Ahh yes.. the black art, the subject most people don't want to write about. This is a very subjective part
of the recording process because there's alot of "this depends on that which depends on this" which means
it depends on how "you" did everything up to this point.
This is a very personal part of the recording process for me, the last & most important part of a building
that holds it up & puts your personal mark on it. So really take your time with this part, it can make or
break all the hard work you've already done!
I would also like to add, that the thing that helped me the most is when someone told me to "treat it like
it's a painting, try to get all the brush strokes & colors in perfect balance" except of course your using
sound instead of paint. Use the audio spectrum & balance it... too much or too little in one area & it'll
throw everthing off.
FOR STARTERS
Before I do anything else I'd like to say that this is just the way I go about doing things, this can &
probably will change drastically for your project, so look at the overall picture here...
What I try to do (and hope you do) is to think ahead to this part before I record each instrument, that
way I don't have to make drastic changes to things to get them to fit in the mix. If you use the "I'll
fix it in the mix" way of thinking you'll get yourself in trouble. I like to to think "final mix" as I record
each part, then it comes together better at the end.
Another thing I do is, I'll listen to a certain CD that has a mix I like & try to use their formula.
I won't try to match the "sound" of the recording, just use it for a reference on how each instrument fits
in the mix. Just use it for a reference though, don't kill yourself trying to get it "perfect" you'll run
youself into the ground (speaking from experience here!)
In these next parts, I'll talk about mostly EQing instruments to get them to fit better in the mix
& a general way of getting parts to fit overall. We'll talk about effects at the end.
You can GO HERE to see a Glossary of terms.
In these parts when I talk about boosting EQ levels I'm talking about SMALL boosts!
In most situations it's better to CUT than to BOOST, i.e. if you want to boost the highs,
try cutting the mids & lows ect. If you pay attention while your recording your tracks,
you shouldn't need radical EQ changes.
DRUMS
The thing I like to make sure I have is a good stick (or beater for the kick drum) attack. To me this is
what makes them clearer in the mix, especially trying to get over a huge quadruple tracked guitar sound.
Try to get most of this from the mic before you reach for the EQ (see "Drums") but if you need a little
more try tweaking the 4 to 5kHz (kiloHertz) range for the snare & toms, & 2.5 to 6kHz on the bass drum.
On the other end of the spectrum, I like a little boost around 60 to 100Hz (Hertz) on the kick drum.
(you can also do this by lowering the frequencies between 250Hz & 1.5kHz, which is sometimes better)
I'll start to roll it off (lower it) at 60hz & down, this gives it good punch & leaves room below 60hz for
the lower frequencies of the bass guitar.
For the toms, a little boost around 250hz gives them fullness (around 100hz for the floor tom) or lower the
frequencies between 400hz & 2khz, & roll off the bottom starting at 100hz (which is what I like to do)
For the snare I like to add a little around 400 to 500Hz, it gives it a good "pop" sound that really jumps
out at ya. I also cut it a little at around 100 to 200Hz & down.
For the cymbals, if they're bright enough to start with you shouldn't have to do alot to 'em. If they're
kind of "clanky" sounding try cutting from 800Hz & down, & just tweaking at around 8kHz for some
shimmer. Of course, don't do this on your overhead mics if your trying to pick up more than just
cymbals with 'em.
GUITAR
For the guitar I usually roll off the bottom end at about 250Hz (I like to let the kick drum & bass guitar
handle this range). I usually roll off the top end at around 6kHz or so, definetly no higher than 8kHz, if you
let get too loud up there it'll start "masking" or covering up the attack of the drums & the cymbals.
If you need it to cut thru a little more, you can tweak it at 2.5kHz a little (watch for masking here too!)
All this is taking in to consideration that you've got a good sound on tape.
BASS
On the bass I like to use the area of 60Hz & down to fill out the the bottom end of the recording. Watch
this area in relation to the kick drum! The bass & the kick should enhance one another, not one blow the
other away. At the other end, I like to tweak the area between 700Hz & 2kHz it gives it a good spot in
the mix & enhances the attack.
VOCALS
I would say most of the time, if you have a good strong signal on tape, you really shoudn't need alot of EQ
on vocals. But some basic guide lines are... for fullness tweak around 120Hz, for more "boominess" tweak
at 200 to 240Hz, to add some presence or more upfront sound tweak at 5kHz, for sibilance ("S" sounds)
tweak at 7 to 10kHz.
EFFECTS
The first thing I'll say about effects is, if you want to keep everything tight & upfront watch how much
you use! using long reverbs on everything can turn it in to a mushy mess!
Alot of this will depend on the kind of music your doing (and if you want to sort of follow what is going
on with other bands playing a similar style) For instance, most Doom & Black Metal bands are using alot
of ambient keyboards & a good amount of lenghty reverb on there recordings. Where the more Hardcore
bands tend to use less reverb & are "dryer" when it comes to this. It's all a matter of taste, if you're
looking for a new sound to be different, by all means do it & screw anyone who says "you can't do that!"
I know I'm talking mostly about reverb here, but Flange, Chorus, & pitch effects don't wash out an entire
mix like reverb can (unless their used in HUGE amounts and/or on an entire mix) so I don't worry quite as
much about them.
When it comes to Bass & Kick drum, I wouldn't use much (if any) reverb on 'em, they're the driving force
behind the music so you usually want them clean & clear (a little flange or chorus won't hurt 'em though)