Heavy Rock Mixing Masterclass with Dan Korneff (featuring Breaking Benjamin)

[@DanKorneff]

Hello all! I haven't check the message in this video in years. I mixed the original version of this song with a lot of my custom outboard gear, which might attribute to the sound you're hearing. The biggest difference being my mix bus compressor. Since I couldn’t bring all my gear to MixCon, this demo was done completely in the box and focused more on the general principles I use when mixing records rather than the exact gear settings. I've been working on my mix bus compressor plugin that accurately captures how I use and abuse it since this video release. One day it'll be ready for public consumption :)

[@SonicScoop]

Would love to hear it and share it when it’s ready Dan! Thanks so much for a great masterclass and the great comment.

[@PierceTheVic]

Dan is the man!!! I’ve made 2 albums with him and he is by far the most hard working, passionate, and super talented person I’ve ever met. I learned so much just by watching him work and the albums we created together changed my life forever. Watching this brought back so many great memories! Ps his plugins sound incredible too. When I use them I can literally hear and feel the sound that I know from being in the studio with him. So rad!

[@handsomeooyeah4039]

no wonder why Misadventures sounds crisp and clean

[@f0kxi]

I literally came here after realizing I wanted to learn how to make a mix like Bulls in the Bronx

[@e.apollis2877]

this guy is one of a kind, selling his tips for free, and not even his plugins, that's rare😉

[@mauriciomendelson6343]

I really love how he does everything that people told us to dont do It, and he just says "screw It, Im gonna make art" and always make a freaking job

[@ZackMester]

That noise filter in the guitars at 4k-5k is the best tip I’ve heard in years. It literally transformed my mix combined with the concept of interweaving the kick drum and bass guitar frequencies together.

[@SI-jx4po]

When I was listening Breaking Benjamin, I realized the mixing is in another level. Now I found the creator of perfect- mixing.

[@basketkase404]

I can’t believe this guy taught me the one trick to solving my issue on mixing with multiple different platforms. Dan IS the man

[@cryptocatmeow]

What Trick?

[@markthedark595]

I am friends with Dan in real life. He is such a kind and humble person.

[@michaeldeane-dh1bu]

the final song sounds SO different than this version. It would be so cool to see how they mastered this song. Great vid!

[@josephrobert6499]

This mix sounds MASSIVE!! Especially the snare drum. Big thanks to SonicScoop for making this happen!

[@jakubowskij]

Dan's Snare sound is one of his trademarks, he nails it every single time. Super talented guy.

[@Busmagnus]

The way he has organized the session gives me asmr tingles.

[@BC_J0MBI]

This is awesome! I'm just getting into mixing and Breaking Benjamin is my favorite band so this is win win.

[@danweber8170]

This video, changed my life LOL. My mixing life, that is. Thanks, Dan K.!

[@verplife6137]

"You just put a distortion pedal on your whole mix and just say this is my thing"...... ...hOLD My bEeR.

[@pacmanbiohazard]

This is absolutely stellar. As a novice at this, dans insight and knowledge has tons to unpack. Demystifies the whole world of mixing

[@rxhx]

I love how simple and ballsy all his mixing tips are!

[@NightDocs]

This is one of the most helpful and amazing crash courses on mixing I’ve ever seen. I seriously learned so much and it feels so intuitive and it absolutely made a huge difference in the mix I’m working on

[@deliasime4529]

Absolutely awesome! Years of experience crammed into one mean hour. Keep it up!

[@cameronneal4]

“It’s kind of hard to just get out and do stuff.” Well said, Dan. Well said.

[@deja0entendu]

Coronavirus: hold my beer

[@cameronneal4]

deja0entendu Hahahaha

[@harp_attack]

A LOT more listenable and coherent than CLA presenting a mix and giving advice. Thanks for this.

[@matthewward5813]

@Nicko Dyshy that blasephemy!!! Don’t speak about the Lord of the mix like that you infidel...

[@audioengineproductions]

Randomly came across this video and couldn’t believe what I just stumbled on. A sit in on a mix session of a Breaking Benjamin track!

[@eegoal]

It's crazy I mix like him. My edm friends always mock me for the way I mix and stuff. and this dude mixes/thinks exactly like I do. and this makes me so happy!

[@ThatOtherRaccoon]

Wow. The guru..Andy Wallace. This is amazing, hopefully we can get Andy on one of these.

[@SonicScoop]

Agreed!

[@ThallFather]

All I want to know is the vocal processing used on Ben's voice. I absolutely love the effects I hear and need to know how it's done for my own use.

[@devinbuchhorn]

SICK, thank you so much for doing this Sonic Scoop. Dan is the MAN!

[@HydraDominus]

Just started getting into mixing and was thinking of enrolling in a class but honestly I'm learning a lot more and getting a broader perspective on all different kinds of mixes from watching classes and stuff on youtube

[@SonicScoop]

Glad to be helpful! You can get even more like this one here: kzbin.info/aero/PL3yghKGBjggRbn4ooQ-SFl-4vi_V_zT3g

[@shubhamdash6519]

Thank You Sonic Scoop 🙏 The music production world needs beautiful content like this🖤

[@koldmane392]

Thank you for this

[@BrandonRaehl]

This was ridiculously helpful. Thank you so much for posting this. I had no idea he was doing a Breaking Benjamin song, an\d they are one of my favorite bands. Thanks so much

[@KeenenBlockson]

Was blown away by this record when I first heard it back in 09'. We require more info on those plugins Dan!

[@nathanhenry3630]

I realized half way through this it has great information for people that have the knowledge at an advanced level. How do you mix over drums like addictive drums? How do you get a decent mix on a budget for a song you are working on? He talks about deleting the plugins and using your own... This is a Master Class for other borderline Masters. Much respect. Where can I find a good vid that shows me how to make a basic mix decent using stuff like Addictive drums and STL Tones? Like i said I respect so be gentle. :D

[@zeldamage001]

23:40 Anyone knows why the guy made a sharp cut in the bass guitar at 200 Hz? Seems like on of the most important frequencies for bass when you put the bass on top of the kick, like this guy does

[@adamlongworthproductions]

Love this. Making the full move to cubase 10.5.

[@yami3082]

Thank you for such helpful information! It's amazing that these tips, from people who have a lot of experience in the industry, are absolutely free. Thanks a lot! :)

[@olddemos378]

Wow this is great. I actually learnt something from this!

[@1alexanderkup1]

feels like Cubase is becoming a new industry standard. I see it more and more often these days

[@MrVleker]

It used to be actually, they were one of the first ones in the industry and own the rights to the VST standard. Its a great DAW!

[@TrafficLi9HT]

@@MrVleker oh shiiit dude i was wondering why so many plugins that dont ask for a vst file path install it into steinberg/vst (i have cubase installed although I dont use it). thats crazy. I did switch to ableton tho the workflow as an artist is just so much better there, in cubase you get a new window every time you go into mixing, midi track, drum track etc its pretty annoying.

[@MrVleker]

@@TrafficLi9HT yup that's why. I think workflow is a very personal thing. I'm used to Cubase and can't get into Ableton so I stick with it. I love the mixer in Cubase so yeah, go with what works best for you!

[@mattirwin6089]

Reaper now too

[@1alexanderkup1]

@@mattirwin6089 I'm still on Reaper since 2017

[@rxstarryan.9179]

DUDE DAN YOU KILLED IT MAN ! THANKS

[@danknittel1250]

Amazing video! Really want to buy those plugins and try them on some upcoming mixes =)

[@LesonDeson]

I love Dan!

[@styrofoamghost5099]

Learning alot from these mixcon videos. Thank you so much for these

[@markshovel]

Man, this is an hide diamond of youtube!

[@bubz75]

Bad Ass Mix

[@sickbeatsproductions6664]

Holy crap. I just liked this before I even watched. Lol breaking benjamin is my favorite band. 🤘

[@javieral1448]

I ´m not a metal fan but a love the sound I hear in this video! I do love Steinberg products. Amazing mastery and sound by Dan Korneff! Excellent balance!!

[@drummerjeroensimons]

Great Job!!! Cheers, Jeroen Simons, Independent, ex- Epica.

[@elianmusic7452]

he's so nice!

[@davidcamarda8723]

Look at those plugins! Lol, just goes to show you that if you know what you are doing, you don't need $4000 in plugins just to get going.

[@Pabloamasifuenmusic]

This was fantastic. Thank you so much

[@BlackenedNL]

Very cool video, love Breaking Benjamin's music as well

[@tylerbrittan593]

I’m pretty sure the Randy Staub mix/album he’s referring to is Black Gives Way To Blue from Alice In Chains. I don’t blame him for drooling over it. It is damn good. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Layne Staley era, but their follow up albums with Will sound great.

[@MichaelGuy]

I really got a lot out of this course

[@enmanuelaponte677]

pure gold

[@dulistanheman]

Wow, Thank you very much for the upload man. This is amazing 🙏

[@deepcloudsmusic]

Thank you for doing these videos! This one is my favorite so far! :)

[@danizha212]

Thank you!

[@JakeAntelis]

Dan is the man. Great mix

[@KoRn-iu2gz]

Pure gold! Thx!

[@KhualLek]

So good mix love it so much

[@TheMeJustMe75]

Mixing and Mastering are both things I desperately need to learn how to do and understand. I'm only interested just so I can get my personal projects done. I write progressive metal, metal and ambient music and I have people who want to use a song or a snippet of a song for a video. I just don't have anything mixed and mastered yet.

[@denisnormandeau3199]

Dan, loved this and your plugins! Did I see a korneff 480 reverb in the video?

[@marcopivatobassplayer]

Great and super interesting!!! I'd love to hear the processed stems of this track

[@DanKorneff]

The Amplified Instrument Processor is now available for those interested. korneffaudio.com/product/amplified-instrument-processor/

[@SonicScoop]

Woohoo!! Get in touch, we should do a review!

[@whome806]

When he talked about nectar he stumbled because he knew that this is the future

[@grahambmiller]

Excellent session. So very useful. Thanks!

[@audioengineproductions]

I was also kind of shocked when I found out Dan used Cubase and not protools! Just goes to show you its not as much about the DAW as it is the engineer behind the DAW when it comes to mixing.

[@MrVleker]

It always has been! ProTools used to be the standard but I feel like it isn't anymore as there are a lot of great DAW's and it all comes down to user efficiency. Cubase feels a little like an underdog though and is used a lot for film scoring and orchestral stuff because it has great midi-features. Some well known users are Zedd, Tiesto, Hans Zimmer, Junkie XL and The Baseballs

[@TacticalTopher]

Helllll yeahhhhh

[@gonzalodominguez229]

Awesome.. just awesome.. thanks!!

[@calib3r403]

Great Session, although I would have appreciated a more detailed masterclass. Thank you!!

[@faaip0de0oaid]

That's some good advice

[@KASmonkeys]

brilliant! thanks

[@hefemixedit3727]

Gold

[@pavle988]

Great video btw! Thanks

[@JTguitarlessons]

This is fantastic! I've come back to this video like 4 times now. One thing that I found interesting is that the credits for this album don't list Dan as the mixer, so I wouldn't have known that he actually mixed it. Does anyone know if he mixed the entire album, just this song, a few? I can't seem to find the info. I see David Bendeth listed as the mixer and Dan listed as the engineer, which is obviously not entirely correct.

[@DanKorneff]

I mixed 3 tracks on the album. Take a listen and see if you can pick them out :) The physical copies have the correct credits... not sure why the internet is leaving me hanging

[@philu4621]

The new cubase is awesome...with a strong pc and an investment in some good waves plugins, you can do a lot without having to pay 35 an hour for someone else to produce you.

[@Ponchy]

Funny how you didn't mention anything about mics or decent gear.

[@philu4621]

ALSO: with an investment in professional mics, cables, and headphones and or monitors...you can make great mixes.

[@drewlowe5001]

The kick and snare samples are incredible. Can I have those please :)

[@drewlowe5001]

Has anyone tried this bus compressor technique? My mix just collapsed and sounded like a squished mess lol. His does not

[@hummarstraful]

Me too! I actually bought the CLA drum samples pack for Slate Trigger 2 and none of them have that smack. I know you can create the smack with plugins, but CLA has samples that already have the smack. And he is not giving them away.

[@drewlowe5001]

@@hummarstraful if you buy the pawn shop and use snare smash preset you'll get that smack on those cla presets

[@israelrosario3922]

@@drewlowe5001 go check out some video's on parallel drum compression, you'll hear a lot of the more modern mixing engineers using this technique for drums in today's modern rock and metal. depending on how you do it, you can get a powerful sound or..... a really muddy sound,

[@Moisesdbello]

perfection!

[@bjornlakenstrazen2186]

While this is still great and a fun thing to watch and attend to live....... When you listen to the actual track that was released, you can tell that the mix here is not the same drum samples or even the same guitar amp. My guess is that this was all a big steinberg product placement thing.

[@SonicScoop]

Nope, this is the same session as far as we are aware. The only difference you should be hearing is the lack of mastering (this can be pretty significant!) and the fact that the original mix was completed in conjunction with Dan's console. He had to reduce some things down to be able to present it in a DAW from stage, but the comparison to the original unmastered mix should be very close. The mastered album version for this one is significantly brighter, which is not uncommon at all. More often than not, finished professional mixes will come in bit darker than the final mastered version will end up after additional EQing and final processing. So it may not sound identical to the final release-especially because it's an unmastered mix. But it's a great way to go through the actual principles and major moves Dan applies to his work, without shipping and then lugging a 1-ton console up on stage, and then having a mastering engineer sitting next to him to apply additional processing in real time as he makes changes :)

[@sickbeatsproductions6664]

The mix sounds pretty damn close. I've listened to this song 1,000s of times before I heard it here. And I can say that the guitars sound exactly the same, but some of the delay throws on the vocals sound a bit much from the final release and the drum sample kicks and snares sound alittle brighter then the final mix and master.

[@ofmiriam4726]

11:01 yum

[@mckevrock]

Where can we buy these "KORNEFF" plugins?

[@josephrobert6499]

www.korneffaudio.com Website says "coming soon"

[@ramadgulwar5534]

Why there are so many dislikes! Are people dumb? 😑

[@SonicScoop]

Some, yes. But not most! :-)

[@kriscullen3378]

Are we hearing the pre master here, it sounds a lot different than the released track?

[@Josediazowl]

Nice Mix !!

[@guitarzpt]

Are Korneff plugins for sale yet? Can't find any info about them

[@youngalexander3166]

Wondered the same thing. Website says "coming soon"

[@theMansalad]

I messaged their facebook page asking this and they said they're about a week or two until first release

[@Thatmusicdude91]

Really interested in those korneff plugins. Who do ya gotta blow to get them on my pc?

[@connor3086]

The pawn shop comp is available now 🤙

[@lydfar2392]

Is that a Korneff EQ, showing at 18:00? He is using it to hi and lowpass the guitars... What is that plugin??

[@korneffaudio7930]

The Pawn Shop Comp is finally available! www.korneffaudio.com

[@MrVleker]

What about the guitar processor?

[@SmokinFoolz]

Your 100 compressors, you have a top ten?

[@didierpaget-musique]

Hello If you could activate the subtitles would be particularly nice. Thank you in advance.

[@shreddedbylight]

@20:00

[@shreddedbylight]

@11:01

[@rOCKINxsOCKIN]

So do they use any Auto Tune/melodyne on their vox? Not seeing any of that here in the plugins or sends, but it sounds like it

[@bearfacedrummer]

what is the name of the song?? thanks !!

[@joeyscarseat]

Playing the song from the software doesn’t sound the same as the completed album version. KZbin compression? It could be the overall mastering as well.

[@ciaran1344]

The mix itself is different. You can tell from the screams in the verse with completely different processing.

[@joeyscarseat]

ciaran1344 it sounds so much more majestic and powerful

[@joeyscarseat]

ciaran1344 the overall vocal composition sounds way cleaner, you can also hear the bass clarity and the punchiness of the drums have increased.

[@BLACKSYNTH]

No this song was mixed and produced before half of these plugins were available, its a new mix. for a modern day Cubase setup and new industry standard plugins. you cant simply mix all the origional stems in a new setup to sound exactly like it did years ago that would be almost impossible. its not better or worse its new. a new mix. this is an AWESOME video presentation. I've used Cubase since 2005. so I'm really digging this. and he really knows his stuff. my only criticism is over perfecting things, you can realllly hone it in now with tools that are available but it brings the music into a new era. that dosent sound the same as old mixes that kept things a little looser and things beed in more. in theory it sounds impressive and sergical. its also looses some of that Live sound. I like a bit of both. you can mix it however you want. but nowadays its easy to over do things.

[@joeyscarseat]

BLACKSYNTH wish there was a remaster release that would be exciting

[@VineMusic91]

What guitar box is he talking about???

[@musicproductioncentral4540]

if we're really mixing for cellphones at this point, then i think i should just sell my shit and find something useful to do. So fucking depressing.

[@shynamuzik]

Where can I buy the "korneff amplified guitar processor" plugin? shown at 17:54

[@SonicScoop]

They are currently proprietary. We hope he shares them someday!

[@glugblub7524]

omg im so happy that i finally moved from cubase. that shit splashin new windows up like there is no tomorrow

[@colonelporridge8974]

What laptop is he using?

[@Randuski]

don't sweep a high gain frequency band looking for problems. if you hear something that bothers you, and you need to find it, do that. but don't just sweep on everything trying to find things you couldn't hear in the mix to begin with. which i think he would agree with, but i don't think he was specific enough about that. address problems when you hear them. that's mixing with your ears.

[@onkarghadi9227]

Hey provide lapel mic to the mixing engineer guy while he is demonstrating, he seems to be struggling to get the good voice.👍

[@idie123]

What version oif nectar is he using. i have nectar 3, i dont even have half the options, and i dont have the presets. it has like boy band chant, and the gui is all black.

[@penguinx42]

He's using nectar elements, which is a "stripped down" version of nectar