey roads cut below even 700 Hz as a default.
Officer Oink In reverbs I like to cut the low end pretty drastically, but that is an EQ on an EFFECT, not an original signal for a track. There is a huge difference in my opinion.
Jay M. Summers You never cut 1Khz and below from cymbals? Or layer instruments to create a new sound? Really there are countless uses for a hpf.
Officer Oink
"What about reverbs? Abbey roads cut below even 700 Hz as a default." ~ Officer Oink
I was just talking about reverb.
Of course I use the HPF on cymbals or anything that belongs in the 5k~ range.
I was just saying that anything that has reverb is generally going to be in the midrange to highrange spectrum.
This is by far one of the best channels for mixing and mastering. i love your way of teaching. its so natural and clear. big thanks :)
It's all about giving each instrument its own room to breathe and using your ears. Yes, hi-pass on a distorted rock guitar at the appropriate frequency to give the kick and bass their room to breathe in the low-end. This COULD mean cutting below up around 200hz, depending on the material and song, as always..
But let's say it's a clean hollow-body on a jazz track, cutting below 200hz would castrate the guitars and murder the sound of the track.
So yes, you'll almost always want to use a hi-pass and a lot of tracks, but as always, the frequency varies wildly. You just have to listen. "Where can I apply the hi-pass that doesn't cut off this instrument track's balls?"
As an example, there is never a reason in my mind where, in general, you'd need anything below 60hz on a rock guitar track, or below 300hz-ish hz in the hi-hat,
So yes, in general, hi-pass on almost everything. No sense in mixing 24 tracks of mic rumble stacking on top of each other turning the entire track into stale, low-end mud.
first tip is the best of all tips on the world! i learned this one by suffering so much from lack of energy in my tracks!
There's a lot of great advice and useful information in this vid, but I think the problem is perhaps a bit over emphasized.
High-passing is imho still the best tool to shape the low end of your mix and actually help the low end to sound more punchy and pronounced. Yes, phase shifts are a consequence, but it's a very natural one that is not necessarily something to worry about too much. I pretty much never use linear phase EQ because I think it tends to replace a (usually non-) issue with something that's more problematic and unnatural, but ymmv.
If I start EQ-ing, cutting super low frequencies that have no real musical information is typically the first thing I do on pretty much any track. Often even the kick drum.
If done right, it makes the low end sound fatter and the whole mix louder as a bonus. Adding a low cut at 80Hz or something doesn't really remove anything below 80Hz, a HPF there just shapes what's going on below (and around) there and can actually emphasize a low frequency range while attenuating unnecessary rumble at once. For example: If you want to make 60Hz more pronounced for your kick to make it fatter, add a high-pass filter at 60Hz; if it's not fat enough make the EQ slope steeper (it'll cut more below 60 and emphasize around 60 more).
"Don't do anything by default" is fantastic advice in general of course, but high-passing is perhaps not the best example to make that point.
Thanks for your tips and time mixbusTv always grateful we have you to point out the trendy flaws.
Just absolutely wow over here, this is the actual information that my confused brain needed right now.. I've been doing it the mainstream youtube guide way, and always been in wonder why the track sounds weak after mixing. Thank you. Please make a video on how you would go by attacking such issue. This is surely useful info!
Same issues here. And found the solution thanks to this serious explanation.
I was just about to close this video but then you got to the meat of the concept just before the 4:00 mark but then you hit the nail on the head. The phase correlation conflicting between multiple mic'd tracks was also a great point to consider.
While I never just high-pass at set frequencies, I have been high-passing almost everything but kick and bass, as recommended by so many. It turns out I was high-passing too much on many of the other instruments. After watching this video, it makes perfect sense to me. Take out a few db if you need to, but don't just lop off the entire spectrum of all your instruments in that range. D'oh! Thanks for the eye-opening info. :)
samething, but with electronic music.
Thank God for this video. For years I have struggled with thin mixes because I have been 'programmed' to high pass everything, when intuitively I love the warmth I'm subtracting.
I actually realised the other day, when making minute eq adjustments in Cubase's channel EQ, that there was phase shifting happening and I was actually just hunting for the place where the phase sounded the most solid.
I then came across a guy talking about EQing for transient phase as opposed for frequency adjustment, and now this video clearly demonstrates the reality and practical application of not just the phenomenon itself but also how to potentially avoid it, with linear phase EQ.
I layer all my drums generally, often with different versions of themselves and high pass each individual part by habit. I genuinely think this is the main cause of what I always considered to be over processing, leading to a thin end result. I could never explain it but now it makes sense. Its all about the minute phase shifts building up due to excessive and unnecessary high passing and EQing of sounds.
Thank you, Sir.
I feel liberated at last.
Great tip, this is prob one of those things i used to do all the time, and i acatuallty tought it sounded better when i didnt low cut, but since all those producers from future music where sayin it, i just did it, haha, but i stoppet after i accidentally removed all my eq from my busses, and noticed the track i was working all of a sudden became so much fuller and fatter, and this video just confirms that yes, Low end is absoloutly necesarry
You're providing some of the best, and most clearly explained mixing and production info on TH-cam. Thanks for sharing your expertise
"cut your mix's balls" - say it like it is dude! :-D
Wow just discovered your channel 1 hour ago and I really like this video, the video addressing high-passes and your channel in general. Finally some critical voices between the static! Please continue sharing this useful information. I totally dig it. Cheers!
As a Mastering engineer for almost 25 years and mastered and technically reported over 650 albums, I would like to comment that I double HPF, once with the analog chain and further, in digital domain, around 25/35 Hz because there is almost nothing really musical down there. For the rare cases of LFE, this very last octave usually eats a lots of headroom and does not add musically. Also, concerning HPF filters, the phase shift above its Fc is minimum. We have to have an eye and ear in what the phase shift that shall be messing in the frequency zone prior to Fc.
Hm. I get where you are coming from but I have made the opposite discovery.
When reference-listening to American rap records like 50 Cent I was kinda baffled when I saw that there were lots of things going on below 30 Hz, and when I lowpassed them the music lost it's punch.
This is a video a lot of metal mixing engineers should watch. I did this mistake aswell on drums. I HPfiltered the parallel compression bus and didn't even notice the loss of low end from the kick drum at first. I compensated it by making a synthetic sub kick. That worked fine but after listening again and readjusting some settings a few days later I noticed that as soon as I un-muted the parallel bus, I lost the low end of the kick. I got rid of the HPF on the parallel bus immediatly and HPF the kick bus instead and obviously got my low end back. I still used the synthetic sub kick at the end but with 6db less volume.
Low cut below 80 to 130Hz is common live mix at outdoor locations. Especially on mics. it carried over into studio for a group of pros.
Can't argue with these points, well made. Excellent video again
Thank you very much. This was a very useful tutorial. I've been making these mistakes for a while now.
This is the most informative mixing channel I've found. Thanks a lot for taking the time to make these videos.
Great video. Everybody’s high-passing every track, while on the other side everything sounds harsh af. I’m doing more High-Cuts than High-Pass.
Thanks! These videos are by far the best mixing advice I have found on the web! Excellent stuff!
From someone who has done a lot of work mixing live, I do high pass anything I can get by with as it helps to minimize stage rumble etc. But yes in studio situations it's not always ideal as it's properly acoustically treated. best bet, set the highpass cutoff to something that you don't hear the change from said instrument or other audio source.
Thank you for this video on HPF & LPF tracks, David. It is very helpful in understanding what problems you create if you’re unaware of the psycho acoustics of mixing music… 👍🏾
very interesting stuff about HFPs and phase shifts in multi-mic setups like live drums. watching this one a few times so it sinks in
Man! They're making the EDM/HOUSE music boomy as phuck nowadays.. The kicks almost burst your speakers without adding any bass to the song at all....
Untreated rooms are usually Bass / Boom Heavy, so when you take your mix out the room it usually results in Disapearance of the bass
There are fundamental frequencies for every type of instrument, there are charts available to see what those are. Use them to know where you can cut off low end without destroying the fundamental frequencies.
I think that most of the time artists forget the nature that comes from recordings, there's proper rich harmonics that should be up, I'm completely agree with "don't do anything by default" that's a huge trap that make you lose your human touch while mixing.
I thought i was missing something... until I got to 3:48. Then I realised I was just recording rumble and unwanted spill on everything. This video tightened up my low end without even making any adjustments!
Also, if you agree with this, remember to hipass your compressor detection range, if you want to have it behave according to the audible audio.
This goes down as one of the most meaningful and mind-blowing mixing tutorials ever.
some good advice here. I haven't really seen a whole lot of bad advice since I learned what bad advice was, lol, because I don't need a tutorial on some things like sidechaining or something now. Using my ears has been the solution to my real problems. You can hi pass a lot of things and it be a huge improvement. You can do the same things on another song and it sounds terrible. Every track is different and it's just a matter of treating the problem areas at first, then boosting what needs it, and not all things need boost either. You nailed it on the head when you said "BY DEFAULT". "Default" mixing is mindless.
This is the best mixing advice I've received in awhile . Thanx Mixbus.
Why not use HPFs to cut out much of the woofy, useless-in-the-mix sound that chews up your headroom? Particularly on mid-range instruments such as guitar amps - HPFs on your tracks can help clean up unnecessary low end that is covering up your bass and kick drum. That's the theory I've always worked under, and its never made my mixes thinner in a non-musical, non-helpful way.
I think what he is saying is that you shouldn't use a HPF for every instrument. He is talking about people that don't have the capacity or equipment to record live instruments correctly.
Yes, use the HPF on instruments that are meant to be in the mid/high range; I think he is just saying that you shouldn't overuse the HPF and never stick to a standard of using it on every instrument because you don't have the proper tools to record your low end instruments effectively.
Every session that you are responsible for mixing/mastering on a professional level should be approached in a way that has many variables, and use the HPF as a tool when you see a certain abnormality. Use your judgment instead of some rule book that will limit your success.
Chill out bro, it sounds like he really knows what he is talking about.
You should render hpf and move the clip to put inphase... Thats the way i keep the correlation betwen clips but always is easy not to hpf the instrument jajajja
News flash: Guitars go down to 80hz.
Absolute gold! Thank you for a brilliantly clear explanation of an often very murky topic.
Finally, someone talking sense. There is no one template that one can or should lay over all tracks and all mixes.
Keep up the great work, guys.
I think people are right about it being genre specific. In a metal band doing more brutal styles like Death Metal, you really need to make sure that none of the instruments get in each other’s way, so you need high and low pass filters to prevent interference, and especially because usually the frequencies you’re cutting is just sound.
I do think that I will keep most of the things here in mind though. Good video.
This video made me a fan. Absolutely great! I´ve read several books and many of them had information about phase shifts but none of them made it clear how to deal with it and to actually take it seriously. Most of the time you find information like "yeah high passing shifts phases.. but yeah of course don´t forget to cut the lows on every track as high as you have guts to.." Hope you have a video about those linear phase eq´s too and explain that pre ringing issue with those! haven´t found any decent information about that from anywhere :} Your channel is worth it´s weight in gold!
Frost Mutant will
I understand cutting extremely low frequencies such as
What about let's say a high piano sound? or claps and hi hats? I cut them just still they start to sound thin then back off is that hurting my sound?
cut what? u didn't say.
Idiots.
@@hjon5988 try taking them all off and comparing. If it sounds better, then sure. I prefer really thin and airy hihats so I always highpass them, but it’s completely an artistic choice.
the info about the phase change twisted my nooby knowledge. I've just found why all my guitars always sounded out-phased!! :D THANK YOU!!!!
The phase isn't shifting at all. The peaks are in the exact same place. Only the levels of the peaks change.
Awesome TIP for the studio! But not so much in the Live sound world. Yes there can be the same problems in the live sound world but you almost have to hipass on the instruments that do not need certain frequencies just to control low end feedback. But in the live situation you have so many anomolies working against you like the room, the sound system , sub-harmonic distortion, stage volume etc. GREAT VIDEO and it is so true and is what I do in the studio.. but as a live engineer it just has to be used more! Thanks and Cheers!
home boy spoke abt studio, and u up here bringing up live shit.
y'all always got some smart to say.
like u think we dont know the difference between live and studio.
man, i hate ppl like u trying to always add some smart shit just to be seen or heard.
lol dont hate me i speak the truth.
love all of yall
Something to do with the Granularity of the System.
Finally the real possible reason why SOME mixes will never be mixed right. test with peers, on their home sound equipment.. :) tells you sooo much.
I'd definitely be interested in hearing your thoughts on pre-ringing in linear phase EQ
Your channel is underrated. So much value!
I agree. Low end needs to be alive with tension,,,,like a water ballon full of water which vibrates under the tension of the balloon. I believe the trick is to manage the frequency population for low end / cutting so 10 items are not sharing or/// competing for that frequency
Petar Froggpond
Get Better Recordings By Going For The Big Wins
We all want a better recording. Who doesn’t? But in our pursuit of great recordings we ironically spend way too much money and effort on things that don’t make a huge difference.
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I think phase is the most thought about aspect of mixing and is as important as the song tracks all being time aligned.
Like the latency of a recording being corrected.
Without mixing just that will clear things up while keeping them exciting.
Wow, this is stuff no one talks about!
Thank you so very much for this video!
This single piece of proliferated advice (ie: use HPF's everywhere) literally screwed up my mixes. Kudos to you, I now have a better understanding of when, where and how to use HPF's/LPF's.
I also used hi pass filter on every channel. My mix sounds good but without a rich sound. I tried to make a final master 2 track about 37 times and no matter what I do it sounds harsh without punch and energy. Now I'm going to remix everything and try removing HPF.
i think it also has something to do with the HPF notching certain higher frequency range (especially in zero latency mode, i think FabFilter has that video)and making your mix sound weaker...
Thanks very much!! I always wondered what the linear EQ was used for. You have the most informative videos I have found so far.
Great lesson. honestly never came around to anyone telling me these things, but they sound completely reasonable. thanks!
There is no musical frequencies below 40hz i prefer usually cut them
Ali Can Vatanperver but u can feel them
Great advice. Time to rethink how to deploy the ‘EQ pipeline’ in my mixes. Also, it seems to me that enforces the idea of using more analog EQ while recording.
Nice information.
I would be interested in a "pre ringing" issue video tho
Good video!!! This is why i love the Vst "Sonalksis TBK" Filter ...because it filters some of the unwanted frequencies without affecting the dynamics of your sound.
Very useful!Thanks for info.
*****
I recently mixing few songs and tips from your videos helping me a lot.
I like many videos from you guys.
Best regards.
Ok you're the first sound engineer I've seen who advised against hpf by default. I will try your suggestions and I subscribed. Great work!
I cut everything below 10kHz.
lpmaskman I do the same, but at 20khz. You’ve heard my songs before you just don’t know it.
@@godofspacetime333 what the hell does that mean lol
It makes you wonder why "so many" producers, sound engineers, etc- give this advice. One thing I've learned in music production is that there are more people not willing to teach and share their formula as opposed to the few who do share real tips. This is a competitive industry now because of the media outlets to get out musical product. Like most professionals or companies who dont give out their secrets or acquired knowledge to success, neither do producers and engineers. Ive mostly gotten a sense that many just don't want to share it and alot in this industry tell others, - "if you want to know how to (mix, master, use some sort of software, etc) then learn it on your own like we did." Which I get...sorta. But the truth is, even they learned from someone else. Whether through the "circles" or via higher learning. In saying all of this, your video is refreshing and real and I appreciate you reminding us all that at the end of the day, there may be general rules when mixing but that not all rules are meant to be applied. All creations are created in the image of music but they are nor are they all the same. At the end of the day, it truly is about how it sounds and resonates with ones soul. That's where we all strive to fulfull our creations
on guitars... you definitely need 80hz.
Lol
Not in a full band mix
not in a calvin harris track
It depends what the guitars are tuned to. If for example they are tuned to standard E then a HPF set to around 80Hz (The bottom E string is 82.41Hz) is appropriate. Always think of the relative pitch of frequencies.
not always
Top,
Thank you for your direct approach ,
I'll trust my ears more !
actually the reason for highpassing is for making the bass and kick sound louder and clear ,but you have a point here
If you need to, you can always use a peak controller so the high pass is only active when the kick plays
David your videos are gold. Best mixing channel on youtube hands down. Got my like and sub
Ok I won't do it. Gosh man!
Lmfao
This is why using a frequency splitter on various tracks and ducking/side-chaining the low end is a good solution whether you HP a lot or not
A splitter will do the same of it's not linear phase