an0va
Offline
Soleviio wrote:

are you basically looking at the track through a spectrum analyzer as it plays and lowering peaking frequencies accordingly?

Not really. I mean I definitely use reference tracks to get a general idea but I definitely use my monitors/ears to make sure it's nice and balanced.

Soleviio wrote:

If it's a global EQ, how do you get that to not affect other parts of the song where that frequency might not be peaking

It's not an EQ. I'm talking about multiband compressor. Forgot to clarify that in my last post, my bad! yikes So once again, I just use my ears and get a light squash on the bands that need it.

Soleviio wrote:

And wat.jpg on "Mid-Side EQ", please explain this magic.

Mid-Side EQ is a strategy to separate the panorama spectrum into "middle" and "sides" and to EQ them differently. I like to high-pass the sides a bit and raise some air/shimmer slightly and for the middle I just hone in on the kick and cut out all below 30-50hz.

Victory Road
Offline
Gosford, Australia

if you're using an EQ and not a multiband comp a little automation can go long way. personally, i've rarely found the need to automate EQ on anything other than vocals - but it might be handy for tracker music in some situations!

roboctopus
Offline
Madison, Alabama

I know a lot of this has been said, but I record everything straight from the DMG.  I then use a 32-band EQ to highlight specific frequencies (dependent on the song) and use a notch filter to get rid of the DMG high-freq hum.  Then I add some *very* light stereo reverb you can barely notice (super light reverb makes the kick drum pop a bit more, imho).

The only other thing I do is use the TLs Maximizer plugin to boost and even out the volume.

I try really, really hard to get everything really even and smooth in LSDJ before I record it.

GoingHam
Offline
Chicago
roboctopus wrote:

I try really, really hard to get everything really even and smooth in LSDJ before I record it.

Hell yeah!

I'm personally a fan of pure unadulterated Gameboy line-in recordings. (FLAC of course)

Zef
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roboctopus wrote:

I try really, really hard to get everything really even and smooth in LSDJ before I record it.

This; definitely.

Quite honestly the DMG gives a really nice clean mix if you just take the time to do all your volume levels right, and if you know how to write so that lines don't conflict. I also record 1 track straight from the jack; it's quicker and cleaner, and your songs sound the same live.

Stern Fucking Zeit
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mainz, grmny.

But if you do it like Zef wrote it up here, then you should definitely listen to everything on some good speakers.
Or better yet, listen to it on all kinds of different speakers, so you get an idea of what it could sound like on different audio systems.

I'm mentioning this, because I noticed that instruments you might hear clearly on headphones won't be as clear on speakers. By listening to your tracks on different speakers you can easily determine which instruments need a volume boost + which don't. Then it often helps to increase the envelope by just 10-20, this should make them more present already.

roboctopus
Offline
Madison, Alabama
Stern Fucking Zeit wrote:

But if you do it like Zef wrote it up here, then you should definitely listen to everything on some good speakers.
Or better yet, listen to it on all kinds of different speakers, so you get an idea of what it could sound like on different audio systems.

This is a really good point.  I don't have fancy studio monitors, so when I'm working on an EP I listen to the songs on as many speakers as I can.  Computer speakers, in the car, ipod dock, big component stereo system, earbuds, over-the-ear headphones, etc.  Getting an idea of how your mix sounds on lots of different speakers is helpful.

TheBronyChip
Offline
Maine

I just record it into fl add an eq to boost the bass a little maybe the mids or trebs sometimes then i export it.
yup very minimal work going on here xD