Question for the pros.

[longplay_studio]

Hello!

I need some advice for making depth in the mix. I know theory but it's problem to do it when mixing. How to do it? How to get some instrument in the face and some behind them in the distance. Is that only short delay,phase and reverb thing or I need to do something else and how to do it! Please help!

Thanks you good people!

[seaneldon]

think of it when you're tracking. remember: distance makes depth. the further the microphone from the source, the farther away it will sound. no reverb or delay will have the same kind of results.

[Kiwiburger]

Try mono reverb - and if your reverbs don't sound good in mono, replace them.

Stereo reverbs tend to give width, not depth.

With certain reverbs, you can use a 100% wet setting and it sounds better than dry layered with wet.

Also try low pass filtering - in nature, the further sound travels through air, the more the treble is lost. Also more compression.

At tracking time - try to get some distance from the mic/s.

Simple delays are definately good - grungy analog delays can be magic. With digital, at the very least low pass. Try distortion, compression, modulation.

[longplay_studio]

Originally Posted by seaneldon

think of it when you're tracking. remember: distance makes depth. the further the microphone from the source, the farther away it will sound. no reverb or delay will have the same kind of results.

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Thanks for helping but what if the tracks are from sempler and if it's not live recorded? Is there any way to do it by gear with good results?

[longplay_studio]

Originally Posted by Kiwiburger

Try mono reverb - and if your reverbs don't sound good in mono, replace them.

Stereo reverbs tend to give width, not depth.

With certain reverbs, you can use a 100% wet setting and it sounds better than dry layered with wet.

Also try low pass filtering - in nature, the further sound travels through air, the more the treble is lost. Also more compression.

At tracking time - try to get some distance from the mic/s.

Simple delays are definately good - grungy analog delays can be magic. With digital, at the very least low pass. Try distortion, compression, modulation.

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Thanks!

[longplay_studio]

Originally Posted by zaza

It depends on what you are micing. But yes like the post above saya about stereo reverb etc, if you are recording a kick , use a inside mic and a outside mic with one reversed phase. Tubes are your best bet in guitar amps and most anything that has tubes. also using 2 mics on a guitar amp works well just like the kick drum. Also use a board that can give depth , mackies, allen heath stuff will not do that, im using a old tascam board and i get a big warm sound with lots of depth. If you are ITB, well good luck you have your work cut out for you.
good luck
zaza

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I love TASCAM, I work with old M-3700 console and I get VCA out of system and get very low noise and do star grounding. I love how TASCAM sounds.

Thanks for good words!

[Stitch333]

The fidelity of your AD conversion will play a part in the sonic definition of insturments in the soundstage. High resolution and definition in the conversion process will make volume/distance and pan/width work better. Also, summing the mix entirely inside the computer will flatten and narrow the spacial image as compared to some sort of external, analog summing on the mixdown which will create a more defined space in the mix.

[Sigma]

depth "IN A MIX" comes from eq , room/verb and placement in the stereo field..

following simple facts like Hass effect, the 1ms per foot [roughly..why get into hard to caculate without a calculator time/delay thing in mixing and who cares about a few feet here or there except guys time aligning live sound rigs] deal..sound decay over time characteristics, and basic high end eq facts like 5k is PRESENCE and the more top the more forward..the darker the further back.. will get you 90 % there..

we just did a fun effect in a mix ...a case in point for at least one instrument..

i took a vocal and programmed the LP filter to start at 700 hz and slowly sweep to 12k while at the same time washing the vox in verb with pre delay and shortening the verb time, predelay and level in sync with the eq sweep changes ...also we started on the left with his voice slowing panning to center as he seemed to get "closer" with the eq, verb and pre delay changes..it was in a bridge and made the vocalist soumd like he was comming out from an almost mountainous distance "off stage" to "into your face" for when he entered the power hook

[sekim]

As a matter of tactics (as opposed to technique) you might want to spend part of the time mixing in mono. If you can use the techniques mentioned in other posts here to achieve some depth in mono, it'll definitely be there when you toggle back to stereo. If there's no depth in mono, there will be no real depth in stereo either. For me anyway, it seems to go quicker this way.

[contempo]

lots of good points...

don't underestimate the quality of the console, 2 track recorders and other gear when comparing soundstage depth & width. tascam is NOT in the same league as the big guns, api or ssl...even the old 4000G's and E's which are small & pinched.

[longplay_studio]

Thanks!!!!!

You help me a lot!!!!