TOP DOWN MIXING - The SECRET SAUCE?!

TOP DOWN MIXING EXPLAINED
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[@rook9309]

Once I found that other professionals weren’t scared to use huge EQ moves, and crazy compression settings (as opposed to the insistence on keeping everything subtle on all processes) the game was changed for me. It confirmed partly what I was already doing intuitively, and therefore my decisions became more confident and my mixes came together better and more quickly.

[@officialWWM]

If it sounds good, it is good :)

[@conjarson]

F*k the rules

[@lennix_music]

As a beginner you are always afraid to make big moves

[@davidkellymitchell4747]

That's how they mixed/recorded everything in the 50's and 60's only they used hardware. They ran everything through a couple of limiters like LA2A's, everything went through the same reverb chamber or plate. They eq'd the highs and lows over the whole mix. It did kind of glue the whole mix together in a distinct sound. Some called it trash canning the mix meaning everything went into the same bucket. Some of those old records still have more balls than the records made today.

[@AVDRE]

the way Colt talks to the camera makes me feel like he's talking to me directly lol (good thing), great stuff as always.

[@illegaltendenciesstudios6302]

Lol he does it every time, he just makes stuff look easy don't he

[@MrDJSTRATEGY]

Facts I noticed that the first 2 mins

[@jellewierda3828]

5 seconds in and I had the same thought

[@maximusfrank2835]

Wish he would apply the rule of thirds though

[@pvalenti]

@@jellewierda3828 I can name that tune in One note! lol

[@SoundcastStudios]

Something to think about for those that are newer. Top down mixing isn't the "right way" or only way, it's just one path you can take. Jordan, from hardcore music studio, once stated in one of his youtube vidoes that he doesn't really like the approach and doesn't use it much. Both Colt and Jordan are mixing great music! Don't get discouraged if you find this technique not working for you.

[@BrandonofRedemption]

Agreed. I’ve been using since I saw Nolly do it.

[@MikeSkinnerAudio]

@@BrandonofRedemption same

[@MixChecks]

Right on. You just gotta do what works for you.

[@luckyverri3374]

All of Nashville is in our hearts and justice on our minds. Your brothers and sisters from Las Vegas are with you. Strong.

[@Lucidaydreamer]

One con of topdown mixing is that when you set your bus compression, you wont yet have the sounds you're going to end up pushing that bus comp with. Ssl bus comp might add some much-needed flavour to raw tracks, but if you'd gotten your individual tracks bumping first, then the precise, open api2500 might end up being a better bet. I think of it like: Top down for a more natural "fuzzy ball of sound" feel (or "vintage") Bottom up for more modern, processor-affected stuff. But really the song tells me which way to go, and often its a bit of a mix! (ie: get the drums sounding right, then set up the mixbus, then hit the other individual tracks, or wtv like that)

[@johnwinslow8841]

The lights under the umbrellas are a very nice touch, I must say.

[@TheGarageRecordingSC]

Top down is what I just naturally gravitated towards. It made the most sense to me when I started out. I prefer it still, 16 years later. 👍🏻👍🏻

[@blakeduncan2657]

For those of us that do not have an "optimum" recording PC/Mac, top-down mixing is super helpful in saving your CPU usage as well!

[@officialWWM]

Great point!

[@Juliano_DJOL]

ear fatigue is so real, Im getting a little older now, well Im not too old but my ears have been thru the ringer and I have started to get tinitus which sucks but also showed me how much your ears will eq things after a little while to keep your heads pressure in check!

[@anthonycunningham4598]

I’ve been mixing for about 30 plus years. It’s still good to see how someone else does it. Great content Colt! Thanks!!

[@onelesslimbrecordingstudio5251]

Great info. keep up the good work.

[@rogermuller8483]

Haha, thanks for the disclaimer :) I was one of the "haters and nay-sayers" on the midrange video who critiqued the non-existend level matching. Just wanted to drop by and say I really enjoyed this video. I always mix into an SSL Fusion, Neve 542's and the Waves Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain (which I kinda like for MS processing). That has always worked great for me. Thanks for sharing anyways!

[@audiodude]

Top down mixing does allow you to get the feel of the mix from a vibe perspective so that the rest of your work is just doing balancing and tweaking. Well done man!!

[@dannydemosi5910]

Ayyy, someone else who uses True Iron! Pretty much the exact settings I use, too, lol. Kinda feels like everyone forgot about it, so I'm glad to see someone else appreciating the magic.

[@scacchomattho]

Never forgot about that here 😁

[@roccoblackness]

Colt yours are by far some of the absolute best videos on YT for audio in general. Simple, straight to the point and full of little things that you rarely see elsewhere. Thank you so much for all the helpful tips!

[@kennethhughmusic]

Learning so much from your tutorials - succinct with no judgement. Keep it up!

[@williamvesey3679]

Another advantage to moving as much processing as possible onto the bus is the cutdown in CPU power required to render multitrack audio in real time. For home studio producers this can save some frustration with lagging or skipping playback.

[@MatiasGabrielSaez]

You're the best, Colt! Thank you for all your videos!

[@mikelucamusic]

Loving these in-depth videos! Super helpful man, thanks.

[@ColtCapperrune]

Thanks for watching!!

[@forzamediaproductions9743]

Thank you sir. Gave me a proper perspective on what is important in arranging, producing and mixing.

[@aaronsquires8816]

great video man, love this different perspective I'm going to defiantly give this one a go. I love how you show your mix chains. thanks for the great vid

[@thomdaugherty4359]

I love your videos and just need to remind myself not to scroll down and peruse the comments.

[@lavalizard1]

This was really helpful Colt - and you're right - it's not often covered as a topic. I really appreciated your perspective on working quickly and reacting to gut instincts as opposed to overthinking things and going down rabbit holes. It's part of the learning journey but it's something I've embraced and really have gotten a lot more comfortable with - and I think the results are better too which is ultimately the goal. Cheers! (And happy holidays).

[@christhembones8244]

Thank you. I'm new to mixing and just recently discovered using busses. This video gets right to the point and sums up very nicely.

[@jasonstallworth]

Fewer moves and simplifying the process...love it! I’ll be coming back watch this again dude

[@Dylanklinemusic]

Awesome video! This is my preferred approach to mixing too. Great stuff. Happy Holidays!

[@seagers_studio]

Looking forward to trying this. I go round in circles making small tweaks on individual tracks. Kills the fun and ear fatigue kicks in, especially on headphones. Thank you Colt.

[@kevinakacoolbreeze]

Another great video Colt! Merry Christmas 🎄 to you and your family bro!

[@AG-wg4zi]

Have seen your question to CLA on Pensado's Place and seeing you broke through is very inspiring! Keep it up, great info!

[@nolanwatt4465]

Great stuff as always, thanks Colt!

[@mrpagliero]

Nice video , great delivery and thank you. This old boys path is to get it as right as possible while tracking and utilizing a back up safety DI of the source. Most important is the AC power levels and cleanliness to ensure all equipment is operating at full potential whether one is tracking or mastering..Either Balanced AC power or double converted power solutions offer audible proof of their effectiveness. A power blackout is a friend ,it lets you know immediatley there is a power issue , a brown out is not a friend ...brown out randomly fluctuates power whilst slow cooking components in one's studio ,usually without one noticing or in the worst brown out scenario things catch on fire , proper studio power prevents both ... rack mount $300.00 power conditioners do remedy brownouts. Next is phase ,the TUL G12 mic is spectacular for guitar amps as it is pre emphasized to sound as if it is on the midpoint /edge of the speaker cone ...but it is designed to be aimed straight on /dead center of the cone .this ensures less phase issues.The polarity flip is a quick fix with limited effectiveness in some situations ...that is why phase corrective tools such as little lab IBP Analogue Phase Alignment Tool exist. When placing a mono microphone on a source , try this experiment ... plug one ear while listening to the source in the room it is in ... as the microphone is listening monaurally to that source and the rooms impact on the source ... this can help one find a sweet spot that might be passed on because it looks odd. PS. Jay Graydon has a phenomenal white paper called "STUDIO PHASE TUTORIAL " part one ... here is a link ... www.scribd.com/document/329574596/Studio-Phase PSS. Equitech and Furman make nice Balanced power units ,and Sola makes great on line double converted power ...in the SOLA unit ...AC power is converted to DC power ...stored in Battery ...then inverted back to AC power ...this double converted method completely de-couples ones studio ac power supply from the main grid power that is designed to light light bulbs that are not hindered by noise ,these power treatment units should not be confused with ac power filters and or units with 30 minute battery backup /UPS for computers . Ones studio is a racing car ....it needs racing fuel to operate at its best.... good sound starts with good power. Cheers! mO

[@hjcpkr]

Litteraly the subject I am trying to read in depth about today. Awesome that you made a video about it, looking forward to watching it right now!

[@hjcpkr]

Watched it. I'm new to this, but looks like I am on the right path with topdown mixing!

[@DATApush3r]

You're videos have been an invaluable resource for me and I'm sure lots of other people.

[@MetalChad]

nice. looking forward to using this technique on my next mix. thanks for all the info!

[@1loveMusic2003]

Your 100% right in this video! If you tackle the main issues of the overall mix you will most likely do far less processing and you only focus on actual issues then sweetening which makes mixing far more enjoyable. No more rabbit holes in solo!

[@stephenbruce5431]

Dude. Great video. You have made me rethink some things here. I’ve heard of this style of mixing but I haven’t tried it myself. I think I will on my current project. Thank you and subscribed!

[@allpdmusic]

Great video Colt! Thanks for the info!

[@emiel333]

It’s really a convenient way to mix. Thanks 🙏 for sharing.

[@f_c_r_]

Great video as always, merry christmas dude!

[@hleet]

thanks for showing this workflow method of mixing/mastering.

[@BrunodeSouzaLino]

Another add to that would be partial printing of sounds. Shelly Yakus mentions that it can be a good idea to already pre effect the tracks a bit and print that so you don't have to eq and compress them so much from a clean source in the mixing stage.

[@EdThorne]

Love the video Colt, thanks!

[@phillipdumond600]

Took notes on this and your compressor explanation yesterday. I took 2 songs I just finished and employed both approaches. I was worried my ears may have been a bit fried by the end of the night. So I went to bed. Got up this morning and bounced them over to MP3 and put them on my phone. Holy crap!! Big difference. Everything leveled right out. Very even, vocals stand right out. Effects are very distinct. Now I have to go back to all the others and get them mixed. Thanks Colt. Oh, also used the magic in the mid range advice too.

[@notsmelliott]

Have been trying this for a while and is such a fast way to mix! Thanks aton!!!

[@chrisharrison809]

This is fantastic. Really smarty way to put it. Loveeeenthis.

[@lundsweden]

I always A/B my tracks with something I like in a similar style. Once it gets close to sounding the same (mix wise) I just go on instinct. If I feel my track sounds better with a little less compression, I go with that instead of trying to match the pro track exactly.

[@tondermusic]

Thanks a lot, Colt! This is amazing!

[@gavmurray7398]

Hey mate just came back to comment i watched this video when it first came out and your eq all the tracks at once thing was something i hadn't heard before. anyway been trying it out and its a really good way to work with tracks you have not recorded yourself. great tip thanks a lot !

[@SufferahsmusicHD]

Ok i tried it....and i got better results in quality thank you very much i appreciate it....i also exposed some plugins that gave off hiss based on bad frequency removal ...again thanks

[@vartaofficial]

I'm preparing for the sound engineering exam by watching your videos :) Thanks

[@recomusicofficial]

Thanks! This is amazing! I've got to go and try it.

[@Andy_Macintyre]

Good stuff as always, Colt! I’ve been digging on Mixing into an EQ and compressor on Stereo bus as well. I make a 2dB cut at 2.6k on the EQ, that way I’m not compelled to lift the top too much. .5dB lift sometimes. 1dB Bump @ 72hz. 60% of the time it works .... every time.

[@hamiltonhardin]

Love your vids, brotha ✊🏾

[@santiagodiazcritelli9835]

Excelent video! Gotta try this.

[@AnAmericanGuitarist]

Great video. There is one thing that I never see mentioned in mix or master videos and that is the master bus output level. I like that the master bus was visible throughout this video. A lot of videos out there only show the tracks or software that are being manipulated at the time. So ... output levels is something that I think would be a great topic for a future video. As far as I can tell at this point, my gig days are staying back there with my youth. I just record, mix & master my own guitar instrumental Rock jams because I am just not ready to walk away from this part of life yet. There is a lot of info out there about getting a loud mix and master. As I have chased this, I get there song to song through a lot of trial and error, but I often use stacked compression on bass and on drum individual tracks or I may duplicate tracks and treat them differently (which seems to complicate the mix.) . I most often work with stereo drum wav tracks that I split to mono and pan the L & R as I want, so I use individual L or R track compression or stereo buses that both will go through ... and those tracks already have some compression as an imported audio file. Sometimes they have so much compression that I can't add any except if I do on the whole mix. ). I make use of parallel bus compression for drums or bass. I am using Sonar Platinum as a DAW. As I stack small amounts of compression I usually allow some gain to build and by the time that I am done with the mix I usually have my master bus output well into the orange. I also use the top down method because I like to have that advance knowledge of where I am going and it reveals what string squeaks, punch-in pops and other noises I'd need to deal with later. I'd rather know about them and fix it as I go along. Sometimes an instrumental sounds better when I finish that mix than when I export a stereo track and master it. Most of the music that I work on sounds better when I export the stereo track and master it separately though. Whatever the song wants, the song gets! Each drum file set that I use was recorded or mixed differently and that drives me to use different guitar and bass sounds, so I don't have the luxury of mixing as if I recorded a band and have basic continuity in sounds from song one to song 8. What I seem to have learned here in this video though, beyond the other information provided is to keep my output level on the master bus much lower than I normally do. However, that will leave me with a lower volume mix that I will need to stack compression on when mastering to get to competitive master levels. . I usually just let my ears lead me, but when I import a professionally mastered track from a store bought CD, it is HOT and I need to trim it way back to compare my track to it. If I play a CD in a vehicle with pro music and then play one with my music .... I pursue similar volume levels. So ... somewhere in this comment is a new video topic, just dealing with levels on tracks, on buses/sends, on the master output and and when mastering.

[@goldm9200]

Beast dude, this message came through loud and clear

[@joshuared1000]

This was a great video!! Thank you!

[@J3.16-]

Thanks a bunch for the lessons

[@blueslsd]

Hi I didn't even realise I was doing this, till I saw this!! Really nice channel and you explain stuff well. Many thanks.

[@TeleCustom72]

I got the idea of top-down mixing from Andrew Scheps. Since I started just patching in a Pultech EQ then an SSL compressor on the master bus, it's made mixing much quicker. Plus, that little bit of EQ and compression just glues the mix together instantly so everything sounds better and you need to 'fix' less separate elements. After that, I've got a bx_digital V3 EQ and I take your approach to apply further EQ across the whole mix. That normally gets me where I need to be in less moves.

[@edmoss2020]

Just subscribed.. thanks for this video , this makes so much sence, great job

[@loopingleo]

I’ve recently just been “prepping” my Master Bus with coloring plugins like the GoodHertz Tupe and then mix into that bottom-up. After watching this video I will definitely try out your top-down mixing approach!

[@SoniqSounds]

The midrange eq video was great. Have a fab filter setup on all my master chain now just to test the midrange.

[@harrymindgameTV]

Great advice once again

[@Fiammarecords]

Nice! Merry Christmas

[@illegaltendenciesstudios6302]

Merry Christmas Colt

[@itskdn]

Amazing video!!

[@Yurkinz]

Thanks for great videos! Merry Сhristmas!! :)

[@medaiyeseolajide1890]

You just got me as your 57,299 subscriber; thanks, @colt Capperrune, for this master piece, this will help make my mix better as a beginner. Love from Nigeria

[@aaroncampmusic]

Top down mixing is great. Never did it until recently and boy it can work out GREAT! You can get SO much heavy lifting done in such a short amount of time. It's almost like cheating. Then, onto subgroup buses. Then tracks. Nice. Great video, man.

[@owonobrandon8747]

really amazing we got someone like this on youtube

[@mevtherenegade]

Going back and looking at this video and seeing the attention to detail in explaining everything, I'd LOVE to see you incorporate a console into the workflow for a video! 🙏

[@atcordice]

This is what we call the oldest trick in the book.. I was taught this in the 1990s. Great job on sharing the information..

[@HEATHfromOZ]

Love these vids. Just the right amount of detail without 35 offshoots! Cheers😁😅👆

[@sandovalproducer]

Great video!

[@officialWWM]

I wish I watched this video 2 years ago when you made it! This has been a game changer for me!

[@ajcohen2621]

thanks love the tutorials

[@Jeremy_Kinsey]

Merry Christmas!

[@kotogray8335]

Great video instruction IMHO. I have been doing things this way for 12 years and have gotten better results much quicker than any other way I've tried. And there is no way to overstate how important it is to know that ear fatigue can ruin your efforts...

[@TheCakeRulez]

Tnhx 4 video, awesome Colt!

[@JacksonPlaysMusic1]

Great video as always bro. I’d love to see a tutorial on when to use parallel processing and when to apply effects directly to the channel strip. Merry Christmas!

[@demondrive147]

Dude, I love your lights. Your Videos look stunning

[@RETCHED-METAL]

Hey Colt good stuff I'm new to mixing and have a hybrid system and have been experimenting with this kinda just fiddling around till I hear what I like I only work on my own stuff as I'm working on my next album in my personal studio today for the first time I have mixed this way and I like it more. I have been wrestling with my muddy mixes for a couple months but they are getting better. Cheers brother Merry Christmas

[@wyattalexander4041]

Thanks for the SeaCarrot Sauce !! Happy Holidays 🌲🌲

[@acimbobby]

Colt I actually think it's brilliant, I have been looking for something just like to work with. It seems a bit different to the standard explanation. To me it seems like you have gone straight to doing a bit of Mastering first on all the source tracks. I love this idea and I think it was part of Swedien's technique or at least he would have used it if he knew about it. Perhaps going for more space and atmospherics when you have done your Top Down.

[@swingset1969]

Huh, I'm pretty new to ITB mixing, but I've been doing this as a defacto since day one, not because I knew it was a thing, it just made sense to me to have the bus' effects chains dialed in somewhat and engaged while mixing the tracks into it. I couldn't figure out why you'd ever want to NOT do it, honestly. Wow, go me.

[@jamiehunter1980]

I learnt top down mixing at college so it's the way I've always mixed. I don't do any compression on the mix bus, I compose hybrid scores so I like to keep the dynamics. I do a little bit of peak compression when mastering but that's it. When you use virtual instruments and synths you don't really need compression as the levels are pretty consistent.

[@MarkHvB]

Very interesting, thanks!

[@stellasound2843]

Greetings from Scotland! I am really enjoying your channel very much. I started my own channel, and the because of this, youtube recommended your channel. Anyway, keep rockin' brother! Gordo

[@MixChecks]

Welcome to KZbin! :)

[@sinematrix]

Like first, then watch, as always, I know this channel provide great content!

[@Momimakedubstep]

This is v good information! I really do appreciate it!! I’m really trying to learn how to mix better here.

[@MixChecks]

Do you use the top down method?

[@Momimakedubstep]

@@MixChecks yes usually, but I make heavy bass music which has so many elements. I get lost v easily

[@es355lucille4]

Thanks Colt I will have to try this technique! I started using pro tools folders and I find it so cool to organize the mix. Have you ever used folders to organize? Thanks for the great videos!

[@watsonstudios]

I'm usually at about 2-3db GR at 2:1 ratio on my buss compressor which still sounds great. If you're using saturation correctly throughout your mix and also on the mixbus, you can easily get away with very little mixbus compression and still have a great crest factor.

[@neonmasterva]

I started using Voxengos TEOTE (dynamic mix balancer plugin basically) for a similar thing lately. I just put it on my master bus and dial it in, till my mix is around the ballpark of where it sounds nice and polished. Then I A/B my mix with and without it so I can hear the problem areas which I then tackle individually. The goal is to make the plugin having to do as little work as possible on my master bus. You can use Gullfoss for that kind of thing too I think.

[@RapidFlow_Shop]

I've worked with this approach for a few years, it is fast and if you master your own releases a good timesaver. The problem is you also add say mids to the kcik drum that will then sound hard, which will need corrective EQ etc... Also when you want to get an external mastering and you remove your two bus processing, the mix implodes on itself. Leavng Comp and EQ is kind of OK but forget sending anyone stems to remix etc... it has a lot of downsides so I went back to the old school of individual tracks.

[@RapperRemedi]

Same! Individual track processing and a analog passive summing box now with a Neve style compressor as my "2buss" 👌

[@AlientoAcustico]

You have became my favorite one ☝️

[@curtisburns]

Top Down Boiz 4 Lyf! I'm doing a version of Brauerizing in the box. My Mix bus has a Fairchild on it that's calibrated to give 1dB of gain reduction at -18dB, but add a bunch of colour. And my instrument and fx busses are set up with 5 or 6 different Compressors to choose from, all calibrated to give 2dB of gain reduction at -18db. I can get a volume balance happening into them to start and then quickly audition between them and choose the one that's working best. If I want more compression I just turn the channels going into the bus up. I find it speeds the whole process up hugely.

[@samellis012]

Nice and quick description, only found you recently but love the way you describe your methods. Question, is this method universal for all genres or works better with some and not others? I am working on metal mixes mainly and have always done it the opposite way round but want to try switch to top down

[@tingsmusic5889]

Hi Colt! Great video. Thanks a lot. Two questions if I may: 1 - When does the vocal comes in? Is your top down always without vocal? 2 - You use a drums buss PLUS a drum parallel buss processed the same way and at the same level? Thanks