5.1 mixing?

mtstudi@pacbell · 31st January 2007, 07:37 PM

Kevin,

To begin with thank you for you time.

How do you decorrelate the bottom end in a 5.1 mix? I find placing Kik drums and especially Bass Guitar in center speaker/sub and phantom center to be a little tricky. Do you also place kik/Bass in Ls and Rs?

Thanks again,

Matt Thorne

Kevin Killen · 1st February 2007, 02:26 AM

Matt,

Its my pleasure.

So far my 5.1 experience is somewhat limited, but I will say that I feel the rules are made to be broken in this medium. At the end of the day if its musical and supports the song then go for it.

From the 3 or 4 projects i have done , I settled upon this approach after a lot of conversations with Bob Ludwig. Find your L R LS RS balance first, then start discreetly adding in the C channel so that those elements anchor your mix. Almost to the point where it provides a slight focus to the mix, without it your track is still cool and vibey but not grounded. Finally add your sub elements, which i typically keep to a minimum to fill out the sound and give the mix some nice heft.

In terms of the LS RS, I use it as a playground to do whatever but I think its valid to have a experiment with the elements you place there. If it starts to sound gimmicky and distracting then you have probably gone too far !!

Hope this helps...

Kev

TRW · 1st February 2007, 02:51 AM

Hi Kevin - great to have you here - truly an honour.

What was the conscious reasoning behind your use of the centre channel that way?

Was it purely aesthetic (making it sound more defined) or to do with playback compatibilty with the end-users listening system?

Cheers Tom

Kevin Killen · 1st February 2007, 08:29 PM

Tom,

No it was more of a way in which to make it more aesthetically pleasing. Trying to imagine the myriad of playback systems out there will only send you into a tailspin. Trust your judgement, go to mastering and leave the rest to the gods.

Kevin

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31st January 2007, 07:37 PM	#1
mtstudi@pacbell Lives for gear Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Burbank, CA Posts: 890	5.1 mixing? Kevin, To begin with thank you for you time. How do you decorrelate the bottom end in a 5.1 mix? I find placing Kik drums and especially Bass Guitar in center speaker/sub and phantom center to be a little tricky. Do you also place kik/Bass in Ls and Rs? Thanks again, Matt Thorne

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1st February 2007, 02:26 AM	#2
Kevin Killen engineer / producer / mixer Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 312	Matt, Its my pleasure. So far my 5.1 experience is somewhat limited, but I will say that I feel the rules are made to be broken in this medium. At the end of the day if its musical and supports the song then go for it. From the 3 or 4 projects i have done , I settled upon this approach after a lot of conversations with Bob Ludwig. Find your L R LS RS balance first, then start discreetly adding in the C channel so that those elements anchor your mix. Almost to the point where it provides a slight focus to the mix, without it your track is still cool and vibey but not grounded. Finally add your sub elements, which i typically keep to a minimum to fill out the sound and give the mix some nice heft. In terms of the LS RS, I use it as a playground to do whatever but I think its valid to have a experiment with the elements you place there. If it starts to sound gimmicky and distracting then you have probably gone too far !! Hope this helps... Kev

1st February 2007, 02:51 AM	#3
TRW Lives for gear Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: UK Posts: 569	Hi Kevin - great to have you here - truly an honour. What was the conscious reasoning behind your use of the centre channel that way? Was it purely aesthetic (making it sound more defined) or to do with playback compatibilty with the end-users listening system? Cheers Tom

1st February 2007, 08:29 PM	#4
Kevin Killen engineer / producer / mixer Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 312	Tom, No it was more of a way in which to make it more aesthetically pleasing. Trying to imagine the myriad of playback systems out there will only send you into a tailspin. Trust your judgement, go to mastering and leave the rest to the gods. Kevin