Why your mixes sound thin and weak (probably)

[@OscarUnderdog]

Find Oscar's video courses here: courses.underdog.brussels 🖤🖤🖤 Join the Underdog Discord channel: discord.gg/z5N9CTA 👾👾👾 The patreon: www.patreon.com/underdogmusicschool 💗💗💗 Follow Face the Sun here: soundcloud.com/face-the-sun-be 📷📷📷

[@manslaughterinc.9135]

The two related videos you linked are not clickable. Can you add them to the description?

[@onesoundstudio9684]

This video told me what I did wrong in my mixed for the past 4 years in 6 minutes Thank you

[@duckmanVSR]

Fr!! Some of the best info I’ve seen in a bit ✊🏽

[@gimmigimmigimmi]

if you think your mixes actually improved because you started using an analyzer you should really work on your critical listening skills. the concepts explained in this video are very generic and basic. compression and mid-range improve the perceived loudness. wow, who knew?? that's literally mixing 101.

[@onesoundstudio9684]

@@gimmigimmigimmi thank you any video you think I should watch?

[@91oktayne48]

We learn with time brother-man

[@gimmigimmigimmi]

@@onesoundstudio9684 buy any sound engineering book and read it. start with the basics. delete all of your plugins and only use the stock ones that came with your daw. work on your ear training, read about how records you like were made, learn about "classic" equipment and their history. learn how tu use a mixing desk and understand signal flow. there's so much you can do, but you need a solid base, there are no shortcuts.

[@microwave2240]

This is tutorials has to be. A simple example that almost everyone can understand and then showing how this appears in the actual mix. Top content as always!

[@dirtychump]

I absolutely love their content because its no longer than it needs to be. Most youtubers would take 20 minutes to explain the same amount of content.

[@mattclayton1991]

Ok

[@ACABSTUDIOS]

It's not a tutorial

[@ACABSTUDIOS]

@@dirtychump Actual tutorials would demonstrate what he's explaining, that's why they're longer; they're actually tutorials. This is just a lecture

[@holdenkock6246]

He is a gem

[@imathlon]

“Your monitoring situation *might* influence how you’re seeing this sound” Me, watching through my phone speakers: agreed

[@willswitchcraft]

Having spent decades in various recording studios, doing production and also mixing - I have to say that the simple rule that I've learned about 'mixing loud' is this. Don't ever do it. Generally speaking, the trick is to mix quite QUIET, and make sure that everything, including every note of the bass guitar - is clearly audible, even on shit speakers, in mono.......In every studio, 90% of the work is done on near field speakers, simply because 'virtually anything and everything sounds amazing on the 'voice of god' (large) speakers'. I worked a lot in 80's, when we didn't even have digital audio, with all it's associated visual representations of the audio signal's waveform. We just used our ears, and listened to our mixes on as many speakers systems, in as many different environments as possible. Usually, we'd limit ourselves to a few minutes an hour of listening to the big speakers in the studio - because of their big threat: Ear Fatigue.......which reduces your capacity to make informed decisions, even at lower volume levels. Hope that insight helps..........Great upload - just trying to add some related context.......

[@OscarUnderdog]

Super helpful, thanks for this! 🧡🙏

[@willswitchcraft]

My pleasure. I remember mixing 2 tracks for one of my musical projects back in about 1991. Neil Young had played guitar and sang on our album.......I had to go through his guitar solos and create a cohesive solo (he just started recording, totally unrehearsed, so there were loads of mistakes) Damn, when I think how quick it would have been if I'd had ProTools, etc., instead of having to sync 2 X 2" tape machines together to get the sections in the order I wanted........things were really different in those days, I can tell you. ....When it comes to 'affordable/home recording' we truly live in amazing times.

[@itsnrv1817]

that’s why you listen to references before you start mixing on any speakers lol😭

[@willswitchcraft]

True, and not just before, ....but it never hurts to reference again during a mix session, if there's something you're really trying to keep in sync with (even previous offerings by the same artist, etc.).......

[@genioloco9790]

I agree with this. Ear fatigue when producing is a big enemy. I still get stuck in the details. Don't compete in the loudness wars. It's rigged. If you pay for the mastering it only sounds louder. Not better. I tested this on landr and SoundCloud. The loudness wars is rigged no joke. If you send in a mastered track the difference is up to as much as 12 dB. And NO noticeable quality upgrade tale it from a veteran. And quote honestly, if you really want to make it. You have to be willing to buy your way up 😜. Anyone can do that don't flatter yourself. The problem with success is just having to kiss everybody's ass. Unless you are a fucking genius. I actually got copyrights back from Warner Bros didn't earn a dime. The game is rigged. The loudness wars will never stop. If you have talent. Use it and enjoy the envy of other artists. You are likely to get a few haters if you really have a gift. This is my biggest motivator. Success is so relative especially nowadays. Really people listen to plastic speakers on the highest volume and the dynamic range is raped. Modern music is built for marketing. Good sound is misunderstood with loud sound. I played vinyl my whole carreer and even with the latest pioneer release. Analogue sounds better. Not clinically better. It's a fucking rat race. I'd rather audition to be clown than to kiss ass. Not gonna sweet up my art to sound pretty. So kiss my ass. I hope you hate me. That's my add. Thank you and fuck you.

[@tresporros]

3:41 - that's right, many ppl think that way, but honestly, there is no magic wand in mastering music (I run Mastering Studio in London for over 10 years btw), if the mix is poor- the master won't help it, simple as that, mastering is not about correcting bad mixes or/and bad recordings/production. Mixing is for correcting bad mixes:). Anyway, I absolutely agree on your point - the creation/production stage is crucial, choosing a bad kick will ruin your song.

[@OscarUnderdog]

Always good to have my videos confirmed by veterans who know their stuff :) ✌ thanks for sharing!

[@Sh0n0]

My favorite kick is the flying roundhouse but my wife hates when i use it on her

[@Spyritmyx]

@@Sh0n0 LMAO

[@JayM928]

Help me understand what mastering is for then. If we’re saying that ideally the mastering engineer has no job, then … I interpret that to mean the mastering engineer’s job IS to try to fix what should have been done well initially but wasn’t. If not, what IS the purpose of the mastering process? I don’t think this would seem strange to me if we didn’t consider mixing and mastering two different jobs. Thanks Edit: it sounds like “mastering” is just a quality check by another set of ears that puts on finishing touches. If that’s the case, I still don’t understand why that would be a different specialty than mixing. Pardon my ignorance on the subject-want to understand.

[@mrnelsonius5631]

Dealing with transients artfully is really where “loudness” and “punch” dance. Lots of dynamic range in the crest factor will limit the perceived overall loudness by gobbling your headroom with spikes, but keeping *some* transient intact adds punch and impact. It’s a balancing act. Training your ear for transient response is just as important as frequency response. Great video!

[@leyvua7362]

This is the way to win the Loudness War. Keeping your track with enough transients to keep it punchy, and squashed enough to be competitive in the music industry. It is an art, as you well said

[@najee2123]

This is what I’ve come to learn just recently from hours of practice man I’m glad to know I’m on the right track! Thank you guys 🙏🏽

[@stickyhairlesscats]

Wow, this was an amazingly presented tutorial. No bs, interactive, and super informative. Excellent work!

[@supremeciroc]

Just finished your electronic music course! Excited to start your techno course next! I've learned more on your channel than in my four years in college for music. I want to thank you deeply for giving me a solid framework to fall back on and for explaining concepts that used to confuse me so well. I'm finally finishing tracks and starting to feel more confident. I can't thank you enough!!

[@zachary963]

When I started, I was deathly afraid of using limiters. Now, I use them in mixes all the time. It helps so much with dynamics, even when the limiter is doing light work and can’t really be heard.

[@screw_the_world]

This video is so underrated. People don't realize how much knowledge you can get from this video. Thank you so much for explaining!

[@OscarUnderdog]

🌱

[@isellfarts]

the most impactful lesson I have learned in starting my compositions is making sure all the sounds chosen are top-notch and just like you mention in the beginning, running the sounds through an oscilloscope and spectral analyzer to check any nasty transients or resonances, etc. It makes mixing the completed project almost non-existent because it already sounds that good. Especially when it comes to choosing the right percussive elements. Great video!

[@PoweredByOstX]

He is probably the best instructor in electronic music. Thanks for another lesson.

[@OscarUnderdog]

Cheers 😁💙

[@jonathansoko1085]

Most of it applies to hiphop aswell, lots of overlap

[@oinkooink]

@@jonathansoko1085 How about trance? Trip hop? Gangsta rap?

[@ditshipp]

I'm working on a big silly metal song and this video couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Thanks for helping fill in some gaps on why my exports are coming out boneless!

[@coreyroberts47]

My metal is silly too! I love it

[@yojo7577]

Incredibly condensed information, awesome!

[@pianoatthirty]

Such a great summary. Looking back on my past songs/mixes, I would always, always, ALWAYS mix the drums (mostly the kick), WAY TOO LOUD compared to the rest of the music. And then would spend all this time with multiband limiters, clippers, loudness enhancers, etc to get it to sound like "finished music" - though something always sounded a bit 'off' when compared to other music I admired. Another thing was always way too much low-mid buildup. That stuff ends up eating up so much headroom, that again, I would turn to multiband compressors followed by multiband limiters, clippers, more limiting, to get things to "sound right". Just pure insanity. Amazing what skillful filtering and simple compression/saturation can do.

[@Bittamin]

I really appreciate lessons I can apply the key points to in any Daw! Thanks for that game we played, was mind blowing. Reminded me of learning science in school when the teacher would do magic in front of you and explain it with science

[@OscarUnderdog]

💙

[@imathlon]

0:58 THIS!! You have no idea how long it took me to realize tons of compression and heavy limiting isn’t necessary for a loud mix/master, and it has completely enhanced the quality of my mixes since.

[@Rotyoto]

Thank you so much for your content, youre amazing. Much love from Turkey

[@HasanGhaziMusic]

As a self taught electronic music producers your videos are great. Simple yet effective, sums up what I've learned through years of trial and error in an easy to understand short video

[@jonathansoko1085]

I've been making beats for 20 years and i am only now starting to mix decently. Most people including myself just slammed everything, for years. Im still not happy with my own mix and mastering but its definitley way more listenable for me. Im so afraid of degrading and ruining my beats by making them too loud. In the 90s things were so much more reasonable

[@Deleted11100]

This is really interesting to me, as a massive fan of gatecrasher and early uk house, garage and techno, whenever I hear tracks being uploaded on here from for example 92’, I’m always in awe at how ahead of its time and well mixed everything sounds, I always assumed making music back in the 90’s would have been far more complex, simpler in ways, but then I came to realise anything made on analogue will generally sound fresher and better, then I developed a passion for acid techno produced on the old analogue gear.

[@PgTrAxX]

@@Deleted11100 Analog or digital.... both are/sound great. I don't know why you brought that up? You'd be surprised how much was digital back in 92 :) samplers, digital synths.... Especially Roland synths with those cards and the EMU sampler modules holy shit :D

[@ocdmusic]

Im very much a beginner really so am learning as I go along, this kind of free information/education is so much appreciated!!

[@oinkooink]

Anything free is good for you. Just look at the vaccines.......oh......hehehehehehehehelol

[@kingdomofheavenmusic3]

You explained this great. I didn’t even notice the left kick sample was hitting at the same level as the right until you pointed it out. Knowing dynamic range and using frequency analyzers will definitely be a game changer. Thanks for the video. I think when I get a transient shaper it will help sustain the higher frequencies too and add some body. For now though all I have is distortion, EQ, and compression. Great video.

[@andresfelipeguerrero3915]

For some reason, at the half of this video i understood what i have been doing wrong so much time ago, now i can mix with total confidence, this is something that some " smoke sellers" will never explain for free, thank you very much.

[@TheNightOff9]

Very useful! I am new to mixing and mastering, and all of what you said made perfect sense. Can’t wait to try out the helpful tips! Thanks for creating this video. Really well done. I will definitely check out your other videos! 😊

[@PRFCTMANDEM]

Literally realised this concept a week ago and it has changed the game! Thanks for sharing with people!

[@in_10z]

I hear that kick mistake soooooo much. Nice one.

[@ddutchofficial]

I have never heard a better more clear explaination about the matter

[@DubFreakuencies]

The rms meter on the second sound has higher value which for the ears means louder.Same peak value doesn't mean both sounds equally loud.The second sound is louder due to higher harmonic content due to distortion/saturation, lower crest factor and smaller dynamic range.Just my 3 cents for whoever is interested.All the best.

[@bonesetter]

One of your best videos. Thank you.

[@MM-bv7ks]

gold. again. pure gold. thanks!

[@djcolinturnbull]

Good video and well explained about transients and how they affect loudness. The most important aspect of loud mixes isn’t addressed. But that is very common and not often talked about. Nice presentation!

[@jimmypierson1980]

Can you elaborate ?

[@djcolinturnbull]

@@jimmypierson1980 Hi Jimmy. The answer is masking. In my opinion dealing with masking is the most important aspect to manage in a mix to have clean and loud mixes. 👍🏻 so good monitoring is important to address this.

[@riverkelly3025]

this was a great Informational video ! wow especially that first tip haha that really clicked for me, for the first time even tho I heard it before I could't understand it until now.

[@janbriggs7619]

WOW WHAT AN AWESOME INSTRUCTOR..THIS IS THE BEST TUTORIAL I HAVE EVER EVER VIEWED..THANK YOU. YOU ARE AWESOME !!!!!

[@GiulianoDrago]

Love to see how this channel bloomed! awesome content, perfectly presented... grande Oscar!

[@adopdutch4097]

After a year of doing everything people told me to do on KZbin regarding mastering and mixing for a loud mix and still not seeing results, this video actually told me what I was doing wrong all this time.

[@hockinghillsalive3624]

You have a seemingly natural gift for explaination. This is my first time seeing your content, and I am subbing your channel simply based on your ability to explain things... very well. Thanks, man!

[@gbengaafolayan]

Great and brief tutorial

[@Roccetscience]

I mastered an instrumental today and everything you said lets me know headed in the right direction. I'm starting to understand what mastering is really

[@Deleted11100]

This channel is a godsend. Thanks for this one! Another helpful tip I picked up one once was try avoid mixing a track at high volumes, you can comfortably mix everything more accurately at lower volumes. Having your track too loud when trying to mix it will throw you off balance, don’t forget bass travels, so the louder your track is. The less your actually hearing of critical parts. It’s best to listen to your track loud every so often when you stand up and walk around your room, If it sounds decent 4 meters away there is a good chance you’ve got a good mix, As opposed to sticking your head right next to the speakers, where you are getting a false image of the mix. Not sure if this is totally useless advice but it has helped me in recent years.

[@tylerkga]

Man that was awesome what a great explanation. U rock

[@nikdartz]

So car and great explanation, im atodidact, that make more dificult to me to undestand some things, but you where clear as water, also thanks for you explanation/tutorial vids, im reaching my own sound thanks to you!

[@yassineaksas5248]

amazingly made video, instant subscription.

[@CoolLava]

Well done. Thanks music brother. 😊

[@fredericpasco2863]

Hey mate , without knowing this i was doing it ,usefull 2 confort my way of doing ,thx again & u're still my Electronic arts hero

[@djbrnsted5935]

Using an oscilloscope is a great idea to check the loudness of transients. For some reason I have never really thought to do this and I’m sure it’s going to be super helpful… Thankyou!

[@djbrnsted5935]

@Dom Anca I have Pro L so i might give that a try too, thanks man!

[@tresporros]

Fletcher-Munson theory - very helpful

[@prod.rafaxci]

Pausing the video at the half of it to give you my thumbs up cause I've already learned something from it.

[@cheek1m0nkey]

I wish someone had explained this to me much earlier in my music journey. Much thanks.

[@OscarUnderdog]

Same here :D

[@discochain6402]

I actually appreciated the concisely put info! Thanks!

[@copykon]

Thanks for humbling me, The Engineer are the the real real. Thanks for posting. Will follow up.

[@ozzo5948]

Man I love you. Thanks for this video, it's super clear, well illustrated and formidable content !

[@satyamsangwan17]

Amazing Video! I teach this concept to my students all the time. Good to know about the different loudness meters.

[@diegod1177]

A+ as always

[@akadz]

This is so true, it's always great to come back on the basis of music production. This video need to be seen by many people.

[@SuperJamesus]

This is great. Mixing for years, work in audio. This is very clear !

[@Juan-th3zi]

thanks man! You are putting the concepts out there really clear.

[@93cyclist]

Thanks for the video ! Makes a lot of sense !

[@crimson3510]

This was so perfect I'm still staring at my phone.... 👏👏👏👏Solid knowledge💥

[@steven4217]

Very informative- thank you

[@SacredOm369]

Wow! Great content keep it going 👍🏻

[@orpheuscreativeco9236]

Compress and run that transient into saturation for a bit of crunchy crispy high-end ✌️

[@WhoisDJNox]

Damn, this is a really good tutorial breakdown.

[@jackbars]

That bass in the voice just made it so emphasizing

[@whereispriv]

I’ve been mixing quiet and running every song I have through a mastering chain 6-7 plugins long for YEARS. I have to try this. GREAT piece of advice.

[@bashav619]

Great video..... I will remember these rules.

[@CanaldoRonan]

this guy is awesome, thanks for share your knowledge! big up from Brazil

[@peterkalyoncu6869]

Thank you so much for your clear explanation! Cannot wait to try this out in my next mix.

[@Chipkalli]

Shoutout from India, many thanks! Super helpful!

[@post-maskparty8364]

Just saw this on my recommendations. Didn’t disappoint at all. Good work mate!!!!

[@aricunono6272]

The way you explain is perfect.

[@toddwmac]

Great stuff as always...thanks!

[@Mefistofy]

From a technical standpoint loudness is a measure of peak and rms power of a signal. Our ears are pretty non-linear. Making a good decision is not easy, as you can see with modern loudness normalization. Works mostly but sometimes a little off.

[@netomorgan7991]

Fantastic video. Thank you!

[@braddasseymusic]

This was super easy to understand. Best video ever. Loved the games.

[@TheFRiNgEguitars]

Excellent!! The dynamics and speed of attack correlate more to the quality of music; The average level correlates more to the loudness and density of music. Too much dynamic attack causes wimpy sound; Too much compression-limiting causes congestion, and not enough space between instruments, higher distortion, fatigue in listening.

[@BlakeRubelle]

To the point, well expressed with accurate information... what an excellent video. I found it helpful, thank you very much.

[@llll-lk2mm]

i am so thankful for this video. love it.

[@jacobpowell5773]

You are the MAN❤ thank you

[@maxgamezmusic]

Your tips are always eyeopening and amazingly accurate. Gracias mi Amigo!!

[@Rollur1234]

Thank you for all these training videos. I watched a whole lot of your mixing videos and finally sent out my own mix and master version. I did it in Reason and found out that there wasn't any distortion above the 0dB until +4dB mark so I raised the settings on the gain outputs on the master plugins (in addition to many other things). I fully mono-ed the low end in the stereo maximixer. It is helpful to push a deadline on yourself for a final edition. IMO.

[@hungryformusik]

I had no clue about this but it was interesting and I surely remember it when needed.

[@rockandjroll]

Absolute legend, thank you brother 🙏🏽

[@MicahBuzanMUSIC]

Insanely simple and helpful.

[@jayfiya5230]

Just subbed. Excellent video. Mixing is the hardest part for me.

[@MITCHBR0WN]

Thanks for that.. I've been thinking about exactly this the last couple of days and then your vid pops up 💥 my stuff never sounds as loud as other tracks out there even after professional mastering.. will investigate 👍

[@cromtogaming4999]

Really good considerations, thanks man!

[@danscu5278]

I really like your presentation style!

[@jameslock]

Great video and very well explained. Thank you Underdog :)

[@advptr8654]

Solid explanation 👌🏼

[@analogantelope]

I'm thrilled at how intuitive this is! thanks for the advice :)

[@badm.d]

This video is going to improve the quality of my first releases so much! thankyou. Helped make mixing make so much more sense and gave good end goal ideas.

[@Matt-vg8mb]

Awesome stuff!

[@jackjeffrey1387]

Really good content, love the technical analysis

[@na_der]

Thnx Oscar, thnx! Luv u sooo much, bro!

[@steamakadtekkakadavidoni9880]

Thank you Underdog Music! I feel this could make a difference to my approach.

[@Tekloiddnb]

Don't mix high, mix low and don't use limiters on master bus. Gives more room when mastering and teaches you to always check your sounds. I mix around -10db

[@MrScrooge1980]

Headroom is very important

[@divina.glitch]

Amazing, pro and simple explanation!!!

[@hourglassremains]

Will definitely keep this in mind for the journey ahead - thanks for the tips

[@maxgamezmusic]

Awesome lesson, thank you 🙏🏼 It made me instantly subscribe 👍🏼 Good Job 👍🏼