Mind Blowing Mix Bus Tips from UA's Technical Guru!

[@DistantSunStudios]

www.distantsunstudios.uk Short on time? - quick links for today's video: 00:00 Intro 00:24 First in the chain 01:16 Mastering EQ 01:51 Please like this video 02:15 Bus Compressor 02:52 Imager 03:02 Print to tape 03:44 Extra Tip! 03:55 Limiter 04:10 Philosophy 06:54 Final thoughts & thanks for watching! Thanks so much for watching! Matt Featured Video: 🎥What Really Makes UAD Luna Different? Full Interview with Universal Audio kzbin.info/www/bejne/eIS8pHmvf6yIi9k

[@svendtveskg5719]

The best about all these videos where big shots gives advice - this one inclusive - is, that you can pick up the odd trick here and there. The worst thing about same videos is, that you can easily forget, that your ears is the only tool you can really trust.

[@GingerDrums]

As a mastering engineer I can only say: leave your bass alone. Its a myth that bass needs to be mono, unless you are pressing to vinyl. Also: saturation us usually best before compression. Ill add: this might work for him but I dont think its good general advice. There is so "secret" to mix bus processing. Instead gather experience, use simple tools well and you will improve the fastest!

[@MohamedBGB]

It doesn't make sense to mono the low end then use ozone free imager to widen it back, simply leave it alone as you said

[@DistantSunStudios]

Hi - thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment - I really appreciate it! I did try the mono maker on a mix that I'm working on this week, and it did tighten up the kick and the bass guitar, giving the track a much tighter more focused feel in the drums in particular. Is that a good thing, well I just guess i's down to the track and personal taste. I'm not a mastering engineer by profession, unlike yourself and Drew, so my philosophy is simple, when I'm mixing, if it sounds good it stays in, if not - I don't use it and take it out. I also then print my mix and send it to a mastering engineer - an art form in it's own right! Thanks again and have a great weekend, Matt

[@DistantSunStudios]

Hi, thanks so much for watching and taking the time to comment! I tried an A/B turning the Mono Maker on and off prior to the Imager. As you would expect - the imager does then react differently and give a different vibe to the track. Is it better? Well I guess that's just taste and just one more decision in the hundreds we have to make when mixing a track! Thanks again and have a great weekend, Matt

[@officialWWM]

But are you any good?

[@HollerAtcherBoi]

I’m also a mastering engineer. Why saturation before compression? You won’t be able to saturate as much before distortion occurs. Rather compress and address dynamics before the saturation, so that I can get cleaner (and more, if necessary) saturation after. The only time I may saturate first is when mixing a vocal that I want to have the louder words extra overdriven/crunchy. In that case, I’d saturate before compression, while the vocal is still super dynamic. Not for mastering, though.

[@TracingFlares]

Fix your plugins first!!! The Ampex ATR for example has no delay anymore.. also this Ilok is a nogo for lots of us remove the ilok funktion!😊😊

[@tymelyneentertainments7478]

Very nice food for experimenting. I love it!!! I know i have my own methods and all but its always helpful and healthy to hear from the pros, I always learn one new thing or two. Thank you very much!!!

[@whostroubled]

Wow never seen many other pro’s speaking highly on the Hitsville EQ. Love that

[@WheelieMix]

Probably speaking highly about the Hitsvill EQ because... he is working for UA haha ^^. (half joking here)

[@whostroubled]

@@WheelieMix nah that’s true tho.

[@DistantSunStudios]

Hi - thanks so much for watching 👍 yes, Drew spoke to me off camera - he loves it! By chance I’d been using it prior to the interview as well. It’s like a pultec - just a wonderful thing! Thanks again, Matt

[@DistantSunStudios]

Haha! I know you’re joking - Drew loves the Hitsville 😊 if you haven’t demoed it - give it a try. It’s really good 👍 Matt

[@HollerAtcherBoi]

DMG Limitless. Have it. Wanted to love it and believed the hype. Unfortunately, there was no setting I could find that didn’t rob the song of punch and sub information. I shot out 15+ big name limiters and Voxengo Elephant (El-5 mode) was by far the most transparent. It’s the only mastering limiter I use now.

[@Rhuggins]

I can to the realization about linitless

[@DistantSunStudios]

Hi - thanks so much for watching and adding in a comment - I really appreciate it! I haven't tried the DMG Limitless or the Voxengo Elephantt - it will be interesting to give them both a try 👍 So pleased that you've found what works really well for you. That's one decision less you have to make! Thanks again, have a great weekend, Matt

[@Rhuggins]

Interestingly I find Pro-L2 has the lowest audible distortion at high levels of GR, maintaining the integrity of the material better. The iZotope limiter is good too but it can kind of sharpen up the upper mids in a potentiellen harsh way. Pro-L2 is darker. Just depends what the material calls for

[@HollerAtcherBoi]

@@Rhuggins Elephant beat Izotope quite noticeably, in my opinion.

[@murraywebster1228]

Have you tried Newfangled Audio Elevate? I use it as a first stage limiter because of the (up to) 27 Mel bands, keep unruly frequencies in check before final stage limiting, give it a try…

[@thundersnow819]

THANK YOU DREW!

[@DistantSunStudios]

Thanks so much for watching. I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the video! I’ll be sure to pass on your kind words to Drew. Have a lovely weekend all the best, Matt.

[@kevingthemusicmaker]

GOSH I wish more people would realize this about the stereo buss! Where did all this "top down" mixing come from?! Great interview!

[@DistantSunStudios]

Hey, thanks so much for watching, I'm so pleased you enjoyed the video! Yes, it's a really interesting approach and makes 100% sense to me. Have a great weekend man! Matt

[@GingerDrums]

Top down mixing comes from people like Serban Ghenea...

[@kevingthemusicmaker]

@@GingerDrums Oh Really?!...Source..??

[@TheMadsChristiansen]

@@kevingthemusicmakerHe mixes through the same chain with both saturation compression multiband and limiting from the beginning of the mix. Read the gearspace thread where his assistent John Hanes answers questions.

[@juanrojas7505]

Where exactly goes the stereo bus and how it is used? Subscribing ..shout out from chile

[@audioburo]

excelente video! Me encantó el método de Drew

[@DistantSunStudios]

Thanks so much for watching - so pleased that you enjoyed the video! Yes - Drew really is a great guy and extremely knowledgeable 👍 Have a great weekend, thanks again. Matt

[@miguelpessanha]

Using an Imager on the Master without crossovers across the whole spectrum is kinda of crazy

[@DistantSunStudios]

Hi, thanks so much for watching and taking the time to leave a comment. Yes it wasn’t a plug-in that I was familiar with until I filmed the video, however I have tried it subtly into the ATR tape at the end of my mix bus. It really has worked well. If you get a chance, I’d give it a try - at the imiger plug-in is free - so all good! 👍Thanks again, Matt

[@KYTHERAOfficial]

What I dont understand about theese videos is that they are not mentioning the genre they are putting theese things on. Isnt it a different animal to mix when we are talking about smooth dynamic jazz vs how to sausage a super loud edm club mix ? o.O

[@DistantSunStudios]

Hi thanks so much for taking the time out to watch and comment! Yes, I totally agree with where you're coming from, and personally I have a great deal of fun using the different characteristics of EQ's / Compressors / Reverbs etc. to help enhance the particular track that I'm working on. Thanks again for watching and have a great weekend! Matt

[@vocalproductionandeditings9322]

Nice

[@InnerMotionMusic]

Very interesting insights. I always love hearing how people think through their mixes. Thanks for sharing!

[@LuizCarlosJesusdosSantos]

🔥🔥🔥

[@DistantSunStudios]

Thanks Luiz, yes he really know's his stuff that Mr Drew! Have a great weekend, Matt

[@tocijan]

I like your title "Mind Blowing"

[@DistantSunStudios]

Haha! Thanks so much for watching! Believe it or not the thumbnail and title are so important for a small channel to get views, I think this was the winner from 12 that I put together 👍. Thanks again & have a great weekend! Matt

[@rapastronaut77]

facts

[@JJaxxon]

Nice advertise

[@MarkyGoldstein]

DMG Limitless 100%

[@DistantSunStudios]

Hey, thanks so much for watching! I'm still to try the DMG, so looking forward to that this weekend! Thanks again, Matt

[@robertopistolesi2735]

Another mixing tutorial which is really a commercial for plugins. Do a video whwre you don't name any specific plugins and I'll call it legit.

[@NoQualmsTheArtist]

I question the advice from anyone using an elliptical filter by default. Stop monoing your bass people, it's a KZbin myth. It is rarely needed even when printing to vinyl.

[@MarkRay84]

Hey are you cool with lows like 200hz and below coming through the sides on a mix?

[@NoQualmsTheArtist]

@@MarkRay84 of course that's the power, fullness and balls of your mix. There is only one reason why you should mono your bass, out of phase bass most likely caused by stereo widening and you are printing to vinyl. Or if for some reason you have huge massive subs just on one side that can jump the needle on a turntable. That's it. Otherwise don't cut the balls of your music.

[@TheMadsChristiansen]

200 hz means much of the low end of stereo panned guitars fx. Don’t see any reason why half of the guitars should be in mono and the rest panned. I think it’s wise to be careful about adding stereo information to your low end though, like with synth bass only widening above 100-ish. But that’s just my taste

[@NoQualmsTheArtist]

@@TheMadsChristiansen any genre that uses Reese bass like R&B, Drum & Bass, EDM, House, Trap etc. The stereo width is integral to the sound. Monoing that kills the entire vibe of the music. So doing it by default is crazy 🤪

[@billyr9162]

One of the reasons we record digital now is because it sounded better than tape. Why on earth would you want to go to the end of your mix bus and slap a dull tape machine sound on it?

[@do5674]

That is simply not true. The main reason going digital was convenience and cost. Digital editing, duplicating tracks, no tape machines to calibrate ect. trying to replicate great tape saturation was the one thing missing from digital recordings for years up until recently. Once they cracked the saturation code, all bets were off.

[@billyr9162]

@do5674 well it depends on what machine you wete recording on. I was recording on a $900,000 Syncavier directed this system. It made a studer tape machine sound like a cassette deck

[@do5674]

@@billyr9162 ok then. Dudes that are making brilliant sounding records are using tape emulators all over their sessions and in a lot of cases on every single track to that cohesiveness that tape can bring. But ok Studers sound like tape decks 🙄

[@billyr9162]

@do5674 if you hear a super high end conversation you won't want to put a dull tape emulator on it. Maybe the bass and other tracks but not the whole mix

[@bigdoghat3827]

@@billyr9162 ATR-102 is far from dull, if someone said you can only keep one UA plugin out of what you own, for me, it'd be the ATR, it sounds absolutely killer and breathes extra life into anything you put it on. The mistake most people make who don't like it, is coming into it too hot and in those cases, it can sound dull. Reading the manual for this plugin is very important in order for it to sound its best.

[@JuanJacinto]

Jaycen Joshua left the chat

[@Whywhatwherehowwhen]

Sorry but if the uad 2500 sounds exactly the same as a real 2500 why has he paid at least $2000 for a real one and kept it ?

[@naelbeno6249]

Why Not? Enough Money, trying, have Fun. 20 years ago was more hardware then Plugins

[@DJRossNoir]

Maybe UAD bought it to use to model or compare? Or sometimes you own gear that you saved money for and a VST version comes out at 100th of the hardware price but you still hang on to it.

[@blackjono2000]

Ye there's no way it's the same when pushed hard imo

[@JHiMusic]

Folks, make sure you’re taking advice from people who are actual experts and respected peers in the field they’re offering advice in, and not just some product rep or tech geek who doesn’t actually use the tools for a living as a professional. Too many people in the consumer music equipment business think they’re experts enough to give advice in areas they’re not actually experts or respected in. It’s an ego boost for them, and they usually have an ulterior motive. Heavy grain of salt here.

[@analogalchemy]

I love the pro q 3 that he doesn't use because it saves me so much time, but I also use pultecs and Neve 1073's and all kinds of eq's after, its just that for correction, always gonna pro q 3 first.

[@okgo5152]

So essentially just buy every UA plugin he mentions in this UA advert video and you’ll have a hit record

[@Drawde-bh7co]

DSP looking at me sideways

[@Joshua-rq9dv]

What is a 2 bus?

[@DistantSunStudios]

Hi Joshua - thanks so much for watching and asking the question. That’s actually a really good question - as we often speak in audio terms that won’t necessarily be understood by everyone. I’ve made a note to myself to do better! The two bus is simply the main stereo bus output on any DAW that all the instrument tracks feed into. Confusingly it has a few different names that people refer to it as. I’m aware of three, which are: - The two bus - The mix bus - The main bus Thanks again so much for watching and taking the time to leave me a comment - I really appreciate it. Have a great weekend 👍 Matt

[@johndoe-cb5ck]

Drew is such a cool guy! Could listen to him all day....UAD is totally helping us little guys who do music for fun and making it affordable for us

[@DistantSunStudios]

Hi, thanks so much for your kind words! Yes - Drew really is incredibly knowledgeable and so generous with his time. You can see in the interview his passion for music and production is still 100% there, just as it would have been when he started out. I always think of LUNA and the UA Plugins like having Abbey Road in my home studio! Wonderful products, and as you mentioned - making world class recordings affordable. Have a great week, Matt

[@bonzology322]

Putting anything on your stereo buss when you're are mixing is just plain rookie stupid=fact

[@LenMillerComposer]

Andrew Schepps does it, for one example. Neither rookie nor stupid.

[@bonzology322]

@@LenMillerComposer if u believe that u r both, there is no way any competent mixer mixes into a 2 bus compressor, only way down the road, but believe whatever stupid 💩 u want

[@LenMillerComposer]

😂

[@NativeDSP]

Btw 5:07

[@bonzology322]

@@LenMillerComposer no, he doesn’t