if waves nx makes your mix sound better should you use it

IF WAVES NX MAKES YOUR MIX SOUND BETTER SHOULD YOU USE IT INSTALL

That’s due to an acoustic phenomenon called masking, which occurs whenever you have two or more signals with predominantly overlapping frequencies. When a mix is lacking in detail-in other words, when you can’t easily pick out the individual elements-it’s almost always the result of a failure to carve out distinct frequency areas for key instruments. DO carve out separate frequency spaces for key instruments

IF WAVES NX MAKES YOUR MIX SOUND BETTER SHOULD YOU USE IT INSTALL

The solution? Always invest in the most sonically neutral speakers you can afford and be sure to install at least some basic acoustic treatments (such as bass traps, diffusers, etc.) in your room.Īlways be sure to reference on multiple listening media: studio monitors, your home stereo, laptop or phone speakers, headphones, or a virtual mix room over headphones such as Waves Nx.ģ. A muddy mix is often a result of compensating due to monitoring over small speakers that are bass light, while a mix that is notably thin and lacking in punch is a good indication that your listening space has prominent room “nodes” (resonant low-end frequencies that often occur in untreated rooms). Yes, we’ve said it before, but we’ll say it again: Trying to mix (or master, for that matter) while listening through inaccurate speakers in a room that is not acoustically treated is like attempting to paint a picture while wearing dark sunglasses covered with grime and smudges. DON’T mix through inaccurate monitors or in an untreated room Back off, yo!ĭon’t feel that your ears are well-trained enough to make these kinds of judgement calls? Keep reading on to the section about reference listening.Ģ.

An unnatural-sounding mix probably has too much EQ, period.

You’ll be amazed how much the overall sonic character of a mix can change with just that one little tweak. One easy fix is to add a dB or two of boost at 7 - 10 kHz to the kick or snare, or to a selected guitar track or two. If you do, trust that there’s too much high end. The best way to know if you've been excessive is the ‘stabbed in the ears with a pen’ test (brutal, we know): Listen to your mix at a fairly high volume and see if you feel that way. Be aware also that some “aural exciter”-type plugins can add lots of high-end sheen. However, too much can make the listening experience quite unpleasant and fatiguing. Though when used in the correct proportions, high frequencies above 5-6 kHz or so can add a pleasing sparkle and/or “air” to a mix, and a little extra brightness is a good way to catch people’s attention. As a result, novices tend to pile tons of those frequencies on everything-vocals, guitars, drums, cymbals. The human ear is most sensitive to frequencies in the 2 - 5 kHz range, so any elements in your mix that are rich in that area will sound closer to the listener.

A harsh (or brittle) mix has too much high mids and/or high end.

A mix with insufficient midrange will lack power and will feel 'scooped.'

A hollow mix has too little midrange frequency content.

Do you really need those 15 guitar overdubs? Consider muting any midrange elements that aren’t essential. A poor arrangement can be a big contributor to this, too. A boxy mix has too much mid-range frequency, typically between 250 Hz and 900 Hz or so-these frequencies typically contribute to a sound’s ‘body’-but too much will result in the mix as a whole sounding boxy.

A thin mix has too little low end, usually the result of mixing in a poorly treated space that has “room nodes.” (See the next ‘DON’T’ section.) This can also be caused by overuse of high pass filters.It’s a good approach to allow just one or two elements in your mix-usually kick and bass-to occupy this critical space. Pretty much any track can contribute to an abundance of low-end energy (due to close-miking, long-decaying reverbs, over-boomy synth sounds or drum samples), so you have to be especially careful about which tracks you allow through in this range. A muddy (or murky) mix has too much low end.DO know the seven warning signs of mix EQ problemsSomeone clever once made the observation that “writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” That said, here are several basic descriptive terms that can be used to identify common equalization problems: Find out if you're overdoing it or making one of these simple errors in your EQing process: avoid a 'muddy,' 'boxy' or harsh mix and optimize your EQ workflow with these tips.ġ. It's a necessary part of any mix, and a delicate art.

If waves nx makes your mix sound better should you use it