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@CIB’s Mastering Lessons For The Neophyte
Most of you know and admire @Cib’s musical prowess, but his knowledge is equally compelling. On another thread he shared some ideas with me about improving an acoustic piece. I followed his advice....
This is the kind of thing I know I would like to hear. A flawed effort way improved by some sage advice! So I will post he first track, add Cib’s feedback,
And then post the altered track with my comments. A real audio before and after!
So i listened to it 2 times and i really like it from a composition side. The piano is for sure the dominant part and the driving part here. My only critic is that the other elements doesn´t fit well for me. It´s again about the spacing for me.
F.e. the choir comes in panned hard to the right without any sense of space.
I think with a better mixing this could be much better and would fit very well then.
Maybe there is a stereo panner available on iOS? You also could try to remove all (if you´ve not done that already) the default reverb and use one AUv3 with the same algorithm for all instruments. Or you could experiment with something like VirtualRoomPro which i find very useful.
So it´s great from a musical and compositional look here for me but the more instruments comes in, the more the magic goes away and it´s a bit muddy and lifeless in the mix.
In this case i wished it was a piano solo. I hope it doesn´t sound to harsh. I just think constructive critic is the best form we can get. Not that i´m an expert but that is just what i think. And like i said i really like the piano performance and the general layout of this track.
Panning alone is not the best but i know it might be harder in iOS. Some DAWs like Logic can do at least stereo panning f.e.
Then even better are these staging tools i talked about in the other thread. VirtualRoomPro could come in handy (maybe). Like others mentioned it might be also possible with the right reverb, good IRs, EQing etc. but the thing is if you just pan something you loose the room information and reflections. Some tools just place your sounds, including the reverb, delays inside a certain space. It´s hard to describe and it´s not always needed and maybe some mixing and mastering genius can do it with simpler tools. I failed here.
An example (i hope it´s O.K. to post it here, otherwise i will remove it again) i also posted just in another forum.
A dry violin and cello first without effect.
Then the same with the added tool for staging followed by a reverb. Just different angles so one is more right and one more left panned (and each with it´s own insert reverb but the same).
But it´s not just like volume panning and even more than stereo panning. The tool calculates how it should sound in reality (if that is even possible...so at least in theory) if you move a sound within a space.
Now you even can add another reverb f.e. (which you hear in the third part of the example) for both which might be not the most realistic example here but while they then together even in a bigger space you still can hear that they both have their own place in the space (i recommend good headphones here to hear what i mean).
( sorry, Cib’s example did not copy, but here is the thread link.)
https://forum.audiob.us/discussion/30367/synth-rhapsody-the-acoustic-journey-continues
So here is my next attempt...
@Cib was pleased and so was I. I followed his panning advice, put the piano in the middle, brought the choir strings and trumpet more in toward the center instead of being out in right field. I brought down the volume of the strings and raised the volume of the horns so they would stand out a bit more. I pushed the choir volume a bit for crescendos. I brought down the ARP volume and defined it more in the piece.
I worked a lot on the piano track. I added the mastering preset on the Cubasis Ultramaximizer to broaden the sound. I used EQ automation on Cubasis Q10 to keep the bass in the Piano in the beginning and lifted it as the other instruments entered. I also used the channel strip low cut to remove more piano bass. All aimed to get the mix a lot less muddy sounding, I think it worked. Thanks @Cib and @McDtracy for your continuing advice and encouragement.
I learned a lot! I hope this was informative to those reading this as well.
Comments
This was a treat. I agree the latest version is much improved. I like the the strings and vocals sit back in the mix a little to blend in. Less of a spotlight on them.
Beautiful music @LinearLineman and beautifully played. And yes, @Cib knows his onions!
I prefer the first version (except for some harsh pannings as metioned), the piano is so much more lively. Dunno that Cubase Maximizer, but it grabbed the piano without any need, which (imho) also applies to the Eq action.
Maybe a matter of taste, but I'd rather deal with the 'supporting' instruments than with the main player, the piano (which is fine to my ears).
I also like the sparse arrangement and interesting harmonies
But I'd add a bit of substance to those parts, there's a lot of room (literally) left to be filled without changing the character of the track.
In IOS I'd use the AD480 reverb for such parts, on a dedicated track (or more, depending on group idea).
That way the dry and delayed/reverbed parts can be positioned slightly different.
OK, I was listening on Bluetooth Beats headphones. Take his feedback over mine, lol.
Yes! This mix really opened up the sound. It has improved depth and dimension. When those vibes come in (2:30 and 4:15) they are very distinct from the sounds around them.
I'd love to hear instruments pass ideas back and forth going forward. Maybe lay down a piano track and leave some open spaces between ideas so you can add another instrument and react to the piano's themes in a realtime way. You may mute the original piano track and re-record the piano again playing off the other instruments recording and keep playing with this approach until you have 2 tracks that seem to fit well together.
You can also adopt the typical jazz model where the instruments line up to take solos over a set of chord changes to create more variety on a project. Don't forget the power of the SoftDrummer and Middle East Drummer to add spice. Did you pick up iBassist yet? It can be linked to those Drummers with the "LINK" option. Hit start and they all take off in sync. It would be great to hear you sit in with a band.
It's really great to hear you back on the bench putting your considerable musical imagination into play. No one I've heard here can match your unique improvised workflow. Guy's like you don't usually hang out here and it's great that you do. Humbling but great too.
no way - equal rights to every pair of cans
I didn't know about this one. $15 but no AUv3 yet so I'll stick with my AUv3 AudioReverb, Kleverb and IAA AltiSpace. But the fact that you like tells me I could be missing a real gem. I'm glad you advocate for the original track so we can keep @Linearlineman totally confused and dependent on our affirmations. Otherwise, the Forum would be devoid of conversations around audio aesthetics. He's got 3 active threads going currently.
Up next...
FINGER MUSIC - IS THAT A THING? HELP! MY CASE LOCK IS STUCK. DISCUSS.
You can use AD480 for free with very limited control, but try out the Pro version for 1 hour.
It can do very dense rooms and sounds quite different from other IOS reverbs.
Thanks for the kind words, @McDtracy . I am here because I like the breeze, find comfort in the company, and know I can get the answers I need. Each offers what they have do give, as do I.