Mixing and Mastering: Difference between revisions

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-'''Mixing and Mastering''' is the process of tweaking attributes of sounds within music to make it sound clear and organized.  This skill is essential to make music regardless of which medium is used to create it.  In Online Sequencer, limited tools are available for mixing, but good results are still possible, even with complex and layered songs. Here, most mixing is accomplished through the instrument settings, using volume, panning, equalizer, and reverb. Others like detuning and distortion are useful too but are not always necessary.
+'''Mixing and Mastering''' is the process of tweaking attributes of sounds within music to make it sound clear and organized. This skill is essential to make music regardless of which medium is used to create it. In Online Sequencer, limited tools are available for mixing, but good results are still possible, even with complex and layered songs. Here, most mixing is accomplished through the instrument settings, using volume, panning, equalizer, and reverb. Others like detuning and distortion are useful too but are not always necessary.
 == Hardware ==
-To mix correctly, speakers or '''headphones''' that provide an even listening experience are required.  Many will sound wildly different from one another, but professional and critical listening models will be calibrated properly.  In order for a sound device to be appropriate for mixing, it must have a flat frequency response.  This means that the device will produce an equally loud sound regardless of how high are low pitched the signal it receives is.  Listening to music with speakers that provide extra bass sacrifices clarity elsewhere, and gives you an experience that is skewed toward those frequencies.  It is long debated whether headphones or speakers are better for mixing; that will not be addressed here.
+To mix correctly, speakers or '''headphones''' that provide an even listening experience are required. Many will sound wildly different from one another, but studio-focused and critical listening models will be calibrated more neutrally. For a sound device to be appropriate for mixing, it must have a flat frequency response. This means that the device will produce an equally loud sound regardless of how high are low pitched the signal it receives is. Listening to music with speakers that provide extra bass sacrifices clarity elsewhere, and gives you an experience that is skewed toward those frequencies. It is long debated whether headphones or speakers are better for mixing; that will not be addressed here.
-=== Headphones OS Creators Actually Use ===
+=== Headphones and Speakers OS Creators Use ===
-* Ashduino101: Audio Technica ATH-M40x
 * Alex!: Audio Technica ATH-M50x
+* Ashduino101: Audio Technica ATH-M50x
+* Benvisions: Jlab Go Work
 * Calico: Audio Technica ATH-M40x
 * Cool172: Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro 80ohm
+* Crumthecrumb: Anything that works
+* Jacob_: Sennheiser HD 558/650
+* Liam: AKG K712 Pro
+* Lopyt: Kali LP-6
+* Lumien: AKG K240 Studio
 * Syntax: Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro
-* Lopyt: Kali LP-6
-* Liam: AKG K712 Pro
-* Jacob_: Sennheiser HD 558/650
-Another important thing that is useful in music production is the '''Audio Interface''' which acts as an external sound card and as a device you can plug in instruments with. Generally speaking they are a bit more expensive but the sound quality will sound a lot better than plugging directly into the PC's sound port because the audio interface will directly interface with the computer using USB B or lightning cable.
+Another important thing that is useful in music production is the '''Audio Interface.'''  It acts as another way to plug your headphones or speakers into the computer, and can also be used to plug in and record instruments or microphones. If your computer's audio output is noisy or doesn't sound good, using an audio interface is necessary.  Some headphones can also require amps or audio interfaces to sound correct. An audio interface is not necessary if the audio output on your device is already good, and you aren't plugging in audio inputs.
 == Creating Clarity in Music ==
-A well-mixed song allows the listener to easily hear the parts that different instruments are playing, without blasting the volume or causing discomfort.
+A well-mixed song allows the listener to hear the parts and melodies that different instruments are playing, without blasting the volume or causing discomfort.
-Ideally its good to find the right balance between no reverb vs full reverb. Often times its not about knowing values but using your ears to determine whether or not the mix of the reverb is well used or not.
-Panning can be used to separate elements to make the mix a higher quality due to separation of certain elements like the kick and bass which often share frequencies especially low to low mid range. This could cause an effect called masking which should be avoided. This can happen when an instrument like a bass is louder than other instruments around its frequency spectrum and causing the kick to be muddled especially when the volume is louder on the bass.
-Ideally keeping instruments below a level where clipping or digital distortion prevents digital distortions that you would not necessarily want in a mix or recording. Use your ears to tell whether or not the instruments are clipping or not.
+=== Panning ===
+Panning (moving sounds left and right) can be used to separate elements of a song, and direct the listener's focus. Key parts like the bass line, kick and snare drums, and the melody should all be kept to the center of the mix most of the time. Any instrument that can warrant the listener's full attention should be kept in the center. Parts that are supplemental to these can be panned to either side, such as harmonies that compliment the melody, block chords, less crucial percussion elements like the tambourine, toms, and ride cymbal. Keep in mind that panning instruments too far to one side, without panning some to the opposite side can cause the music to be too heavy on one ear.
 === Volume ===
-Volume is how loud the viewers are listening to the sequence.
+Volume is the largest contributor to bad mixes, but one of the easiest things to get right. At their default volume, many of the sequencer's instruments will play at wildly different volumes from each other, so the default volume must almost always be changed. Percussion and melody should always be loud enough to be followed by the listener. It's alright to make harmony instruments and chords a bit quieter as they are supplemental to the melody. Volumes may have to be changed throughout a song, as the intensity and vibe shift. If an instrument is so loud as to cover up other instruments, it needs to be quieter. If the music is so loud that clipping can be heard (an effect where the sound cuts out as the level is too high), the bass is often the culprit.
+[[Category:User experience]]