Mixing Tips & Tricks

I have a question, and this has been bugging me for a while now, but is there any way that I can make my drops hit harder?

i ment mastering :P

@Tiarnia Depends on what you mean with "mix"? Mixing as in processing channels with EQ etc is done with the FX in Soundation.

@Joakim: I hope so. That would be great! Until I can get some better equipment anyway... I'm kind of used to it though, just puts me under more pressure to finish things quickly and efficiently. It would be nice to have enough time to make some super epic tracks though.

@Regals Absolutely. You work with what you have and do what is needed. Hopefully with the next version of the studio you will get more out of your computer :)

Also, the problem I have (and that others with outdated computers may have) is the more complex I make a track, the less likely I'll be able to reload it to work on it further. Therefore, I have to cut as many extra steps and fx as possible to get similar desired results.

@Joakim: Exactly. Of course, everything, even in music, is relative. One mastering technique may effect another or require changes to a general rule. I just feel that this tip would be helpful for the majority of users here. It's a very simple mastering technique that will make the majority of tracks sound better for beginning and moderate users... It is of course relative to what other mastering techniques one uses.

@Regals, That's a great tip when needed. But not always a rule of thumb. If it sounds good, absolutely, go for it! But if turning down the mids on the master is needed you might need to EQ mids on individual tracks instead. Then when mastering the EQ can do just a little sweetening instead. But, always trust your ears in the end. Almost all instruments have mid frequencies and they are the ones we most easily perceive. So it's easy to have a large build up on the mids.

Here's a real simple tip that all Soundation created tracks (especially sample based tracks) should implement for basic mastering. After you finish composing your work, drop in your master channel, scroll through fx to the equalizer tab, then cut your mids down to 30% to 40% tops. Most tracks probably sound best at around 35% but varying percentages are necessary for differing tracks. Sometimes it will also help to simply drop the volume of the entire track on top of this basic mastering... This is a very simple mastering technique that works well here and anyone can use.

I guess this is both mixing and synth design. But I added my TB303 sounding here. You can listen to it in the track list and download the .sng in the description! The basis for the sound is two Mono synths with added FX to give it more grit and resonance.