Mixing with Stems... my CPU smells like burning!

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alexdingley
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Mixing with Stems... my CPU smells like burning!

Post by alexdingley » Sun Dec 26, 2004 5:00 pm

I tracked this in the studio using a MixPlus TDM system... and I brought it home to edit and have done some mixes in Nuendo... my mix room is far from accurate, so I did a bit of comparison with headphones and small mono speakers.

let me know what you think:

Truthgame - 2004 Mix


*edit*

by the way... as you may be able to guess by my subject line, I had to submix my drums and instrument groups because my G4 was really getting sluggish under the weight of 30 odd tracks of guitars, drums, synths, and fx galore.

I mostly used the built in Nuendo EQ's and dynamics. I also used TC native reverb, and blueTubes compressors... but that's about it. any input appreciated... even if it's to tell me that the mix sounds as good as Ashley Simpson's real voice.

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Re: Mixing with Stems... my CPU smells like burning!

Post by hearnoevil » Tue Dec 28, 2004 4:55 pm

You have a really nice sense of space! I think that's definitely one of the most obvious good qualities of the mix. Is it final & mastered or just a rough mix or....? I think there are a couple places where the vocal gets a little buried & there's a hi-end crunchy thing happening in a few places (not the synth effect- it's close to that, but more in the cymbals or hats) Then again, it is an mp3, so I'm probably not getting the full quality.

Sounds good, though!
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Re: Mixing with Stems... my CPU smells like burning!

Post by alexdingley » Tue Dec 28, 2004 5:38 pm

Wow... thanks for the compliment!

It's a rough mix that I did in Nuendo. I mixed it in my temporary living space (bedroom) I haven't had a dedicated home studio in months, and it's been killing me. I used to have a nice room in my house set up as a studio with my monitors tuned in the room... but times change, jobs go away... and you move in with friends...

I'm getting ready to take the 4 song project to a real studio (luckily for a nominal fee)

I will take the sense of space in that mix and try to round out the bottom and clean up the top end. I did a bit of quasi-mastering with Nuendo's multi-band compressor... but it is pretty harsh.

Down the road I would like to mix one of my projects on an SSL (there are a few in philly...) I haven't used one of those since school. For now, I'm going to mix it on a Yamaha DM2000. I love that board, it's really wide open for a digital board, and the onboard FX are pretty damn good for the price-point. Very tired of mixing in the box.

I'm also gonna recut vocals... those were on an SM57 through a behringer. Think I'll switch to a 414 uls into an Avalon... I've used that combo before with good results on my voice.

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Re: Mixing with Stems... my CPU smells like burning!

Post by hearnoevil » Wed Dec 29, 2004 8:09 am

thedeepcuts wrote:Wow... thanks for the compliment!
It's a rough mix that I did in Nuendo. I mixed it in my temporary living space (bedroom) I haven't had a dedicated home studio in months, and it's been killing me. I used to have a nice room in my house set up as a studio with my monitors tuned in the room... but times change, jobs go away... and you move in with friends...
No problem! It's surprisingly not muddy for something that hasn't been mastered. The vocals will probably come out nicely in the mastering process. I know what you mean about the home studio space, though! My poor gear is piled up in a corner of my loft waiting to be used, but I don't have a decent desk or rack anymore!
Down the road I would like to mix one of my projects on an SSL (there are a few in philly...) I haven't used one of those since school. For now, I'm going to mix it on a Yamaha DM2000. I love that board, it's really wide open for a digital board, and the onboard FX are pretty damn good for the price-point. Very tired of mixing in the box.
Where'd you go to school? LORD I miss working on decent boards! I'm terrified I'll never work in another studio with a Neve or SSL & a 2"! I'm getting a little frustrated with the digital boards- We use Yamaha 02Rs at my studio, but it's basically a jingle house, so they're pretty much used as giant mic pres! Everything is recorded into & mixed in DP, so my job kinda feels like one giant recording school project!
I'm also gonna recut vocals... those were on an SM57 through a behringer. Think I'll switch to a 414 uls into an Avalon... I've used that combo before with good results on my voice.
I think the vocals sound great, but I can certainly see how they'd sound better with a 414 & an Avalon. I know 57's are really versatile & standard, but I'll almost always use something else if I have the option.

I'd love to hear the finished product when you're done!
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Re: Mixing with Stems... my CPU smells like burning!

Post by alexdingley » Wed Dec 29, 2004 1:20 pm

The finished product (as well as 3 more songs) will be done by monday.

I went to school @ Full Sail. we had a 9000J when I was in school... now they have mini-J's in 3 or 4 rooms of the school. I wouldn't mind getting into Jingle work, I'm down here in philly though, and the workload is thin.

I'll post a link Sunday night, or monday, to the finished mixes.


Alex

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Re: Mixing with Stems... my CPU smells like burning!

Post by hearnoevil » Wed Dec 29, 2004 2:07 pm

Right on- looking forward to hearing it!
I went to SAE- it was pretty good, but the NYC school got a lot better after I left. We were working with some pretty torn up equipment when I went. But, hey- real world education, right?
I think the industry sucks everywhere on the East Coast right now. I guess I got lucky- from what I hear, it's hard to get into jingle-writing, but I managed to start at this place as a paid studio monkey. It doesn't really use all of my skills and it's not always terribly stimulating, but hell, I got a job doing audio and I have insurance, so I can't complain! :alien:

Laura
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Re: Mixing with Stems... my CPU smells like burning!

Post by alexdingley » Wed Dec 29, 2004 2:12 pm

yeah... I had a job at a studio in philly for the last 3 years, but they are taking a nose dive, and I was 2nd engineer... so I had to find new work.

Now, I'm installing hi-fi while I look around and see if there's any scraps left to chew on in town.

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Re: Mixing with Stems... my CPU smells like burning!

Post by Everybody's X » Wed Dec 29, 2004 5:34 pm

that sounds great man, nice and clear. Hell the 57 through the behry sound pretty damn good FWIW

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Re: Mixing with Stems... my CPU smells like burning!

Post by alexdingley » Mon Jan 10, 2005 6:03 am

Okay: so, here's what I was able to do with that song, and 3 others at a local studio. I put all my tracks into a PT | MixPlus system and played it 32outs over lightpipe into a Yamaha DM2000, which handled all the eq / comp / gates / reverb / delays. I did all the automation on the console, and used the PT rig solely as a tape machine of sorts.

I brought the mixes home and mastered them in the Nuendo Multi-band compressor.... that things sounds better than any plug that I've ever seen in the TDM world.

The studio I mixed it in is Forge Recording

the music page of my website has all 4 mixes completed TheDeepCuts.com

Hope it still has some sense of space

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