Lessons
Who I Am
04:13 2Free Preview: Introduction to Mixing
05:42 3The Mixing Toolset
07:39 4Reference Makes Perfect
22:26 5Calibrating Your Room
19:28 6Using a Reference Track
08:37 7Preparing Your Mix
08:50 8Understanding Gain Staging
08:46Analog vs Digital Gain Staging
05:12 10Adding Dynamics to your Mix
11:12 11Getting a Balanced Mix
09:55 12What is Loudness?
14:15 13What Is Compression?
05:06 14Compression Parameters
14:08 15Basic Compression Techniques
19:55 16Multiband, Sidechain and Glue Compression Techniques
15:34 17The Golden Rule of Compression
07:29 18Basics of Equalization
06:07 19High Pass and Low Pass Filters
07:09 20Additive and Subtractive EQ
17:23 21Mid-Side EQ
22:36 22Spatialization and Panning
07:26 23Panning In-Depth in Ableton
14:13 24Using Reverb
28:04 25Mixing Recap
03:44Lesson Info
The Golden Rule of Compression
we have posting PRI e que. We're gonna go over Maura about you queueing later. But I want to show you just to start how you should view e queuing with your compression. So if I have this sound here Ah, uh, there's a lot of dirt is a lot of if I turn on the CQ beforehand, it clears up that dirt so it won't affect it. Now, this becomes very obvious with this sample. This is ah, field recording. I did it watching my actually. So right up the street, you can see it's compressing it right, sending that threshold quite a bit because that rumble I don't even want that. It's barely hitting the threshold now so I can now ring up those high sounds qualities. Those highs are totally washed out if I do it beforehand. So when you're compressing, keep in mind that if you take out annoying frequencies beforehand, they're not gonna be less trouble when it gets compressed. So you need to balance that out by doing pre compression to remove unwanted frequencies. And then on this one, I have pre and close...
. Ah, post is used to bring out a harmonic quality but you don't really want to use post. Take away the low end because, as I showed you, it would already have disrupted your compressor. So that is pre and post you too quick word on compressor on the glue compressor. Now we know the ins and outs of the parameters on compressors, right, and we've looked at tons of different examples. Well, the difference between glue compressor and the normal compressor is very simple, and that is a glue compress reels pro on. This one is designed. It's designed to emulate analog gear, so it has much more softness around. It has a more analog kind of random ization quality to it, and it's emulated after the traditional well known glue compressor. And that's the only difference on that. You've got your attack. You got your release, got your ratio. They reverted their notice. I got it right. But it is opposite, um, and then your threshold. So it's all the same parameters that you've gotten to know I changed my threshold. How quick do I want it and so on and your makeup and you can soften the clip to give it a little bit softer is kind of like soft ing me and so on. So it's just a different style or approach. Very similar in sound. The quality of it seems to be really good is like a bus compressor or something on, like finalizing a bunch of drums or something like that. But there pretty much the same, just like difference in quality that is compression. Last words. Golden Rules Gold rule is if the gain reduction meter doesn't return to zero several times over bar, it's way too much compression, right? If that game reduction is staying in the orange, obviously over compressed. Pretty simple, poured into No second, use your ears there. The final judge turning on and off use metering that helps within the compressor. It has lots of metering. Um, and then here's the important things. Ask yourself which do I prefer, like, really step back out of your own ego and say, Which one do I like more? Have I achieved what I wanted? Know what you're trying to achieve before you start doing it? Otherwise you're just gonna get lost. So is it punch here? Is it fuller to have more impact? Does the compressed versions sound more lively? and exciting, Or does it sound more squashed, kind of on realistic? Does it sound closer to similar tracks I'm trying to emulate? Like if you're doing dub step, you're probably compressing and doing that, really, Like Kronke or hip hop sound New York style compression? It's very obvious. But if you're doing like, um, more singer songwriter stuff where you have just a little compression on your guitar, you would never want an over compressed sound. Can I hear more of the quieter details in the mix? Is it getting mushy or confused? Doesn't sound natural. Those last two is because every time you add in effect, period but specifically compression, you are disrupting transients you're disrupting what that the natural, clean quality of the sound is. That's why you want less compression. It will sound more natural, have more range. Mawr compression leads to kind of, um, Orpheus can't quite hit here. The hits, like adding compression to kick, does not make it punch here all the time. So that's what I'm trying to get across with that idea. When is it appropriate to compress on the track and when would you want to set up a return Yes, well, like the New York style compression I usually do as a return track because it's an effect in this sense of, I'm giving it a quality. Now there's two ways you can look at return tracks. If you had all your drums sending to return, which then goes to your master, that's using Maura's like a bus. If it was a bus, then you would have like a little goo compressor on it. But you can also put that on the group. It's just your approach. You can either do a group, or you could do it as my returns. Like I do a bus, basically where I like. Oh, my pads are all going to go to the same returns so I can affect them the same way. Exactly if that were, if there were all your pads going into that, you might do something that has a long sustained or something to kind of glue them all together. That would be a good instance. Or, uh, New York style compression. Also be a great instance because it's more of, ah, again and effect, like you're adding the quality to it. But you know, a lot of times compression should be used as a scalpel to specifically control something. It shouldn't just be put on everything. Like really like you don't need that many compressors on your track. It's special. If you built it from in the box. You need hardly any, um, what you might need some like side chain. That's in effect. You know, you might have that as a return track and send your pads into it, too. Create that effect.
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Ratings and Reviews
Jose Gerardo Rendon Santana
Excellent Course, Isaac Cotec is a great instructor and a great producer. The course is very well organized explaining each important step of the mix. as well as great tips and techniques. He also includes a great deal of support material with the course including an Ableton Live Pack with tons of great presets and tools to put to practice the knowledge acquired in the course.
Ian turner
this is the best thing money can buy in my life. Isaac makes it look easy and the way he teaches makes you understand everything and makes it easy for you as well. its exactly what i wanted to learn in each video! i cant even sleep because another video loads and im like "ohhhh i need it" lol. i thank god for this class being affordable and the real deal.
a Creativelive Student
Isaac covers an amazing amount of material in a clear and concise way. Great intro to mixing with Ableton or review for the intermediate user who wants to solidify their best practices, DAW knowledge as well as gain some production tips.
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