1) mix bus compression 2) parallel compression 3) grouping sounds 4) using reference tracks 5) understanding phase 6) using fx sends 7) cracking the compression code 8) masking 9) knowing when to do nothing 10) using drum samples
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
🚨 Spoiler alert! 😂 make sure you watch and learn why these things will make a difference to your mixing 😉
@Artec6196 ай бұрын
As I watched your video I went back and forth from a mix I'm working on at the moment and it really helped me, thank you!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
That’s awesome, glad to hear it!
@edwardkenemorales6 ай бұрын
One of the things that changed my mixing is: DISCOVERING YOUR CHANNEL and discovering how nasty 6k is 🎉
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks man! 6K can definitely be nassssty!
@loredanamassini94846 ай бұрын
@@spinlightstudios on what source?
@golfmanbil6 ай бұрын
I guess I have never really understood how to use compressors. I brought up a mix I am working on and used the exact settings and compressor plugins you use in this video. Honestly, I'm blown away! This is the first time I can actually sense the instrument changing depth in a mix and I can clearly hear how the release and attack are working on the individual instruments. The Slate Grey compressor is awesome and for once I have created a mix that sounds somewhat Pro level. Thanks RYYS very grateful
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
That’s awesome mate! So glad to hear you took something away from this and were able to apply it!
@drewwilliams24116 ай бұрын
On point info. Phase is 🔑. I put more focus on phase and volume balance when mixing nowadays. Everything else seems to falls into place more down the line.
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
So very important!
@GRAVYBEATS4 ай бұрын
Brother you're my go to channel for mixing tips now. Thanks for sharing your knowledge 🙌💯
@spinlightstudios4 ай бұрын
Cheers mate!
@zeevshaff6 ай бұрын
That point on the release being like back and forth is brilliant!! My mind automatically thought of so many ways to implement this! You are amazing my man
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks mate!
@mantis8346 ай бұрын
There are a gazillion similar videos to this one on the toobz, but your calm and relaxed approach to explaining it all was great. I've been doing this a long time and am familiar with all of what you touched upon, yet I still found this video engaging and interesting to watch all the way through. What tipped the scale was your tip 9 - knowing when not to process or do anything to a sound. Just because we have the tools, doesn't mean we need to use them. This right there is so often overlooked and not discussed enough, so for that alone, hats off. As for the stereo bus question many seem to be asking... It's a good practice to route all your channels to a new created mix bus, which then feeds the stereo master output. As Rhys said, this way, should you want to import a reference track into your session, you simply let its outputs be automatically routed to the main stereo bus vs. your actual mix bus. Thus, any processing you put on your mix bus will not affect the reference track in any way. Well done on this video and happily subscribed. :)
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks so much mate! Glad you enjoyed my style! I know plenty of these tips are second nature to a seasoned audiophile, but to the newcomers it’s valuable knowledge :) appreciate your comment 🙏🏼
@nigell.87056 ай бұрын
This was one of the best videos on mixing. The clear explanations, the examples, the flow of the video.. Superb.
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks Nigel!
@PoloBoyShawtyBeats6 ай бұрын
The kramer tape - ssl comp going into the L2 on the mix buss made a difference for me!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Kramer is great for shaving off some transients!
@d.m.ebeats90136 ай бұрын
Mix bus compression is so cool,I was working on a master yesterday, I took an ApI 2500 plugin,added to master I was so surprised about the push my mix suddenly had.
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
That compressor definitely packs a punch!
@Arden7one6 ай бұрын
The only video you need on mixing! From here you can go anywhere! Phenomenal as always bud ❤️🔥 Thank you
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks mate!
@robdigital59205 ай бұрын
This is probably the best mixing summary tutorial I have ever seen.
@spinlightstudios5 ай бұрын
Thanks!
@ajs_channel6 ай бұрын
Love the sample tip. I've been struggling with my drum recording and was resigned to the fact that I'd need to use samples. But you showing the blending of the sample in really helps me get over this mental blocker! Cheers Rhys!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks AJ! Honeslty, some people just like to act like if you use samples you can’t mix.. it’s some sort of superiority complex imo. Samples are just a tool to get a result, and if you like how it sounds in the end, that’s what matters!
@ringomaharaj12685 ай бұрын
The compression on the mix bus is really awesome, I would like a video on input levels on recordings as well as what pluggin you use on mastering.
@HeDrewNoyes6 ай бұрын
Videos like this are what really make such a difference in overcoming beginner mistakes. Splendid as always Rhys.
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks Andrew!
@guitarplayer59326 ай бұрын
top down mixing was a game changer for me, sent everything to sub groups like you discussed and mixed there first
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Top down mixing can be pretty awesome
@angrybuzzy5 ай бұрын
Excellent tips, SS. Especially your explanations and demonstration of different compression settings on vocals.
@spinlightstudios5 ай бұрын
Thank you :)
@TheDonzizi6 ай бұрын
The best way I found to benefit from buss compression is to mix INTO the compressor. I use top down mixing and so put the mix buss compressor from the beginning. I use the Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor Class A and it sounds so good I can’t imagine mixing without it.
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Absolutely! Mix bus compressor is one of the first things I set up in a mix! I’ve got the plugin of that compressor too, really cool!
@shizumaruofficial6 ай бұрын
Good god. Parallel compression instantly helped my drums from being underneath to in-yo-face. THANKS!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Yeassh! Smash those drums 💪🏻
@PrantoKoX6 ай бұрын
BTW nice to see someone using the term "stems" the correct way, and explaining it so less people use wrong terminology. 👍🏻👍🏻 On the topic of terminology, funny barbershop slip there: "Filter combing" ✂️🤭😂 - you meant "Comb filtering". 😉😉
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Haha aaah seems I’ve created my own terms 😂😂
@hockinghillsalive36246 ай бұрын
Okay, out of dozens and dozens of similar videos, THIS ONE is fire. This has been a great help. Thanks, mate!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Glad to hear it!
@hockinghillsalive36246 ай бұрын
@@spinlightstudios I appreciate the effort you're putting into teaching others. It's a synergistic approach to also building your audience and channel. I like your style too. It's just clear and helpful in many ways.
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks mate, trying to keep it authentic!
@MattLunser6 ай бұрын
Awesome video! Regarding reference tracks, that's how I'm learning more about drum recording. My son and I do YT drum covers and we'll pick songs that might be a bit simpler to play but would be fun to try and match a particular tone or sound in the original recording. We don't really achieve it, but it's helped us find sounds or effects that otherwise I doubt we would have on our own. Gives me a whole new appreciation for the original engineers and what they achieved on their own.
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
That’s great! It’s always fun to try and achieve new sounds!
@laytonkelly11085 ай бұрын
Exactly what i needed to see! Grest video and currently going over my mix while watching this. Thankyou! Great video.
@spinlightstudios5 ай бұрын
Thanks Mate!
@DrProgNerd6 ай бұрын
Wish I had seen this video a couple of years ago when I was getting started. It probably took a couple dozen videos to learn about all the things you covered in this one. I'm still working for that 'aha' moment with compression. I'm somewhere between knowing what I'm doing - and throwing sh*t at the wall - hoping I end up with the Mona Lisa. Lol !!! Great video, Rhys. Thanks.
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Haha love it. It’s still art in the end right?!
@komobabo6 ай бұрын
I have learned a lot of these watching your videos and your mix course you sell. Definitely cleared up a lot of the things that were completely lost on me. Parallel comp on drums is something I had not even considered and doing rock music I realized it is absolutely essential!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
That’s awesome mate! Glad I can help!
@WassupFredАй бұрын
Great video bro.. great tips
@spinlightstudiosАй бұрын
Thanks!
@darlingtonpersonal6 ай бұрын
I just want to say thank you for the knowledge you always share for free, your channel is Gold, every time I watch any of your video my skill level increase. And knowing you are on Logic proX makes its even more fun. Thank you very much
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks so much mate, happy to help!
@maxanlikermusic5 ай бұрын
Great video!
@spinlightstudios5 ай бұрын
Thanks legend!
@stevewoodyt6 ай бұрын
Something that I feel like gets overlooked a lot. Turn it up. Listen to it loud before getting too deep into it. It will almost always sound better.
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Yeah you can hear if something is too harsh or loud when you crank it!
@jasonpintea23326 ай бұрын
Great Vid! Super helpful for a beginner like me! You very good at teaching and showing! Cheers from the U.S.!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Stoked to hear that!
@blackjack24766 ай бұрын
Appreciate you sharing all this valuable information. Very helpful!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
No problem!
@evandrobotti8655 ай бұрын
Excellent Lesson! Thx!! Keep on Rocking!
@spinlightstudios5 ай бұрын
Thanks!
@itsmesandman2 ай бұрын
Your mix sound more paramore than Paramore. Kudos to you sir.
@spinlightstudios2 ай бұрын
Ah thanks!
@TommyrotLLC5 ай бұрын
Interestingly, I prefer the example with the guitar bumped at 800. Vocals more buried in guitars reduces the overly pop feel of this song. More of a big guitar indie rock sound.
@spinlightstudios5 ай бұрын
Yeah for sure man, I mean - mixing can go so many ways!
@lennylewismusic6 ай бұрын
Auto align 2 works great on drums, must have plug in.
@huberttorzewski6 ай бұрын
actually it's pretty garbage, it makes all the transients blurry and the depth goes away. I've tried it on multiple raw drum recordings. Manual phase alignment is the way to go
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
I’ve tried auto-align but find manual alignment quicker and better to my ears! But whatever gets the job done!
@DaftFader6 ай бұрын
I went and built my own DIY SSL clone G bus compressor precisely because I used to use the wave SSL G bus plug on my mix bus. xD I had the same revelation when I went to hardware compressors for he mix bus ... I was like woah this sounds SO much better than any plug in emulation I've ever used (and it's not even a real SSL, although it basically has the same circuitry as the old G comps, with a few mods).
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Hardware is definitely a nice option to have!
@DaftFader6 ай бұрын
@@spinlightstudios Yeah it's so expensive tho. I also had a similar revelation when I found out there's a bunch of DIY gear you can build ... I was like "Whoa, you mean I can build it myself for like half the price or less?!" ... :D
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
@@DaftFader that’s definitely something I want to try! Just need a space the kids can’t destroy 😅😅
@DaftFader6 ай бұрын
@@spinlightstudios Haha, yeah soldering iron around kids is a bit of a nono, even I've managed to burn a few holes in my carpet by swiping the thing with the back of my hand by accident and knocking it off my desk. 😅 It is super fun though, and really rewarding and satisfying when you get the thing working. I think you get more of an attachment to that bit of gear as you built it yourself and are invested in it, which helps you start to learn and understand how it works (in an electrical sense).
@tommorton72116 ай бұрын
A shout out to the fact you can get the stems for this song at your store, mix it yourself, and then follow along with you while you mix it seems like a crazy omission from this video. I suspect you just didn’t want to sound salesy but that $12 usd exercise is likely a better way to improve one’s mixes than any new plugin. You will definitely learn about phase doing that! 😂❤
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks Tom! Yep plenty of value in that full mix vid! And plenty of phase issues to tackle through hehe that’s why I picked that song, everyone always works with great sounding tracks, but I wanted to show it was possible to make something sound great even if the raws have issues!
@rvrfxmusic6 ай бұрын
this is a super helpful vid, happy to have found the channel!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks! glad to have you here!
@TommyrotLLC5 ай бұрын
1176 on drum bus is 10/10 IMO.
@spinlightstudios5 ай бұрын
1176 on drums is 🔥
@88KeysMan5 ай бұрын
Great content! Very informative and helpful.
@spinlightstudios5 ай бұрын
Glad it was helpful!
@shmk19 күн бұрын
Holy crap! I just started using reference tracks and guess the band... Paramore hahah
@spinlightstudios9 күн бұрын
Haha nice!
@busywl696 ай бұрын
I wonder how concert audio engineers handle getting that parallel processed sound on stage?
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
I’m sure on their mixers they could create a send to do parallel processing on!
@lennylewismusic6 ай бұрын
There’s that song again, I want to hear the whole mix lol!
@peteroberransmayr6 ай бұрын
Thanks for all this awesome content! One question to compression on the mixbus (tip #1): Any mastering engineer my band worked with always specifically asked to not use compression on the whole mix - have I been misled?
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Yeah man, you don’t need to remove mix bus compression for a mastering engineer, especially if you have mixed into the compressor and it’s part of the sound you have created, it makes no sense to remove it. If you had a slamming limiter on the mixbus also and they asked you to remove that, I can understand that. Unless they thought you were over compressing the mix, but then they should probably ask for a version with and without the compressor.
@dinismateus58116 ай бұрын
Great video!!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks legend!
@pooleymusic6 ай бұрын
Very glad I found your channel. Currently tracking and mixing my own band's stuff and so far your videos have been a tremendous help.
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Great to hear!
@safaripedals6 ай бұрын
Love this! Great tips!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Cheers guys :)
@mrtalchik6 ай бұрын
great tips!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Glad you think so 😁
@LyndonWesleyMusic6 ай бұрын
Great vid as always. I notice you don't use the Stereo Out as your mix bus. There seems to be a myriad of good reasons why someone might favour this approach, but I'd like to know why you have adopted it? Cheers!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks! Main reason being if I want to drop a reference track into the session, it won’t be affected by processing on the stereo out so I can easily A/B!
@LyndonWesleyMusic6 ай бұрын
@@spinlightstudios Yes, that makes perfect sense. Do you ever use it as a way to check your mix in Mono, toggling between Mono & Stereo on the main Stereo Out?
@derekgage93236 ай бұрын
Comment for the algorithm!!!
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Let’s go!
@hv34856 ай бұрын
Great content man❤
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks very much!
@hockinghillsalive36246 ай бұрын
Liked and subbed 🤘🏽🤘🏽
@mikkomattila74446 ай бұрын
thanks for the vid. What's the reason using a Mix bus and not just the Stereo Output as a mix bus?
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks! Essentially the same thing. I like to use a seperate bus as the mix bus so if I drop in reference material it’s not affected by any processing that would be on the stereo out 😉
@kwameassefuah15296 ай бұрын
First here🎉 Great stuff💯💯
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Thanks mate!
@fredericauger24366 ай бұрын
I agree with all of that ;)
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
That’s awesome! Thanks mate!
@vin34216 ай бұрын
Try mix bus CLIPPING
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
For sure - I do this already for some mixes - it does help with certain genres to get a louder master. Obviously not great on a gentle singer songwriter style mix - but good for shaving drum transients.
@redaktd_6 ай бұрын
What did you do to get your mixes sounding more like Paramore?
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Turned the snare up to +1000db 😂
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
It mostly just challenged me to EQ better, get better guitar tones while tracking. Listen to how everything sat together. The thing with references, it will never sound the same, but it helps you aim for something!
@user-zv1so8nm8n6 ай бұрын
i would appreciate if you respond to this one. what are your suggestions for someone who records / mixes for himself using usually beats downloaded as MP3 from KZbin
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
I don’t really recommend working with mp3s as the quality is not great. Surely there are other places to get beats that are full quality that don’t cost too much?
@user-zv1so8nm8n6 ай бұрын
@@spinlightstudios not for my case at the moment but i would love to get the most out of it to keep creating without worrying about the quality.
@Ytsssss3646 ай бұрын
when you say learning about "nyc parallel compression" was an "eye opener" - just curious - which one? see what I did there? no... over *here* - sincerely, Weaver Beats 2 ghost acct.
@gdnrecords6 ай бұрын
Legend as always great video but I have an important Question. You mentioned that when you started mixing you used waves SSL and I saw that you use a lot of Steven Slate so recently I bought a VSX headphones from Steven slate and I was wondering if I should switch my main plugins which they are subscription bundle ALL plugins included from WAVES to Steven Slate and SSL Bundle. Do you recommend this? Maybe my only concern is the learning curve because I have used waves since ALL of my life, big hug from México 🇲🇽
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
I don’t think it’s necessary unless you want to try them out. Waves has plenty of great plugins how are you finding VSX?
@gdnrecords6 ай бұрын
@@spinlightstudios spectacular!! Amazing technology game changer
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
That’s awesome, definitely curious to try them at some point!
@musiclover-r9m6 ай бұрын
I've compared a lot of plugins to waves, to hardware, to UAD (albeit not slate)... Waves gets a bad reputation, but I think it's more because of their crappy business model and people just want to hate on it. Waves was incredibly close to hardware LA2A and hardware 1176LN... It was closer to my hardware LA2A than UAD was - UAD was much brighter - but they are obviously modeled off of different units which vary drastically from unit to unit. With that said, if you can't get a killer mix with Waves, you just need more experience. Another surprising find: IK Multimedia's LA2A sounded closest to my hardware unit under 15-25db of GR. The UAD fell apart along with many other emulations. Don't trust forums - just download trials and try it yourself. But for now, if you have waves, just focus on moving forward with it since it's excellent.
@brycebswag6 ай бұрын
What is the gear on ur desk
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
I have a Behringer x touch control surface. Otherwise a bunch of preamps, compressors/rack gear :) I’ll have to do a rig run down video!
@brycebswag6 ай бұрын
@@spinlightstudios would be so mf down for that vid yo
@brycebswag6 ай бұрын
@@spinlightstudios listen to some my art tell me what you think if you have an moment to lend an ear @ eLLi bAnDs everywhere
@qua1ntZz6 ай бұрын
21:15, what is this? a phase issue?
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Not at all, it’s a snare wire sample to add sizzle. There was no snare bottom mic. Everything is in phase 👍🏻
@sastanashedi6 ай бұрын
self taught.. Ditto
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
If you’re passionate enough you can learn plenty on your own ☺️
@django31086 ай бұрын
10:27
@aletrejos6 ай бұрын
👏👏👏
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
🙏🏼
@burakakan83416 ай бұрын
hey man fast attack on 1176 isn't the other way?
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Hey mate, fast attack is to the right! Slow to the left 😉
@waynebaker24526 ай бұрын
Yes, the attack and release settings are reversed on the 1176 than most compressors.
@squashbeatszw6 ай бұрын
The 1176 controls are like a volume knob. It’s faster clockwise.
@Ray_Wood_19845 ай бұрын
😃👍 🙇♂️🍀🎶
@spinlightstudios5 ай бұрын
🙏🏼
@BukanIbuMu6 ай бұрын
Glenn Fricker won't follow tip number 10
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Haha each to their own. I personally don’t understand people who get on their high horse over drum samples. They are a tool that can be used to salvage bad recordings or enhance good recordings. Always project Dependent, but shouldn’t be written off. Taking the mentality of drum samples being bad and fake. You’re never allowed to use midi again or guitar/bass VSTs. It’s not real/authentic either 😝
@Vossflying6 ай бұрын
You guys in the box you have all the same sound it’s crazy…. Man listen the way you use compression in your mix, it’s sounds plastic on drums and the mix has no personality. The mix is good, it’s clean but you sound like all the people in the box…. Find your personality and when you having drums like that use layers of snares it sound better a single snare with compression
@spinlightstudios6 ай бұрын
Hey man, mixing is subjective so you can totally have that opinion. I’m happy with my work and so are my clients!