Mixing?

Anything that doesn't fit into other topics goes here!
So I've been very confused about "Mixing". Every site that defines it, I realized, is talking about RECORDING SEPARATE INSTRUMENTS (voice counts as an "instrument"). Then "mixing" is putting them all together.

And I read up what "mixing" entails - setting relative volumes, tweaking the sounds, adding effects, etc... and again I realized: I do all those things WHILE composing. Not as a separate step afterwards.

So I want to propose something and see if anyone dis- or ag- rees:

If you're COMPOSING your song in a DAW, using all synths or samples, no microphones at all, then "mixing" is not a thing. You're "mixing" on the fly, AS you compose. Just as a classical composer would on their sheet-music, or a conductor trying to follow that sheet music.

I guess if you're "recording" a MIDI instrument, then that kind of falls in between pure DAW and "recording an instrument", but you know what I mean.

Yes/No?

I've also noticed that, from what I an tell, a lot of DAWs seem to be intended more for "mixing" than "composing". Not that I've tried any other DAW besides LMMS... but when all the tracks in some other DAW's "song editor" are shown as waveforms... that would certainly not be helpful for ME, anyway.
I would agree with you to a certain extent.

Mixing is done on the fly, but i think once you have settled on your start/end point of song, chosen all your instruments, a lot more effort then goes into the fine tailoring and tinkering at mixing.

What i have found after reading in various places, leaving a song for while (Say two weeks) and then coming back to it, you wil have more ideas about the mix that present themselves that you need to tackle.

So in short,

Yes i agree, but more mixing is done after composing is finished than during.
It's also avoiding peaks on your track, and that's a thing you don't usually do while composing, because you can't exactly know the right volume of every instrument to play with other until you have added all of them.
H4CKTON3 wrote:
Tue Jul 02, 2019 10:21 am
It's also avoiding peaks on your track, and that's a thing you don't usually do while composing, because you can't exactly know the right volume of every instrument to play with other until you have added all of them.
True, having a wide enough display screen becomes very important also if you are running 60, 70, 80 separate instruments/beats and bassline/samples and you are watching it all play on the FX mixer for peaking and tweaking the volumes.

I have been working on seven tracks the past 6 months, and i found even today after listening back to one that has been in production for maybe three months now, there is a change in how 'present' in the mix i want the lead synth.

That was only because i left it for a while and had mixed and mastered it with some compression and gain etc.

The lead synth now needs to be slightly brought out more.
Failte200 wrote:
Tue Jul 02, 2019 2:12 am
Yes/No?
No.

When you add first sound-generator (synth) to a project, you will hear that sound 100% as it is (unless faults in HW -we disregards that for now...)

Your speakers will only have this one signal eg one wave-form to process, and you will hear the 'real' sound

Add one more 'synth'
Now the situation is different!
There are now a mix of input from 2 separate wave-forms but! They come out through your speakers (out-put-signal) AS one waveform!

You as the producer -You got the choice of selecting witch signal should stand 'in-front' of the other(s) -Or is the mix should be 50/50!

This becomes more and more important with every new 'synth' ..or actually wave-form you ad to the mix!
So far im really pretty conform on this, but i change that now!
Mixing is imo not a question of reading values in a book, and then setting those 'by-rule' ..like
"You must have a head-room of 12 dB over your kick"
BS..
No i do not..
What i actually must have, is a mix that i like!
Imo there are two things you really need to focus on:
Crushed wave-shapes -Eg part(s) you have added, but you cant hear in the mix!
  • They are two low
Well turn them up..
  • They are obscured
That is much more difficult !
If wave-shapes are swinging 'against each other', they can negate either one or even both!
We cant hear them anymore.
That is something we must avoid!
Odly.. detecting that is easy in MONO (Obs True-mono!) but quite difficult in STEREO, and that is why many producers say, that they mix in mono.
This is not supposed to be novel, but the final thing i will say is Your e a r s are the best tool for mixing! Mute all and add tracks in turn to the mix, and l i s t e n
I searched for answers about using Mono for the kick in lmms,

The answers i found appear to tell me there is no Mono function in lmms, is that correct?

If you could give me your opinion on this i would appreciate it,

This is posted over on Github as a work around to achieve Mono in lmms via plugin, is the configuration of the controls displayed here giving a Mono signal?

Image

If i cannot achieve it using a plugin, my intention would then be to export the Kick as a stem of the entire track and work on it externally to turn it into mono then re import its as a wav file using the 'sample track' holder.

Any help appreciated.
Incorruptable wrote:
Fri Nov 13, 2020 12:19 pm
The answers i found appear to tell me there is no Mono function in lmms, is that correct?
Yeea.. :/ Afraid so
is the configuration of the controls displayed here giving a Mono signal?
Njej.. approximately mono, but not True-mono
If i cannot achieve it using a plugin, my intention would then be to export the Kick as a stem of the entire track and work on it externally to turn it into mono then re import its as a wav file using the 'sample track' holder.
Yes, but do you need to cover the entire track?
One/ or a few -shorter wave(s) of 1-n bars could be inserted in B&B and the dragged to the length and position(s) you would need. A wave covering several mins, will be HUGE.
I would be interesting to know if you can hear any difference at all between the real-mono made in (Audacity?) -and the approximated mono made with stereo-matrix
I will experiment with a few options and report back monday.