Million Dollar sound with No Millions

[vaesion]

How can you achieve a million dollar sound with out a million to spend
I bet I could take it to a a million dollar studio!

But Im thinkin if I work a lil harder I can get a million dollar sound with a few good pieces of gear.
I make dance music rnb and hiphop so Buliding my music a sound at a time through my Mp2nv pre is very easy. Theres not but a few sounds to eq and compress. This isnt rock at all.
I make several 4 to 16 bar loops of keyboard sounds then record them to my pc thru a mp2nv and distressor. IM recording with a apogee rosetta 800. I use a u87 for a mic.

IM wondering what should be my next step/purchase to get closer to the million dollar sound.
I have the diamond bundle and blue bundle 2.0 plugs
I believe I need a outboard eq.......maybe the eq2nv.
I could rout my sound through that to get analog eq........ I would have to work harder and wouldnt be as convienent but IM ready to work.
I believe I need a harmonizer of some sort.....If i dont have one is that gona be a missing link to what people consider "that Sound"
Will the distressor do for vocals and such? Or do I have to get a 1176 or la2a.....
what do i need guys?
what would be my smartest next move from here
I have pc 3.0 1ghz ddr ram running nuendo
rme digiface
apogee rosetta 800
mp2nv
fireworx by tc
distressors
finalizer 96kby tc
ensoniq dp4
u 87
mackie 24 4 for monitoring.....
and most of the pc plugs

whatcha think?
Is this all I need?
Would Dave Pensado or Lynn Fuston shoot themselves if they got stuck with my set up.......what would they add first.
and to save some peeps some typing I know gear doesnt make a million dollar sound......experienced humans do.

BRYAN

[zimv20]

what are some examples of that "million dollar sound?"

[pan]

Three Quarters, if not more, of this Million Dollars is spent on:



































TIME....

[beechstudio]

The biggest impact that I made on my mixes was when I upgraded my monitors! Made a bigger difference than any mic or pre that I've ever purchased!

[Ruudman]

Often the Sound comes out of a collaboration of several talented persons.



ruudman

[Darius van H]

Bryan, looking at your website/gearlist, i think the gear you have is easily good enough to produce million selling hits in your chosen genre.......i suspect the biggest improvement would be from upgraded monitors and room acoustics.

Also working with million$ talent wouldn't hurt, but i guess you know that!

[DirkB]

Originally posted by vaesion
How can you achieve a million dollar sound with out a million to spend
I bet I could take it to a a million dollar studio!

But Im thinkin if I work a lil harder I can get a million dollar sound with a few good pieces of gear.
I make dance music rnb and hiphop so Buliding my music a sound at a time through my Mp2nv pre is very easy. Theres not but a few sounds to eq and compress. This isnt rock at all.
I make several 4 to 16 bar loops of keyboard sounds then record them to my pc thru a mp2nv and distressor. IM recording with a apogee rosetta 800. I use a u87 for a mic.

IM wondering what should be my next step/purchase to get closer to the million dollar sound.
I have the diamond bundle and blue bundle 2.0 plugs
I believe I need a outboard eq.......maybe the eq2nv.
I could rout my sound through that to get analog eq........ I would have to work harder and wouldnt be as convienent but IM ready to work.
I believe I need a harmonizer of some sort.....If i dont have one is that gona be a missing link to what people consider "that Sound"
Will the distressor do for vocals and such? Or do I have to get a 1176 or la2a.....
what do i need guys?
what would be my smartest next move from here
I have pc 3.0 1ghz ddr ram running nuendo
rme digiface
apogee rosetta 800
mp2nv
fireworx by tc
distressors
finalizer 96kby tc
ensoniq dp4
u 87
mackie 24 4 for monitoring.....
and most of the pc plugs

whatcha think?
Is this all I need?
Would Dave Pensado or Lynn Fuston shoot themselves if they got stuck with my set up.......what would they add first.
and to save some peeps some typing I know gear doesnt make a million dollar sound......experienced humans do.

BRYAN

1 great song
2 good arrangement
3 good playing (although with dance it's a non-issue )
4 good mixing skills

Good luck!

P.S. You're gear is fine, a lot of dance hits are made on a lot lesser gear.

[warhead]

It's mastering that does it, bam worth a million bucks.

(bad joke...)

Seriously, if you take the time to work out arrangements and fills and keep the mix interesting you're doing what the labels are accomplishing. That type of music needs to be exciting etc and if you get a grip on that...that's worth a lot.

As mentioned before, it takes lots of time. Sometimes the "single" gets more time than the rest of the "album".

War

[Oldone]

The bandwidth of acceptance for a song is generally determined by the arrangement of good melody and the voice. If you don't have either of these, at least have a decent beat....

[Jules]

I agree with monitoring & control room accoustics...

Upgrade those...?

[vaesion]

Originally posted by beechstudio
The biggest impact that I made on my mixes was when I upgraded my monitors! Made a bigger difference than any mic or pre that I've ever purchased!

yeah me too
that made the biggest difference

i was using krk 9000bs,,,,,,,,
then i got some alesis monitor 1s........and man what a difference.
2000$ for the krk
130 for the monitor ones

[vaesion]

Originally posted by Jules
I agree with monitoring & control room accoustics...

Upgrade those...?

thank you guys
I think my acoustics is the one.
by looking at my room.........what do u think would be my best rout for acoustics.
any places on the net that have really good deals on some pannels.......so i can keep it looking nice in here

i need to update the pic of my studio....its just a lil different withe monitors and dual dispalay

[vaesion]

as far as gear goes.I dont know what it is im looking for.......I know what it sounds like.........
I made a good mix and sent it to frankford and wayne and I sent it to masterlab in orlando. Both engineers said the mix was solid/great. When they mastered it and sent it back.......it really sounded the same as when i throw l2 over the mix and turned it up..........
it seems in my experience.........what I want the mix to sound like has got to be on my end not theres..........
SO I ve got a good sound and good mix techniques.......but apparently IM not usin something I need 2 be to achieve the results I want.........
On just about all the cds I hear.......There is somethig very transparent about the center of the mix in the stereo field.
It seems very conditioned smooth rounded soft and silky.
They Have a warmth I dont have in the mix..........so thats my goal.....to build a studio that can create that sound.
I love alot of timbaland recordings.
Ill post some clips of what IM doing and what I want in a sec

[DirkB]

Originally posted by vaesion
as far as gear goes.I dont know what it is im looking for.......I know what it sounds like.........
I made a good mix and sent it to frankford and wayne and I sent it to masterlab in orlando. Both engineers said the mix was solid/great. When they mastered it and sent it back.......it really sounded the same as when i throw l2 over the mix and turned it up..........
it seems in my experience.........what I want the mix to sound like has got to be on my end not theres..........
SO I ve got a good sound and good mix techniques.......but apparently IM not usin something I need 2 be to achieve the results I want.........
On just about all the cds I hear.......There is somethig very transparent about the center of the mix in the stereo field.
It seems very conditioned smooth rounded soft and silky.
They Have a warmth I dont have in the mix..........so thats my goal.....to build a studio that can create that sound.
I love alot of timbaland recordings.
Ill post some clips of what IM doing and what I want in a sec

Having a solid center in a stereo mix, preferably with some depth is one of the key elements of a good mix.

Lot's of things come in to play and lots of things can mess it up.
Too much stereo movement can make the center weak. Instruments fighting for room in the center and/or jumpy dynamics can make the center weak.

Try to learn from mixes you like e.g. try to figure out what was done in terms of stereo FX to mono sources (vox, snare), try to hear how the "vertical" center is built: where is the subbass, kick, bass, how are the snare and vocal matching frequency whise, what is at the extreme top etc.

Basically, everything that mixing is about ;-).

Good luck,
Dirk

[warhead]

Originally posted by vaesion When they mastered it and sent it back.......it really sounded the same as when i throw l2 over the mix and turned it up..........

Gotta love that...

War

[vaesion]

their snare sounds like it right in between the 2 speakers not coming from the left and right speakers?

there vocals are mega smooth.........is that just the sound of limiting or 1 milli sec attack times on compressors with slow release..?

[vaesion]

Originally posted by AngeloClematide
We sell Million Dollar Sounds at discount now for half a million each. Offer ends end of next week.

MAN!
I better jump on that immediately!

[vaesion]

Originally posted by AngeloClematide
I think so too !

(the mixer is maybee a little funny, but i don't know the model)

Buy a Lamborghini or a Ferrari with the money, this may attracts the artists you need. But never lend the car to a rapper, don't even let them touch it.

DOnt get me wrong fellas......I know I have some great stuff and we even have a hit song on the radio now. My mixes dont sound like commercial cds yet..........they sound damnnnnnnnnn good. but theres something I hear in every recording I dont have and IM trying to figure it out........I dont know if Ill ever know......Ive takin to have mystuff mixed on ssl's and that didnt do it. Ive sent my stuff to mastering with all manley tube stuff at 2 places..........that didnt do it. Theres just an amazing evenness of the freqs across the spectrum.......but it doesnt sound like every sound perfectly eqed but yet a effect over the whole thing.
i dont know

[Snatchman]

Originally posted by vaesion
yeah me too
that made the biggest difference

i was using krk 9000bs,,,,,,,,
then i got some alesis monitor 1s........and man what a difference.
2000$ for the krk
130 for the monitor ones

....

[beechstudio]

Originally posted by vaesion
yeah me too
that made the biggest difference

i was using krk 9000bs,,,,,,,,
then i got some alesis monitor 1s........and man what a difference.
2000$ for the krk
130 for the monitor ones

My upgrade had just the opposite results. I had a pair of Alesis M1's, then bought a pair of KRK V8's. MY mixes are now in another league. I hear much more of whats really going on in the mix. I guess everyones results will vary.

[Ol' Betsey]

Slightly off-topic...

Shouldn't your website equipment list say 'Great River' MP2NV?

R.

[Elsteve9]

I would think that, after solving your monitoring solution, a larger variety of mics would serve you well. Sometimes, I'm sure (contrary to popular rhetoric) that U87 is stellar. But often, there would be something to get you closer.
But monitoring first, then a selection of mics.

-Stephen

[De chromium cob]

Maybe your overestimating your mixing ability? Like if you had Jeff Gordons car you still wouldnt be able to win the Daytona 500.......

[Charlie-O]

Perhaps, a good reverb (Outboard) will also help you. This is a large part of the mix. Giving things there own spaces and depth can really improve your mixes, if and only if your using a space that fits the bill. An improvement in fx can go a long way. You best believe that 90% percent of the stuff that we consider hits (hiphop/rap) is not trueverb, renverb, or any other plug for that matter. Its a lexicon 960L something or other. Realistic spaces even when barely audible add a life to stuff.

[vaesion]

Originally posted by Ol' Betsey
Slightly off-topic...

Shouldn't your website equipment list say 'Great River' MP2NV?

R.

YES
THERES SEVERAL THINGS ON THERE THAT NEED FIXING

[vaesion]

Originally posted by De chromium cob
Maybe your overestimating your mixing ability? Like if you had Jeff Gordons car you still wouldnt be able to win the Daytona 500.......

THATS VERY POSSIBLE

ITS ALSO A LITTLE POSSIBLE THEIR NOT USING SOFTWARE EQS AS THERE ONLY EQS........ONE THINGS FOR SURE........WHEN I HAVE RAN A SOUND THRU THE FINALIZER OR FIREWORX FOR EQ IT IS A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE THAN ANY COMPUTER EQ IVE USED BUT IT StILL SOUNDS TO DIGITAL COMPARED TO MY FAV RECORDINGS..and its a pain usin that thing
I hear way more detail and air in the outboard tc stuff which leads me to believe an outboard analog eq would put some extra life/detail and brilliance in my music.....
Is that possible?
Ive listened to daves demo comparrison but that doesnt shed any light for me on eqing individual sounds. Im a www.hallucination.com artist. I have about 6 true years of experience with mixing all day everyday and the teachings from Chris Hawks Dan Smith (bay sound)and scott wieser Jackal and Hyde.
IM sure that means nothing but my point is I do have a little bit of expereince and it is possible I might need some more gear than I have to reach the sound I want.
Maybe what I am hearing is the recording of tape.
Will my nuendo tube emulator work just fine or do I need a studer?
tuff situation to help on when ya cant sit here with me......Ill post some mixes here so u guys can see where Im at.......
Id love the help/ correction

sorry for the caps.......i hate this keyboard
Brother B

[vaesion]

Originally posted by Charlie-O
Perhaps, a good reverb (Outboard) will also help you. This is a large part of the mix. Giving things there own spaces and depth can really improve your mixes, if and only if your using a space that fits the bill. An improvement in fx can go a long way. You best believe that 90% percent of the stuff that we consider hits (hiphop/rap) is not trueverb, renverb, or any other plug for that matter. Its a lexicon 960L something or other. Realistic spaces even when barely audible add a life to stuff.

good point
fireworx may not be the best for reverb but it does have more depth and fullness than blues stuff or waves

I will try printing some outboard reverbs instead of the easiest thing....throw a plug on it. Its easy to get lazy with all this software.

[Darius van H]

I'm guessing that what you're missing is the "glue" sound......the top stuff is mixed by guys who really know how to compress the 2-buss or sub busses to get a fat, glue'd-up sound.....maybe using compression, tape, tubes or something else.....i think this is maybe what you're missing........i also suspect that the top guys spend a lot of time getting good sounds....have you ever spent 4 hours making a killa kick?

[vaesion]

yeah im not glued to well

[vaesion]

since most or alot of people; track drums thru distressors and record to hard disc and play back thru protools then mix with a ssl........shouldnt i be able to get the sound im looking for atleast on my drums with an ssl channel strip.
speaking about dance and rap of course