303 Mixing

[Kei Kurono]

Hey fam any tips on mixing on the 303 i think i got a good idea on how to but im kinda wondering if you guys mix the final track.When i mix in my 303 it sounds good but when i record it to my 8 track it sounds a bit different. Do you add any compression ? or how do you compress your drums. Any info would help much.

[Dj_just_jeff]

you can use the vinyl sim, it is a good compressor, a lot of guys here use it, i use it.

[Dr Van Nostrand]

i used to notice than when i would record to my digital 8 track it would sound different to me too, i have a zoom mrs8, and sometimes it would put an effect on straight from the start up that i didn't know about, that fucked with me sometimes, but other times i think i was just not recording in and monitoring it properly, what specifically sounds different about the mix?? and are you just recording it out as a whole onto one track and then playing it back, or are you attempting to multitrack??

[LoneStar]

you can use the vinyl sim, it is a good compressor, a lot of guys here use it, i use it.

As I've asked already in the bass topic, what machine are you talking about? On the SP-404SX at least, vinyl sim has no compression effect at all.

[Kei Kurono]

i used to notice than when i would record to my digital 8 track it would sound different to me too, i have a zoom mrs8, and sometimes it would put an effect on straight from the start up that i didn't know about, that fucked with me sometimes, but other times i think i was just not recording in and monitoring it properly, what specifically sounds different about the mix?? and are you just recording it out as a whole onto one track and then playing it back, or are you attempting to multitrack??

When i record into my 8 track i'll record into 2 tracks. some of the things that sound different in the mix are the sample levels, at times i'll have to raise the level/volume on some. Im also wondering how not to make the drum stand out so much, because at times they seem a bit distracting from the samples themselves. I want to know how to compress drums properly.

[Dr Van Nostrand]

whats on one track and whats on the other?

i usually get all my sounds sounding right before any compression is added, breaks sounding fat no matter how chopped they are, bassline in the sample riding proper, then i put on vinyl sim on everything and adjust volumes accordingly so that it all fits, it might be helpful to have multiple kicks or snares or hi hats depending on your drum pattern and to have them be slightly different volumes so that your kick drum or whatever sounds more realistic, its totally dependent on the beat though and what kinda drum sequence suites it best, so then once it sounds fresh, record that out to one track, are you doing two because you want to record in stereo?? that might totally be the problem, especially if the samples are in mono on your sp, i'd keep it to one track for now until you feel that your ready to multitrack, and multi tracking i think is really only smart to do in a DAW cause you have full control, i don't do much work in hardware multitrackers, the most i do now is to layer samples on top of my original beat i already recorded out on my 4 track, i haven't fucked with the 8 track in weeks

[Kei Kurono]

whats on one track and whats on the other?

i usually get all my sounds sounding right before any compression is added, breaks sounding fat no matter how chopped they are, bassline in the sample riding proper, then i put on vinyl sim on everything and adjust volumes accordingly so that it all fits, it might be helpful to have multiple kicks or snares or hi hats depending on your drum pattern and to have them be slightly different volumes so that your kick drum or whatever sounds more realistic, its totally dependent on the beat though and what kinda drum sequence suites it best, so then once it sounds fresh, record that out to one track, are you doing two because you want to record in stereo?? that might totally be the problem, especially if the samples are in mono on your sp, i'd keep it to one track for now until you feel that your ready to multitrack, and multi tracking i think is really only smart to do in a DAW cause you have full control, i don't do much work in hardware multitrackers, the most i do now is to layer samples on top of my original beat i already recorded out on my 4 track, i haven't fucked with the 8 track in weeks

Yes im recording the track in 2 tracks to get it stereo. So youre saying i should only be recording to one track ? wouldn't that make the track sound kinda idk how to explain but wouldnt it just sound all in one spot like not really spread out. Only some of my samples are in stereo.Im sure my tracks sound fine im just real hard on my self

[Kei Kurono]

whats on one track and whats on the other?

i usually get all my sounds sounding right before any compression is added, breaks sounding fat no matter how chopped they are, bassline in the sample riding proper, then i put on vinyl sim on everything and adjust volumes accordingly so that it all fits, it might be helpful to have multiple kicks or snares or hi hats depending on your drum pattern and to have them be slightly different volumes so that your kick drum or whatever sounds more realistic, its totally dependent on the beat though and what kinda drum sequence suites it best, so then once it sounds fresh, record that out to one track, are you doing two because you want to record in stereo?? that might totally be the problem, especially if the samples are in mono on your sp, i'd keep it to one track for now until you feel that your ready to multitrack, and multi tracking i think is really only smart to do in a DAW cause you have full control, i don't do much work in hardware multitrackers, the most i do now is to layer samples on top of my original beat i already recorded out on my 4 track, i haven't fucked with the 8 track in weeks

Check out Space Bounty on my myspace page that the most recent beat ive done let me know what you think of the mix.

[Dr Van Nostrand]

well if your samples are in stereo then its probably smart to record them in stereo, sometimes i've heard that having multiple stereo samples playing at once can result in some phasing that makes shit sound wierd, but that beat on your page is reaaal fresh, mix sounds great, and more importantly, the work on the drums and change ups are real sick and very tight, i like it alot and think it sounds fine

[Les Braun]

I think IIIII might know best how to mix with the SP. Check out that guy's Owl tapes.

[Kei Kurono]

well if your samples are in stereo then its probably smart to record them in stereo, sometimes i've heard that having multiple stereo samples playing at once can result in some phasing that makes shit sound wierd, but that beat on your page is reaaal fresh, mix sounds great, and more importantly, the work on the drums and change ups are real sick and very tight, i like it alot and think it sounds fine

Thanks man, good lookin out.

[Dj_just_jeff]

I would like to say that "Phasing" is not a huge problem. Phasing occurs when similar frequencies are made to play "together" If it is truly 2 sounds at exactly the same time there will be no flanging/phasing. If the sounds are slightly the same, not spot on, just triggered a bit off times there will be the, "Wooshing" effect. (this will only happen if it is the exact same sound) A engineer for the Beatles coined the phrase, :Flanger" when, while overdubbing some vocals he touched the flange of the reel. (back then everything was recorded on reels of tape.)

[Dj_just_jeff]

well if your samples are in stereo then its probably smart to record them in stereo, sometimes i've heard that having multiple stereo samples playing at once can result in some phasing that makes shit sound wierd, but that beat on your page is reaaal fresh, mix sounds great, and more importantly, the work on the drums and change ups are real sick and very tight, i like it alot and think it sounds fine

I would like to say that "Phasing" is not a huge problem. Phasing occurs when similar frequencies are made to play "together" If it is truly 2 sounds at exactly the same time there will be no flanging/phasing. If the sounds are slightly the same, not spot on, just triggered a bit off times there will be the, "Wooshing" effect. (this will only happen if it is the exact same sound) A engineer for the Beatles coined the phrase, :Flanger" when, while overdubbing some vocals he touched the flange of the reel. (back then everything was recorded on reels of tape.)

[lodger]

this could also be a monitoring issue- i'm assuming that you're using headphones on the sp? an important thing to remember is that studio monitor grade equipment is there to provide you with a clear, accurate sound. consumer grade is there to make things sound "better" by boosting bass, etc. When you work on consumer grade stuff, its like painting a picutre with colored classes on...you might have an idea of the general shape and appearence of things, but when you take the glassses off and look at what you've painted, its bound to be different! If you are using monitor speakers, consider changing the volume you're listening at. Our ears have a certain level where the sound we hear is flat and accurate, however, our ears are adapted over time to be expecially sensitive to the frequencies human voices fall into. if you play the sound at a "reasonable" television volume, that should be about flat and accurate.

[Ill Green]

Yeah man, I heard your beats on your myspace, it seems your going for that jazz vibe type of drums. You might want to dedicate at least 4 tracks for drums and the 5th for samples. There's mad tricks for drums to give it a stereo sonic realm. For example you can have the kick and snare on one track, then have hi hat 1 panned hard left on the second track and hi hat 2 panned hard right on the third track, and the forth track could have a cymbal panned to the right but able to hear just a little on the left. Or kick panned at the center, snare panned just a little to the right, and hi hats panned left and right. Just mess around and see what you can get.