Smooth highs......how do they do it?

[Theron D]

I've been struggling with trying to get my mixes to have the same smoothness in the higher frequencies as store bought CDs. Million dollar question right.......I mix ITB, and then bounce to 1/4" tape which does seem to help......but still any guidance as to the range of frequencies that I should focus which cause ear fatique and abrasiveness would be a big help.......

Thanks in advance....

Theron D

[LittleDogAudio]

A seriously difficult question for anyone to tackle. It (obviously) starts and ends at the source.

A good mastering engineer can "trick-out" a sub-par recording but it will never really sound close to a great recording.

btw. "a whole lot of "store-bought" recordings sound pretty shitty to my humble ears.

I would be interested to see if anyone else has a different angle.

Chris

[nacho459]

The only way I have found to do it is to use Neumann Microphones into Neve pre's, compress with LA2As, record on a Studer 800, mix to 1/2" on an Ampex 102 then run everything through a Sonic Maximiser dipped in C37.

[slowblue]

Nacho 459? I thought for sure that was going to be Thom Yorke with that post, he kills me.

[Mark Alan Miller]

The only way I have found to do it is to use Neumann Microphones into Neve pre's, compress with LA2As, record on a Studer 800, mix to 1/2" on an Ampex 102 then run everything through a Sonic Maximiser dipped in C37.

Nacho's right.


EDITed for clarity.

[thethingwiththestuff]

first off, running through 1/4" tape isn't the same as running through 2". secondly, these questions often seem to ignore the fact that the reference material is mastered.

that being said.....higher quality monitors, better acoustic treatment of your mixing room, more a/bing like you've apparently been doing, and maybe some multi-band compression and other mastering-oriented processes could help.

[I'm Painting Again]

the best thing i can think of for general and practical home recording is a mic with a smooth top..perhaps a ribbon..that mixed with the tape which rolls off at about 15KHz or so should be a good step toward getting what your after..

[soundguy]

the easy answer is transformers. the right answer is well designed gear operated by the well trained people.

dave

[joelpatterson]

But maybe the "real" answer, in a nutshell, would be limiting.

There's nothing like hardware or good software limiting, plain and simple, to put a sheen of intelligibility on a mix that overall has good balance and dynamics.

I think if some of my colleagues would let their knees jerk a little more, they might agree.

[Theron D]

first off, running through 1/4" tape isn't the same as running through 2". secondly, these questions often seem to ignore the fact that the reference material is mastered.

Yes I know. But I am talking from a getto mastering viewpoint.

[Zeppelin4Life]

the EQ devices probably have the most to do with this, and thats not surprising. you could be using a $10 guitar EQ pedal or a $4000 Weiss EQ1 and they will both do the exact same thing. but totally differently. Generally speaking the more expensive the EQ the more natural it sounds. and natural EQ=good.

also,

usually good compressors and good monitoring enviornments. good analog preamps and recorders also help

watch the super-sensitive areas like 3.2K and 5.4K and things like this. a sharp drop in ~3K will make everything sound very thin and weak. on the otehr hand, too much 3K will make everything sound honkey-tonkey. 5-7k is usualyl the most 'sharp' highs. this is a dangerous area. too much and you get that horrible SHHHHHHHH in the cymbals. too little and you get that horrible HISSSSS in the cymbals. but a good EQ, that helps.

[soundguy]

I dont know what kind of compressors you guys are used to using, but in my experience I would never automatically equate "smooth high end" with limiting. Smooth high end is something I generally have to work to restore once a compressor fucks it up...

dave

[Zeppelin4Life]

I dont know what kind of compressors you guys are used to using, but in my experience I would never automatically equate "smooth high end" with limiting. Smooth high end is something I generally have to work to restore once a compressor fucks it up...

dave

ever try an LA2? It's a tubed opto. In general, opto compressors will smooth the high end due to it's 'slowness'. I doubt modern compressors do this as much

[soundguy]

If an la2 is "smoothing" it is smoothing because of the line amplifier, not because of the opto. all optos are not slow either, not every optical limiter has a t4b in it. Ever use an ADL 1000? No nice subtle high end smoothing going on in that box, and its a copy of an LA2. That box is a brilliant example of how important chosing the right transformers are.

dave

[tsw]

I think this is a good question, especially for those of us in this community who aren't recording gods. To me, bad sounding high end is one of the biggest dead giveaways that a recording is not very well done.

The things that have helped me the most are mic selction and mic pre. I recently got the RNP, and it helped quite a bit (compared to the pre's in my cheap Soundcraft board). I've also been using a mic that's pretty damn dark, and that helps. Oh, and the Distressor. That helps quite a bit. It almost works as a de-esser if you set it right.

I'm guessing room plays a bigger role here than a lot of us care to acknowledge. Because for a lot of us, the room is something we're pretty much stuck with.

I don't think EQ is the answer. For me, anyway, once that cheesy high end is tracked, it's there for good. You've gotta fix it before anything hits tape.