Presets and general mixing.

[benfan]

How do you guys ensure that after the drums are...

How do you guys ensure that after the drums are mixed within SD, that your other instruments sit well in the mix. 
Take my example – If i use a preset within Metal Foundry, and import the finished product so to speak, to cubase as one sound file.  How then would I ensure that the other instruments (Guitars, Bass, Vocals etc.) blended in with the mix and didnt just sound as though they where sat on top.
I have been pondering this all day. 

How do you guys ensure that after the drums are mixed within SD, that your other instruments sit well in the mix. 
Take my example – If i use a preset within Metal Foundry, and import the finished product so to speak, to cubase as one sound file.  How then would I ensure that the other instruments (Guitars, Bass, Vocals etc.) blended in with the mix and didnt just sound as though they where sat on top.
I have been pondering this all day. 

Topic

[benfan]

Thanks for the continued help on this.  Iv exported my mixdown from the SD into Cubase.  The levels seem really low however.  I have my guitars peaking at between -18 and -12 dB as advised elsewhere, and the drum mix doesnt cut through as i would like.

[VOLiTiAN]

If you’re using the DAW meters, these are inherently useless, how are you measuring peaks?

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[benfan]

I use the gauges on my Line 6 UX2 to measure the peaks for the guitars.  But im not sure how i should be measuring the output levels from SD.  I have it so that it only goes about half way to 3/4 of the way up the meter in Cubase.  The waveform doesnt look to peak as high as the other instruments once iv exported it into Cubase so i feel that I might not be pushing the output level in SD enough.

[VOLiTiAN]

On the guitars stick a peak level meter on the input track before and after the effects chain, on the drums channel you want to either put it on the drum group output/submix or on each of the individual outputs you’ve created, again before and/or after the fx on each channel

Basically you’re looking to make sure there are no peaks on the input to your fx so that clipping etc won’t occur within the plugins from receiving too hot a signal, and likewise afterwards helps you understand if you’ve maintained unity gain etc.

All this information should start to give you an indication of which parts need mild compression (overheads etc) and which might need some compression and even a limiter on the bus to stop the wild transients (e.g. toms etc)

Hope that helps!

Regards

D.

www.myspace.com/VOLiTiAN www.soundclick.com/VOLiTiAN www.reverbnation.com/VOLiTiAN www.soundcloud.com/VOLiTiAN

[benfan]

I think i understand.  Using that tool enables you to send the best/hottest signal into the DAW without any clipping occuring?  I dont think Cubase comes with that tool built in, any freeware/program you could suggest to try?

Thanks for the help!

[Author]

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