Using Reference Levels Essential For Translation

One reason your sounds didn't translate to other systems is because you aren't monitoring at the right reference level. The reference level is a peak SPL in the real world and not a thing on a meter. Some say it is 83db. I don't believe this is a good volume level to use as it could damage your hearing. Some use 72db for nearfield applications. You will need an actual SPL meter from radio shack or the internet and a pink noise generator to set it. Don't go so high you are messing up your ears.



With a peak level set, you will mix sounds set below the reference level. Most people do -12 or -14db below. This is a standard comfort zone for voice or most instruments. If you want to go loud you can push over that level, but its not something you do through the entire mix. Someone should have told this to the people that mix Disney soundtracks.

Equipment like T.C. Electronic BMC-2 allows you you to have a set reference level at the touch of a button.

If you use flat monitors, the mix reference level is even more important to have. I find flat monitors are easier to mix with when pushed louder. If you mix at low volumes there is a risk of over-compression, distortion, and going too far. If you back off on the meter, and increase your speaker volume you'll be able to make better sounds. If you want to be more accurate, try a set reference level with an SPL meter.

Tips for Mixing at Low Volumes

1. Turn of RMC or ARC (if your system uses it)

At very low volumes you aren't exciting the room modes much. Leaving it on will lose bass and detail. If you are mixing at a medium level, maybe turn it on.

2. Boost LF (Bass) and HF (Treble) if your speakers or controller have it.

At low volume we can't hear bass or treble as well as midranges. Turn it up! This may seem wrong when using a high end monitor thats supposed to cover your butt, but it works. Hopefully there is just a switch. Going behind the monitor is a waste of time.

3. Use Solo. (mono)

Monitor in mono and hear the mix.

4. Listen to every instrument for clarity.

What is intelligible and what is not becomes apparent at lower volumes. At higher volume it can be too easy to hear everything. Not everyone listens to music loud.

5. Try different size speakers.

8" speakers or midfields radiate big at any volume. A different size could allow the low end to be more apparent at lower volumes. Make sure they are at ear level. A different brand may translate better at low volume than others as well.

Protect your ears!

My Favorite Free Channel Plugin for Mac: Channel 3

Channel 3 is a console channel sim. It does SSL, API, and NEVE. This plugin beefs up some the harmonic content and gives some overdrive to the sound. My favorite is the API setting with drive set to 60% It is for Mac. The GUI is very simple, but it sounds good. I will probably end up using it a lot.

Air Windows has lots of great free plugins!

This website has a whole list of free saturation plugins for mac and windows.

Analog Synthesizers Don't Need Dynamic Compression.

Analog synthesizers don't need standard compression. You are lucky if your sound has any dynamics to compress in the first place. Dynamics usually have to be programmed into the sound. Dynamics are the result of amp envelopes, resonance modulation, and effects. Without these you don't have much range and material to compress. In a lot of tutorials, that were first geared toward mixing acoustic sounds, this knowledge might have been lost. Compression on synth sounds in EDM can be a waste of time.

Natural percussive sounds can have huge transients. This is a case where compression helps a lot. It can help on drum machines sometimes. But if you notice, when you put a synth in the mix, its super loud already and cuts through everything. It doesn't need to be louder. You could just bump up the mixer knob instead. Don't bother compressing and making it louder unless you really know what you are doing.

You should try compression on drums, so check out this article which helps explain mixing techniques for drums a bit better.

5 Electronic Music Production Tips & Techniques

1. Start with amazing sounds.

You will need to start off with at least two amazing sounds that have some kind of relationship with the other. Contrasting, yet complimentary is often musical, like a pad and synth lead, or a bass and a lead. What matters is that these sounds are what you want to hear in your end product. The sounds must have something to say to the listener. Human's don't want to hear the same thing over and over again. If the sounds can talk to the listener and to other sounds, you'll be able to create a valid musical composition.

2. Integrate the drums.

A big mistake in dance music is not integrating the rhythm of the drums with the melody or bass.  Within the standard 4/4 time there can be endless variation. Drums are not just for keeping the time signature or creating a lead up. The groove of the drums indicates groove of the song but can do so much more. Rests provide space for other instruments to get in and creates anticipation for the human. The best dance music is drum heavy, but it is not all 4/4. There is usually a lot of extra magic going on, and it would be stupid to neglect how you program your drums in any genre.

3. Reduce annoying frequencies & conquer Loudness

So many recordings are broken by tonal imbalances. EQ can remove unwanted brightness. Remember that you want the listener to be able to turn up your music loud. Its good to test music at both loud and quiet levels.

Cutting with very narrow Q setting and boosting with a wide Q setting does the least amount of damage.

When it comes to loudness, check your dynamic range. Low dynamic range is similar to distortion and fatigues the ear. Some genres can get away with it by clever mixing. You do not need to use compression on every sound. Compression is overused and poorly by the inexperienced. Today's samples are already compressed or normalized, so it might be a mistake to go loud.

4. Try a different Plugin

Sometimes plugins just don't work well for us. They can increase the time we spend messing around to get the sound right. The best plugins have the best presets. A plugin should save us time! The myth that you shouldn't slap on a preset and expect magic is false. If it works, it works. I've fixed lots of tracks by using a preset, and then maybe one or two minor tweaks. You don't have to follow every step in a tutorial.

5. Have a goal in mind when composing.

Its really easy to get carried away. If you have a target of how you want your songs to sound, its much easy to break up the recording into smaller goals. If you keep progressing you will start to feel creative bursts and keep going.

Music is an emotional journery, not a hobby. You don't need to keep buying corporate synth gear. You can do it all in the computer and with your creative mind!

Why Do Old School Breakbeats Sound So Good?

When listening critically to the Amen Break or the Apache break, you start to realize that these sounds are just not possible in real life. You tuned your drum set, you got your best mics and set everything just like they told you in every tutorial. You set everything up and realize the sound is clean and vanilla. Its not bad, but you will never achieve the breakbeat sound this way. Its not about vinyl, the analog days, or tape effects, or sampling.

The biggest reason why old school breakbeats sound awesome compared to real life drums is because of their preamp. Overdrive your tube preamp and you are halfway to the breakbeat sound. Drums sound ridiculously good with an overdriven preamp. Cymbals sizzle and snares start to scream. All sounds start to take on a new timbre. The room reverb compresses and you hear every detail. The truth of the matter is that many old school breaks were horribly recorded compared to today.

GreenDay recorded drums with a tube preamp and used reverb. Their early albums have a coveted drum sound. The truth is that there was a reasonable amount of distortion in every part of the signal chain starting with the preamp. It was inevitable that distorted breakbeats would become very famous in the same way an as overdriven TR-909 would be used on every recording out there. Distorted drums scream!