Mixing Masterclass: 'Mixing Your Track for the Club' at IMS College Malta

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Point Blank Creative Director JC Concato draws on his extensive industry experience to deliver a masterclass in mixing for the club at IMS College Malta 2017
Point Blank is The Global Music School, with courses in London, Los Angeles, Ibiza and Online. Voted 'Best Electronic Music School' by DJ Mag, you can learn music production, sound engineering, DJ'ing and much more via our online courses or in our state-of-the-art studios:: www.pointblankm...

[@briancase6180]

Wow, this is just excellent. In 45 minutes, you can find out how much you know, *really* know (everything should be pretty familiar) and you can learn some new techniques for doing things you already understand. But, I wonder how many people really understand saturation. It works by *distributing* some of the transient energy (the peaks) as upper harmonics. That's why the peak of a saturated signal is lower but the sound actually seems louder: it is "louder" in the sense that the RMS level has been increased at the "expense" of the transient level. Now, there are many, many kinds of saturation. Even clipping is essentially just saturation (unless you get rid of the aliased harmonics with high-degree over-sampling). Even the tape-machine emulations achieve their "compression" through what is essentially saturation (you lose peak energy but get it back as harmonics). And, of course, taken to the extreme, saturation becomes audible as distortion (instead of that "warm," louder sound).

[@ThisisGalen]

"It works by distributing some of the transient energy (the peaks) as upper harmonics. " that is a fantastic way to think about it!! that actually makes it so clear and concise. thanks for that.

[@maximilianbertram9255]

this is gold! I've watched seriously SO many videos on youtube about mastering and different techniques but this is honestly professionell and very very helpfull

[@hearmenow909]

Pre-mastering

[@jimmurphy9904]

Agree

[@melwebb64]

Brilliant teacher! Love these tutorials! Thank you for sharing!

[@robertlewis3477]

Buij

[@_TheViewer_]

It’s so hard to devide good stuff from the ‚KZbinr-Knowledge‘ you find everywhere. Anyone wondering, this is gold !

[@dariokonstantin]

Thank you so much JC. Brillant video. So many great ideas and information.!!!!!!! Make sure to watch the full video but in case you want to go back to the specific parts here are a few (list not complete): Masterchain 10:30 Kick 29:51 Snare 35:31 The importance of understanding your plugins 38:12 Bass 39:24 Pad 46:13

[@riktascale4]

I liked how he explained that the use of compression is to even out the levels in live recorded audio and then how it relates to sampled music/midi where fader levels could simply deal with that issue but compression could shape the sound of the sample or could be used to add more or less attack thereby controlling the bottom----a question I always had-----thanks for this!

[@briancase6180]

Yes, and he *showed* a real, useful example of serial compression and why you would choose different compressors (including a tape-machine emulation to achieve compression instead of thinking of it only as adding saturation).

[@djmicksoceanharmonymusic5721]

This is one of the best tutors I've come across. Really relevant and clear. This guy needs to do more mixing courses

[@tinotaylor]

I love how he was about to say "now let's have a listen now that we have all that shit on" 😂

[@eXpas04]

He said it

[@AiBoru]

"lil bit" - probably the most favourite phrase of everyone involved in sound engineering.

[@DJAnthologic]

A ton of GOLD here! Well done JC, thanks for sharing this great insight

[@simonbusshart1463]

This one was awesome! Never thought i would watch it entirely... very useful i have learned alot.

[@fibranijevidra]

Jc Concato! I`ll just like the video and watch it later when I grab a time.

[@annother3350]

This was good. One thing ive learnt the hard way - if you eq a kick before compression, don't ever touch that eq without checking the compression is ok afterwards. Better still put another eq after the compressor.

[@TraxtasyMedia]

Yep. I always EQ FIRST before doing anything else. when it sounds fine, I gate it, if the gate fits, than I put a compressor on it.

[@pronavsandhu]

BEST BEST BEST BEST. FINALLY SOMEONE WHO MAKES SENSE !!!

[@frenkyboydnb]

When the track speaks back I know I no need changing anything, also since b+never worked with refference tracks, I kind fo feel what I need and ways to move myself unconsiously in the direction of the sounds/melodies location :D

[@tobistone3188]

Man, funny dude! I'm really thankful for that lessons. Was exactly what I need!

[@afamchidiume3248]

He is wonderful period

[@SebastianMlax]

Absolutely amazing tips. JC , you are the master! :)

[@GingerDrums]

Loads of good information. The audio levels are not matched at all, so he is adding about 2db which does not make for a good objective comparison. Always volume match your plugins when you mix to avoid falling in the loudness trap!

[@zpurpz]

Is this because he's gaining in one of the plug ins ?

[@AppLe-cn1zo]

That thumbnail is a work of art

[@paul-yy5qf]

JC is the JC of mixing!

[@articlebeats5530]

JC is the man!

[@paulharman4323]

I love this guy! He has some mind chaning tricks that will give alot of help for me when I mix! Awesome!

[@bigmoomusic]

Super helpful! Always wondered why my tracks sound way quieter than pro tracks at the same volume

[@daka6887]

21:23 Almost slipped!

[@moneylaunderinginc]

All that ish Hahaha

[@euphoria.8437]

Yea I noticed that aswell ahahahaha all that shiiiiitufff

[@dariokonstantin]

hahahahahaha

[@Vidorraofficial]

Love this guy. Thank you so much for the clear and well explained lesson

[@alexandrelevy3916]

yes absolute gold indeed!! THANK YOU!!!!

[@DateNiteMusic]

Oh this helped me finish up a mix. READY FOR THE CLUB. I miss you Cluby

[@newmanbeing3212]

perfect lesson for that amount of time!

[@CS-dz8ko]

Such a great teacher

[@b9dger563]

This guy was brilliant. Really informative and easy to follow. Thank you :-)

[@myriaddsystems]

Consummate professional this guy.

[@stphnmusicfr]

Thank you, i will take into acount !

[@johnmoshe7873]

Wow.. superb... really helpful...Thanks

[@roygertel]

Great explanation as always, I love Concato he's awesome !

[@roro_fosho]

very great seminar, thanks for uploading!

[@juanmanuelcasta2257]

Amazing masterclass!!

[@BurstoMusic]

Love this guy

[@djhasai]

that Levels plug looks sick! thanks for the great presentation. would love to see something similar with a track that could use a lot more work.

[@gallectee6032]

This guy is awesome.

[@______6057]

Great video!!! Fantastic instructor!!!

[@timberg982]

Intersample Peaks only occur when bouncing to mp3 for example. If you export to wav then there are no intersample peaks so it doesn't matter how loud you bounce your track for the mastering engineer as long as you don't clip.

[@owenmitty7440]

Thanks, this is absolutely brilliant, great work! Thanks for this.

[@Ardin_music]

This was such a great video

[@DavidBoura]

Excellent, superbe résumé, merci!

[@will_silvano]

Very insightful. Definitely looking into their proper courses in the future.

[@pointblankmusicschool]

Hi Will. Really glad your enjoying our content and are interested in investigating our full courses. If you need any help at all you can speak to a course advisor using the phone numbers or contact form here: www.pointblankmusicschool.com/contact/

[@jdstarek]

My question is about the automations. Should I add all my reverb, filter, panning in the production before I bounce audio? Or should I do the processing on the audio?

[@Toorin69]

totally, because u would think if u did it before - all the comrpessors and limiters would affect it?

[@RockstahRolln]

This was absolutely brilliant, loved it! Well explained!

[@ElektroHaus]

A true master, thanks!

[@simonsillz]

Always good with JC !! Keep it up

[@bitflux2]

this was excellent

[@justinbeck4197]

Amazing .....this was the best

[@testamentblack]

Amazing content. Thanks!

[@viktorkudryashov7105]

Very useful! Very good teacher!

[@Mr_thinker86]

Great stuff.. Love this

[@johannes5758]

very well explained!

[@dani.papaya]

Thank you😊

[@mparkerdrums]

Great vid! love this guy

[@thepentagonnyc1799]

I almost always start to tweak (mix) as I produce. You cant just lump a bunch of sounds together and expect them to sound good. For me tweaking the sounds as I go will allow me to see if they fit or not. I have an idea of what I want and then start to audition sounds which everyone knows can be a grueling process. Once I decide on a sound i.e. synth, drums etc. I remove the frequencies that are not supposed to be there (just as a starting point and not to every sound yet). I noticed on many synths each sound has FX and is beefed up. The manufacturer does that to make the sound more appealing in solo. In reality if you leave it alone your mix may start to sound muddy. So I pretty much remove any unwanted frequencies right out of the gate. I do not go too heavy as if you remove the lows from everything your mix will start to "thin" out. The mixdown process is ALL about balance and its absolutely crucial to getting a great sounding final product.

[@ikonhero]

Very nice video! This is very helpful.

[@guyclegg]

Thank you

[@matheusdeoliveira7754]

Amazing video!

[@droiddaturo1114]

Fantastic!

[@djdreopo8729]

Great info. Thanks for sharing

[@MarK-sf4gz]

Muy bueno Gracias

[@NickPageNSpark]

I would pay to be taught by him and point blank, seems a cut above the rest!

[@AndreHeatnzeMusic]

Really helpful masterclass!

[@nemski69]

great stuff!!!

[@ellane8441]

Nice work.

[@olvinfuentes7514]

4:50 wtf this song sounds almost identical to - Animist x Tin Head (Marcus Jakes remix)

[@GG-wx8en]

yeah but it looks like animist released after that

[@Huetux_Project]

I would spend months learning from him...🧐 Thank you

[@clarkflavor]

I don't know about you guys, but I'm struggling to finish tracks.. (My biggest weakness)

[@TimoEngelvaart]

Yeah, me too. I get unmotivated when it's time to mix & master.

[@ItsJstLkTht]

Same here 😧

[@ftcollinsmasonrypros]

Force yourself to finish tracks even if you hate it - sadowick

[@marscrasher]

dk if this is still a problem but youtuber elephnt did a good video on how he learned to finish tracks

[@HouseJunk1e]

brilliant!!!!

[@NickPageNSpark]

He’s a good tutor

[@melona3727]

Thank you for the Great Lecture!!! :)

[@drydessert4198]

I don't to see any UAD Plug-Ins. You could as well show hardware. Yes, it sounds good but most people can't afford to buy extra DSP hardware. I have a few plug-ins that aren't cheap, like Sonnox and Flux. And if I ever have the income from music, then I will get a UAD interface, I suppose. But at the moment I don't have one and I am more interested what is possible with native plug-ins.

[@ketoevangelist3214]

native plugins haven't done the non-linearity modeling very well yet last I was working with a DAW. just a matter of time before good non-linearity modeling comes to native plugins though

[@DerekReeseZsugus]

I think this whole video is not about the plugins, but more about the theory behind the mastering. You could also use your own stuff, and just as the teacher said, learn them and experience with them, to achieve the same result. This tutorial is gold, because it points out the things you need to be aware of when mixing - in a way that is really understandable - and the road it's taking is not the only way - plugin-wise. :)

[@MrBeatTechnique]

Great 👍

[@maxmoser178]

very helpful thank you!

[@bgyukhnjm7837]

That's amazing.

[@bgyukhnjm7837]

Thanks

[@c3sarneves]

Amazing! Thank you :)

[@joliva4344]

Merci boss !!

[@MusicJBoficial]

Great tuto i appreciate it

[@Emilioh888]

vive la france quoi! lol good job, you're a good instructor

[@tompasev]

love the accent 🤩 thx!

[@SlayALLDay1979]

def mixing as i go along. Its instinctual . #cleffpallette

[@thankyouforcoming1705]

Pretty sure he gave you the processed stems and not the raw unprocessed stems. Production not just about the song parts and structure, its also about sounding good. So the producer of that track didn't give away his secrets.

[@audedebellefond9510]

thank you very much. :)

[@ARTEMIYNIK]

`brtilliant tutorial thank you

[@808j3]

That short room on the rim-shot is a little bright/harsh. Thanks for post!

[@m1ndsetstudio]

What's the key to house samples. Is that sample from packs, or is there a good go to for this type of singing samples. So sick !! 🔥

[@ClectaSkiMusic]

Good stuff

[@mb3official]

Why on earth would you need a plugin to A-B your mix to a reference track. You can always load up the reference track onto a separate audio track and send it stereo output, while your entire mix can be sent to a separate buss with all your mastering plugins before being routed to the stereo buss. This way you can A-B between your mix and the reference track by simply soloing and muting the ref track as you go along.

[@martinirecords9471]

Some people dnt like the hard way especially new school i guess

[@trimutv]

True tutorial 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

[@piano25]

Hi! Where can i find this plugin meter named "LEVELS"? I love that interface and have been unable to find it online as the word "LEVELS" is too broad of a search. Thanks! Amazing masterclass btw

[@therub2191]

www.masteringthemix.com/products/levels

[@DJSTOEK]

Good information

[@dj2r1]

Very informative glad I found this

[@TounInTheHole]

excellent lesson :)

[@rickeywest4105]

Mr. JC Concato where can I find that LEVELS Vst?

[@ambientlife9663]

I wear an arm band that says "what would JC do?"

[@Piter32199]

Perfect!