How To Get Balanced Mixes Every Time | Pink Noise Mixing

[@VenusTheory]

What's your favorite mixing tip? 🤔 ▼▼▼TIMESTAMPZ:▼▼▼ 0:00 Intro 0:35 Today's Topic 1:00 Important Disclaimer 1:24 Science Time with Cameron 2:51 Track Before Mixing 3:52 Adding a Noise Reference 4:03 Adding a Meter Tool 4:16 Setting Reference Levels 4:33 Mono Summing 4:43 Setting the Noise Level 4:56 Project Setup 5:14 How Loud to Listen 5:24 Noise Mixing Example 6:06 After the Mix 6:27 Perfect Low End 7:00 Final Result 7:48 Closing Thoughts

[@noiszif]

Thank you! I was going crazy with "how should desing the pink noise?". I went all around internet looking for any tutorial to obtain a "high quality" pink noise, and you gave me the solution. Melda prod

[@agreen9903]

i just shout aghhhhhhhh as loud as i can and raise volumes until i can hear above me shouting and i know its done, true story

[@VenusTheory]

The pros hate him for sharing this one secret to better mixes

[@osukafilms]

Dead

[@NightRogue77]

Dead-ER

[@jasonpieters5449]

IM DEAD

[@dantei.1194]

Great video and a good idea to show this trick to the people. There are few other videos out there on the topic but I haven't found a single ultimate one (not that noise mixing is some kind of huge topic. There are, however, few things worth mentioning when using this technique). I'll allow myself to list here a few things that helped me out at the beginning of my journey with music production when I used pink noise pretty much all the time for balancing purposes. Btw. Even now, when I trust my ears much more than when I was starting out, I still use pink noise in cases of a busy mix or particularly annoying one. Here are the things worth remembering: 1. Ideally, the gain level of pink noise should be set to 80dB(SPL). Mixing in open headphones this would mean: "Pretty loud, enough to barely hear (I'd say more 'perceive' than hear) if somebody was standing next to me talking.". The reason for this is that our hearing is the most 'neutral' or 'linear' in this range out of all other possibilities. If you crank up the volume too high, you will hear the bass and high frequencies better (which can result in mids being recessed and so-called 'laid back' sound), if you set it too low, the opposite will happen and your track might sound bass-shy and missing sparkle (which if overcompensated leads to U or V-shaped spectral image). 80dB is the holy grail of mixing on headphones! 2. Remember that mixing with pink noise (if done correctly) will make the sound spectrum of your track follow +/- a diagonal line with the highest amplitude in the bass region and lowest in the air range. This means a few things: One - it's not gonna be ideal for all genres! People who love bassy music (most of Venus Theory audience, including myself) will find it a great starting point but say, somebody who listens to mostly acoustic music will find the bass to be too prominent. Two - Depending on the instrumentation of your particular track, it might cause the mix to sound too muddy or boomy - in this case equalisation comes in like a superman! 3. Prior to adjusting your tracks to the noise, make sure you do a preliminary EQ! (IMPORTANT) This is to avoid clutter and excessive muddiness, so high-passing and low-passing tracks is great to be done before and also, remember the balancing with the noise is a STARTING point and doesn't mean it should stay this way because even though your track is balanced, it will still miss ear-candies and stuff that stands out and gives the tune a character. 4. Don't bother with adjusting to the noise things like risers, one-time samples, ambiences etc. - this is NOT something that should be adjusted to the noise! Pink noise should be used to set the levels of the most important, core elements of the tune like drums, synths, bass, etc. - in other words, things that are present all the time or most of the time (things in the foreground and maybe middle ground, don't bother with background elements). Elements that should be sitting back in the mix, if adjusted to the noise, will be cutting through the mix too much and you'll end up having to readjust them afterwards. And that's all I can think of now, hope it saves somebody time and frustration! :) Cheers!

[@aidarka580]

An extremely helpful addition to the extremely helpful video.

[@dantei.1194]

@@aidarka580 Thanks!

[@absyntho73]

I agree with the words of Aider Ka, very helpful...both...however, is there an easy way to measure the SPL coming out of your headphones? thankful for any ideas...merci !!!

[@bradylasserre9320]

Million thanks for this. I mix hard rock music and this immediately put me in a great starting point that allowed me to make minor taste choices and changes. Cheers and thanks again!

[@espenstoro]

There's a lot of controversy around this trick, and yeah I get it, no generator replaces ears and artistic decisions... but, the real strength of this is when you've been tweaking some damn bass patch for hours, or any sound for that matter, there's no way you can tell if it's too loud or not in context. It really helps to get it in some sort of semi-ballpark for a decent starting point when the ears have gone home for the day. That's my experience, at least. Nice demonstration.

[@sarca4874]

This channel is a goldmine! Thanks Cameron :)

[@LandOfBits]

this is seriously one topic that not everyone is talking about ! and i think it offers really solid results

[@ClaudeYoung]

More mixing tutorials would be awesome! Perhaps one on how you use reverb to glue a track together.

[@VenusTheory]

Noted!

[@eddmaster]

I would definitely like to hear more about mixing techniques, as this is my main struggle with any track. Maybe some mix and EQ tips & tricks

[@VenusTheory]

Noted!

[@kboyburry3669]

Thank you for sharing this! Haven't seen anyone talking about cool things like this

[@glenesis]

Howdy! That's 7 new things I learned from you this week. Thank you! This is interesting. I'm off to write something new to try this with. Have a great weekend everyone!

[@davidobienu9971]

yes! more mixing videos please! this is dope

[@Darkest_of_Winter]

Thankfully I found this video. About to start mixing my next project and eager to try this and compare to what I THOUGHT was a mix draft.

[@Rhekluse]

Great stuff! I've played with this technique a few times and I really like the concept of mixing into a pink noise threshold. Its also great for balancing studio monitors as well.

[@VenusTheory]

For sure! Can't say this technique has ever failed me - it's also definitely saved a few mixes I wasn't happy with by just zeroing them out and redoing it with this!

[@macronencer]

This looks like a great technique for getting your mix into the right ball park. I don't have a wonderful room to mix in, and I'm 57 so my hearing isn't perfect... I think I might try using this technique and then getting other people to give me feedback on the results. Thanks a lot for the tip!

[@PatrickSchouten]

Great tip!

[@doubler4433]

Great video!

[@shinezacharias3118]

super thanks for the video , i watched some other videos with pink noise they even gave the pink noise but my mix was coming out horrible n i knew some thing is some where deep shit is going on so i tryed ur video n mix coming like super smooth super thanks once again

[@carlm-paquette5023]

Yeah more mixing tutorial like this would be awsome! 👍🏻

[@VenusTheory]

Noted!

[@conorjake]

Thanx a lot!Very helpfull.

[@VenusTheory]

Glad to hear it!

[@syaron4273]

More for the mixing guide. I always struggle with mixing becuase I can't trust my ear. That's when mixing techniques come to help. I really appreciate this tip because whenever I mix, the low ends always be on top of the mix. Anyway, thank you so much for creating this video.

[@KozmykJ]

THAT is a Powerful tip there Cameron ...

[@VenusTheory]

Great way to work for sure, definitely try it out!

[@Megallean]

I've always heard about Pink Noise mixing but never fully understood it myself. Thanks for this! I'd love more mixing tutorials if you have more tips to share.

[@VenusTheory]

Glad to hear it was helpful! And for sure, noted!

[@crabraz4873]

Very coll, I'm going to try this tonight! The only thing I was missing from this video was a before/after comparison of the mixes.

[@travelsnacks]

Cool stuff bro. I didn't understand anything you said, but I like the coffee part. :)

[@VenusTheory]

That's what I'm here for haha

[@callmeastro2566]

omgosh this was perfect! thanks!

[@djvoid1]

I've never been a fan of this technique as it doesn't account for front to back depth in a mix, which is a creative and orchestrative decision. That being said, it gets around deficiencies in your room acoustics and can potentially reveal tonal problems with elements in your mix (e.g. if after the pink noise mix your kick seems too quiet, it might be too boomy in the low end and need the transient click portion to stick out more)

[@miyalys]

Hey! Thanks for the tip! Maybe the description could link to your mixing course? That said when I look at the overview of what the different subscription tiers on your website contain, I'm not sure which tier includes the courses? Have you considered also making it possible to buy permanent access to the courses outright, besides the subscription option?

[@jasperbhogal4953]

This guy is great. YOutube more of him please.

[@VenusTheory]

Glad you've been digging the channel! More videos on the way soon!

[@smujohnson]

I came here to see what Venus Theory says about mixing. I learned today that it’s not the same as “mastering”, even though the tools (Izotope Neutron vs. Ozone) have similar features like EQ. Venus Theory, aka “Top V”, can you talk about the basics of mixing sometime? 🥺🙏

[@newguy6935]

I use Grey Noise to start with then bend and shape as needed.

[@Xtianu]

Hi,thanks for the video! Do you turn the reverbs off before calibrating?

[@avia4281]

If I do a mashup of different songs On Logic Pro x shall I compress each song and use a Limiter on each track first then use pink noise ? I can not find any information on this.

[@chuckevans9651]

new to mixing and wanting to try this. Downloaded a pink noise sample. When viewing the signal through SPAN the frequencies slope upward instead of downward. Is this correct? If not what am I doing wrong?

[@Frontier2000AnoDomin]

Listening to that pink noise was a good example of how compression can mess with your audio. I think choosing anything other than kick drum (or bass) might have been better for the example track, as many users will be watching on their phones. Interesting video, though.

[@htmm5167]

Is there anyway to automate this process, or just do it without having to listen to noise. Seems like a great starting point to work from maybe even if you do top down mixing

[@No-to4kd]

much easier to apply this technique through EQ matching plugins like Izotope’s or even Pro-Q

[@jefizz66]

Do you have a video that uses pink noise with a live band?

[@OmkaraHellcore]

"Sultry dissapointed dad voice" 😅

[@danielchandler7603]

Ya man definitely could use some more videos on techniques for mixing and mastering.

[@VenusTheory]

Noted!

[@djvoid1]

If you want to do this, try Ceilings Of Sound Hyper EQ instead. Way faster and achieves the same thing

[@klangfarbeblau9087]

I found out most mixes are not balanced with 3,5dB per octave but with 4,5dB per octave. So its good to adjust your pink noise accordingly with an eq.

[@marscrasher]

I am looking at getting into the sound design industry and I have a few questions: How does selling a sample pack work? Do you make a pack and try to sell it as a product to a distributor? Do they commission types of packs they want from you? Do they pay you up front or do you take royalties or both? How do you know if you’re being ripped off? Is there legal jargon because I know with beats, you don’t sell the beat, you lease it so that you still have the rights to it? I know you have a couple of videos on this sort of topic in your sound design series but you didn’t touch on the specifics that I asked. If you decide to do a video on this, thank you.

[@VenusTheory]

Yo! Might do another video answering some questions like that here in the future, that's a lot to answer in a comment here haha.

[@marscrasher]

Venus Theory haha true it was a long comment. thanks for the reply lad

[@kelef666]

This is great, but I have a question: you say do this with every channel, what about the processing ones? Reverbs/delays etc...? Or are you talking about just a static mix?

[@VenusTheory]

Yo! For effects channels and other 'ear candy' channels I usually blend those in to taste once the main channels are mixed with this method. The only time I really use the noise technique with those things is if they are an integral part of the core sound of the mix.

[@mageprometheus]

I don't have any tips, I'm still practising compression. Training my ears to hear dynamic changes and groove movement and it's a long road. The pros seem to agree it's 3-5 years to get really good.

[@VenusTheory]

Maybe I'll do a video or two with some compression tips soon! Sounds about right though, there's definitely some growing pains in the first few years!

[@luvitluvitbaby]

I have a plugin called COS Pro by Aiyac that can allow me to mix with pink noise

[@infinitedurr]

Hey Cameron, one thing is unclear after watching this: did you make your EQ decisions before leveling with pink noise, or would EQ etc be done afterard? Or before and after? What about extreme examples, like say a Vital or Razor bass patch where you've got a lot of high end and a lot of low end? Seems like if you adjust for one, it may not balance at the other end of the spectrum

[@Arkansya]

if your patch is unbalanced maybe change it ? or Split it in two tracks to manage hi and low separately ?

[@aradianmusic]

what would be the difference between live noise and referencing a static pink noise eq curve?

[@VenusTheory]

Yo! The main difference would really just be perceived volume and some psychoacoustic stuff. In my experience, it's better to use the actual noise to listen against as you're listening for the core character of the sound that you want to poke through. For example, in the case of a kick drum I maybe want more of that sub feeling than I do the top 'click' so the sub may come out of the noise only when the kick is fairly boosted. So, the noise curve method wouldn't really account for that.

[@GhislainLeveque]

In order for that technique to work, you need tracks that have the thinner spectrum possible, right? How do you do if one of your tracks has a wider spectrum (say for example low bass and high treble, when putting it just above the pink noise, you'll lose all the bass, right?)

[@-______-______-]

The whole point of pink noise is that it represents how we hear those frequencies across the spectrum.

[@elviskasombwe6788]

After mixing do you have to turn down volume of the pink noise or what?coz some of tutor's say you have to leave it on.

[@VenusTheory]

In short, you'd mix using the pink noise to set your general levels by isolating each track against the noise and then mute the pink noise so you can refine the mix/levels.

[@lofimajor7079]

Okay I did this right but what about the stems I can't hear at all when I bring up the fader??

[@VenusTheory]

For those, just mix them in by ear or perhaps check your gain staging to make sure the file is loud enough to use the full fader travel path.

[@amanterecords945]

Your snare is shit HAHAHA! Great work Cameron, keep it up

[@unrue1048]

I made a track that literally uses pink noise as an percussive element. How tf am supposed to mix pink noise with pinknoise?

[@VenusTheory]

Probably very carefully - you might create a black hole.

[@paulsmith3994]

Sultry disappointed dad voice. Ha ha. You have an amazing recording voice. Get them voice over $$$$

[@JasonGillmanJr]

I didn't hear any assorted beagle noises. WTF. I've been robbed! Robbed I say!

[@VenusTheory]

Next video: sampling my beagle.

[@sudabadri7051]

I read till the music doesn't distract me from reading...

[@AndreasR86]

My snare isn't shit. Shit is still useful as fertilizer.