I actually had a track I knew needed transitions so saved this video to watch later as 'homework' bfr working on that track. Awesome content as always!!
Hey, awesome video as always! I can’t wait to implement these techniques. I was just wondering about something which I’m struggling to understand. There are so many different tutorials on gain staging and volume balancing (are these the same thing?), that I’m finding it difficult to work out which way is correct. I noticed you had turned the level of the reverse crash down using the channel fader, but I've been led to believe that this is a big no no. I used to think that if something is too loud then just adjust the fader but now it feels like I'm doing the wrong thing touching the channel faders but get so overwhelmed with what I'm actually supposed to be doing! And this is like the first step before anything after getting tracks down so I'm really on a stand still with my production. From what I've been able to gather is that you should use a gain plugin, the gain in the inspector window or gain directly from the plugin or virtual instrument used. Even now I feel lost as to what I really need to ask but I think I've covered my issue! I hope you understand what I'm asking of you, as I know you will have the perfect answer. Why is this so complicated for me when it seems so easy for everyone else? Sorry that was so long, I don't think there was a quicker way to ask you. Or anyone who understands what I'm asking, any help would be great as I really have a lot to learn and this is just the basics! Thanks in ad.
Nothing wrong with turning faders down at all. Theres a lot of bad information out there. And I've seen some channels get really uptight about gain staging - and really all you need to focus on is making sure when you track material that if you are live tracking (with a mic) then you should not be peaking about -6dB or close to it to avoid potential clipping. And audio just tends to sound better in that range. Once it's been recorded - using the faders is 100% normal. I mean, the faders are there for a reason! Don't overthink it - some people want you to feel confused so you have to keep watching their videos to feel like you can learn from them when honestly, I know hit producers who do things that some people say are big "no no's" but yet they have hit records... so don't get too worried about the nit picky stuff - not saying it's not important at all but focus on making great music.
@@NathanJamesLarsen thank you so much! Such a quick reply as well! So what are the gain tools used for? Should I avoid using them for now and just concentrate on using the faders (I know you just more or less said that but my confusion is still quite abundant). I nearly had a full on argument with my friend as he was telling me I was doing it wrong. I was asking him what the difference was and he couldn’t quite explain. So I went and changed all the volumes using the gain in the inspector window. What would be the proper reason to use that function? Again, you are saving my life with your help, thank you so much 🙏🏽
@@NathanJamesLarsen I think it was the making sure nothing is clipping or coming in too hot before the fader that was confusing me, this is gain staging right? So do you not check the gain pre fader?
@Hell Cat thanks for your advice. I understand what I’m doing much more these days. I’m trying to sharpen my mixing and mastering these days. It sounds like you’re quite knowledgeable about about your levels. I aim for the no higher than -6 post fader these days. I just make sure as Nathan mentioned earlier, that nothing is clipping coming in, mainly using the gain in the plug in if need be, or the gain that is in the inspector section on audio regions. I seem to have been making consistent sounding beats since using that simple method. Good luck on your journey brother 🙏🏽
When I was a kid, we would have to flip the tape upside down, print the reverb to tape, and then flip it back the right way. Pain in the ass, but the time alignment was always perfect.
I'm so happy to live in the world of music. One of my teachers did production and film scoring in the 80's and we've had lots of conversations about how much easier the tech is today. Lower barrier to entry but it still takes musical skill - just knowing the tech is a small piece of it
The reversed reverb sounds even better, if you create it with just the first note (or syllable for vocals) of the new phrase. That way the reverb has the same sonic structure like the element being played right afterwards. This really sounds like the reverb is introducing the new element, much more coherent than putting an unrelated reverb tail in front of it.
While the reverse audio and riser sound great in the context of your audio examples, I can’t help but think it is going to date the production. Like even 10 years later we’re going to hear them and think “lol, that sounds so like 2020 cheese”
I agree with most of your vids (for such a young guy you have good insight) esp. that you focus on arrangement and songwriting, many other channels just promote to buy new plugs or tell "secret" mixing tipps, but if the song itself is shit, this does not help...(I meant mostly the why your productions suck and why you do not finish tracks videos - from my experience you identified the problems most have there and it is also MOSTLY not gear or mix related)
Wow! Some of those things you said in there, Nathan, blew my mind. Some of them even gave me confirmation of what I've been noticing and wondering about in my music! Thank you so much for doing this video, Nathan! And by the way, that intro was great. Right after watching that intro two times, I was like, "I'm definitely subscribing." You hooked me right into the video. And got me to subscribe even before I watched the main part of the video! Great job! Oh, and furthermore, that arrangement section--so good; I'm definitely going to do what you said! :) -Christopher Sirard
19:37 - this was the best moment of the entire video. Seeing that spark in your eye because your spirits connected with the beauty of your craft. That Joy right there. That’s what its about. Thank you so much for remionding me. Needed to see that. Also thank you for this very educational video. I feel very refreshed by your passion my guy.
Thank you so much I've been mixing for 2 years and hit a learning wall just recently and it's been very hard to get back in with these tips I feel like I have more options on what I can do with my mix ! Great video
Hi Nathan! I’m curious to know what screen recording software you use to get clear crispy audio into your screen recording software. I also make similar videos and have a hard time with getting the best audio.
I use software called iShowUInstant. They have their own audio driver called SWB. I have a multi-output setup so that my output splits to the SWB (where daw Audio is captured) but also for my interface so I can still hear it. Hope that helps! Took me forever to find it but it's been a life saver for me
Hey Nathan, I’ve been following your channel for the past couple of months. Really helpful video as always. Great content man. Could you tell me more about your Mac specs? I’m frequently getting the system overload error.
Awesome! Thanks for that. I have a MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM and an external drive for sample libraries. Most issues are gonna be not enough RAM or external drive that's too slow. SSDs are best for external
Hi Nathan. Just wanted to say I am a new subscriber and love your content. For a bedroom producer like me this is golden. Your video where you talk about how producers are watching mix tutorials before knowing how produce made me chuckle because that's exactly the misstep I took. I also love how you constantly emphasize sound selection. Would you mind digging deeper into that? I've bought a lot of plugin synths that comprise the 'must haves' in the production world today but still have trouble at times finding the right sound which kills the creative flow. Are there plugins you recommend? Or is there a way to structure the sounds in those plugins to enable a quicker flow? Thank you.
If you create a loop around the area you want to bounce before you bounce in place, you only bounce that area and it doesn't have to go from the beginning of the track to the end but just that small part. Just remember to give it enough loop for a tale, else it'll be cut off :)
I came here looking for new ideas, inspiration. You did a good job of making this video interesting, but all those transitions are basically the same thing. Some kind of crescendo, just using different sounds to do it. Even the last one was just a crescendo using a sound with a tone. If you do another video like this, you should talk about different types of transitions such as: drum fill, instrumental fill, hitting a note that creates tension and resolves on the down beat of the next bar, lyrical transitions, abrupt transitions that fit the song, dj transitions, and I'm sure there are more that I can't think of now.
I keep everything organized in a way I know where everything is at. In other words, all my vocals are on the top, piano under that, then strings, synths, bass, and drums. And I also color code based on the sounds. Annnnd lots of practice
What a clickbait, an entire video to show that you can do sweep in/out You could explain that many use create more tension by using pauses and not just reverse things..
False: foam is useless in a mixing environment. This studio was a temporary studio as I was finishing my remodel (which I've been in now for a while) that has trapping treatment.
@@NathanJamesLarsen @Nathan James Larsen Foam is useless in any environment having to deal with sound. It does nothing to frequencies under 1khz (meaning that anything foam does can be done very easily post production with EQ. Thanks for perpetuating the same nonsense i see everywhere online though👌 so long as you've got views i guess
Another awesome way to transition is to introduce an element (for example lead synth in a drop/chorus) by having it play a few beats before, basically adding a pre-melody. Drum fills work too! _also, didn't you have like 10k subs a couple months ago? your channel grew up so fast and that's amazing!!! been subscribed since then_
Hi! i really came here for transitions which are awesome but how do i set up my reverb to be so bug and full like yours? the sound has the instruments back in the mix . What’s the technique? do you have a reverb video? Thank you!!!
I can't find my mopey comment in the sea, but I did actually uninstall and reinstall and now the fade tool function works - for anyone suffering the same issue
I was able to pick up a couple of useful tricks from this video, but am I the only one who expected a video about modulations, modal mixture and key changes?
