# Tutorial collection thread



## Waywyn

hey there,

okay, i find those discussions about reverb, compression etc. totally interesting and i wonder if it would be cool to have a thread where we just collection tutorials we find in the big wide internet.

probably some of you know authors who describe stuff in a brilliant way or you also know people who just think they are good 


hopefully we will get a cool collection about links and tutorials ...


----------



## Scott Cairns

Hey Alex, great idea freund, here's an EQ chart I often refer to;

http://www.futureproducers.com/site

Kick Drum

Any apparent muddiness can be rolled off around 300Hz. Try a small boost around 5-7kHz to add some high end.

50-100Hz ~ Adds bottom to the sound
100-250Hz ~ Adds roundness
250-800Hz ~ Muddiness Area
5-8kHz ~ Adds high end prescence
8-12kHz ~ Adds Hiss

Snare

Try a small boost around 60-120Hz if the sound is a little too wimpy. Try boosting around 6kHz for that 'snappy' sound.

100-250Hz ~ Fills out the sound
6-8kHz ~ Adds prescence

Check It Snare ? 250hz gives heaps of body ? Matt applied around 150hz to the Battery snare in ?Scotts Drums?

Hi hats or cymbals

Any apparent muddiness can be rolled off around 300Hz. To add some brightness try a small boost around 3kHz.

250-800Hz ~ Muddiness area
1-6kHz ~ Adds presence
6-8kHz ~ Adds clarity
8-12kHz ~ Adds brightness

Bass

Try boosting around 60Hz to add more body. Any apparent muddiness can be rolled off around 300Hz.If more presence is needed, boost around 6kHz.

50-100Hz ~ Adds bottom end
100-250Hz ~ Adds roundness
250-800Hz ~ Muddiness Area
800-1kHz ~ Adds beef to small speakers
1-6kHz ~ Adds presence
6-8kHz ~ Adds high-end presence
8-12kHz ~ Adds hiss

Vocals

This is a difficult one, as it depends on the mic used to record the vocal. However...Apply either cut or boost around 300hz, depending on the mic and song.Apply a very small boost around 6kHz to add some clarity.

100-250Hz ~ Adds 'up-frontness'
250-800Hz ~ Muddiness area
1-6kHz ~ Adds presence
6-8kHz ~ Adds sibilance and clarity
8-12kHz ~ Adds brightness

Piano

Any apparent muddiness can be rolled off around 300Hz. Apply a very small boost around 6kHz to add some clarity.

50-100Hz ~ Adds bottom
100-250Hz ~ Adds roundness
250-1kHz ~ Muddiness area
1-6kHz ~ Adds presence
6-8Khz ~ Adds clarity
8-12kHz ~ Adds hiss

Electric guitars

Again this depends on the mix and the recording. Apply either cut or boost around 300hz, depending on the song and sound. Try boosting around 3kHz to add some edge to the sound, or cut to add some transparency. Try boosting around 6kHz to add presence. Try boosting around 10kHz to add brightness.

100-250Hz ~ Adds body
250-800Hz ~ Muddiness area
1-6Khz ~ Cuts through the mix
6-8kHz ~ Adds clarity
8=12kHz ~ Adds hiss

Acoustic guitar

Any apparent muddiness can be rolled off between 100-300Hz. Apply small amounts of cut around 1-3kHz to push the image higher. Apply small amounts of boost around 5kHz to add some presence.

100-250Hz ~ Adds body
6-8kHz ~ Adds clarity
8-12kHz ~ Adds brightness

Strings

These depend entirely on the mix and the sound used.

50-100Hz ~ Adds bottom end
100-250Hz ~ Adds body
250-800Hz ~ Muddiness area
1-6kHz ~ Sounds crunchy
6-8kHz ~ Adds clarity
8-12kHz ~ Adds brightness


----------



## Niah

Thanks guys, this is very helpful.


----------



## Jackull

Thanks Scott,

This is a good references, Now it's time for me to fix the room acoustic so I can hear it better 

jackULL


----------



## synergy543

Here's a link to some great engineering articles by Bob Katz:

http://www.digido.com/portal/pmodule_id=11/pmdmode=fullscreen/pageadder_page_id=18/ (http://www.digido.com/portal/pmodule_id ... age_id=18/)


----------



## Scott Cairns

There's a great book worth reading called; "Mixing with your Mind"

It goes outside some traditional engineering practices and tells you how to find the right mic for the job, "crack compressors" and many other things.

It has some great info on analog vs digital recording too.


----------



## Scott Cairns

This might be useful;

http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/directory.htm

I think the site used to be called Studiocovers and it went down for a while.

Its indexed a bunch of great information into categories and provided links.


----------



## Rob Elliott

Scott - great link - tons of information!!!

Alex - that was very nice of you to recap from the thread - some really useful information. Funny, but I have read many of these before and have 'forgotten' more of them than I would like to admit. :oops: 

Thanks again.

Rob


----------



## Bernard Asselin

Very good idea Alex! Thank you for this nice help !


----------



## Jackull

Yeah Alex,

This is a nice practical references to keep in mind. Get those good infos from NS...  Thanks a lot for posting this...

jackULL


----------



## Waywyn

hey thanks,

you are all welcome, but like me, most of the guys are already banned on NS anyway who took part and helped to create this pdf. i think we could still go on and everyone who likes to share into, tricks or tipps could post it here.

so we will get a big treasure in terms of mixing, sound, recording, saples etc.


----------



## Rob Elliott

I really like the orchestral references (doublings, how to get certain emotional feels - which instrument combinations get this, etc.) Good stuff. If anyone has anymore of this that would be great.

Here are some ideas I have put down on an excel spreadsheet over the last couple of years. Obviously - this only scratches the surface, but perhaps, this and the articles cited previously we can assemble a fairly good list of orchestral devices / ideas.


Anyone add to this list??




brass 


INSTRUMENTS / DOUBLED FX

Brass SFZ - short with Piatti For Stabs / Punch

Trpts For Chords / tension

Tuba/trombones to play bass more ofter (double with doublebass) For 'rounder' fuller bass support

Trpts and trombones Q/A always a good idea

Tronbones/Xylo/2x bass/ More power on Rhythm

FH to provide percussive chords More driving power

trpts/ bones typical 'brass' sound

trpts/clarinet clearer, brighter sound

trpt/bass clarinet/bassoon huge massive sound

trpt/xylo percussive sound

horn / cello both have same sound great double

Contra bass bone/bass clarinet/contrabassoon Especially good for low bass lines




Woodwinds 


INSTRUMENTS DOUBLED FX

Bass Clairnet or ContraBasson trills create 'mystical tension'

Flute trills with Vln trills High tension

Flutes with Violins on Melody Support melody

Piccolo gives melody (in tutti) the last penetrating edge Drives melody home hard

Flute and Basson Exotic

Flutes lower notes softly with Trumpets Good blend

Oboe played in unison with the flute the oboe sounds more mellow.

Oboe/Bassons organ-like' sound

Oboe/Trpts Brilliant sound

English horn - is the 'middle voice' powerful / distinctive voice

EH / Violas both 'dark' acerbic tones

Contrabasson / tuba can carry an orchestra tutti

Contrabasson / tuba (bass) Horns low on chords rich thick chordal arrangement

Contrabasson / 2x bass / cellos one octave above powerful bass section

bassoon/horn very rich blend - melodic

bassoon staccs / string pizz good combo



Percussion 

INSTRUMENTS DOUBLED FX

SD doubles with Trumpets Add "punch"

Guiro on any latin groove (bass and Pno bass) Different kind of groove

Cymbal crash with Piccolo dagger stab / lightening

Timps/PO sfz power


----------



## Nick Batzdorf

> 8-12kHz ~ Adds Hiss



Believe it or not, bass drums often have stuff going on up there and you can add snap by boosting at 10K. Nobody thinks of BD as broadband instruments, but they actually are.


----------



## Ed

Cheers Rob, thats actually useful

Ed


----------



## Scott Cairns

Something that becoming more apparent to me as I delve deeper into orchestration is the strength that different instruments can have at different ranges.

For example, a flute playing around G above middle C is fairly weak and wont stand out a lot. It is good for doubling and thickening up strings though. When the flute climbs to the top of the Treble clef, it really starts to sing and soars over the orchestra.

Also, you can focus the listeners ear with this same technique;

you might start with low oboe, flute playing high above it. The listener will notice the flute more, the oboe is there for colour.

Then, you can bring the oboe up in range as the flute descends, all of the sudden, the listener will hear an oboe come into focus.

This technique can be used throughout the orchestra and I believe an expert orchestrator can reveal different instruments to you at different times by doing this.


----------



## rJames

Waywyn said:


> okay, i found another thing which i started looong time ago on NS, but i collected all those help, tricks and hints out of this thread and put it into a pdf file ...
> 
> here we go: http://www.cellarroom.de/tmp/collected_ ... tricks.pdf
> 
> hope this also helps a little ...



Great ideas. I wish I had them a year ago. But I'll start learning them right now.

Thanks Waywyn.


----------



## D.J.

Recently I found myself looking for this thread and it was not so easy to find. 
There are some useful orchestration ideas but the thread is under postpro/ mix....
There's some really valuable stuff in here.

What say we make this a sticky so we can add to it from time to time?


----------



## Frederick Russ

Done 8) 

David I think you asked me to do this before but I myself had a bit of time trying to locate it as well. Now stickied.


----------



## FrozeN

Frederick Russ said:


> Now stickied.


Woow thanks Fred, I missed this thread when it was originally posted. Very helpful resources indeed!

Cheers,
Frankie


----------



## D.J.

I wasn't sure how you guys usually decide this stuff.
Now I'm glad I asked. Thanks Fred.


----------



## Waywyn

i knew about this place all the time but i think it would be cool to have it here:
http://www.tcelectronic.com/TechLibrary

and of course we shouldn't forget about the really cool tutorial pages of Beat Kaufmann:
http://www.beat-kaufmann.com/tipspcmusic/index.html


----------



## Joanne Babunovic

Thanks for the useful links everyone. Waywyn - love your cliff notes on how to engineer and compose. Regarding muddy dull comps, you say to take away the instruments causing the mud - but even with a few instruments, my comps are way too muddy and dull. 

I understand that well-engineered comps are a combination of a thousand things; good composition, as few instruments/notes as possible, good panning, the right volumes, but let's assume all that is good, what is the next most important thing for well engineered mixes? Do you typically first eq each instrument and then eq the overall mix in most cases? If you could only do one, which one would you say is most effective? 

Also, I am working only with the standard eq in Cubase SX, which I don't think is great. It's possible I need to move to something better. What do you think about that? Should I be able to acheive fairly decent sound comps with the standard Cubase SX tools? 

Do I need to move to an outboard analog mixer maybe? I remember when my studio was more hardware based, I had the exact opposite problem of mud. My comps where too bright and too thin when I worked with hardware, so maybe I need to bring back my outboard mixer. 

Thanks,
Joanne


----------



## Waywyn

Hi Joanne,

well, thanks, but what do you mean with cliff notes? If you mean the written word document, that wasn't me alone. It was done on NS (by basically all the members which are here now) and i put it together for all the guys over there and posted it as a file.

when i was banned i simply put the link to VI, so that everyone still can get the best out of it 

i think i can't answer all those question just like telling a joke but i think the best would be to visit the page of beat kaufman. he has a lot of tutorials about how to eq and use plugins.

well, i really dunno what to say, when you ask how i work, or if i eq first and then later at the end of the mix.
basically i go with my ears. if something sounds dull then i eq, but first i try to go with the instruments. if the horn melody sounds to dull i double it with strings or a piccolo flute or whatever.

in terms of plugins, it is best to download demos and compare how they work. if you like something then use it. i was really surprised as i was looking for a really good and not too expensive compressor. then i heard the blockfish of digital fishphones and this thing damn rocks. sooner or later i will get a uad1, but til then the blockfish does it. not because it is cheap or for free - it simply sounds awesome!

as for the cubase eq's i only use them when i want to get rid of a frequency (taking bass of a snare mic or so). i really tried to work with them but they just sound crappy. best eq i find is the dynamic eq of the powercore or the sony oxford.

.. to be continued


----------



## Joanne Babunovic

Hi Waywyn,

I forgot you are in Germany. In the US, students who don't have time to read the full book in school go to a store and by the book's Cliff Notes. It is a small abbreviation of the full work and focuses on only the key main points. Your doc was quite to the point and easy to read.

I appreciate verification that Cubase eq is bad. Maybe I will check out UAD or Powercore, but to your point, it is far more complex than simply buying better tools and I need to begin training my ears and take things instrument by instrument. You've brought up another component, which is compression - which I'm even more clueless about than eq. 

I think I simply need to buckle down, read the links/literature provided, begin hands-on experimenting and stop whining.

Thanks for your help,
Joanne


----------



## synergy543

German students have time but American students don't...hmmm...... :???: 

OK here's a pretty good tutorial on compression:

http://www.harmony-central.com/Effects/Articles/Compression/ (http://www.harmony-central.com/Effects/ ... mpression/)


----------



## Joanne Babunovic

Thanks Synergy. If I work exclusively with sample instruments, would compression "generally" be used only in the final mix process, or do you personally use compression routinely on individual samples as well?


----------



## Joanne Babunovic

Scott Cairns @ Sun Sep 04 said:


> This might be useful;
> 
> http://www.theprojectstudiohandbook.com/directory.htm
> 
> I think the site used to be called Studiocovers and it went down for a while.
> 
> Its indexed a bunch of great information into categories and provided links.



Really helpful info Scott. 

"The key is to figure out which frequency range is most important for each instrument and to REMOVE any non-important frequencies that are competing with the important frequency range of other instruments."

This really is an art and either you have the ears or you don't. Sort of scarey. 

As I mentioned to Waywyn, when I was mixing with a hardware mixer, I found creating clear, sharp cues so much easier. Do you use a hardware mixer? What eq, reverb, compression tools are you using these days? 

Thanks,
joanne


----------



## Joanne Babunovic

Thanks Waywyn. It always helps hearing two people agreeing on the basics. 


Question about final mix compression, is there a difference between multiband compressors used for final CD mastering than the type of compressor tools used on a single track? Mutliband would be applied to the Left/Right Stereo out, but just trying to understand if the actual algorithyms for final mastering is any different than compression on a single vocal track. Compresson is compression, right?


----------



## Scott Cairns

Hi Joanne, compression on a single track basically amounts to levelling the volume out like Alex mentioned previously.

Multiband compression on a stereo mix is where you can boost certain frequencies to make them sound louder.

For example, you might boost the bass of a whole track to make it sound more beefy.

This is particularly useful in mastering as you are trying to match the overall brightness/bottom end of all your tracks across the board.


----------



## Joanne Babunovic

For orchestral work on individual instruments, I would tend to smooth out dynamics with MIDI volume and expression rather than with a compressor plugin. I guess there might be a few cases where you might want to add some compression to individual instrument tracks (most likely percussion or brass) but I would generally prefer to do it with MIDI control myself. This way you have control on specific spots rather than having a plugin automatically control it. However, if you have already have a track recorded and you want to "tone down" some of the peaks or smooth it out, you could use a compressor for this I guess. Its kind of the "Cliff Notes" approach to problem solving dynamics.....its fast and easy and probably nobody will be the wiser. However, za "German students" vud probably meticulously edit ze MIDI data to control ze dynamics for more precise control.

I'm half German so I use both methods. :lol:[/quote]


Hi Synergy. I appreciate the detailed explanation and thanks for taking the time. In general, unless there is an occasional special application, samples, especially orchestral likely will not need compression for individual tracks.


----------



## Joanne Babunovic

Thanks Scott. I know we've had this conversation before, and I appreciate everyone's patience. I also had a few other questions for you in an earlier post in this thread if you have the time.


----------



## Nick Batzdorf

> 100-250Hz ~ Adds roundness
> 250-800Hz ~ Muddiness Area



Looking at that again, with all due respect I'd argue with some of the esteemed Mr. Cairn's ranges. There's some room for subjectivity, but in general the mudrange is in the fourth octave (if you start at 20Hz), roughly between 160 and 320Hz. That's independent of the instrument, not just strings, unless you happen to hit a resonance.

Middle C is 260Hz, and it's already getting out of the "nothing good happens here" area, but 320 is the business octave in the treble clef where most things happen (A=440 is a 6th above middle C, of course). There's no mud to be found there.


----------



## Scott Cairns

Hi Nick, no problems. 

What I posted is actually a guide from; http://www.futureproducers.com/site 

I dont live by it, but it has helped me "zero in" on various instruments and get me in the ballpark of what to cut and boost etc.

I only recommend it as a guide, it took me while to get my head around some eq ranges and their functions and this list helped.


----------



## Waywyn

but i think in general you could say that around 300 to 400 you will find a lot of mud 

of course, depending on the piece of music, but usually i find myself of taking out around 300 hz and 1 khz


----------



## Scott Cairns

Joanne Babunovic @ Tue Jun 13 said:


> Thanks Scott. I know we've had this conversation before, and I appreciate everyone's patience. I also had a few other questions for you in an earlier post in this thread if you have the time.



Hi Joanne, no problems, sorry I missed it earlier.



Joanne Babunovic said:


> Do you use a hardware mixer? What eq, reverb, compression tools are you using these days?



I dont use a hardware mixer, Im a big believer in that unless you have state of the art A/D and D/A converters, (devices that accurately convert your audio signal from analog to digital and back again) your doing more harm than good. Kind of like applying sandpaper to your mix. 

In other words, the damage done to your pristine recording, by travelling out of your DAW, to a hardware mixer and back again, is not worth the trouble. (Unless you have those great converters I just mentioned.)

I have a Powercore PCI card, I quite like some of the effects on that, plus Im using Waves EQs, and the L2 limiter.

Im splashing out on the Win version of Altiverb soon, cant wait for that. :razz: 

One good suggestion I follow is that I mix inside Cubase, usually applying small amounts of compression where I need to focus certain instruments, also using small amounts of EQ to cut muddy frequencies and clean up the mix. When im happy with that, I export a 24bit stereo wav file and take it into SoundForge.

In there, I can visually see the effects of applying the L2 limiter and so on, sometimes, I might do a further small cut of the low mids if things still sound a little muddy.

BTW, the idea of doing the "mastering" side of things (I use that term loosely) outside of the sequencer, was suggested by Peter Roos, a member of VI.


----------



## Scott Cairns

Waywyn @ Tue Jun 13 said:


> but i think in general you could say that around 300 to 400 you will find a lot of mud



I actually agree Alex. As different instruments have different fundamental freqencies, the "muddy" section is going to vary. Also, different instruments have different overtones, so that repeating of freqs varies yet again. A Clarinet actually has an overtone of a twelfth. If you overblow a clarinet note, you get a perfect octave jump. 

Im not sure if this has been posted yet, but I also find this chart really helpful (as a guide of course!);

http://www.fastestmanintheworld.com/misc/frequency_chart_lg.gif (http://www.fastestmanintheworld.com/mis ... art_lg.gif)

These days, if I have to mix in a hurry for a deadline, I buss things by their approximate range; cellos/basses/bassoons together; 1st and 2nd violins etc, I do a seperate cut of eq for each buss, wherever I find the most "muddiness"

Some instruments (like French Horns) can be tough, as theyre range is so big. Usually, Ill buss a solo horn seperately, if its playing a melodic part and kind of sitting in its own space.

I also do a steep rolloff below an instruments fundamental note; Im not sure if its noise in some of the samples, but some seem to sound a bit rumbly without the EQ cut.


----------



## Waywyn

cool chart. for those who want this one in big i can suggest the vsl poster.
my girlfriend presented it to me on a birthday and since then it blazons my studio 

as for the mastering outside of the sequencer, same here as scott. there are so many reasons to master outside the sequencer:

1. you can save more ram for plugins, tracks and samples.

2. you ALWAYS have a clean mix without mastering available.
sometimes the company wants to have a smoother, softer or more aggressive version of it. sometimes the customer just wants an unmastered mix since it will be used with other audiotracks together.

3. in an external editor like soundforge, wavelab or audition 2.0 (that's what i use) you have so many options on editing and tweaking the soundmaterial 
i really enjoy the photoshop-lasso-approach in audition, to get rid of disturbing signals or noises.


----------



## Joanne Babunovic

Scott - talking through your workflow helped a lot and thanks for the names of the eq/compression/reverb. I'll forget about the analog mixer idea.


----------



## KasunicJ

Here is a pretty good one:
http://emusictips.com/category/mixing


----------



## Rodney Glenn

Another frequency chart (interactive):
http://www.independentrecording.net/irn/resources/freqchart/main_display.htm (http://www.independentrecording.net/irn ... isplay.htm)

...and on metering and gain structure (also interactive):
http://www.independentrecording.net/irn ... /index.htm

Cheers

Rodney


----------



## artsoundz

Great info on diffusion etc.


http://www.realtraps.com/videos.htm#diffusion.


I found this extremely useful.


----------



## erockrazor

For acoustics introduction but thorough and clear.

www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.html

For an all around awesome article about recording and mixing mostly rock elements. very indepth 

http://www.badmuckingfastard.com/sound/ ... l#contents


----------



## MaraschinoMusic

Waywyn @ Tue Sep 06 said:


> okay, i found another thing which i started looong time ago on NS, but i collected all those help, tricks and hints out of this thread and put it into a pdf file ...
> 
> here we go: http://www.cellarroom.de/tmp/collected_ ... tricks.pdf
> 
> hope this also helps a little ...



Very useful thread, and great collection of tips Waywyn. I remember starting a similar collection of "what sounds good doubling what" ideas, but I can't remember what happened to it... 

I like the sound of doubling a flugelhorn with a flute, or a flute with a muted trumpet (Harmon). I am now going to search for my list...


----------



## artsoundz

and//flute and vibes.
Piano and whistling(top range of piano)


----------



## MaraschinoMusic

artsoundz @ Mon Apr 27 said:


> Piano and whistling(top range of piano)



That sounds interesting 

I have used 'whistling' to carry the melody on the intros to a couple of songs in the past, but being unable to produce a sonically pleasing whistle myself, I have used a 'whistling' patch on a synth. I think I can recall a DX7 patch called "Whistling Soldiers" - very good for renditions of Colonel Bogey...

I know a guy in London who is a fantastic whistler, perhaps I should approach him with a view to producing a whistling sample library 8)


----------



## Christian F. Perucchi

This Post is a Great Value, Any of you have Maarten Spruijt Articles and templates from www.digitalorchestration.com ? i cant find them anywhere. :cry: 
Bye! :D


----------



## Blackster

I don't want to miss to point at our tutorial(s) on the audiovibes-website. The next one is going to be released in the middle of February. They are totally free and you also may download the whole thing as a pdf (if you like)  ...

http://www.audiovibes-studios.com/wordpress/tutorials/


----------



## dagovitsj

Fantastic free resource from BBC over 790 minutes of video covering almost
every aspect of writing, recording, mixing and remixing songs – all aimed squarely 
at up-and-coming independent artists, filmed last week at Abbey Road and Maida Vale studios.

http://productionadvice.co.uk/bbc-introducing-musicians-masterclass-2011/


----------



## TheUnfinished

Some really useful links and tips in this thread, thanks to all.

I find the greatest difficulty in finding 'space' for the instruments in a mix, and avoiding that sort of central muddiness. I apply Eq and panning as best I can but still feel I come up short. However, I shall take a very forensic appraoch to a recent mix with the advice I've read and see what the outcome is!

Maybe if I post an A/B comparsion when I'm done, that might be an interesting experiment*?

Cheers,
Matt

*Unless, of course, I either hate the new version or can hear very little difference!


----------



## Waywyn

Okay, just a little update. I moved my tutorial stuff and all the hints and articles to my Tumblr blog.

To be honest my website went overkill with all portfolio, tutorials and videos thrown together. Since my website is now a clean and simply portfolio, find all the other hopefully helpful and inspiring stuff here:

http://alexpfeffer.tumblr.com/


Besides that, here is a new nanoflick


----------



## maraskandi

Great diffusion vid, the guy clearly loves his stuff, an entertaining watch. 

btw, an old classic and perhaps most of you know about it already, Principles of Orchestration by Rimsky Korsakov, lots of ideas for different orchestral tricks/arranging, it's heavy stuff if used as bedtime reading, but otherwise useful for ideas harvesting:

http://www.archive.org/download/princip ... 00rims.pdf


----------



## Beat Kaufmann

Hello all
I hope I'm doing nothing wrong when I publish here the link of my new
"*MASTERING-TUTORIAL*" myself.
Even if it is more for classical music you will be able to use all the steps for each style of music. The tutorial shall show that "mastering" not only means "as loud as possible".

*Edit*
Unfortunately, I had to delete the link, because the tutorial on "Mastering" is now significantly expanded and integrated in the tutorial "Mixing an Orchestra".
Unfortunately, it is no longer "for free" ...

In the tutorial "Mixing an Orchestra" - besides the theory and practical examples - many tasks have to be solved. The solutions are shown in great detail so that you can learn from the solutions as well. At the same time it leads step by step through the mixing process. But you pay the price of just a private lesson or as much as a cheap plugin would cost ... 

Nevertheless, there are still many useful tips "for making music with samples" and to audio topics on my website, which of course are "*for free*". You're welcome!

Neb

_Beat_


----------



## Waywyn

New article up! 
http://alexpfeffer.tumblr.com/


----------



## Blackster

I've added a new tutorial about "How to make your drums sound more punchy" on my website. Maybe some of you find this interesting, so please enjoy 

http://www.audiovibes-studios.com/wordpress/tutorials/


----------



## Blackster

Hey guys, I've published a new tutorial. This time about "how to achieve a more expensive sound"  ... I hope you enjoy it. 

http://www.audiovibes-studios.com/wordpress/tutorials/


----------



## Waywyn

Sorry for the confusion, but due to some technical and design issues, I completely moved my blog over at a self hosted Wordpress website:

I would be glad if you chime over to:
http://blog.alexpfeffer.net

Let me also know if something seems quirky or weird and not working. Happy for suggestions!


----------



## Ned Bouhalassa

Your blog is really excellent, Alex! Keep going with the good balance of tips, music, and general fun info (TED). Super positive, man! And congrats on your music getting more and more out there, being heard by more and more people - you deserve it.


----------



## Waywyn

Hey Ned,

thanks so much for your kind words! Comments like yours really give enough energy to keep it going!


----------



## Blackster

Hi guys,

I don't want to miss to announce that I've put another tutorial online on my website. This time it's about how to improve the sound of the kick and snare drum. I hope you enjoy! 

http://www.audiovibes-studios.com/wordpress/tutorials/


----------



## Waywyn

Here is one more tutorial dealing with the new velocity features in Cubase. Pretty basic stuff but could easily drown due to all the trees hiding the wood! [/url]

http://youtu.be/8DU_Vwp3zzU


----------



## Blackster

New tutorial is up! Please follow the link in my signature. I hope you enjoy it! 

During the next few weeks I will publish a three-part series about "How to create your own virtual instrument" - just a little teaser  .... 

Anyway, I hope you'll find something of interest in this!


----------



## Blackster

Hi guys, the first article of three-part-series about creating your own custom libraries is online. 

Find it here: http://www.audiovibes-studios.com/wordpress/tutorials/

I hope you enjoy and if so, please let me know!


----------



## Simplesly

Awesome! Looking forward to the entire tutorial.


----------



## Waywyn

Okay, here is a new one, dealing with mastering basics:


----------



## playz123

A very informative introduction to mastering, Alex. Even if someone uses other plug-ins or plug-ins like Ozone for example, the principles you've covered can still be applied. And the advice you provide at the end should also really help someone trying to learn. It was indeed wise to point out though that mastering is an art as well as a science and it takes time (and fresh ears) as well to advance.

Interesting, but not surprising to see that you've switched to a PC. I'm giving Apple and my Mac Pro my confidence for another several months, but when it's time for replacement, if no improvements are available, I may go back to a PC as well.

I've compared Camtasia on a Mac with Camtasia on a PC, and once again, the PC version is, by far, more full featured.

As always, I enjoy hearing what you have to say, and thanks for sharing your knowledge and advice with others. Cheers.


----------



## Waywyn

playz123 @ Sat Sep 29 said:


> A very informative introduction to mastering, Alex. Even if someone uses other plug-ins or plug-ins like Ozone for example, the principles you've covered can still be applied. And the advice you provide at the end should also really help someone trying to learn. It was indeed wise to point out though that mastering is an art as well as a science and it takes time (and fresh ears) as well to advance.
> 
> Interesting, but not surprising to see that you've switched to a PC. I'm giving Apple and my Mac Pro my confidence for another several months, but when it's time for replacement, if no improvements are available, I may go back to a PC as well.
> 
> I've compared Camtasia on a Mac with Camtasia on a PC, and once again, the PC version is, by far, more full featured.
> 
> As always, I enjoy hearing what you have to say, and thanks for sharing your knowledge and advice with others. Cheers.



Thank you!! 
And yes, you can apply this is to almost all plugs! Most important thing is, that you know what you do.
Yeh, as soon as I have some time I will write or do something about why I changed. Even though Mac guys might see it as a rant, I am thinking about how to do it in the most neutral way ... however, technically there is absolutely no difference anymore between Mac or PC. Yes, there was, but this definitely is past!


----------



## Ian_M

These are some really nice articles, thank you all.


----------



## fido94

I just came across these. Very simple and easy to understand. 101 level to studio monitors and audio interfaces. I thought I'd share with the team.

http://www.m-audio.com/images/global/media/Overdub_Vol_1_%5BlowRes%5D_EN.pdf

http://www.m-audio.com/images/global/media/Overdub_Vol_2_%5BlowRes%5D_EN.pdf

Cheers.


----------



## ghostnote

Gareth Coker's excellent mixing insights:
http://audiojungle.net/forums/thread/tr ... 382?page=2

Here's another thread, it's a bit older but there's plenty of good information in it (scroll down to gareth's post):
http://audiojungle.net/forums/thread/cr ... 060?page=1
http://audiojungle.net/forums/thread/cr ... 060?page=3


----------



## producerspot

You can also read this great article about applying effects and how to bring more harmony in your mix arrangement.

Bring More Harmony In Your Mix
Using Effects in Mixing Process


----------



## Beat Kaufmann

Waywyn @ Tue 11 Apr said:


> and of course we shouldn't forget about the really cool tutorial pages of Beat Kaufmann:
> http://www.beat-kaufmann.com/tipspcmusic/index.html (www.beat-kaufmann.com/tipspcmusic/index.html)


Sorry for jumping in and making a correction here.
The correct Link is: http://www.beat-kaufmann.com/vitutorials/index.php
Best
_Beat Kaufmann_


----------



## tzilla

This great stuff, I know it's an old thread...

I'm curious, is there a similar thread that has a focus on production techniques, like dissecting a track...here's the track, here's how I did it, here's the sounds, the combinations, the libraries, the whole enchilada. It would be nice to learn by other than trial and error. 

If I could put the world on pause, free up some time, I would choose some of my favorite epic trailer tracks, then use my magic time machine to go back and observe, from start to finish, the process. Then 50 other composers would wonder why there's a scary man in the corner of the studio, taking notes.

What's the next best thing, other than the above absurd scenario?


----------



## SlawinskiWoj

Waywyn said:


> hey there,
> 
> okay, i find those discussions about reverb, compression etc. totally interesting and i wonder if it would be cool to have a thread where we just collection tutorials we find in the big wide internet.
> 
> probably some of you know authors who describe stuff in a brilliant way or you also know people who just think they are good
> 
> 
> hopefully we will get a cool collection about links and tutorials ...


Hello,
I' have been watching your tutorials on YT. This one about preparing TEMPLATES was very helpful so I would like to thank you for sharing knowledge.
Using reverbs is so interesting to me as well. I come from classical music, and I am overwhelmed by this new possibilities for creating a digital space for the sound.
I aslo need some help. I need to find someone to cooperate in making classical pieces mock ups. I am sure here are plenty of artists might be interesting in cooperation, but these are my first steps on internet formus and I don;t know where and how I should post to find the right people and not being againt the rules of this forum.
Once again thanks for sharing you skills.

Wojtek


----------



## synthpunk

Waves Reverb Mixing Tips
http://www.waves.com/mp_processor.html?mp_data=mpweb=750-4324325-742108630&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.waves.com%2F8-reverb-mixing-tips%3Futm_source%3Dwnletter%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_content%3D8-tips-cta%26utm_campaign%3Dweekend-aug-25-2017-reverb (http://www.waves.com/mp_processor.html?mp_data=mpweb=750-4324325-742108630&amp;url=http://www.waves.com/8-reverb-mixing-tips?utm_source=wnletter&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=8-tips-cta&amp;utm_campaign=weekend-aug-25-2017-reverb)

Dave Pensado Reverb Types


Use Reverb Like A Pro
https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/use-reverb-pro-part-2

Christian Henson What is the Best Reverb for Orchestral Music ?


----------



## synthpunk

A practical intro to mixing stems
https://reverb.com/news/a-practical...ter&utm_term=0_5889ed6702-e85b785fc7-63602865


----------



## dfhagai

My Youtube Channel contains tutorial regarding alternative MIDI Mockup techniques (more to come soon hopefully).


----------



## synthpunk

Some very good podcasts here:

Working Class Audio
http://www.workingclassaudio.com/

Tape Op 
https://soundcloud.com/tapeopmagazine

UBK Ridin The Mixbuss (.99 ea)
http://www.thehouseofkush.com/videos


----------



## inspiringaudio

Nice collection here!


----------



## synthpunk

EQ Before or After Compression ?

http://thehouseofkush.com/muselette...mpression?mc_cid=f2c2514048&mc_eid=9b86b7885a


----------



## synthpunk

Avoiding Listening Fatigue When Mixing
https://www.waves.com/how-to-avoid-...mpaign=weekend-content-element-fatigue-feb-16


----------



## Divico

A short one.
If you are using Amp sims for electric guitars or bass. Make sure to experiment with the* input gain *section of your amp sim (not to be mistaken with the gain on your amp). If you are using passive pickups that normally have a lower output turn it down. If you are using hot active pickups turn it a bit higher. This move gives you a better/more realistic response of the amp. 

Sampe rate is also important. If your plugin doesnt come with an upsampling function (like unfortunatley Bias FX) increase your project sample rate.

Another one is to experiment with *Cab IRs*. A lot of people claim that the IRs that come with big programs like BIAS FX etc are not too good. I started to experiment with 3d party IRs bypassing Bias Fx convolver and using the free Gods Cab ones. Quite happy with the result.


----------



## ken c

Divico said:


> A short one.
> If you are using Amp sims for electric guitars or bass. Make sure to experiment with the* input gain *section of your amp sim (not to be mistaken with the gain on your amp). If you are using passive pickups that normally have a lower output turn it down. If you are using hot active pickups turn it a bit higher. This move gives you a better/more realistic response of the amp.
> 
> Sampe rate is also important. If your plugin doesnt come with an upsampling function (like unfortunatley Bias FX) increase your project sample rate.
> 
> Another one is to experiment with *Cab IRs*. A lot of people claim that the IRs that come with big programs like BIAS FX etc are not too good. I started to experiment with 3d party IRs bypassing Bias Fx convolver and using the free Gods Cab ones. Quite happy with the result.



Thanks for the tip! I'm going to try this out. is it pretty easy to disable the cab in Bias?


----------



## Divico

ken c said:


> Thanks for the tip! I'm going to try this out. is it pretty easy to disable the cab in Bias?


Totally. You can either disable the cab sim / IR loader in the global settings or choose bypass as cabinet model.


----------



## ken c

Divico said:


> Totally. You can either disable the cab sim / IR loader in the global settings or choose bypass as cabinet model.


Cool thanks!


----------



## Divico

If you cant get comfortable with compression but know the theory (like me) try the free MComp by Melda. It has deep control and offers lots of graphic visualization. Especially the Waveform before and after feature is really great to SEE what your settings do, because at least for me its hard to tell how much a 10ms lets through from a wave and this really helps to get a feeling for what the time constants mean.


----------



## bill5

Haven't read through all this but tons of stuff here FYI: https://theproaudiofiles.com/mixing/


----------



## Omji

Dear friends, if you dont already know Michael White, he is my greatest discovery in the net when it comes to mixing/music production education.
In my opinion his lessons are by far the most well-structured, clear and straight to the point presentation of the art of mixing.

You can find his free YouTube lessons here:


----------



## Ivan M.




----------



## Ivan M.




----------



## Ivan M.




----------



## Hawks Music

I have a lot of tutorials for various effects on my YouTube:








HawksMusic


Music Composition, Sound Design, and audio production. I love to do it all!! Setup: Mac 10.15 64 Gb Ram 12 core Intel Xeon 2.7 GHz M-Audio Hammer 88 Keyboard...




www.youtube.com


----------



## ElectricFrog

A lot of different tutorials:



https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyN7FBivBDuBMzq8bOw_1KQ


----------



## Ronny Mairas

Also for anyone who is serious about improving their mixing and mastering skills or music production skills in general, take a closer look at *Seed to Stage's* YouTube Channel, like "*You Suck At Producing*" he's one-of-a-kind, enjoyable voice and the perfect pace even for advanced beginners. I'm currently saving money to grab one of his online courses, which I usually don't, but I feel like this guy has some direct wire to my brain and makes me understand stuff that I couldn't get my head around for ages, especially sound design with Ableton stock plugins.

He also gives many of his Ableton racks away for free.


Here are some links to my two favourite StS playlists:
Mixing Tutorials
Tips and Tricks


----------



## ControlCentral

All killer, no filler-- the most concise and actionable information I've gotten lately has come from the Sage Audio Youtube channel:
*


https://www.youtube.com/c/SageAudio/videos


*
For example:


----------

