I've found that using a lot of parallel processing can result in a very loud mix without any obvious pumping or artifacts. I use a combination of parallel compression and something I call parallel upwards midrange compression. I'm sure there's a better name for it, but that's what I call it. The parallel midrange is set up as an aux track. On an aux track I have a Fab Filter EQ with a band pass on it, so that only 800 hz to 8k is passing through. Then after that I have a Waves MV2. I am using the upward compression slider to raise the low level signal. But because it's band passed, I'm only raising the low level signal OF THE MIDRANGE. Then I send my entire mix into this to taste. This fills out the entire midrange and gives it way more consistency. Midrange is where perceived loudness lies. When I do this I notice a huge difference on my LUFS meter, plus the whole mix sounds better -- punchier, clearer, more exciting. I think a lot of people struggle because their mixes are too scooped. If you have too much low end and high end, it's going to be difficult to get your mix to sound loud. The low end will distort too much and the high end will sound too harsh. Plus, there's just not enough frequency content where our ears are most sensitive.
Bobby, you opened my eyes, for a very very long time I was relying on a limiter plugins but your way of processing master bus is a huuuuge step to achieve a nice, loud and natural sound. Million thanks bro!
I must say this simple yet effective master buss chain worked magic on my overall mix. Thank you for your time and effort you put into your videos. Greatly appreciated.
My mixes are still shitty. 😁I am working on mixing skills before i learn how to master. Kind of a learn to crawl before you can walk kinda thing. Your videos are so helpful. Your approach and the way you explain things is on point!
Personally, I like the Brainworx Townhouse Buss Compressor for my master buss. It's essentially the same as the Waves SSL but with one key addition: a side chain high pass filter. I find that makes a huge difference. If you use the Waves SSL on your whole mix, it'll respond too much to the low end for my tastes. It can be great on individual instrument tracks though. Anyway, loving your channel. And I don't even mix metal. But all the knowledge here is useful for the indie rock I do.
Great content! It would've been interesting to hear the mix before and after the chain of plug-ins. Or even after every plug-in to hear what each of those does to the mix..
I second the A/B comparison previously mentioned. My question is this: is this master bus chain added and effective while you mix, or do you mix all the individual tracks (i.e. eq, comp, any effects and balancing) before you engage this master bus chain?
It varies, but generally the SSL is on there from the get-go and I add the rest during the last 20% of my mix. I have a video in the pipeline that goes over the entire process from a workflow standpoint. Thanks for watching!
Thanks man. So this is how to do manually lmao. Usually i have my volume low and my guitar sound a bit muddy is not a big problem I just use izotope ozone master assistant and boom louder and clearer guitar tone lmao.
Love it dude. Cant wait to try it out when i get to my new studio. Can i ask what effect you have on the snare for the break down at 12:08? sounds a bit like reverb but all the plug ins i've use i cant get anything close to that. Just room sounds, really but yours sounds like a gunshot or something. Hope to hear back from you dude. Thanks for all the videos. I watch a couple of times a week now and you're definitely my most watched producer. Liked and Subscribed, dude.
Very helpful video Bobby,if this is your mix bus and already sounds killer, how does your master chain looks like ? What kind of processing you aim on the mastering stage ? Not sure if you already have a video on that topic thats why im asking. Thanks in advance!
Would you say that the Auto release is definitely more of a gluing effect then say something more like a hyper-fast release and a hyperslow attack on the SSL. Personally my settings tend to be 2 to 1 ratio fastest release slowest attack on the SSL
Hey bobby, mastering a black metal demo using your method and I'm wondering what should I be listening for when I increase the threshold in L1? Not too sure how far I can push the loudness. How much attenuation kicking in is too much? Thanks in advance!!
Hey Bobby, great video! Quick question, I got kind of confused when you mentioned ‘bouncing and sending to mastering engineer’ especially when you started talking about the a limiter. If you’re applying these processes on the ‘2 buss’ , why would you send it to the mastering engineer? Just need some clarification. Thanks bro!
These processes are very subtle and the limiter is just used to boost gain and not for gain reduction. Most pro mixers send the mastering engineer tracks with the their 2 bus chain applied. Think of it as part of the mix.
Awesome stuff dude! every video you put out is filled with useful knowledge 🤘🏻 quick question regarding gain staging: I didn’t put too much thought into gain staging during my first mixes, and as a result my templates for my mixes all clip at a certain point when all my tracks meet up on my pre mix bus. This is a bus where I send all my instruments prior to the actual master bus. To solve this, I just added a gain plugin prior to the fader on the pre-mix bus and turned down the gain to avoid clipping. I then turn up the volume on my actual master bus by using the method you described in this video. Is it problematic if I’m clipping at the point in my mix that I just mentioned? I always thought as long as you don’t clip going into a daw and going out once exported then it’s not a big deal, but I was interested in what your thoughts were on this
GREAT question. I just make sure I don't clip. Also, check out this interview...Jordan Valeriote has a great way of going about gain staging and I follow a similar approach: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BKgk_fUn7Rc.html
Hey man, awesome video! Your channel has been super informative when it comes to mixing metal. Quick question though: what values would you aim for (both lufs and rms) if you were to master a track for streaming? I’ve put a meter on my mix and I’m a little confused. The overall lufs is just over 7, while the rms hovers around 11. I’ve read that streaming sites normalize at around 14 lufs, but this doesn’t address rms at all. Do I just completely ignore rms values? When I compare my mix to reference tracks they sound hella quiet, but if I go by the numbers then they’re up to standard for online volume. Btw, when I say mix I’m referring to the mix with my attempted mastering processing on the master bus 🤘🏻
Hello Jacob! So happy to hear you're finding the vids helpful. Great question, I don't worry about the overall RMS for my master. I always set my ceiling to -.1DBFS. When it comes to limiting, I make sure my mastering limiter is doing no more that 2dB of limiting (minus a few peaks here and there). If my mix is well controlled and I've created sufficient headroom in the mix itself, I usually have it sitting at a commercial level with the limiter doing minimal gain reeducation. I make sure the level is hot enough by comparing to my previous masters.
Yes, these processes are part of the mix itself. Mastering engineers always thank me for making their lives easier by controlling the headroom in the mixing stage. Also, these days, I usually do my own mastering.
@@FrightboxRecording hey man, thanks for the video. if I want to use this technique for mastering a song, what additional process would you add to the chain? Cheers
Hello Joseph! I throw my bus compressor on early in the rough mix stage. The tape saturator I throw on about halfway through after I have my drums and bass sorted out.
Hey Bobby , got a very tricky question that I'm unable to find answers to :( whenever I Mix/Master a song all the time my spectrum analyzer shows the below curve for the High end ibb.co/ph0L0M6 While when referencing to other songs , each and every single song is showing the below High end where every thing above like 16 K is completely gone ibb.co/dcPK8jS I Have no idea how to match that at all , should I Low pass each and every single track at 16 k or so ? Only you can help with this , Appreciate your help bro
I don't understand multiband compression. Shouldn't you have got the instruments how you like them before this stage? Why are you fixing problems on the mix bus with multiband compression? It appears you're using it to control the low end a lot. Why didn't ya just get the low end where you want it before this step? I just don't comprehend. So it looks to me like you're basically mastering? The last thing you do is raise the volume. Looks like mastering to me. So is this mastering or mixing?
right! thanks a lot :D thought i was missing a bus somewhere... lol. anyway your videos are a great source of information for us wanabee producers, thanks a lot man!
Hello Mike! Yes, in this case I am since I had a lot of headroom in the mix itself. As long as I'm hitting roughly 2dB of gain reduction in the SSL, the tape sim roughly .5-1 dB, and my C4 is doing around 2-3db on the peaks...the result will be the same.
Great stuff Bobby. What input level do you set for your guitar tracks? Ive been recording at -18db but I'm wondering if maybe I'm not getting a powerful enough sound before mastering.
@@FrightboxRecording tracking. Do you keep your tracking level lower(-12 to -18) or do you push it toward 0db and bring the volume back down afterward to get maximum signal and minimum noise?
