3 Mixing Hacks I'm Thankful For - TheRecordingRevolution.com

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[@jfpalas]

I do actually use the low cut on bass and bass drum, but not at 100hz, at most 50hz just to get rid of sub-bass frequencies that could be annoying. and boost around 80 - 100 for bass drum and 100 - 120 for bass

[@jeosterberg]

Yeah me too usually. Depends on the track though

[@jfpalas]

Forgot to mention that! haha, yep, you can't process every track the same

[@jaybins]

I use only one track for my drums, so should I do a -50hz cut on the whole track?

[@jfpalas]

Ignoring all the factors that would make you process the entire drumset on one channel, I would say to do it only if you hear that the those bass frequencies are screwing the mix. Add it and then bypass it and try to hear the difference, does it make the kick drum less present on the mix? does that make the bass clearer on the mix?. Pretty much is about what effect you want to create and the relationship between the bass and the kick drum

[@justinmccabe7613]

***** Dude, always maintain as much of the full spectrum as you can. I think notching the bass works better then hi-passing it. Set a mid-narrow Q, and sweep through the bass guitar until it sounds like the kick is completely natural and uncovered (40-100Hz). Then tweak the Q and gain. Result: an EQ cut which only specifically reveals the nature of your kick drum, no colouration or weird-sounding-ness.

[@jonq8714]

Summary: HPF, 400k cut, double compressor on vocals.

[@Guilherme-md7vw]

you're a real OG

[@raulgaztambide]

Hey Graham! I just wanted you to know one of the things i am most thankful this year is... your work!! It really has been a life changing experience. Best wishes, lots of success and good health for you and your loved ones. (Self produced, full length record hopefully coming out jan-feb 2015.) Cheers!!

[@ceejaybizzle]

Couple of critical mixing hacks for me: -Monitoring in mono when making initial EQ/compression decisions. Makes you work harder to get separation, but well worth it in the end. -Monitoring mid/side on your 2buss near the end of a mix to check things like low-end muddiness and effects swampiness in your side channels. A lot of stuff can build up there without even knowing it and can really impact overall clarity.

[@LuvMusiq37]

Awesome Tutorial. I think that people sometimes forget that your a professional and they shoukd value your opinon versus challenging it sometimes. Cutting at 400 which is usually where alot of boxiness resides. Mr Graham i appreciate you. Thanks for your time and effort. May God continue to enrich your life.

[@keyemup]

Already on that unconsciously. I mix more from my ears and realized all three of these. Thanks for the confirmation!

[@ct6mblack]

I've got a hack for you, Graham. If you're in PT11, and it looks like you are, there's a way to instantly bypass all plugins on all tracks. I just figured that'd be useful for you in a case like this where you're looking to hear the cumulative effect of all of your processing thus far. This works by bypassing all plugins at and below the level of the insert you click. Use opt-ctrl-click on an insert and all inserts at that same level (insert A across all channels, for example) and lower will be bypassed. Hypothetically, in this example, if you had wanted to bypass all the 400Hz subtractive EQ and the vocal compression, you could use this on insert B, and it will NOT bypass insert A. Anyway, thanks for the tips, and Happy Thanksgiving!

[@micahbrill]

Hearing the before/after at the end was really impressive. This was a great reminder video. I try to use the "little changes add up" mentality in my mixes and this video was a great encouragement. Thanks!

[@YvanBrunetti]

I already learned that from you Graham :-) As a reaction on some posts; Those hacks are a good starting point from where you have to fine tune everything and actually start to mix ;-) Thanks to you Graham, I will release my first totally self made production somewhere in February. It sounds really fantastic now, and I owe you a lot... Have a nice thanksgiving:-)

[@jasoncarlson4769]

Happy Thanks Giving to you as well, Gram. I am thankful for all your tutorials. This one is so simple and straight to the point. The comparison at the end is so noticeable. What a difference.

[@INTOTHEFOLD]

Listening to the bands you mix and your mixes specifically is really humbling. Great sounding songs and recordings.

[@ccw39]

Wow, just tried the double compression thing on our Night of Worship mix that I've been working on. Wow! The Lead vocal sits so nicely in the mix now. You weren't kidding!

[@QuabmasM]

Theoretically its somewhat similar to what happens when you parallel compress the signal. In parallel compression the second signal that you are adding is usually the exact same as the first but has a new compressor working much harded on it but is re-introducing the sound at a much softer volume. However, this method is doing natural sounding compression(even half-ing out the gain once you figure out what sounds good because you are about to duplicate that effect but dont want to trick yourself by duplicating the output gain which adding makes anything sound louder w/ or w/o using this hack) and then duplicating that effect. One might think you can get the same sound by simply dialing in double everything on the compressor but its not the same. In a way it has the effect of parallel compressing but w/o a doubt parallel compressing is using this technique in a much more advanced way. Using both techniques at the same time is even more power in a crowded mid ranged mix.

[@TheTomRich]

I see a mixing hack every time I look in the mirror! Lol. Thank you for all the hard work you put into sharing your knowledge and experience. Happy Thanksgiving!

[@aaronholtz7452]

Thank you! Your videos are amazing and I love that you explain why you're making these decisions!

[@siniswhatitis]

Good stuff bro! Always helpful! it was a gentle reminder for me. particularly the HPF on every track. Stacking compressors is new and will try on my next mix! Thanks again!

[@myztro28]

Thanks Graham!!! The E.Q. is something that I was doing already doing but I'm going to try th double compression on my next mix and see how it turns out.

[@elohssa5019]

I use the 400Hz range cut and the high pass filter on every mix. I'm going to try the stacked compressors and see if I'll be implementing them all the time too

[@shivausher5817]

Wow you're one hell of a talented sound engineer 😱😱

[@ethanfinleymusic]

Happy Thanksgiving Graham, so thankful for your guidance and wealth of knowledge!

[@AmonForatto]

Great video Graham! I was already doing some of those but more like instinctively, now i understand the idea why i'm doing it. Thank you and keep up the good work! I just want to ask you to make more videos with those none mixing only tips that you send us on mail list. It's quick, you can make it with your webcam and post it right away. I'ts funner to learn on!

[@jeremythomas2865]

Great tips. A few of those tips were shown to me a long time ago. Especially the 400Hz. I like to cut 400 on all drums except snare. I actually tend to ADD 400 for snare. Double compression on Vox tip was amazing. I've always had difficulty getting that Vox to "sit on top of the song" as you've put it. Great tip.

[@JasonChinniansoulmod1]

Great advice. I do tend to use a high pass filter on all tracks except on bass and kick in most instances. Occasionally though I may not do this if a track adds a bit more low end that balances the song overall. I always check for muddiness on each track between 200hz and 500hz and make a narrow Q cut of a few db. But I have never heard of stacking compressors on the vocal tracks. Great sounding results on this demo so I will try it on my latest mix. Will let you know the results.

[@Natzure]

That compressor trick is crazy. Thanks!

[@ricbaltazar1007]

it rili improved my mix !!!! thank y for all the infos ur giving. god bless u....

[@Zenthex]

i don't work with a lot of vocals, so the compression thing was a pretty good pointer. thanks.

[@BluegillGreg]

Thanks for the vid. Since I record only intermittently and am very busy performing, when finally recording I can forget to do basic things like the hpf. That move you did where you boosted the 400s and dragged the peak left and right is good for any track's whole frequency range too, to just find noisy spots to cut with eq. The stacked compression is interesting, never tried that one. Again, thanks.

[@Dontbsad]

I use the first two a lot, Thanks for the 3rd hack though! Helped me out.

[@higrlz]

'The final mixing hack that I'm thankful for, on this thanksgiving.' hahah, awesome videos man.

[@ReNoMellow]

Cutting every tracks at the same cut frequency is a VERY bad idea, especially with non linear phase eq. You create a bump at the frequency (100Hz here). It's obvious in your A-B test. Low cut everywhere is a good point but you have to check the phase relation on multitracks instruments (drums) because your eq will move phase at the cut frequency. By cutting the low end on the overhead at 100hz, you flip the polarity on this track at this particular frequency so it make your kick sound less present at this point.

[@HAVATITE]

if you listened to him, you'd hear that he did that for illustration purposes only. even advised that you should fine tune it blah blah...

[@1godgodgodgodgod]

ok sturgis

[@jasoncarlson4769]

Just learning. So do A/B test with pole flip to tell whats out of phase?

[@SaintsofLA]

chris tragedia i love this comment xD

[@ReNoMellow]

Jason Carlson Just go by ears. When you're EQing the overhead try to focus on the other intrument too (that's why eqing in solo is often bad) and you'll notice that you loose something at the cut frequency on the other tracks (kick for example). It's not bad to have phase flipping on some frequencies but it's always better to have them on frequencies that are useless for the instrument. Exemple, If the fundamentals of you kick is at 75hz, it's probably a wrong idea to low cut the overhead at or around 75Hz... try 40 or 125... if the snare and toms are not into this frequencies. AVOID hard and fast rules. The ONLY rule that always work is to have a monitoring system and a decent room acoustic on which you can rely... and then trust your ears.

[@Fuegoat]

Im thankful for you and the recording revolution Good Job Keep it up!

[@LuisHouses]

Waoow I like the double compressor. great tips!

[@Max10_B]

been following for a while and somehow missed the stacking compressors on vocal trick. Sort of a polish you don't know about till you try it. been doing the other two for years now. as always great tips and thank you.

[@lautjenz1103]

Also I love the rhythm guitar arrangement!!

[@speedingjet]

Really appreciate your videos. This is a great lesson. Thanks

[@danmurphy1904]

For someone relatively new this is awesome

[@bassstudy]

Thank you very very much! Great secrets always are useful! Wishing you all the best!!!

[@Furybeatsgme]

I usually run all my vocals to buses then do the double stacking compressor trick well ill use 3 first somethin like a cla 2a very gentle 2db Gain reduction, then two compressors, very crushed around -8 db on the threshold, i use to use only one with the threshold around -16 and 6 db gain reduction. But two compressors doing -8 doin 3db gr is the same thing and sounds more natural. Then i do a rvox very light. I usually work with rap vocals though, this might be different for different genres.

[@Gnurklesquimp]

that 400 range can bring alot of warmth to your sound though... I like to take it out on my sounds that are supposed to sound ''lighter'' i guess, cause it does make them more clear and less mumbly. But on my deep synths for example i really like that area

[@keyplayajim]

I'm a little late to the party, but, excellent info! Plus, the song sounds like something I imagine the late Larry Norman would be doing nowadays (which is a compliment).

[@i0like0water]

I usually also cut around 300-500 Hz on quite a few of my tracks, I thought I was the only one! Honestly thought I was mad or something, I'm glad to see it works for other people too though

[@CaptainVasily]

Thanks, Graham- Happy Thanksgiving!

[@BrownMCmusic]

Really great video,simple explication and good results

[@SomebodyPickaName]

Much love, Graham!

[@Wh1teland]

instead of highpassing everything you really need to listen when you want to do it. In this case I actually liked the sound more without the hipass. it had more balls

[@SuperICEMIKE]

As I'm watching this, I just got an email for your new video! Awesome Bro.!

[@FastMatt1986]

Off topic: Could you go into detail about linear phase EQ vs whatever is standard EQ. When and why to use it. Thanks Graham!

[@ryanjames94]

Great video graham! I will give this a try

[@timscrase5433]

please do more videos like this they are really good :) Thanks

[@chucksyl]

Great stuff, Graham. Thanks for sharing!

[@rodrigolaporte274]

This is pure gold, thanks so much

[@renejrhodes88]

what band is that... sound interesting. One thing for the HP Filter though... on Piano and Hammond Organ, specially when doing Jazz/Acoustic Music suffer if the HP has a too high of a cutoff point. Cutting bellow 50/70 Hz does the trick here. Great vid Graham. Really dig your stuff! Keep it up :-)

[@Phoneticbeats]

Excellent tutorial. Very useful

[@KyleGaywoodGames]

Terrific! Thanks Graham.

[@MarkBreton]

Holy Smoke!! These are so awesome! I will definitely start incorporating these hacks, especially the double vocal compressor. I have a uad-1 card with the 1176 and the La2. Which one do you think sounds the most useful/musical on vocals?

[@Midwestmadeoff]

Thank you..Graham very helpful.💯

[@TerenceFisherSuperman]

Great vid as usual Graham! This sounds like a great song!! Id love to do it at my church. Is it available on iTunes or any other digital platform?

[@GroveEndRoad]

Thank you Graham!!!

[@vedasticks]

thats a pretty good starting point without any EQ im assuming that this was recorded with a little EQ rather than completly flat on every channel?

[@TheAerovons]

Nice simple and useful, thanks much!

[@tayobalagbogbo7071]

Thanks a lot Graham really helpful

[@DonBernhard]

If you want to add something to all tracks, like you did with the 300-400 Hz cut, wouldn't it be simpler to do that just once on the master buss?

[@lennartg4429]

In general yes and if there really is build up at 400 Hz in every track you might as well do that, however in reality you don't come across this situation a lot. While a lot of tracks have build up in this area it is not very common that they share the exact same frequency. Some might sound bad around 380, some around 520. So to get the best results you will have to go in and search for that "nasty" frequency on every track and adjust the EQ accordingly. This hack just illustrates the idea that taking care of low mid build up can really help to clear up your mix.

[@GJSolo]

You want to do it before your track hits it's compressor, because those unnecessary low frequencies will cause the compressor to "pump" and sound really unnatural. Also, once they've all reached the Bus, those frequencies have started to accumulate and build up nearly exponentially... it's better to take care of them one at a time. Also, don't forget the fact that one of Graham's golden rules is that there is no golden rule. You have to mix for each song individually, every time... but this is at least a starting point and a great tip, especially for beginners looking to improve their mixes without expensive plugs.

[@hairpinturns]

It would be simpler but you'd lose the ability to make more precise adjustments to each track if you applied the cuts or boosts at the master bus.

[@ericcampeau572]

He did mention that he only cut them all off at the same frequency for the sake of a simpler video. You should really apply one to each track and fine tune them accordingly.

[@JordanGaw]

Fantastic Graham!

[@seanmcaleavy2369]

Hey Graham, is that your band on the vid? I want to hear more. I loved it

[@jesselick4071]

excuse my lack of knowledge, but what is the advantage of stacking compressors? why wouldn't you just use one compressor and raise the ratio threshold and gain if you wanted more compression?

[@yodolla4238]

Hey gram your my mentor if it wasn't for you taking the time to teach us we would be lost THANKS FOR all my question is i know i need better gear but im on tight budget i have no monitors to hear my music just 5 " speakers to my technique receiver wow smh plus im useing a avid usb microphone as my sound card for play back and a samson usb co1u to do vocals i can't seem to get my mix right need help plz and my headphones are cheap ihome brand euuuuuh THANKS again

[@lautjenz1103]

wow huge difference and I'm just listening on my laptop :P

[@jaybyrddoggie]

Hacks? Good description.

[@AaronDGoldblatt]

Happy Thanksgiving bro!

Might be even better to set the EQ curves as presets. Open plugin, choose preset, hear it, boom, done.

[@loonaya]

Hey Graham, thanks on the tips!!! One question though, you put 2ms attack on the vocals, and I thought that the the transients are usually in the first 5-10ms, so the 2ms setting is supposed be pretty fast, and compress the transients as well, but I don't hear that here. Could you elaborate on that please? Thanks.

[@dergroezampano7304]

Would it make a difference to simply put a high pass filter and a 400 Hz cut EQ on the mix bus or on the master fader instead of on each single track?

[@YugalGrg5]

Great tips. However I found the track lost its fatness while it gained clarity. I guess you just fine tune it and adjust it according to your taste. Anyway Thanks for the tips.

[@leolovetoparty]

Hey thanks v much for this. Do you apply these EQ settings prior to compressing/parallel compressing and FX? I'm assuming EQ is 1st in the chain for every track when producing. Also, thanks a lot for the 3kh tip in another video (i.e. for allowing vox to cut through).

[@IncRMusic]

Nice vid ! And nice track also. Nice guitares.

[@hereticjc]

Would you usually put the HPF/400Hz cut before the compressors on the vocals?

[@sveinunghamre324]

Gonna try this now

[@AtRandom1]

Perfect just what I needed for my rookie ass skill level

[@paulizzyrollins]

Could you use a multi band EQ and high pass and 400hz cut on the same plugin?

[@telli6931]

I’m gonna trying that 400hz cut asap

[@joeferris5086]

in the same vane as the high pass, you should low pass the kick and bass. Cut out that high end thats not being used.

[@joseabony9627]

Thank YOU !!

[@steveconner1386]

Thanks Graham! That Was A Cool Trick

[@RooSnBert]

Hey whats the difference between putting say the 400Hz dip on every channel as apposed to putting it on the master channel?

[@joshiddings1543]

In terms of the 400Hz cut, do folks just add that cut to the existing EQ they already have on the particular track? Or do you add the one band EQ as a separate plug in after the already existing EQ plug in?

[@TheRaveTrain]

+Josh Iddings It wouldn't really matter, it's still doing the same thing. The only difference would be that by adding a separate 1-Band plug-in, you're using a little more processing power to run it. However, if you're using a 4-Band EQ, for instance, it does mean you would only have 3-bands to play around with. Do what's best for you man!

[@maxaan97]

Cool!

[@jono4219]

Question will i get the same affect if i put the hanks on a buss?

[@brooklynboy1000]

yes rolling off low end helps - this isnt a hack.. this is common knowledge to any recording engineer/mixer. A good mastering engineer will handle these basic issues and many more to improve your final track. Too much compression also leave the Mastering person little to do. His analog gear will fatten, warm up and add much amplitude. He will also have EQs that will remove any honk spots. Good work though sir.

[@shanwi47]

What kind of video camera do you use ( or did you use for this video). Thanks!

[@tube4andy]

It's there Logic Pro equivalent to Porto Tools' double pan pots?

[@TheDementians]

Thanks dude!

[@apinakapinastorba]

Is there are differences for adding the 400Hz cut for individual tracks, versus adding it to the master out tracks?

[@keith303]

no, in this very example, there would be no difference. (except the input amplitude on the vocal compression would be higher, ofc.) but as the author of the video already mentioned, the 400hz is the pivot of a region, where unwanted frequencies usually appear to happen. so by applying it to the invidiual tracks you preserve to possibility to adjust the frequency and the amount of negative gain depending the track's individual requirements. (i.e drums -3db @400hz, guitar -3db @360 hz, etc.)

[@alpegg75]

At the very least it would affect any compression that comes after it (in this example the vocal compression). Do the cuts before the compression and the compressor won't react to the freqs you don't care about. If you do it after, the compressor will be reacting to frequencies you may not even want in the mix anyway.

[@alpegg75]

General rule - EQ cut before compression, EQ boost after compression.

[@apinakapinastorba]

Thanks for the answers :)

[@keith303]

alpegg75 that's not correct. it obviously would affect the compression coming after the EQ, since the compressor is working input amplitude dependant, hence it would change its behaviour and threshold adjustments were required in order to obtain the same degree of compression.

[@newrockorder]

Hi, I wonder why you put these plgins in each channel if it always does the same, why not putting it in zhe mixbus or stereo out only? 1 plugin indtead of 30! Thx

[@ismaelburgos1638]

so powerful !!!! thanks

[@dannyd1224]

Would you normally do all this before you touch your faders?

[@benja303]

HPF, 400k cut, double compressor on vocals.

[@rkythekid8551]

Not 400k, just 400

[@jamesgrey13]

No need to cut 400k! No human, in existence, is ever going to be able to hear that range! XD

[@benja303]

Tony James Gilpin LOL i make Alien-Pop.

[@martone6852]

Hi there, Just wondering why you chose to leave out 2k? Is it not as frequenty a problem as 400hz?

[@dougjohnson8751]

Thanks 🔥

[@jasonseekoei5392]

thanks a milll graham

[@angelloco72]

thank for the help

[@daleonov]

I'll try this in my new mix, thanks! PLEASE tell me what band is it! I totally dig the tune, want to hear more :)

[@jaybins]

Its his own band!:)

[@daleonov]

+Jay Sabins, thanks. Than I guess I have to wait for his announcement :)