"DOWN ON ME" - Mix Sessions Video Tutorial

[ToneCre8]

1st? And nice!

[D. Brasco]

Awesome! Will definitely check this out..

[Noidea.]

Hey ken, I was wondering if you had alot of outboard processing, I noticed you didn't have alot of plugs on channels? Or were the samples just that good?

[Melvin III]

Wow ken thanks!! I didn't think this would be up til august

[Atak]

Awesomeness

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[Ken Lewis]

Originally Posted by Noidea.

Hey ken, I was wondering if you had alot of outboard processing, I noticed you didn't have alot of plugs on channels? Or were the samples just that good?

Hey Noidea, it was tracked well, so not a ton of processing needed. Mixing is usually much more about finding the right balances and pan positions than it is a ton of EQ, etc... I did some EQ on the SSL, some panning too, and i used a few pieces of outboard i believe. All signals wen thru the SSL but most of the processing on this mix was plugins. again, finding levels and balances that feel great, thats the most important part of a mix. Thanks for watching! -Ken

[akn0ledge]

Just finished watching this... Nice. Thx 4 that.

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[turbo46]

Good choice, i'll watch soon, thanks

[Guy Gabriel]

Thanks Ken, loving these videos, you're very appreciated

[Thysta]

great videos very inspirational!

[Lycoferas]

@Ken

Guys, I get it, but are there really girls on GS

Checking out the vids now

[DirtyMan]

Is this only in he rap forum? if so that is a bit of a disservice to the rest of gearslutz

Thanks ken for the knowledge

[deft_bonz]

Awesome Ken. Thanks a lot.

The audio clips though, could it be my connection?

[Ray Sr.]

Yessss!

After seeing part 1 I couldn't wait for part 2 & 3.

p.s. I'm a fan of your tutorials. I went to school for Audio Engineering & learned the basics but 5 yrs later I'm still learning new things via your tutorials. Keep them coming!

[Ken Lewis]

Originally Posted by DirtyMan

Is this only in he rap forum? if so that is a bit of a disservice to the rest of gearslutz

Thanks ken for the knowledge

Maybe I'll repost this in So Much Gear So Little Time, thanks, i think you are right.
-Ken

[Moraha]

Just watched parts 2 and 3....great videos. Probably the best that I've seen. I got 1 question that I'm curious about. I see that Jeremih recorded up to 6 stacks sometimes. You didn't run into any phase issues at all when stacking those? Even with panning, you got 3 pretty identical recordings on each side so that surprised me. Hell, when someone sends me just 2 vocals and I pan 1 to the left and 1 to the right, I still hear phasing issues most of the time...especially when the artist is singing and notes are being dragged out.

[Ken Lewis]

Originally Posted by Moraha

Just watched parts 2 and 3....great videos. Probably the best that I've seen. I got 1 question that I'm curious about. I see that Jeremih recorded up to 6 stacks sometimes. You didn't run into any phase issues at all when stacking those? Even with panning, you got 3 pretty identical recordings on each side so that surprised me. Hell, when someone sends me just 2 vocals and I pan 1 to the left and 1 to the right, I still hear phasing issues most of the time...especially when the artist is singing and notes are being dragged out.

Ummmm, it wasnt a problem here. I rarely run into phase issues stacking backgrounds. Sometimes if you are autotuning them too tight, they can phase a bit and even panned L R they can start sounding more mono and like you are hearing fewer voices. Unless i am going for that T Pain effect, which we were on his leads a bit, i tend to keep autotune slow enough to incur some natural variation with each part, just really subtle stuff to keep it from phasing or getting too mono

[chaleboy76]

Hey ken, thanks for the post and birds eye view of your flow. Quick question: from a tracking stand point in your opinion what is the best way to track synth sound; this includes drums, keys, and any other sound that comes from a synth. I know you get all types of mixes in on a regular bases so is there a way of recording synths that really makes the job easier for you as a mix engineer. currently I run my synths through my preamps sometimes hot sometimes at-20 going in to my DAW but I have yet to find or recognized a work flow that is both colorful and flexible that will allow me not to have to fight so much to get a decent mix.


Thanks agin for the Great post

[voorhee]

These are tight Ken thanks for these makes me wanna purchase your other videos once I get some change.

[zlaya]

Ken, huge thanks for the videos. Very good insight on your workflow. I've already had some "Hmm!" and "Ooh!" moments. Definitely learned some thing which I think was you goal here.

Please let me know if the rest of the videos you have on the site are of the same caliber...I am interested in purchasing a few of them.

PS - While I've been "lurking" around the forum for quite some time now, I was finally inspired by these videos to join the discussion. Thanks again.

[Ken Lewis]

Originally Posted by zlaya

Ken, huge thanks for the videos. Very good insight on your workflow. I've already had some "Hmm!" and "Ooh!" moments. Definitely learned some thing which I think was you goal here.

Please let me know if the rest of the videos you have on the site are of the same caliber...I am interested in purchasing a few of them.

PS - While I've been "lurking" around the forum for quite some time now, I was finally inspired by these videos to join the discussion. Thanks again.

Hi zlaya,
well, i am very glad you found the videos both inspiring and insightful. Honestly, i think the Video Lessons on www.AudioAchoolOnline.com are more informative than the Down On Me videos in different ways. I typically pick one topic, or a much more narrow subject and go very in depth with it. So, where i glossed over alot of stuff in the Down On Me webisodes that i really wish i could have spent more time on, i only had roughly 90 minutes for the whole series, so i had to pack them with as much info as i could and keep them interesting (i hope). However, the style of the Webisodes is basically how i teach, very one on one, talking to you, not over you. There's more free LEssons on my site as well, feel free to check any of them out until you get some funds.

[Ken Lewis]

Originally Posted by chaleboy76

Hey ken, thanks for the post and birds eye view of your flow. Quick question: from a tracking stand point in your opinion what is the best way to track synth sound; this includes drums, keys, and any other sound that comes from a synth. I know you get all types of mixes in on a regular bases so is there a way of recording synths that really makes the job easier for you as a mix engineer. currently I run my synths through my preamps sometimes hot sometimes at-20 going in to my DAW but I have yet to find or recognized a work flow that is both colorful and flexible that will allow me not to have to fight so much to get a decent mix.


Thanks agin for the Great post

I think the most important thing is when you record a stereo synth, make sure your input is left right balanced correctly, no hum, no buzz, dont push your pre's too hard unless you are going for a specific sound. I tend to print a little on the hot side but i stay away from red and maybe occasionally hit yellow. If your keyboard has a digital out and you can connect digitally to your DAW it will most likely sound alot better than going thru pre amps. I found this with my Motif. The other thing with synths is if its a mono patch, record it in mono to one channel. i constantly get mixes with "stereo tracks" that are only 2 channels of the same exact thing.

[deft_bonz]

Is it correct, that the videos are downloadable?

[Ken Lewis]

Originally Posted by Ray Sr.

Yessss!

After seeing part 1 I couldn't wait for part 2 & 3.

p.s. I'm a fan of your tutorials. I went to school for Audio Engineering & learned the basics but 5 yrs later I'm still learning new things via your tutorials. Keep them coming!

That is fantastic!!!! Tomorrow i am starting a series of lessons on Mixing Hip Hop Instrumentals. Was gonna start it tonight but i'm having video problems, so i'm mixing instead. but stay tuned. i have a ton of new content i'm creating for the site, just gotta find time with my schedule to get it all done, no easy trick. -Ken

[Ken Lewis]

Originally Posted by deft_bonz

Is it correct, that the videos are downloadable?

The "Down On Me" webisodes are not downloadable. The Free content on my site is mostly not downloadable. All of the Video Lessons for sale on my site are downloadable, and many of them are also packaged with the full pro tools session, as well as consolidated audio tracks for people using other DAW's, so you can still do your own work on exactly the same audio i am working with in my Lessons. I mostly, for now, use pro tools for the Lessons, but i teach techniques and concepts that are applicable to any DAW, not just PT.

[deft_bonz]

Originally Posted by ken lewis

the "down on me" webisodes are not downloadable. The free content on my site is mostly not downloadable. All of the video lessons for sale on my site are downloadable, and many of them are also packaged with the full pro tools session, as well as consolidated audio tracks for people using other daw's, so you can still do your own work on exactly the same audio i am working with in my lessons. I mostly, for now, use pro tools for the lessons, but i teach techniques and concepts that are applicable to any daw, not just pt.

p e r f e c t !

[chaleboy76]

Ken, thank you for the reply to my question about recording synths. I will definitely apply your technic and thoughts to my next project .


When it comes to monitoring do you have your monitors and audio interface calibrated; so what you hear during mixing reflex exactly what you bounce to disk? I do understand that you are working in a well maintained listening environment so any suggestions on monitor set up may vary,But sometimes I feel like; what I hear during mixing and what gets played back after a bounce do not always agree.So any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated.


Thank you in advance

[Ken Lewis]

Originally Posted by chaleboy76

Ken, thank you for the reply to my question about recording synths. I will definitely apply your technic and thoughts to my next project .


When it comes to monitoring do you have your monitors and audio interface calibrated; so what you hear during mixing reflex exactly what you bounce to disk? I do understand that you are working in a well maintained listening environment so any suggestions on monitor set up may vary,But sometimes I feel like; what I hear during mixing and what gets played back after a bounce do not always agree.So any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated.


Thank you in advance

What i hear during mixing is EXACTLY what the bounce sounds like. I mix thru my convertors so i am always hearing how the mix will sound when bounced.

[m.L.I.N.K.]

Thank you so much Ken, what a way to give back to the music community. These videos are extremely helpful. I can't thank you enough for what you are doing, what you have done, and what will come in the future. With all of the misinformation out there, you get right to the point. I do public speaking to middle schoolers about learning audio and recording techniques, and I advise them to visit your online school as a great resource for recording and mixing techniques, the letters that the kids write to me brings me to tears, its so inspiring. Just wanted to let you know that you have a global impact not only on us here, but on young people as well. Again, thanks, it means a lot to me personally.