Unit 49: Ready to release? Mixing and Mastering

Task 1- Remixing another track

Blues brothers- Stick together

The track that I am going to be remixing is the Blues Brothers 'Stick Together'. I am going to remix this track by adding numerous effects to improve the overall quality. The list of effects I am going to use are:

• Compression
• EQ
• Reverb
• Delay
• Pan

Compression
Compression is a type of dynamic processor, which is used to make louder frequencies more quiet in a mix. Below is an example of what compression looks like in Cubase. The 'threshold' decides when the compression begins, a visual representation for this can be seen on the graph next to the controls. It shows the input and output signals, which are both measured in db. The 'ratio' dial decides how much compression is added to a track. 'Make-up' controls how loud or quiet you want the overall output signal to be. The 'attack' dial allows you to alter the time taken for the compression to start and 'release' is the time taken for the compression to stop.

Compression

EQ
EQ allows you the change the range of frequencies from low to high on a track. The image below shows what EQ appears like in Cubase. On this particular EQ you can change up to four parameters, on this example it appears that the lows have been reduced and the mids have been raised ever so slightly. The sound is measured in dB, which can be seen down the side and along the bottom is the range of frequencies that can be altered (between 20-20k) this is measured in hertz (Hz).

EQ

Reverb
Reverb is a type of insert, which is used to help emulate a performance space. Similar to compression reverb also has 'attack' and 'release' dials. Close to them is dial called 'mix', which is really important because is decides how much reverb is applied. Two other important controls that I will use are the 'pre-delay', which determines how long before the reverb begins. Next to that is the 'Reverb Time', which allows you to alter how long the effect continues for, which is similar to delay which is another effect. All of these controls can be seen on the diagram below.

Reverb

Delay
Delay is an effect which is used to postpone a sound for a certain period of time. Similar to the 'mix' button on reverb, this allows you to determine how much delay is applied to a particular track. The 'feedback' can let you set how much of the delayed output you want to be send back to the input to be delayed again. The last dial to explain which is important is the 'Delay' dial, which lets you decide how much the track is affected by the delay.

Delay 

Pan
Panning is a useful effect because it allows you to decide where certain tracks play on the stereo field, it distributes the sounds signal. By using Cubase you can pan a track either left or right, or leave it in the centre. Panning is good to use on backing vocals and vocal harmonies because it adds more depth to the overall track and makes it sound more interesting. The image below shows how panning works and how you can move tracks around the strereo field.

Pan

To get the best quality possible I am going to mix all the tracks separately. Below is a screenshot showing all the different tracks that I am going to remix, there is a total of 16 altogether. I organised all of the tracks by colour coding them and putting them in a logical order, I also cut out some of the track where there was no audio. Doing all of this helped the file look more professional and organised. Another reason I did this was because at certain parts in the audio background noise, such as coughing and rustling could be heard. This was why it was important to cut parts of the track out that I didn't need. I used the locators at the top of the Cubase track to select certain parts of the audio to pinpoint areas I needed to remove with the cut tool.

Screenshot of all 16 tracks 

Colour coding the tracks and removing unwanted parts from them using the cut tool

Backing Vocals 1 and 2
The first tracks I remixed were the backing vocals. The first effect I added was EQ, from the screenshot it is clear that I have slightly boosted the lows and the mids ever so slightly. For the backing vocals I wanted to make them sound more clear and crisp in the mix, but at the same time I didn't want them to stand out to much.

Backing vocals: EQ

For vocals one effect that is really important is reverb. Reverb helps give the vocals more depth and in some cases make them sound more live. For the backing vocals I decided to add only a little reverb, this is because I wanted the main effect for the backing vocals to be delay. However I feel that even the smallest bit of reverb can make a difference. The other two effects I added to the backing vocals was delay and compression. I added a lot of delay to the backing vocals to try and create an echo in the background of the mix, I also panned the delay of the backing vocals switching from right to left. From the screenshot below I have not added a lot of compression because if I added to much compression the backing vocals would sound to flat. I left the make-up gain on auto and moved the threshold and ratio down slightly.

Backing Vocals: Delay

Backing vocals: Compression

Backing vocals: Reverb

Bass
For the bass EQ I manipulated the first two parameters of the EQ. I created a low shelf on the first parameter and slightly lowered the mid frequencies. From my research I have learned that instruments like the bass sound more effective if the lower frequencies are raised. This in turn makes the timbre of the bass sound more present in the mix because I added EQ to the bass, it sounded quite flat and didn't have much of an edge to it. I also added some compression to the bass, similar to the backing vocals I didn't want to add to much because it would reduce the overall quality of the bass. I lastly panned the bass guitar slightly to the left, so it could stand out in the overall mix more.

Bass: Pan

Bass: EQ

Bass: Compression

Guitar and Guitar Solo
I have not added to much EQ to the guitar and guitar solo because when I first listened to the two tracks  I found that the recordings of these two tracks was strong enough, that I did not need to change the frequencies to much. The only parameter I have changed is number 2, where I lowered the mid frequency slightly. I also panned both tracks to the right slightly, this was so they were both sperate and could be distinguished between the bass a lot easier. I added a lot of reverb to both parts also to make them sound more warm and natural. Finally I added some compression to both tracks to make them sound more crisp, but because they were not too loud in the first place they didn't need that much compression. Also to save time I created a Group effect which allowed me to send all of the relevant effects to all the other tracks. So for the lead vocals I created a FX Track, which then allowed me to 'Send' all of those relevant effects to the guitar solo track. This helped me save time in the mixing process and also helped make sure that the tracks were mixed equally.

Guitar + Solo: Pan

Guitar + Solo: EQ

Guitar + Solo: Reverb

Guitar  + Solo: Compression

Hi-hat
The hi-hat did not take to long to mix because from my research I learned that a hi-hat would not require that many different effects. So knowing this I lowered parameter 1 slightly creating another mini low shelf and slightly raised the higher frequencies to make the hi-hat sound more airy. Then I added a tiny bit of reverb, but for the parts of the drum kit you tend not to use that much reverb.

Hi-hat: EQ

Hi-hat: Reverb

Kick
The only effect I added to the kick drum was EQ. I increased both the lower parameters to make the kick drum sound more fat and heavy in the mix. I also increased the volume of the kick drum because before I increased the volume it got swallowed up by the rest of the mix.

Kick: EQ

Cymbals 
Similar to the kick the only effect I added to the cymbals was EQ. Instead of boosting the lower frequencies I boosted both of the higher parameters to make them sound more bright and high. The cymbals also needed to have the volume increased so they could be heard in the mix more.

Cymbals: EQ

Lead Vocals
The most important part of any mix is the main vocals. So when I was mixing I made sure that I left the main vocals til last, this way it was easier to place them into the mix and make sure they were balanced correctly. The main effect used was reverb, I applied this effect to give more depth to the vocals and make them less dry. I added a little bit of delay to the vocals, less than the backing vocals because I didn't want there to be as much feedback as the backing vocals. The last effect I applied was chorus, this effect is useful for creating a 'choir' effect without the use of overdubbing or double tracking. Also to save time I created a Group effect which allowed me to send all of the relevant effects to all the other tracks. So for the lead vocals I created a FX Track, which then allowed me to 'Send' all of those relevant effects to the backing vocal tracks. This helped me save time in the mixing process and also helped make sure that the tracks were mixed equally.

FX Channel

Lead Vocals: Reverb

Lead Vocals: EQ

Lead Vocals: Delay

                                                                                   

Lead Vocals: Chorus

Piano 1 & 2
Since two piano parts were recorded I was able to experiment with effects such as pan more. In the end I panned one piano right and the other right. I did this to balance and fill out the mix more, I decided that when mixing this piece that any instruments that had more than one track I would pan in the opposite direction. I didn't manipulate the parameters on the EQ to much because I liked the way the piano parts had been recorded. The tiny adjustments made to the EQ made the piano parts more 'bright' and stand out more. Lastly I applied a compressor and added a small portion make-up and also lowered the ratio slightly.

Piano: EQ

Piano: Compression

Snare
The snare was really simple to mix because I only needed to add EQ to make the snare sound less 'shallow' and 'dead'. The only reason I did this is so the snare didn't get lost in the overall mix.

Snare: EQ

Trombone 1 & 2/ Trumpet 1 & 2
The first component I changed with the trombone tracks was reducing the volume, because before they were mixed they overpowered the other parts of the track and the main vocals could not be heard properly. Also I panned one track left and one right because similar to the piano tracks it filled out the entire mix better, it also makes the trombones less overpowering. I finally raised the 2nd parameter on the EQ to make the trombone sound less 'dull'. I treated the trumpet parts the same as the trombone, and that is why I mixed both parts the same, one track was panned left and the other right.

Trombone: EQ

Trumpet: EQ

Mastering 
Now that I have mixed the track, the next and final stage is to master. The way I am going master this track is by opening the mixer window. Then I went to the stereo output channel, this includes all of the tracks and controls them.
By clicking on the 'e' icon the effects channel is activated and I was then able to apply the effects and master the overall mix in real time. The screenshots below show the process of how I set up this mixdown and what effects I applied to the overall stereo output.

Creating an audio mixdown

The mix will then be exported into a WAV file

Before I exported the file I made sure the Bit depth was at 16 Bit and the sample rate was 44.100 Hz because this is CD quality and is the best for this mix.

This bar appears when the mix is being exported

By hovering over Devices you could then access the mixer

Mixer

Above is a screenshot of the mixer, I used this mixer to apply all of the necessary effects to master this track to a high quality standard. This way of mastering a track is useful because all the effects are applied at once, which not only saves time but balances the entire piece better.

Overall EQ applied

Multi-band compression

Multi-band compression was an important effect in the mastering process because this allowed me to change certain frequencies (Hz) in the overall mix. For example I could have increased the lower frequencies to make the piece sound more bass.

In the end I I kept the majority of the thresholds at the same level, this was so everything was balanced. The compression is useful in reducing unwanted frequencies or increasing others to create more of an overall effect.

Once I had applied the EQ and multi-band compression I exported the track again and then uploaded the mastered version to sound cloud.

Evaluation of final mix

The final mix down of the mix can be heard below. When I mixed down all the tracks I added some compression and EQ. Listening to everything mixed down together there are certain parts of the mix that sound 'cluttered', especially with the main and backing vocals. Also the track ends quite abruptly which I tried to fix by fading out certain instruments but it is still not the best. If I were to do this mixing again I would ask the artist to either choose a different ending or to record at a higher quality. This probably will not be the final mix I use as I know that this could be mixed better. This track was a good track to practice on and practice different mixing techniques and see what works well and what doesn't. However when it came to mastering the track I formatted the mix down so I could apply all the effects together at once. I applied EQ to improve the overall quality of the sound, and the multi-band compression that I used allowed me to adjust specific frequencies within the mix. Which can be seen in the screenshot above. I also made sure that the level of the mix was as close to 0dB as possible, this is because it is the best level to be heard on the speakers. If it was any lower it would be to quite to be heard. Also the mastered version is closer to CD quality than the simple mixed version. Furthermore applying multi-band compression and EQ to the mix increased the 'sweetness' of the sound and made it sound more 'richer', with more depth.

Link to mastered version below:

https://soundcloud.com/user-886671367/stick-together-mix-down

Task 2- Master your own mix

Adele- Hello (Cover)

With the practice and experience gained from mixing the other track, I am now going to apply all I have learned into mixing the recording that I did. I should be able to complete this mix to a better standard as I now know what works well in a mix and which effects compliment each other. 

The same as last time I mixed each track individually to gain the overall best quality possible, this was slightly easier this time as I only had 10 tracks to mix. The first step was to organise all of the tracks by colour coding them and cutting out all of the parts that were not needed. This made the file look more professional and made it easier to work on mixing.

All of the tracks colour coded and ordered efficiently 

Piano Left and Right

To separate the two piano parts, I panned one to the left and the other to the right. This made it easier to distinguish between the two parts and also filled out the stereo field. I also applied the same amount of compression to both parts of the piano, I didn't add to much because I did not want the signal to be 'flattened' as this would make the parts sound unnatural. The reverb and EQ helped provide 'warmth' to the track and balance them with the other parts of the recording.

One part panned to the right

The other panned to the left

Compression applied to both piano parts

EQ applied to both piano parts

Reverb applied to both piano parts

Bass Guitar 

The main effect that I used for the bass guitar was EQ, this was so I could slightly raise the lower frequencies to add more bass to the recording. I added a little bit of reverb just to make sure that the bass wasn't to 'dry' and some compression. I thought that a little bit of distortion would help the bass stand out from the other parts as well. Furthermore I noticed that when I got to the chorus, the bass would get swallowed up by the other parts, this is why I automated the volume at the chorus. This makes the bass guitar more audible in the chorus section. Lastly I panned the bass slightly to the right of the stereo field.

EQ applied to bass guitar

Small amount of reverb applied to the bass

Automated the volume at certain parts of the bass guitar 

A little bit of distortion was added 

Panned to the right

Compression applied to bass guitar

Main Vocals 1 & 2

The use of reverb and delay was very important when it came to the main vocals because these effects added more depth to the vocals. Furthermore since the vocals are the most essential part of nay recording I spent the majority of my time making sure they were mixed correctly. The fact that I recorded the main vocals twice and overdubbed them added effect because the vocals harmonised with themselves. Both compression and multi-band compression was applied to the main vocals to make sure they were balanced correctly. I left the main vocals in the centre of the stereo field, as they are the most important part of the recording and needs to be the part that stands out the most.

EQ applied to both main vocal parts

Compression added

Reverb applied

Multi-band compression

Delay

Crash

The EQ I used on the crash was to slightly increase the higher frequencies, however I didn't want to change the frequencies to much because I did not want the crash to sound to 'tinny'. The reverb helped the crash fit in with the other parts of the drum kit, this is also why I panned the crash to the left of the stereo field. 

I panned the crash to the left

EQ for the crash

Reverb applied to the crash

Snare

The snare didn't need to much mixing because the recording was really 'clean' all I did was add some EQ and pan it to the right so it did not get 'drowned' out by the other parts of the kit and recording.

The snare was panned slightly to the right

EQ for the snare

Hi-hat

EQ and reverb were quite important when it came to mixing the hi-hat because like the other parts I wanted the hi-hat to be audible in the mix. When listening to the hi-hat on its own I noticed that the other parts of the drum kit had 'spilled' onto the track. This is most likely due to microphone positioning, however when I applied a gate the majority of the drum kit was stripped away. The gate was useful in letting through the frequencies I wanted people to hear and stop those I didn't.

EQ for the Hi-hat

Panned to the right

Gate applied for Hi-hat

Reverb for the Hi-hat

Kick

The kick was another part where I had to use a gate to help remove some of the higher unwanted frequencies from other parts that had 'spilled' onto it, such as the hi-hat. However with the use of the gate and manipulation of the EQ I was able to increase the lower frequencies to give more power and depth to the kick.

EQ for kick

Gate added to kick

Panned to the left

Compression applied to the kick

Tom

The only effect I applied to the Tom was EQ, this was just to increase certain frequencies to add 'warmth' to the track. Also like all of the other parts I used pan to place it on the left side of the stereo field.

EQ for the tom

Panned to the left

Mastering 

When it cam to mastering this track I used a slightly different method. Once I had exported the track, I opened up a new Cubase project and began adding effects this way. I applied the same effects just like the first mix. However the levels were different since this recording was overseen by myself and recorded to a high quality. Below are the screenshots showing this process.

Opening the mixer

Exporting the mix

Exporting the Cubase file 

Putting the exported file into a new Cubase project

EQ applied to mix

Multi-band compression applied to mix

Evaluation of final mix

Compared to the first task where I was remixing someone else's track, this process was a lot easier. This was firstly due to the fact that I over saw the recording process and set everything up myself. Furthermore remixing and mastering Stick Together allowed me to experiment with different mixing techniques and figure out what processes worked and which did not. 
I do believe this track is more successful than my first mixing attempt because of the reasons given above. My ability to master tracks has also improved as I have been able to try out two different methods of mastering a track and see which one is more efficient. I found this second method of exporting the file and placing it into a new Cubase project more simple. For me everything was more organised and I found it easier to add effects to the exported file, however I didn't have any issues with either method of mastering. 

Overall I believe the mastered version of this cover is to a high quality because I took the time in the recording process to get everything to a high standard. Also the level of mix was formatted so the overall sound was 'sweetened' to a standard that would appeal to an audience and the criteria. 

Link to the mastered version below:
https://soundcloud.com/user-886671367/adele-hello-mastered