Best eq/mixing down guide/tutorial

[EarlGrey]

Yo wadup y'all. I've been makin' beats for a couple of years. Mainly in FL Studio. I'm still struggling with the sound quality of the tracks I export. I'm never sure how my stuff sounds eventually. It seems like every beat sounds different, the one better then the other.

I wanna step my game up and make sure my beats sound up to par. I got a decent set of monitors, soundcard. Sometimes I make beats on my macbook with the onboard soundcard and hphones and the beats even sound more consistent quality wise then the ones I make with my Focusrite Saffire and my monitors. I work with (vinyl) samples but also with synths and such.

Main issues: I'm not keen on the terminology but beats often sound 'thin', 'too wide', 'boxy' or 'muddy'. Peep my soundcloud for some examples.

So with that being said I'm looking for a good video tutorial to help me to get a decent and reliable mix. Maybe y'all could share some quality essentials on mixing links here to help me out.

[unsignd]

I highly recommend downloading the pdf "Mixing with your mind" It's a classic, it can be found all over the internet so I'm not going to provide a link (not sure which ones work best, but I do see several promising ones)

[EarlGrey]

thanks alot man. looks promising.

[ellaguru]

another "bible" could be the book by bob katz, but i forget the title

[preqwal]

Try using a spectrum analyzer (Try Voxengo Span as it's a free vst) and try analyzing the frequency range and levels of your tracks. Then compare this with some beats you want it to sound like and see if you can EQ yours to a similar level.

I know a lot of pros always take some reference material with them to compare too whilst mixing

[CHICKADEE]

Try using a spectrum analyzer (Try Voxengo Span as it's a free vst) and try analyzing the frequency range and levels of your tracks. Then compare this with some beats you want it to sound like and see if you can EQ yours to a similar level.

I know a lot of pros always take some reference material with them to compare too whilst mixing

thx /////// relevant

[EarlGrey]

I'ma do that. Kicks, snares, hats, samples, bass everything needs it own space (frequency range) I understand.

[preqwal]

I'ma do that. Kicks, snares, hats, samples, bass everything needs it own space (frequency range) I understand.

DEFO! A lot of people tend to really make their kicks really bassey and then it clashes with the bass line, sounding really nasty. With kicks, I like to boost a little around 500Hz, brings out that real punch.

[adapter pilot]

Good link for general eq tips

http://www.recordingeq.com/Subscribe/tip/tascam.htm

I'm always amazed at how tiny some instruments sound on my favorite recordings but they still stand out. Sometimes when you record,mix your own stuff you get attached to every part. It can be hard pushing things into the back of the mix but it often helps them stand out more. Rolling off low frequencies of non bassy instruments can really quickly clean up a mix too.

[preqwal]

Sometimes when you record,mix your own stuff you get attached to every part.

I'm so critical of my own stuff. The little things really bug me out. I always end up changing snare drums once it's finished.

Defo get a mate to listen to some stuff. Give demo's out before it's finalised to test it. Your own hears can be very critical once you get used to the song.