How to Setup Your Master Bus for Mixing! This is My Plug in Signal Chain!

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🎸 In this video, I'll show you some of my favorite go-to #plugins in my #masterbus #signalchain for #mixing. Mixing is an art all unto itself. Each step is a tiny dab of paint on the canvas of a song, moving towards a level of completion that sounds as good as it feels. And when it comes to your master buss signal chain, there’s not a more significant final brushstroke.
⚡ LINKS:
• ‪@UniversalAudio‬
• ‪@avid‬
• ‪@PluginAllianceTV‬
• ‪@fabfilter‬
• ‪@sweetwater‬
• ‪@barefootsound9239‬
📚CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:53 Why is the master bus so important?
01:40 My signal chain
01:54 #1 - Analog Console Emulation (Plugin Alliance SSL 9000J)
02:42 #2 - EQ for Surgery (FabFilter Pro-Q)
04:20 #3 - Flavorful Bus Compressor (UAD API 2500)
05:53 #4 - Colorful EQ (Plugin Alliance AMEK 200)
07:13 #5 - Last Bus Compressor (Plugin Alliance Shadow Hills)
08:08 #6 - Analog Tape Emulation (UAD Studer A800)
09:15 #7 - Final Limiting / Color (Plugin Alliance bx_Masterdesk)
10:25 Recap
11:13 Using Analyzers (ADPTR Streamliner + Metric AB)
12:29 Outro
⚡️PLUG INS USED IN THIS SIGNAL CHAIN:
• Plugin Alliance BX_SSL 9000J
• FabFilter ProQ
• UAD API 2500
• Plugin Alliance AMEK200
• Plugin Alliance Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor
• UAD Studer A800
• Plugin Alliance BX_Masterdesk
💬 Let's chat in the comments:
- What's your master bus signal chain look like?
- What plug-ins do you wish you had?
---
🌐 LET'S CONNECT:
braddollar.com
TikTok: @bradkdollar
IG: @bradkdollar
Listen to the music in the videos: Brad $ (open.spotify.com/track/33w5Wa...)
---
Hey there! I'm Brad Dollar and I love making music with people.
My goal: Help as many people as possible elevate their process, their music and their relationships with listeners worldwide.
Thanks so much for watching! Seriously, it means a ton.
🔥
#masterbuscompression #howtomaster #masterbuschain #mixing #buss #fader #mixbusprotools #mixbusero #homestudio #homestudiotour #mixbusprocessing #signalchain #fabfilterpro #studer #a800 #uad #api2500buscompressor #analog #tapemachine #michaelbrauer #stemmixing #audiosignalchain #masterbussignalchain #homestudiosetup #neve #mixtutorial #protoolsdemo #weneedtotalk #guitarist #guitarmixing #guitarpedals #uadspark #sslcompressor #aj1 #barefootspeakers #barefootfootprint

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Опубликовано:

30 июн 2024

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Комментарии : 69

@NowyouknowMusic 7 месяцев назад

Great info here, Brad. Thanks!!

@BradDollar 7 месяцев назад

That means a lot! Thank you for hanging out and watching.

@dogghousetv2327 7 месяцев назад

Love that you’re not using the same plugins as most channels I see when it comes to masters “ssl bus comp , pultec (tho you mentioned it) lol , & pro L2” you have you’re own style I like it 👌🏾

@BradDollar 7 месяцев назад

Hey thank you! That means a lot. The standards are solid, but there are so many great, different flavors out there to try. Like these and more! Thank you so much for watching! Real glad to have you here.

@blvcksnowbeatz 9 дней назад

Great points 👌🏽👌🏽 Thank You.

@BradDollar 4 дня назад

Great to have you watching! I'm glad this was helpful. Keep me posted if you have any other questions at all!

@BillGraper 6 месяцев назад

My favorite mix bus compressor is the Softube Bus Compressor. It's going to be my final compressor on all of my mixes.

@BradDollar 6 месяцев назад

Softube makes such great stuff! Thanks a ton for watching!

@uSimona 6 месяцев назад

i love the Dovydas record you produced and mixed! learning alot from you, thank you.

@BradDollar 6 месяцев назад

Thank you a ton! I loved working on that with him. Dude is an incredible guitarist and has so much drive and passion for the art. Appreciate you watching!

@KyllandMusic 3 месяца назад

Your videos keep getting better, Brad!! ❤🎉

@BradDollar 3 месяца назад

♥ That means a lot coming from you! Appreciate you being here.

@marcd3on605 5 месяцев назад

Thank You. You've just gave me what I've been missing

@marcd3on605 5 месяцев назад

Coming back again. You just changed my life😂

@BradDollar 5 месяцев назад

That means the world to me! I’m so glad it was helpful. Stoked for you to be out there making music. Appreciate you watching! Let me know if there’s anything else you’re trying to figure out.

@lance134679 7 месяцев назад

Wow, more plugins than I anticipated but all very logical. I imagine you save that plugin chain as a template so you can quickly add it to any new mix.

@BradDollar 7 месяцев назад

Hey Lawrence! Great question. Yea template for sure, though I'll still shuffle through different types of each stage. For the most part though, I kind of always have everything in that order. Thank you for watching!

@user-kf6nt1cz6e Месяц назад

Killer video, love to see someone cooking with sauce and not just a sterile ass mixer. everyone in their bedrooms out here acting like they're making Aja on their apollos with their warm mics. make the damn music people. do what you need to do to make it tasty. this dude don't have a console. I don't have a console either. its a good option. thank you.

@BradDollar Месяц назад

Thank you! There are no wrong answers and sometimes those clean approaches are the right way. But for the most part, I love working with flavor! Thank you for being here!

@IAMCORNHOLIOINEEDTP 7 месяцев назад

Does the ground noise come from the SSL 9000J plugin? You can see it in the Fabfilter plugin on the right, there is something dancing around. I'm not sure if I want this noise in my sum signal, even if it's not really audible. I think it's coming from the emulated preamp. Otherwise a top video, thanks for that!

@BradDollar 7 месяцев назад

Hey thank you for watching! Yea that gremlin is 100% from the SSL. If you turn the "Virtual Gain" and the "THD" all the way off, it goes away.

@Brutuscomedy 7 месяцев назад

Whoa. You have a channel! Word. I met ya in Oakland years ago.

@BradDollar 7 месяцев назад

Small world! So great to connect with you again. Appreciate you being here and watching.

@johnsuggs7828 7 месяцев назад

Did you just say Word? You just slapped a date on yourself brother. There's no way a post 2000 kid says that lol

@Brutuscomedy 7 месяцев назад

@@johnsuggs7828 😆 Brutus Est. 1982

@OperculumAudio 7 месяцев назад

I watched a Deadmau5 stream a while back, and most of the plugins you've used, he also did too with the exception of OTT and BBE sonic maximizer. (Though he we using them on an individual channel, not a bus or master in most cases)

@BradDollar 7 месяцев назад

Hey what’s up! Those deadmau5 streams are legendary. OTT is awesome on individual tracks when you need that huge energy. It’s a a sweet plug-in. Cool to know about the sonic Maximizer! I love that thing on guitars. Appreciate you watching!

@OperculumAudio 7 месяцев назад

@@BradDollar for sure, Im curious, do you know anything of how he gets such a warm glue together mix? Or how do you go about it? I mostly do electronic music and i try to get those subtle reverbs that deadmau5 gets where it feels like he cooked the synths in a oven to crispy perfection and its a wall of energy in your face

@BradDollar Месяц назад

You just can't be afraid of letting things get a little messy harmonically. He's a master at it, but I think a lot of it is he doesn't operate with any "fear" or sense of "rules." If you bring that energy to everything from the very first sample you lay in to a production, it's going to wake all of it up. So to put it simply, I think the way to make it sound like that, is to goose it to that point along the way, and not just wait until the end. I'll do some studying and see what I can find though!

@aviatedviewssound4798 4 месяца назад

The channel strip you have used only replicates the phase response and Hammerstein harmonics, but it does not replicate the console's saturation characteristics, which can only be achieved through an amplifier. My suggestion would be to initially opt for one of the Louder Than Liftoff Silver Bullet Mk2 amplifiers instead of the channel strip, unless it includes a preamplifier. I enjoy using the AMEK 200 for that GML flavor as well as the Sontec EQ. I suggest avoiding multitrack tape machine plugins such as the UAD Studer A800 Tape Recorder or Softube Tape (Studer A827 Tape Recorder) on your mixbus or master; opt for a mastering tape machine like the UAD Ampex ATR-102 Tape Machine or the Kiive Tape Face (Scully 280B Tape Machine) instead. Also, try bypassing the opto section on the Shadow Hills Class A Mastering Compressor to remove that top-end attenuation, and use a soft clipper before your limiter.

@BradDollar 3 месяца назад

Nice, thanks! Lots of different ways to do it. The LtL is awesome and I do like the ATR102 as well. Appreciate you watching!

@aschmitz93 7 месяцев назад

If it works - great! But just so you know, you're actually using 4 (!) compressors here, since the Shadow Hills has 2 stages of compression and the masterdesk has a built in compressor before the limiting stage.

@BradDollar 7 месяцев назад

Hey Arne! Appreciate you! You're totally right. Honestly, might as well chock the tape sim up to another compressor too. There is definitely a lot of squeeze happening 😂. Thank you a ton for watching!

@aschmitz93 7 месяцев назад

haha yeah. but if it works, it works!@@BradDollar

@BradDollar 7 месяцев назад

@@aschmitz93 luckily this variation does (for now hahaha). Thanks a ton!

@mwaves4152 2 месяца назад

How many db's of gain reduction do you aim for on the multiband comp, or the next comp would it be -0.5 or 1db after your intial compression

@BradDollar 2 месяца назад

Great question! I'm just going for little bits, so 1dB usually does it for me. If I'm doing more, and it's not getting any better, then I'll go back into the source tracks and work on them more individually. Thank you for being here and watching!

@SG-4u 6 месяцев назад

If you want to make your life easy, put Voxengo Teote on your master bus at about 40% strength and mix into it. That it. That’s all you need. When you’re done you can remove it and use whatever you like for your chain, or you can leave it and dial it in to your liking. One simple plugin will make your mixing so much easier.

@BradDollar 6 месяцев назад

Hey thank you! I didn’t even know about this thing. Appreciate you putting me on to it. I’ll definitely check it out. Thank you for being here!

@And_He Месяц назад

Trackspacer more powerfull than Teote.

@Mixxwizard 6 месяцев назад

Excellent video, Brad. The only thing I would add to that chain would be the VSX plugin, & the VU meter with the floating window.

@BradDollar 6 месяцев назад

Oh you’re so right! Hard to beat a solid metering solution like that. Appreciate you being here and watching!

@bradashlock 7 месяцев назад

New video title suggestion: Hand Tornado 🌪️ 🤚 🖐️ ✋

@BradDollar 7 месяцев назад

😂 Slappers Only was my favorite mode on Goldeneye. Appreciate you watching!

@ytnsanw 7 месяцев назад

Not sure I'd be using a Pro Q3 on the master bus in zero latency mode. I would think that you want to be in Minimum Phase to both preserve phase coherency and prevent cramping...

@BradDollar 7 месяцев назад

Hey thanks for watching! It’s never really steered me wrong, but whatever works for you definitely do it.

@Brutuscomedy 7 месяцев назад

Why not put the SSL on individual channels instead? Then you can use that TMT technology throughout (or a different console emulation on different parts like a Neve for electric bass). Also, if budget allows I think analog mastering sounds better so I would advocate not putting anything (or much) on the two bus. Better to let someone else who also has fresh ears impart analog goodness and flavor. And it "saves you time" to boot. Most people aren't good at mastering, don't have well treated rooms or sufficient monitoring.

@BradDollar 7 месяцев назад

I do that too! It works great in tandem and is kinda like “working on a console” with having your tracks running through channel strips. And like you said, it lets you have a “super console” with having all the different options available.

@2StupidMarks 7 месяцев назад

I dont mess with the master bus much at all on bands i tracked that are going out of house to mastering. if you do too much and give a super "polished" mix that rivals a professionally mastered commercial release you used for a reference any good mastering engineer is going to reject your project and tell you to fix it. I work with one of the larger professional mastering houses (for punk and metal type stuff) and he rejects mixes constantly because amateur bands send completely squashed mixes they did themselves. Then i have to get their stems and fix it. If is all ready compressed and limited to minimal dynamic range with no headroom, has saturation or extra dynamic exciters, has stereo spread eq or really anything besides a moderate overall eq mastering engineers hate it even if you are sending 32bit float. it limits what they can do and makes their job harder. its better to send a balanced mix, leaving your stereo out untouched, and then let them do their job imo. thats how ive done it for 20 years. if you are mastering your own stuff then for sure I think its great to create and mix into an already "mastered" mastering bus from the start, when im just making beats thats how i do it. the other thing to consider is the pressing plants will also reject your product if you do not send the right file type with the right specifications for limiting eq etc. different final formats (vinyl or cd etc) require different limiting, eq and file types. you can not jsut send the same file or they will reject it or make you pay them to fix it.

@BradDollar 7 месяцев назад

Hey thank you for watching! That’s totally a way of doing it too. I’m right there with you - been doing this for 20+ some odd years and have seen it all/done it all. I’ve spilt my fair share of milk for sure on the master buss 😂. But these days, I really want to make sure that what I’m delivering is as finished as I can make it, and that the artists I’m working with are excited and know what to expect. Right there with you too, I also work with some of the larger mastering studios (Sterling, Infrasonic) and the good thing about having a relationship with them is if there are any issues they’ll let me know. Sometimes I’ll even share mixes before we’re at mastering to make sure we’re on the right track. So I hear you and agree - the most important thing is not to shoot in the dark and do whatever gets you to the result you want. Thank you so much!

@2StupidMarks 7 месяцев назад

@@BradDollar for sure ha, it’s mostly when people are new and do all kinds of wild shit they saw experienced people doing on YT, then they send over unworkable mixes ha. Cheers keep up the good vids 👊🏽

@BradDollar 7 месяцев назад

Totally! Good looking out. Hey if anyone ever comes to you with a trash mix and says “I learned this from Brad Dollar” let me know and I’ll help you fix it 😂. Thanks again for your input. Really appreciate you being here and watching!

@Uuuuyyyyuuu 7 месяцев назад

You may be missing a valid point: most likely the majority of people watching this type of tutorial on RU-vid are mixing/mastering their own work ie: bedroom producers. Those in the space of sending off masters to a mastering house will likely not be watching these types of videos. These type of instructional vids are a blessing to those doing it all ITB and looking to explore their own skills. @@2StupidMarks

@2StupidMarks 7 месяцев назад

@@BradDollar lol will do! Happy holidays 👊🏽

@periurban 6 месяцев назад

I listened to some stuff you've mixed, and I think you sometimes get a good result, but some of your mixes sound blurry to my ear (Tranquiliize by Finish Ticket). Isn't there a danger that by colouring the output path you risk smearing the transients, or other similar dangers? Especially if you are running a lot of plugins that already add colour? You might be adding extra harmonics that you don't need to add. You have mixes there that sound too thin (terrified by Rivvrs) and some that sound too fat (Hi Line by Laney Lou). I guess you are working for clients. so you don't have total control, but I would suggest you try a mix or two WITHOUT messing with the master bus and see how it works. (You probably have, I know, but in light of this video it'd be nice to see a comparison.)

@BradDollar 6 месяцев назад

Hi! Thank you SO much for listening to so much of my music. That means a lot to me. I appreciate your feedback and insight. At the end of the day yes - All of these artists had final say and all of them said we love it and put it out. I don’t think I’ve ever been fully “wow I did it perfect!” with anything I’ve done, but as long as the people I’m making music with are happy, and I’ve done everything I can to make things as great as I can, thats as much as I can hope for. That said Tranquilize and Terrified are both 10 years old, so I can definitely tell you I’ve grown since then 😂. Also all three of those songs you mentioned were professionally mastered so go figure. I don’t think anything about making music is dangerous and as a result there are no rules. I don’t have a ton of hits or anything, but I’ve stayed busy making songs with this mindset. Thank you again! Send me some of your mixes too. Would love to check them out.

@periurban 6 месяцев назад

@@BradDollar I'm glad you appreciated the feedback. So few do! You can check out my music on my channel. Here's a recent one, being the title track of my latest album. One of my friends said it sounded like something from a late 60s concept album like The Who's Tommy. I don't think I was going for that, but I'll take it! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-h1SLgMEeZR8.htmlsi=CJWtBckfTYxC2Omj

@artysanmobile 5 месяцев назад

One day, hopefully, you will discover the real mix buss trick, which is to use nothing at all until you have completed the automation on all your tracks. Once this is done, you will hear a whole new world and it will sound a lot more like that holy grail you thought a compressor could provide.

@BradDollar 5 месяцев назад

Sometimes that’s the right answer too. Appreciate you watching!

@artysanmobile 5 месяцев назад

@@BradDollar I, too, used to just throw a mix buss process on to my master fader. Rookie mistake. That is not how great mixes happen.

@BradDollar 5 месяцев назад

There’s more than one way to do things and definitely no rules. Guess I’m forever a rookie 😎. Thanks for being here!

@artysanmobile 5 месяцев назад

@@BradDollar I wasn’t calling you a rookie, Brad. I offered my info with complete honesty and in the spirit of learning and was referring to a common practice, not you specifically. I do have a slightly short fuse with the poor and counterproductive advice I see on RU-vid, especially after seeing it hundreds of times. Sticking “choose your plugin” in the master right from the start of work is a terrible approach, when our work is intended to be creative. Sorry. It was nothing personal.

@BradDollar 5 месяцев назад

Totally all good! Not taken personally. I hear you completely and I appreciate your input. And depending on the song I’ve done it both ways. For me, these days, compressors and any master buss processing is way more about the color it adds, then relying on these tools to do heavy lifting. I definitely don’t think my chain precludes one from having to automate/mix individual elements, but I do think it helps paint a more finished picture, earlier on. Which is really the main goal here. Seriously, thank you a ton! Glad to have you here.

@ronready66 2 месяца назад

is this mixing or mastering?

@BradDollar 2 месяца назад

Definitely mixing but this way you’re setup for those times when you do need to faux-master something to check levels. The idea here is all about creating a master buss sonic thumbprint, just like if you were to mix something on an analog desk on the real world. And you can always bypass anything in the chain if you don’t want it or it doesn’t work. Thank you for watching!

@paulgrant8665 6 месяцев назад

Not very useful if I can't hear the results for each component

@BradDollar 6 месяцев назад

Hey thank you for watching all the same! I didn’t want to make this a 30+ minute video, and with mixing be so subjective anyways, I just wanted to paint a picture of the options so folks know what to go try. I hear you though and will keep it mind. Appreciate you!