Mixing Prices, Tubes & Headphones: March Q&A

[@davidcamarda8723]

Getting paid for your skills is better than getting paid for your time. Priceless.

[@ToHerbiarz]

Great quote from 16:20 . You are very wise and well educated on business. What you speak about is written in business books. Wise man!

[@Dan_Mahoney]

Love when it gets nerdy. I've learned a ton here! My thing lately has been running every track through the SSL Chanel Strip 2 with their 360 app and then putting their Saturator and Bus Compressor 2 lightly on the mix bus to start things off. Weiss stuff is on sale. You helped convince me they are worth it. Those plugins are sooo fun! Thanks David!!

[@mixbustv]

Happy to help!

[@okay1904]

That answer to the clipping question, so agrees with everything I do in my mixes, and was brilliant, fantastic example was that of the harmonic distortion on a complex audio. Genius answer. Demonstrates that this chap really understands his tools. I am so impressed.

[@SoundKilterStudio]

This one was full of good stuff man! I mix (through) my 2-Bus in the exact same manner, even the use of the EQ. Excellent video bro!

[@DrProgNerd]

Great info. Thank you. Back in my gigging days, bar owners tended to lump bands in one category - and wanted to pay accordingly. The reality is that a great band can attract and hold patrons to an establishment - and a bad band can drive them away. We constantly had to point out that - not only did we hold a crowd - but had a decent sized group of people who would show up for us. More people - more food/drinks sold. Each of us had 30 years in music. They weren't hiring just another band, they were hiring 150 years of experience. Experience has value - and you can't argue with results. Never sell yourself short.

[@marcomontex23]

Tbh I found very little educational value in MWTM so ended up canceling my membership. Talent and hard work aside, you realise that many of the a-list top engineers that are featured got where they are also as a consequence of being at the right place at the right time, when hundreds of cool records were made in a row. Also the kind of raw tracks they receive are likely coming from million dollars productions, which sound already like a finished product lol, so not much value to extract in my opinion.

[@mixbustv]

You are the reason I have hope in humanity today :D

[@rickyspanish9080]

Exactly. When you have the opportunity to listen to rough mixes of big productions they nearly sound like the definitive mix. The mixer is there to polish and make the final creative touch to get it all together.

[@astrarivm]

Same here. Their old series are brilliant, but new are useless.

[@Standard.Candle]

I know this is a superficial point, but I've been thinking it for a year. You have a thick accent, I assume English is not your first language, and yet your commentary is more precise, well-defined, articulate, and insightful than 99% of native English speakers I watch in this space. Again, it's superficial I know, but I love it xD Where is that accent from though?

[@mixbustv]

Thank you! I was born in Italy, living in LA

[@jimsmithson2936]

truth

[@AudioJanitor]

Josh from Stam Audio confirms this question about tubes as well...they don't make up too much of the audio in his gear (EQP) I need a Gainlab Audio EQ

[@IvoVollering]

Sweet insights. That was fun to listen to :) Thank you Dave!

[@astrarivm]

Great series, David! Thank you.

[@Studio22mix]

Great, I always like the Q&A videos, Thanks for answering my question 🤟🏼

[@Beatsbyblac]

great information and advice, answered a good few questions and uncertainties in my mind.

[@justinhoffman1111]

ive never heard my empress sound bad even with tube boost as for as the first question with power/punch, etc its all how you use it/ how you mix i feel - i produce house/techno and my tracks def beneift from it vs using a plugin, maybe for drum and bass because it has that in your face digital feel as well as some techno. Eitherway they are likely using some digital tube emulation and ive never heard an emulation sound better then my analog gear as of yet anyway.

[@Tallstack]

Thanks for the insight! 🤘

[@octaviohenrique.n]

Awesome. Once again you explained well the eq x phase. Thanks. If you know some good more affordable monitors with good lows let us know lol

[@uriel-heavensguardian8949]

Awesome video!!!!!

[@verstecktsein5639]

where is the new igs eq test.... ?? ahhhhh, hurry up please.....😘

[@mixbustv]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/fp2ropWMp55qrc0si=9H70flUOVkKWMGwz

[@SoundKilterStudio]

Hey Ive commented already but I forgot to ask you a preference based question. Lets say, hypothetically, that you are still yet to buy your first EQ for your 2-Bus but you are really wanting to get one (one with color), and (if it matters) you mainly mix hard rock metal, what would you buy? Asking for a friend 😂.

[@mixbustv]

You know it depends on your budget. But there's 3 main contenderes for rock on 2bus, in order of what I'd get first: ngTubeEq. Hands down, this should be THEEE choice now, it has all the good of the best tube eq with none of the drawbacks AND digital recall on top. Number 2 would be Curve Bender, but it won't be as versatile as the Ng and 3 Empress eq, only putting it in 3rd because it's an extended pultec and so not as many tricks up its sleeve as the others but the sound is there with them (and better than the CV).

[@SoundKilterStudio]

Right on man. Thank you very much for the reply. And I had a feeling thats what you were going to put as first. I watched your video on it, and damn! But I wanted to mention, and Im sure you have mentioned it in the past but I just didnt catch it til today, and it makes me feel like a newb, but the advice you gave for linear eq on parallel tracks COMPLETELY blew my mind how much better it made my mix sound! I use quite a bit of parallels and I replaced all eq's with a linear on a mix Im working on and it was CRAZY how much additional sound came out!!! My mix was instantly fuller, fatter, wider...etc. THANK YOU BRO!!!!

[@aprstudio7115]

What would you consider a good amount of headroom for a tube unit?

[@mixbustv]

The benchmark has been set by Wes Audio TubeEQ and IGS 825. No reason to settle for less (since tube eqs are expensive no matter what)

[@principedegales7092]

hello what plugins do you reconend that dont have aliasing? thanks

[@nashse7en]

Hi David, I was curious to know if analog mastering hardware also needs to receive the signal at -18dbfs for each plugin until the engineer run the song inside the limiter?

[@mixbustv]

Absolutely not. Hardware sweet spot depends on the hardware, the sound you want, and the interaction with the other pieces which quite complex. The whole -18 is - as the Internet likes - an oversimplification. That number is at best, a "safe starting point" . As for plug-ins needing to be fed that number, 90% is absolute BS. I've only encountered a few plugins which would actually change sound and behavior based on how hard you hit them

[@kagunmarx5914]

🔥

[@djdanger9812]

Hey David, with all the I/O your using in the studio and the recent addition to increase it Im interested in how your actually routing your setup. It seems you have more channels coming out than in and I thought you used most of your hardware (on tracks and busses) as inserts? I really need to increase my I/O so ive been looking at interfaces but the choices are pretty overwhelming. I think there would be genuine interest in your signal flow / routing and why you've made those choices making for some great educational content.

[@mixbustv]

I do have it in another video, probably titles studio tour or something. But no I have the same Ins than I have outs. I do have more analog channels than I/O's that's because not everything needs to be on its own insert, namely the units I use on the 2bus and only on the 2bus. But I do have the flock, that allows me to put everything anywhere at any time with just a click. Life changing.

[@Studio22mix]

If you need more i/o then using adat is easy to get 8 more for cheap, if you need more than 24 then Antelope or Ferrofish are reasonably affordable options. (btw RME has a 32 channel adat converter which is around 450 bucks)

[@djdanger9812]

@@Studio22mix I have a Fireface 800 for the past 20+ years, I now have 2 linked for more channels. RME is rock solid. I would like to get 32 channels and since ive never used any other interface im concerned the quality of my old FF800 (converters) could be much better with a newer unit? Also support for Firewire in the future is also a concern. Antelope Orion 32+ or the Ferrofish A32pro look to fit my needs I/O wise but will they really be much of a jump up in audio quality? Thanks for your reply btw.

[@djdanger9812]

@@mixbustv Oh the Motu 16A is AD/DA. I thought it was only a DA converter. Makes sense now lol. Thanks for the reply as always boss!

[@Studio22mix]

@@djdanger9812 For what I heard from other engineers the converters are definitely better over the Fireface 800. The Ferrofish is built in the same factory as RME, I know that Braxal bought one last week. For the Antelope I know that Dave from mixing music analog has got the Galaxy recently and he’s happy with it. (just heard from Braxal that he’s very happy with the Ferrofish, Paul from Audio Animals used to own one too and recommends it) You’re welcome 😉

[@doradayeh1550]

Hi David. What would be the sonic difference between the Fatso vs the RND 542 since they both are "tape emulators"? I know you use the 542's in the 2buss, where you use the Fatso?

[@mixbustv]

World apart. FATSO is a compressor at its core, that's its main function. The tape circuit has no settings or control besides how hard you hit it. It's one sound, altho very pleasant is somewhat subtle compared to 542s. It's round and warm, will soften to some extent. The warm circuit (which everyone mistakes for the tape one) is basically a deesser. One of the best in the world, but a deesser. 542s have 10000 sounds, more or less bump, more or less saturation, huge low end, completely different than FATSO. And the xformers are too, top end sizzle for the fatso, midrange glory for the red silk and warm and rolled off for the blue. And of course 542s have no compression

[@doradayeh1550]

@@mixbustv Thank you very much. Just to have an idea: if I was looking for the big drum room pumping effect, wich one, inserted on room mics, you think would do it better between Fatso, 542s, Distressor or 1176?

[@Snipersounds]

Ha ha ha haaaa! That's the new one!👍🤣 1. "Lamborghini don't lower their prices..." 2. "Cutting the balls off the mix..." 3. "F'arounditus..." What are your top 3 favourite DG one-liners?🤣

[@mixbustv]

We can print a quick-book :D

[@snubdawg1386]

how do i copyright unreleased lyrics? ...never thought that this is possible

[@MarcosRobertoDosSantosJF]

You need to register the lyric in the copyright bureau from your country. Do an online research about how to do this where you live.

[@snubdawg1386]

@@MarcosRobertoDosSantosJF thank you

[@GriffinPoole]

Lamborghini doesn't lower their prices for ppl who can't afford it... because itz Lamborghini

[@TheSakuraGumiLTD]

If there was a very good mixer for $50, then that is a rare case and that person is waiting for the name from it and then will charge more anyway. But, such a tactic is not good as a mix engineer to get a name. Becuase your name is spread by underground names and a lot of artist might not do you any favours as the field of random people is filled with BS. If you charge based entirely on worth, you leave yourself able to climb the ladder in the type of clients you will work with. Are you McDonalds trying to get any odd person in a profiting off of quantity over quality? Or are you giving top class but underselling yourself to the wrong market? Or have you learned that who you mix for is a big part of becoming the best mixer you can? Like if you made very elite food, you can not keep doing that if you undercut yourself and you are not giving your product to the right people to appreacte it... plus, you will not meet the other professionals to throw ideas around with and just get into the entire lifestyle of being in the business. And then have you realised you have to think in business and not in a false ideology? We all want to make the world right... but it's not and any power to make any change you will need to be successful to have the resources to actually make changes. That paradise does exist... but you do not get there living like you are in paradise already, work until the fruits over flow around you

[@TheSakuraGumiLTD]

So... snakes in the grass are a very important part of the work and this is why the clients you go for is so important