I love that Dave's videos lack specificity. He puts the ideas and concepts in your head without crippling you with settings. He doesn't go into detail about what attack and release times he used here or how much he cut there. Instead he leaves that to your imagination. Thanks a lot Dave! I was getting a little bummed on a mix im working on, but these videos inspired me and the end result was much better than I had ever hoped!
Your comments about people expecting you to realize all the things going on in a mix are really spot on. I do find it funny how people will play something for others and expect them to hear every little thing that's done to it on the very first listen. What's even worse (and I have to admit I've done this, too) is when they're playing a mix and then they keep talking about all these different things they've done WHILE the mix is still going. It makes me want to say, "well, I WOULD be able to to hear at least some of this stuff if you'd let me listen and quit talking my ear off about it!"
Having a plan and doing everything with a sense of purpose has made my mixes so much more focused and easier to handle, thank you for all your countless lessons Dave
Dave, you are a class-act. Love how you criticize kindly, knowing there is no WRONG way to mix. Just different techniques, applications, and perceptions. Thank you
I was having a hard time panning this song that had a ton of tracks and I actually drew out the instruments on paper to visualize where they should go. It helped SO MUCH. Just passing on this golden tip I learned to my fellow engineers!
I do EDM, which is a very different ball game. There is no performance by the artist, it's all programmed- getting the emotion in there is one of the more difficult aspects of mixing down EDM songs. I think these tips are seriously useful, because they are based from a point where you're trying to pull some more emotion into the final product. I also appreciate the minimal style mixing, less of "let's see how much shit we can put on this channel" and more "how can I improve this in a simple way?" Great videos. Thanks :)
you can totally get the emotion in with the intent and feeling behind lead melodies, where you place things, the energy the stuff gives off by playing with programming and automation. It's all about what it sounds like. It can totally have emotion. The intent you feel will fully transfer into the music if you know how to use your tools to do it.
Rule #1: Fall in love with the song that you're working on. Could be tough to do over and over... but still, love every nuance of what you're working on. I think that's what Dave does.
After watching a few of your videos I realize something I’ve been struggling with: why I have lost nearly all my creative motivation. I’ve been swept up into the overwhelm of technical minutiae to the point of forgetting the emotional and philosophical side of writing and composing. I’ve become templated and formulaic. It’s a genuine thrill to find someone who has so much to say about being fluent and creative . I need all of what you have to say, to get back to being an artist. Thanks.
Iv'e only just found this channel and i don't know how iv'e been without it for so long! I'm going to spend my entire day tomorrow watching all your videos! And i can't wait! haha! Thanks alot, your a genius!
Thank you sir. Your information you have shared was precious. I think experience brought so much of clarity on the things you shared. Looking forward for more.
I just started going back to school for art and every time im in class i see so many similarities between visual art and audio art! Really awesome to hear him say that!.
Dave is fuking amazing, his ear is just sick. Dave could you put up more before and afters? so let us hear the pre-mixes then his final mix. I get so much from analyzing those
Team YDK I agree. It's amazing what he did with that kick especially. The vocals and guitars too. Listening to it before and after shows you actually what an amazing mixer Dave is.
He is amazing but he missed a click at the end of the kick drum 6:30 which for some reason just stands right out to me. I wonder if it went unnoticed and made the final track!
thanks Dave. i watch a few of these before any real mix session just to focus my intent before mixing a clients music. can't wait to enter your next contest.
As a novice producer, it's really difficult to find someone who will take the time to actually explain this stuff in a way that makes sense. You and Russ Hughes are the best!
NOV of 12 - Top 10 Mix Mistakes (Part 2) Nice conversational info that transcends equipment and applies to projects from starting concept to finished product.
I totally dig how these videos are 7-10 minutes,and not longer! I have some tutorial videos that I paid kinda decent bucks for,but I can't watch them very much[if ever]as they dribble on,though G3 has helped a lot on a certain Daw's[basic] operation,and sure it's been nearly 3 years,and Iv'e only really just taken the wrapper off,at least I know that right this minute,as a musician,I need to do some more material,because tricks and plugins,can't really change the captured performance to that of an undeniably well written song that is performed well,for the last year Iv'e been learning more,but there is only so much mixing one with limited experience
Seeing as you're the 1st mixing/mastering engineer I've ever heard, I feel like I've dodged so many bullets. Thanks a TON for sharing your knowledge, especially when it comes to compression and EQing!
Very happy to have found your page, should be handy for class. The name sounded familiar so i had to dig up your site, grammy award winning mixing and mastering. I think we covered something about you in class or i came across your work in search.
The drums sounded better to the average ear when solo'ed out because it sounds more even and natural but he even explains that he compressed it the way he did for a reason. When adding it to the big picture he kept the heartbeat of the drums alive to give the song punch
At first it SEEMS this is just an old dude talking about people doing shit mixes and then you realize that he is a master and is sharing his wisdom with you! Thx man!
Rodrigo Cid Set the output of all effects returns to a buss, then make a new aux channel called ALL FX with that output as an input and main out as the output.
Is your preamp running to hot? If you have it cranked the preamp will get noisy, and result in the kind of characteristic you've described. Also check your cables, and everything in the signal path, if the source (recording) has an issue like fuzz, it will certainly get worse when you go to mix.
Dave, you seem to use many many different plugins, especially Waves (which I do own). How do you know when to you a certain plugin over another? I can only assume through experience and auditioning each one functionally into the mix? Any insight would be appreciated. Big fan! Back to you, Dave.
Limiting is a severe form of compression and he's applying subtle limiting to the mix to make the elements glue together and make the dynamic response of the mix smoother. Hope this helps!
If I would have heards those drums solo with that comp honestly I would not have applied this setting, as it seems to cut the elements off (unnatural), but actually this gives the Mix the special Groove and makes it push harder. Interesting, Dave!
"If you go to the world of painting and art, when you go up to a canvas you don't see everything at once. Your eye wanders around the canvas and a good artist can take and control that journey of where your eye goes on that canvas to find different things in the exact order and time that artist wants you to find them. In the audio world we want to do the same thing with our ears."
2:48 loads of inspiring mixers do it. Because David Gleen (guy who in his latest "Rock Mixing Tutorial" Told them to Stereo Wide the 125hZ and below will make it spectacular) told them to, by presenting the curve in his Ozone that boosts high and mids. At the same time he calls up Dave's name "This is what Dave Pensado does, i kinda reinvented this preset" and thousands of his "students" follow blindly this rule just because he said so and he called up Dave Pensado's name in the tutorial. That drives me mad! People mix how other said they should mix, using curves that other said are as it should look like. Look like! These days people mix with their eyes not with ears! Im mixing properly by slapping the "magic" templates!
im far from a pro but ive delt with that and learned that it could be you mic cable. or to just use a high pas filter and cut it at around 50 when recording or do the same with your eq on your mixer.. its helped me greatly..but a cheap cable can be the problem also using a expander while mixin vocals can help you filter out all that noise floor you reffering to. good luck
im a bit confused by this so could someone enlighten me.dave uses L2 on the mix buss instead of say the ssl buss or a regular compresser?does he do this while mixing?its just in this vid hes putting it on a bounced stereo file of the mix.maybe its just for this example so he can change quickly. i always thought limiters were for mastering.never thought of using it on busses.is there advantages to this?i find buss compression a little confusing
Thanks for the video. Really helpful advice! I have a problem when some vocalists make the "S" sound. It cuts right through the other sounds. Any advice on how to fix it. I usually use eq but it doesn't always work.
i have a question? i record vocals from my home studio and i built me a booth i even when bought a reflection filter to put behind my co1 condenser mic i hung blanket around it but when i record my vocal i get a background noise its kinda sound like a fuzzy noise and when i mix my vocal and get to turn things up i can hear it even louder...can you make a video to help me thank alot....and i sub to your page
How would you suggest using panning an audio book read that is recorded in mono and has to be converted to stereo before it is put out for the client. Just a ridiculous thought, but could it be useful, unique and maybe a bit unconventional.
by stereo bus do you mean the master fader? this part confuses me slightly why would you be putting anything there surely youd leave that for the mastering house?
I remember i had trouble with this once. It turned out i was recording stereo instead of mono (hehe..), and the noise from my other input interfered with my main signal. A silly thing, but always worth mentioning :) Also, if you have any hardware between the microphone and the soundcard, try removing it from the chain :) Might help also
i eq to isolate the sound spectrum of the instrument i am miking.. then on edit to clear up and on mastering to make it sound good on all types of speakers... always use feeling though....
seems contradictory somewhat to say that all mix decisions should be to serve the energy/emotion and be for a reason but then at the end to say to exaggerate somethings so they stand out for a mix competition? anyway, I got some great tips from these videos!
Instruments convey emotions based on how they were played too. For instance, this guitar almost mimics the sad feelings of the Vocalist. So, he made sure to make it sit in the mix but still make it prominent. The idea is to make the signature piece of a song stand out and convey the emotions the intrumentalist/vocalist intended with the original performance.
Dave one comment you made about Making things stand out. This kinda confused me, it seem like it contradict the mistakes you mention, balance I guess that was the one mistake that came to mind, or maybe I just didn't understand what you ment by making things stand out. I hope this made sense.
He's speaking on choosing which instruments should be dominant and having a reason for doing so. What instrument is giving the song the feel that the song is trying to capture. Finding those sounds and making them stand out, or more noticeable, but not so much that they throw the balance off or hide other instruments. Hope that helps.
Limiting has nothing to do with compression. It does not glue anything, neither does it make dynamic response 'smoother'. Limiting only has two purposes: To increase gain and prevent the signal exceeding a certain level. Well, as a result there is less dynamic of course.
I'm a little confused when you talk about effects and a track not "needing then" and to have a reason for adding an effect or making a change. The reason sometimes is simply because you want to though? It's completely subjective to each person and what they want. as part of the creative process sometimes you do things for the reason of just wanting to not because it necessarily needs it. Then you can decide if you like it or don't. At the end of the day I think mixing is about taste, some perceive others to have better taste than another, but it's completely subjective to the listener. While you may not like the mix and think it has too many effects, another person may love it and thinks it enhances the song.
![Into The Lair #58 - Ear Training Part 2 [FULL]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/0K133DdB-CQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I love that Dave's videos lack specificity. He puts the ideas and concepts in your head without crippling you with settings. He doesn't go into detail about what attack and release times he used here or how much he cut there. Instead he leaves that to your imagination. Thanks a lot Dave! I was getting a little bummed on a mix im working on, but these videos inspired me and the end result was much better than I had ever hoped!
Your comments about people expecting you to realize all the things going on in a mix are really spot on. I do find it funny how people will play something for others and expect them to hear every little thing that's done to it on the very first listen. What's even worse (and I have to admit I've done this, too) is when they're playing a mix and then they keep talking about all these different things they've done WHILE the mix is still going. It makes me want to say, "well, I WOULD be able to to hear at least some of this stuff if you'd let me listen and quit talking my ear off about it!"
It's amazing how a guy this good at what he does is this real and humble. It's rare to find people like this in the world
A BIG thumbs up for that comment my friend!
he's very humble, it amazes me!
Having a plan and doing everything with a sense of purpose has made my mixes so much more focused and easier to handle, thank you for all your countless lessons Dave
Dave, you are a class-act. Love how you criticize kindly, knowing there is no WRONG way to mix. Just different techniques, applications, and perceptions. Thank you
I really appreciate your read Dave Pensado's readiness to share his vast knowlededge and talent with the rest of the world. Thanks.
I was having a hard time panning this song that had a ton of tracks and I actually drew out the instruments on paper to visualize where they should go. It helped SO MUCH. Just passing on this golden tip I learned to my fellow engineers!
"Sometimes softer is not better"--classic Dave. Thank You
"Make your snares snares"
Dave, you've done it again
I do EDM, which is a very different ball game. There is no performance by the artist, it's all programmed- getting the emotion in there is one of the more difficult aspects of mixing down EDM songs. I think these tips are seriously useful, because they are based from a point where you're trying to pull some more emotion into the final product. I also appreciate the minimal style mixing, less of "let's see how much shit we can put on this channel" and more "how can I improve this in a simple way?" Great videos. Thanks :)
you can totally get the emotion in with the intent and feeling behind lead melodies, where you place things, the energy the stuff gives off by playing with programming and automation. It's all about what it sounds like. It can totally have emotion. The intent you feel will fully transfer into the music if you know how to use your tools to do it.
Dave, you're the best, man. You're just handing out knowledge left and right. Appreciated!
Well panned knowledge 😹
@@raagamuffin badum tsss 😁
Rule #1: Fall in love with the song that you're working on.
Could be tough to do over and over... but still, love every nuance of what you're working on.
I think that's what Dave does.
After watching a few of your videos I realize something I’ve been struggling with: why I have lost nearly all my creative motivation. I’ve been swept up into the overwhelm of technical minutiae to the point of forgetting the emotional and philosophical side of writing and composing. I’ve become templated and formulaic. It’s a genuine thrill to find someone who has so much to say about being fluent and creative . I need all of what you have to say, to get back to being an artist. Thanks.
Iv'e only just found this channel and i don't know how iv'e been without it for so long!
I'm going to spend my entire day tomorrow watching all your videos!
And i can't wait! haha! Thanks alot, your a genius!
Thank you sir. Your information you have shared was precious.
I think experience brought so much of clarity on the things you shared. Looking forward for more.
I've never hit the subscribe button quicker than I just did. Time to stay up and watch every single one of your videos!
I just started going back to school for art and every time im in class i see so many similarities between visual art and audio art! Really awesome to hear him say that!.
Dave is fuking amazing, his ear is just sick.
Dave could you put up more before and afters? so let us hear the pre-mixes then his final mix. I get so much from analyzing those
Team YDK I agree. It's amazing what he did with that kick especially. The vocals and guitars too. Listening to it before and after shows you actually what an amazing mixer Dave is.
He is amazing but he missed a click at the end of the kick drum 6:30 which for some reason just stands right out to me. I wonder if it went unnoticed and made the final track!
thanks Dave. i watch a few of these before any real mix session just to focus my intent before mixing a clients music. can't wait to enter your next contest.
"You don't want a spaghetti sauce that tastes all garlicky ...." .....BEST!!! 🍝🍝🍝
Thank you a lot for all the advises. I'm getting better mixes and enjoying a lot more the music every day. I'm fan of your work. Cheers from Mexico!
Man i dont wanna write a lot of things to describe u but u're my hero, thnx 4 sharing ur knowledge
As a novice producer, it's really difficult to find someone who will take the time to actually explain this stuff in a way that makes sense. You and Russ Hughes are the best!
NOV of 12 - Top 10 Mix Mistakes (Part 2) Nice conversational info that transcends equipment and applies to projects from starting concept to finished product.
I totally dig how these videos are 7-10 minutes,and not longer!
I have some tutorial videos that I paid kinda decent bucks for,but I can't watch them very much[if ever]as they dribble on,though G3 has helped a lot on a certain Daw's[basic] operation,and sure it's been nearly 3 years,and Iv'e only really just taken the wrapper off,at least I know that right this minute,as a musician,I need to do some more material,because tricks and plugins,can't really change the captured performance to that of an undeniably well written song that is performed well,for the last year Iv'e been learning more,but there is only so much mixing one with limited experience
Many Thanks Dave for sharing your knowledge and experience for those who aspire to become great engineers! You Are The Man!!! God Bless
Seeing as you're the 1st mixing/mastering engineer I've ever heard, I feel like I've dodged so many bullets. Thanks a TON for sharing your knowledge, especially when it comes to compression and EQing!
Very happy to have found your page, should be handy for class. The name sounded familiar so i had to dig up your site, grammy award winning mixing and mastering. I think we covered something about you in class or i came across your work in search.
thanks for giving back dave! such a great share your clips
Awesome tips, thanks so much Dave!
Pensado is soo on point
Thank You Mr Dave Pensado 🙌🙌 Vey Helpful Video🔥🔥.
The drums sounded better to the average ear when solo'ed out because it sounds more even and natural but he even explains that he compressed it the way he did for a reason. When adding it to the big picture he kept the heartbeat of the drums alive to give the song punch
Great reminders, Dave! Thank you!
At first it SEEMS this is just an old dude talking about people doing shit mixes and then you realize that he is a master and is sharing his wisdom with you! Thx man!
Great stuff, there is so much good advice and wisdom here.
How did you create the ALL FX Bus? Can you show that trick to do A/B on a dry/wet mix? Great info! Love your channel!
Rodrigo Cid Set the output of all effects returns to a buss, then make a new aux channel called ALL FX with that output as an input and main out as the output.
Great stuff as usual Dave! Thanks.
Wise words!
Wow man I subscribed gonna go through all your vids
Is your preamp running to hot? If you have it cranked the preamp will get noisy, and result in the kind of characteristic you've described. Also check your cables, and everything in the signal path, if the source (recording) has an issue like fuzz, it will certainly get worse when you go to mix.
Thank you so much for the video~~~ I learnt a lot!!!!!
Dave, you seem to use many many different plugins, especially Waves (which I do own). How do you know when to you a certain plugin over another? I can only assume through experience and auditioning each one functionally into the mix? Any insight would be appreciated. Big fan! Back to you, Dave.
Limiting is a severe form of compression and he's applying subtle limiting to the mix to make the elements glue together and make the dynamic response of the mix smoother. Hope this helps!
If I would have heards those drums solo with that comp honestly I would not have applied this setting, as it seems to cut the elements off (unnatural), but actually this gives the Mix the special Groove and makes it push harder. Interesting, Dave!
"If you go to the world of painting and art, when you go up to a canvas you don't see everything at once. Your eye wanders around the canvas and a good artist can take and control that journey of where your eye goes on that canvas to find different things in the exact order and time that artist wants you to find them. In the audio world we want to do the same thing with our ears."
thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
thanks so much dude, gave me great food for thought. Cheers.
guy is as smart and wise as a guru. mentor status
Excuse my ignorance but when sending vox out should i bus it to a stereo "ALL Vox" aux to Master Aux or leave it mono out to "Master Aux stereo"?
2:48 loads of inspiring mixers do it. Because David Gleen (guy who in his latest "Rock Mixing Tutorial" Told them to Stereo Wide the 125hZ and below will make it spectacular) told them to, by presenting the curve in his Ozone that boosts high and mids. At the same time he calls up Dave's name "This is what Dave Pensado does, i kinda reinvented this preset" and thousands of his "students" follow blindly this rule just because he said so and he called up Dave Pensado's name in the tutorial. That drives me mad! People mix how other said they should mix, using curves that other said are as it should look like. Look like! These days people mix with their eyes not with ears! Im mixing properly by slapping the "magic" templates!
@MatthewBarnett inspired the soul, you grace us with your dharma.... Lots to be thankful for
im far from a pro but ive delt with that and learned that it could be you mic cable. or to just use a high pas filter and cut it at around 50 when recording or do the same with your eq on your mixer.. its helped me greatly..but a cheap cable can be the problem also using a expander while mixin vocals can help you filter out all that noise floor you reffering to. good luck
Thank you very much. God bless you.
im a bit confused by this so could someone enlighten me.dave uses L2 on the mix buss instead of say the ssl buss or a regular compresser?does he do this while mixing?its just in this vid hes putting it on a bounced stereo file of the mix.maybe its just for this example so he can change quickly. i always thought limiters were for mastering.never thought of using it on busses.is there advantages to this?i find buss compression a little confusing
"Snares, Don't overcompress the snares, just make them snaares" haha love it
you have something on how to mix a drum room of a kit? and to make each drum room Different from each other?
Thanks for the video. Really helpful advice! I have a problem when some vocalists make the "S" sound. It cuts right through the other sounds. Any advice on how to fix it. I usually use eq but it doesn't always work.
Well done!
...would deserve a part 3 and 4 and 5 and...
Thank you sir. You are awesome as a ZZ Top beard!
Loved this. Thanks for the info!
someone already mentioned desser i think (obviously) but how about multiband compressor ? i don't use it myself, but it sounds liek it might be useful
Dam that helps a lot!! Thanx!
This stuff is so good. Thank you so much!!!!
GOOD POST
Thank again Dave! Love it
i have a question? i record vocals from my home studio and i built me a booth i even when bought a reflection filter to put behind my co1 condenser mic i hung blanket around it but when i record my vocal i get a background noise its kinda sound like a fuzzy noise and when i mix my vocal and get to turn things up i can hear it even louder...can you make a video to help me thank alot....and i sub to your page
Thanks for the tips!
Dave are all efx just vocals or the entire track ?
How would you suggest using panning an audio book read that is recorded in mono and has to be converted to stereo before it is put out for the client. Just a ridiculous thought, but could it be useful, unique and maybe a bit unconventional.
***** When will there be another mix competition and is there anything for beginners or are all welcomed?
Thanks Dave!
you are my new favourite dude.
Hi, I love the song, does anybody know which song this is starting at 01:31?! Thanks
sweet track
Thanks! I use a pop filter never messed with the de esser.
Thanks your the best as a new audio engineer I got lost sometime lol
by stereo bus do you mean the master fader? this part confuses me slightly why would you be putting anything there surely youd leave that for the mastering house?
thanx for the help
I don't know if it is the youtube quality but the drums gated horribly or the loop is cut or edited badly
Sometimes that glitchy feel to a loop is deliberate.
jtpinnyc
I agree , the base sound really horrible, just like getting your head smashed with a brick.... That can't be the intention.....
Anywhere we can get this track?
I learned something!
I remember i had trouble with this once. It turned out i was recording stereo instead of mono (hehe..), and the noise from my other input interfered with my main signal. A silly thing, but always worth mentioning :)
Also, if you have any hardware between the microphone and the soundcard, try removing it from the chain :) Might help also
i eq to isolate the sound spectrum of the instrument i am miking.. then on edit to clear up and on mastering to make it sound good on all types of speakers... always use feeling though....
Thank you!
seems contradictory somewhat to say that all mix decisions should be to serve the energy/emotion and be for a reason but then at the end to say to exaggerate somethings so they stand out for a mix competition? anyway, I got some great tips from these videos!
Instruments convey emotions based on how they were played too. For instance, this guitar almost mimics the sad feelings of the Vocalist. So, he made sure to make it sit in the mix but still make it prominent. The idea is to make the signature piece of a song stand out and convey the emotions the intrumentalist/vocalist intended with the original performance.
This helped alot thanks
01:04 good description of panning
What song is this?
Yes please I also want to find this song it's amazing :)
Dave one comment you made about Making things stand out. This kinda confused me, it seem like it contradict the mistakes you mention, balance I guess that was the one mistake that came to mind, or maybe I just didn't understand what you ment by making things stand out. I hope this made sense.
He's speaking on choosing which instruments should be dominant and having a reason for doing so. What instrument is giving the song the feel that the song is trying to capture. Finding those sounds and making them stand out, or more noticeable, but not so much that they throw the balance off or hide other instruments. Hope that helps.
Thanks Max
Thanks Marx
Legend!
well that's not entirely true. the right use of a limiter will indeed appear to 'glue' a mix together, but at the expense of dynamic range.
"You don't want a spaghetti sauce that just tastes all garlicky, it's got to be balanced."
Limiting has nothing to do with compression. It does not glue anything, neither does it make dynamic response 'smoother'. Limiting only has two purposes: To increase gain and prevent the signal exceeding a certain level. Well, as a result there is less dynamic of course.
Just make em snares!
I'm a little confused when you talk about effects and a track not "needing then" and to have a reason for adding an effect or making a change. The reason sometimes is simply because you want to though? It's completely subjective to each person and what they want.
as part of the creative process sometimes you do things for the reason of just wanting to not because it necessarily needs it. Then you can decide if you like it or don't. At the end of the day I think mixing is about taste, some perceive others to have better taste than another, but it's completely subjective to the listener. While you may not like the mix and think it has too many effects, another person may love it and thinks it enhances the song.
THANKYOU x
It sounds strange but I liked the song without the FX better.
samedt