POWER SWITCH IF AN UNBALANCED SIGNAL
SOURCES IS CONNECTED TO ANY MIC INPUT.
Because of the voltage present on pins 2 and 3 of the XLR
connector, you will damage your microphone/signal source.
Tuesday 26 April 2016
Caution:
POWER SWITCH IF AN UNBALANCED SIGNAL
SOURCES IS CONNECTED TO ANY MIC INPUT.
Because of the voltage present on pins 2 and 3 of the XLR
connector, you will damage your microphone/signal source.
+48v or Phantom Power
battery power to operate. Alternatively the power may be
provided by the console. This is known as ‘phantom power’
and runs at 48vDC. Simply press “Phantom Power” and
any condenser mics connected will operate without the
need for batteries.
Stereo Returns
units, to be returned to the mixer and routed to the stereo
Mix or Groups, without using up valuable input channels.
Meters
button is pressed, the meters automatically switch to show
the solo level. They provide visual indication of what’s
going on in your mixer.
Aux Masters
outputs and therefore the amount of signal going to an
effects unit or a musician’s foldback mix.
Track Tape Returns
player and listen back to your completed masterwork. They
may also be used for playing pre-show music at a gig using
2-Track to Mix switch (not shown in illustration).
Monitor “Engineer’s” / Control Room Outputs
or the 2 Track tape return via an external amplifier and
speakers, or the headphone socket.
Mix Outputs
stereo mix. Many consoles feature mix insert points too,
allowing the connection of signal processors across the
whole mix.
SUBGROUPS
or vocalists so that they may be controlled by just one pair
of faders, or even a single fader, once individual
instruments’ relative levels have been balanced. They also
act as additional outputs with separate volume/level
controls – ideal for speaker fills or recording a number of
instruments to one tape track.
STEREO INPUTS
provide you with mono signals. However
keyboards, samplers, drum machines and other
electronic media often provide true stereo
outputs with separate left and right signals.
Stereo Inputs on mixers simply allow you to
connect both of these signals individually and
control them from a single fader. Stereo inputs
tend to incorporate fewer facilities than mono
inputs as most keyboards are already equipped
with plenty of internal effects and tone control
options.
Routing
to a choice of the mixer’s outputs - typically the main mix
outs or the group outputs. The switches are used in
conjunction with the PAN control to route the signal
proportionately to the left or the right side of the mix
or to odd/even groups/subs if PAN is turned fully left or
right.
Fader
mix and provides a visible indication of channel level.
Mute/Channel On-Off Switch
the channel when not in use or pre-setting channel levels
which may not be needed until later, ie: theatre scenesetting
or support acts/performers.
Solo (PFL and Solo in Place)
signal independently of any other instruments that have
been connected, which is useful for troubleshooting, or
setting an instrument’s Input Preamp Gain and EQ
setting.
Pre-Fade Listen (PFL) is a type of solo that allows you
to monitor your sound BEFORE THE FADER. In other
words when you move the input fader in PFL mode the
level will not change, nor will you hear any effects.
Because effects and volume are not a distraction, PFL solo
is very useful for setting proper input preamp levels.
Some Soundcraft mixers use SOLO IN PLACE, which
allows you to monitor signals after the fader in their true
stereo image, and with any effects that have been added.
This type of Solo is less good for level setting, but more
useful in mixdown situations for auditioning sounds.
Pan (Panoramic Control)
stereo mix image or may be used to route (send) the signal
to particular GROUP outputs as selected by the
ROUTING SWITCHES
Auxiliary Section
control the levels of effects such as reverb from external
effects units that have been added to the input signal, and
second to create separate musician’s "foldback" mixes in
the studio or on stage.
EQ Section
any mixer, the equaliser section allows you to
change the tone of the sound on each input.
An EQ is normally split into “bands”, which
control a range of frequencies, in a similar
fashion to the treble and bass tone controls on
your Hi-Fi. Indeed a simple “2 band” EQ is
little more than an input treble and bass control.
The more bands an EQ has the more
sophisticated it is. SX has a 3 band EQ, with a
separate control for the middle audio
frequencies. This control is also “swept” which
provides even more sophistication. Simply
described, a sweep EQ allows you to choose
the exact frequency to cut and boost, rather
than having it chosen for you, as on normal
“fixed” controls.
HPF (High Pass Filter)
very lowest frequencies of a sound whilst
allowing the higher frequencies to “Pass
Through”. It’s particularly useful in live
situations to reduce stage rumble or microphone
‘popping’, which can produce a muddy mix,
or to ‘clean-up’ male vocals and filter out low
frequency hum. Some manufacturers may
also use the term “low - cut” filter to describe
the HPF.
Gain Control (Input Sensitivity)
mic or line inputs is fed to the channel.
Direct Out
your channel out to a multitrack tape
recorder, or to an effects unit when the channel
requires its own special effect.
Guidelines in Choosing a Mixer
levels, so it’s little wonder that people are confused as to
what type is actually needed for the job in hand. However
there are several questions you can to ask yourself that will
help you narrow your search to the most appropriate
models.
• What am I going to be using the mixer for - i.e.
multitrack recording, live PA work or both?
• What is my budget?
• How many sound sources do I have? As a guideline your
mixer needs to have at least as many inputs as sound
sources. If you are likely to be buying more equipment in
the future you should budget for extra inputs.
• What particular mixer facilities must I have for my
application? i.e. plenty of EQ, auxiliaries, or Direct Outs
for recording.
• How portable does the mixer need to be?
• Will I be doing any location work where there won’t be
any mains power available?
• Have I read the Soundcraft Guide to Mixing from cover
to cover?
Once you can answer these questions satisfactorily you
should have a fairly accurate specification for the mixer you
need.
What does a Mixer do?
out the same basic function - to blend and control the
volume of a number of input signals, add effects and
processing where required and route the resulting mix to
the appropriate destination, which could be power
amplifiers, the tracks of a recording device - or both. A
mixer is the nerve centre of these sources, and therefore the
most vital part of your audio system.
Wednesday 13 April 2016
20 Tips On Using Microphones
2. Capacitor and electret mics don't like dust, smoke or humidity, all of which will affect the sound quality whilst in that environment and, in the case of dust and smoke, progressively and permanently degrade the microphone diaphragm. Decent mics are expensive so it pays to look after your investments. If you suspect the performance of your microphone is not as good as it once was, consider returning the mic to the manufacturer or a specialist company for servicing and to have the diaphragm cleaned.
3. Always handle mics with care -- not style! Put them away when not in use, don't drop them, and never slam the lid on their boxes or you could split the diaphragm. Ideally, keep your microphones in a closed foam-lined box after use and store them somewhere warm and dry. If you don't want to keep packing and unpacking your mics, do as many professionals do and leave your mics on stands at the side of the studio with appropriately-sized freezer bags over them to keep the dust out. The pros also leave them plugged in to the console at all times, so that they are phantom powered and therefore stay warm, thereby avoiding humidity problems.
4. Dynamic mics tend to have less dynamic ability, with a 'softer' top end, than capacitor or electret mics, but are far more capable of taking abuse from loud instruments or rough handling. So in applications where a 'warmer' or 'fatter' sound is required (eg. on drums or a thin-sounding vocalist), or in front of very loud sources, a dynamic mic is often a good choice.
5. Capacitor and electret mics tend to be more sensitive, sound 'faster' and generally more neutral, and so make a good choice when you are trying to capture subtle nuances in a sound. Small-diaphragm capacitor mics are generally more neutral and accurate than large-diaphragm mics, which generally tend to exhibit a warmer and fuller nature.
6. Electret mics can often be powered either by an internal battery or phantom power. Given the choice, phantom is the preferred way to power the mic, firstly because it avoids the problem of a battery running flat part way through the best take, and secondly because the head-amp inside the microphone will have more headroom and less noise. If your mic must be powered by a battery, remove it when not in use, so that the battery contacts are wiped clean by the action of inserting and removing the battery. The mic draws such a small current that any corrosion on the terminals could degrade the performance of the head-amplifier. Allow electret and capacitor mics to warm up for a few minutes before any critical listening.
7. And talking of head-amplifiers inside capacitor and electret microphones, these are generally designed to cope with a 'normal' range of sound pressure levels. If you place the microphone very close to a loud sound source, this head-amp can easily be overloaded, producing distorted sound.
8. Don't forget to shut the faders on the console or to mute the speakers when you reposition microphones, re-plug, or switch phantom or battery power on to them. Anyone waiting in the control room while you sort out the studio will be very unimpressed (not to mention deafened) by the thumps, pops and bangs, and it can be very embarrassing on your return to find the charred remains of the woofer cones hanging out of the monitor speakers!
9. When adjusting the position of a microphone on a boom stand, never force the clamps, because they will quickly lose their ability to hold position. Better to loosen all the clamps, allowing complete freedom of movement to position the mic exactly where you want it. Then tighten everything up again, starting at the column, followed by the knuckle and boom arm. If your stands are in good condition, you won't need the strength of a gorilla -- just a firm twist will be sufficient to make sure the stands don't start drooping halfway through the session.
10. Possibly the most important thing to remember about using a boom stand is to ensure that one of the three legs is positioned directly below the arm. This guarantees that it will be stable and prevents it from toppling under the weight of a heavy mic. You can make life much easier for yourself if you don't wrap the mic cable around the stand like a boa constrictor. A single turn up the vertical part of the stand, and another along the boom is quite sufficient to look neat and tidy whilst making it much easier to adjust the stand should you need to reposition the mic. Coiling the spare cable under the mic stand allows the stand to be moved to a new location easily, and makes it much easier to trace cables back to the connector panel on the wall or multicore breakout box if you need to re-plug or replace a faulty cable.
11. It is important to isolate microphones from physical shock (especially omnidirectional mics) as subsonic and low-frequency noise will reduce headroom significantly. Be aware that few nearfield monitors are capable of revealing what is going on below about 60Hz, so if you see peaks on your meters which don't seem to correspond to the sound, suspect LF rumbles -- often from a tapping foot! Ideally, isolate the mics with purpose-designed shockmounts, but placing each leg of a microphone stand on dense foam pads can help a lot too.
12. The usual reason for using any kind of directional mic is to gain separation from an unwanted sound source. Remember this when placing the mic, because what you aim the thing away from is far more important than what you point it at. Think about the polar response in three dimensions and position the mic so that the unwanted sound approaches its least sensitive angles. These are directly behind on a cardioid, to the sides on a figure-of-eight, and on the edges of a rear-facing cone for a hypercardioid.
13. At a given price, an omnidirectional microphone often has a more neutral sound and a more extended bass response than a directional one. However, because it has no ability to discriminate against unwanted sound sources, it must be positioned at less than around half the distance of any directional mic for the same amount of spill or room sound. So if you are happy to close-mike a source, don't discount using an omni, which will often sound less coloured than a cardioid, for the spill penalty will probably be negligible. Don't forget that many (cheaper) omnis tend to become quite directional at high frequencies, so try to keep the main sound source on-axis.
14. All directional mics exhibit some degree of proximity effect (bass boosting, which becomes stronger the closer the mic is to the source). This can be used to advantage if you want to warm up a sound in a more natural way than with EQ, but beware putting mics close to a moving source, because the character of the sound will vary as they move. Dancing vocalists and swinging guitarists are often uncontrollable!
15. The ultimate quality of your recording is partly dependent on the quality of your microphones. Following the principle of rubbish in, rubbish out, the better your mics, the more accurate your recordings can potentially be, and the more subtle detail they will contain. Top-quality professional mics typically cost between £500 and £1000 -- which adds up to a significant proportion of most project and home studio budgets. Pros might use ADATs and 02Rs too, but a key reason for the high quality of their recordings is the quality of their mics....
16. Where you place the mic is the single most important and creative aspect of recording music. Take the time to experiment and the care to get it right. I can never stress enough how important it is to go into the studio and listen to the sound source from all directions before thinking about how, and from what angle and distance, to best capture that sound with a microphone. Moving a microphone as little as an inch can radically alter the sound it captures. Getting the mics in the right places doesn't guarantee a great recording, but get them wrong and you'll never achieve that nirvana.
17. Always try repositioning or replacing a microphone before reaching for the equaliser. It might take a little longer, but the results are superior. Equalisation is intended for creative modification of a sound, not for creating it -- that is what you choose and position mics for! Reducing spill by thinking about the positioning of the mic and the appropriate selection of polar patterns while you are rigging is actually far quicker than having to set up noise gates. It also sounds much better, and is usually more effective and reliable. Don't forget that you can often minimise spill at source by thinking about how to position the instruments in the studio, so that unwanted sounds always arrive on the dead axes of the microphones (see tip 12).
18. The best way to check adequate separation between the mics is by listening to each instrument on the mics in front of all the others. The spill should be at least 12dB below the typical level of the mic's own source. If not, reposition the mic, choose a different polar pattern, reposition the instruments, or introduce screening. If that doesn't work, you will have to try EQ or possibly gating! After the session, try to figure out what went wrong and improve on it the next time!
19. If you really are stumped about where to put a mic, a handy rule of thumb is to place it as far away from an acoustic source as the longest dimension of that source. So in the case of an upright bass, for example, try to locate a good-sounding positioning about four feet away. Most acoustic instruments need space for all elements of their sound to gel and take on their correct proportions. Miking too close will tend to emphasise the mechanical noises of fingering, bowing or valve clicks, as well as distorting the balance of the fundamental and harmonics.
20. A common problem when recording vocalists, particularly if they are more familiar with live performance than studio work, is of that they can get much too close to the microphone, causing popping, sibilance, excessive bass boost, and creating humidity problems. Very large foam windshields might help, but a separate pop shield (the nylon stocking on a wire frame idea) mounted four or five inches in front of the mic is better. An alternative technique is to rig a microphone for the vocalist to 'eat' with a second mic positioned something like eight inches further back and six inches higher. Normally you would record only the sound of the distant (normally a decent capacitor mic), but if you rig a conventional live-performance dynamic model as the close mic and mix in some of that mic's signal, you can achieve a more interesting and slightly aggressive sound!
20 Tips On Recording Vocals
1. Make sure the singer is well rehearsed, physically comfortable,
and under no psychological pressure. Most singers perform best
standing up in a room that has a comfortable but not over-warm
temperature. If they are distracted by other members of the band
or by hangers-on, send everyone but the engineer (and producer,
if you have one) out of the studio.
2. Take time to get the vocalist's headphone mix right, and give
them a little reverb to help them sing more confidently. If you
can rig up a system which allows vocalists to adjust their own
monitor level, it will make life a lot easier. A good headphone
mix really helps to encourage a good performance.
3. Always use a pop shield between the singer and the microphone.
Failure to do so will almost certainly result in unnatural 'pops'
on plosive 'b' and 'p' sounds that can't be fixed afterwards.
The pop shield may be a commercial model or a DIY job comprising
stocking material over a wire coathanger frame even a fine metal or plastic sieve or chip-pan
splash guard. Any of these will do the job without affecting the
tone of the mic. Foam wind shields are virtually useless in combating
pops.
4. Use a good microphone: it doesn't have to be anything too special,
but you should avoid low-cost 'bargain' models or those designed
for use with home stereos or portable cassette recorders. Professional
studios generally use capacitor microphones, but in the project
studio a good back-electret mic or even a good dynamic vocal mic
can produce excellent results.
5. Pick a mic to suit the singer. Singers with thin or excessively
bright voices may actually sound better with a dynamic mic, such
as the ubiquitous Shure SM58, while those needing more of an open
sound would benefit from a capacitor or back-electret mic. If
you have several mic models to choose from, try a test recording
with each and see which is most flattering to the vocalist.
6. Use the right mic pickup pattern: most project studio vocal recordings
are made using a cardioid or unidirectional mic, as these pick
up less sound from the sides and rear. However, an omni mic of
a similar quality generally imparts a more natural, open sound
and that can be useful if you're working with a singer who tends
to sound nasal or boxy. If you work a couple of inches closer
to an omni mic, you'll get close to the same 'direct sound to
room sound' ratio you'd achieve with a cardioid.
7. Put the mic at the right distance, because if you get too close
to it you'll increase the risk of popping and the level will change
noticeably every time the singer moves slightly. Cardioid mics
also exhibit a bass-boost 'proximity effect' that varies as the
singer's mic distance varies. On the other hand, if the singer
is too far away from the mic the room reflections will colour
the sound, making it seem remote and boxy. As a rule, a mic distance
of around six to nine inches (15-24 centimetres) is ideal.
8. Minimise the room's influence on your sound. The mic picks up
both direct sound from the singer and reflected sound from the
room. Reduce the room's contribution by keeping away from the
walls and by improvising screens using sleeping bags or duvets
behind and to the sides of the singer.
9. Use mic technique to help control level: if the singer can be
persuaded to pull back from the mic slightly when singing louder
notes, there's less risk of overloading the recorder or mic preamp,
and you won't need to use so much compression to even things up.
An experienced singer may also lean into the mic on quieter, more
intimate passages to exploit the proximity effect. However, to
prevent an inexperienced singer getting too close to the mic,
position the pop shield about three inches (7.5 centimetres) from
the mic.
10. Where possible, mount the microphone on a stand. Only let the
singer hold the mic if to do otherwise would compromise their
musical performance. When the singer is hand-holding a mic, particularly
if it's a cardioid model, make sure they keep their hand clear
of the rear of the basket, as obstructing this area can change
both the directional and tonal characteristics of the mic.
11. Don't settle for anything less than the best vocal performance
you can get, and don't expect to get it all perfect in one take.
More often than not you'll have to punch in and out around phrases
that need re-doing, but if you have enough tracks, get the singer
to do the whole song several times and then compile a track from
the best parts of each take. You can do this on tape by bouncing
the required parts to a spare track, but hard disk editing is
much more flexible in this respect.
12. Use suitable compression -- even well-disciplined vocalists tend
to sound uneven against the very controlled dynamics of a pop
mix, so it helps to apply a little compression while recording.
Err on the side of using less compression than you think you will
finally need, and use a compressor that has a reasonably neutral
characteristic. Aim to achieve 5-8dB of gain reduction on the
loudest signal peaks, and if the compressor has an auto mode,
use it.
13. Don't be afraid to use more compression on the vocal track once
it has been recorded. When the performance is in the bag you can
try both subtle and heavy compression to see which works best
with the track, though if you're using a lot of compression you
may need to gate the vocal track first. This will prevent noise
build-up in the pauses between phrases. It's at the mixing stage
that a compressor with an obvious character can be used to make
a vocal seem larger than life.
14. Don't gate the vocal while recording. A badly set-up gate can
ruin an otherwise perfect take, so save gating until the mixing
stage. Use the gate before any further compression, but don't
gate so hard that you remove all the breath noises preceding words,
as these are part of the character of a vocal performance, and
the recording will sound unnatural without them.
15. Don't run amok with the EQ: on most budget desks the EQ only
sounds decent when used sparingly or to cut unwanted frequencies.
Mid-range boosting usually results in a nasal or phasey sound,
so use as little EQ as you can. If you've picked the right mic,
and taken the time to fine-tune its position during recording,
you shouldn't need much corrective EQ anyway. Of course, there
are times when EQ is used for creative purposes, and at such times
it's best to use a good-quality outboard equaliser, because the
difference between a budget EQ and a really good one is immense.
Resist the temptation to pile on too much high-end boost, as this
will enhance sibilance, bring up background noise and may make
the end result fatiguing to listen to.
16. Use reverb sparingly: vocals recorded in a dry acoustic environment
need reverb to give them a sense of space and reality, but don't
use more than the song really needs. As a general rule, busy songs
need less reverb and slower ballads with lots of space in the
arrangement can afford to use more. Listen to some commercial
records in a similar style to your own and see what reverb techniques
the producer has used.
17. If the vocals are very brightly recorded, they may cause any
added reverb to sound sibilant. Instead of de-essing the vocals
(which often sounds unnatural), try instead de-essing just the
feed to the reverb unit. You can also experiment with the reverb
type and tonality to minimise sibilance and spitting.
18. If you do have to de-ess the vocals, try to use a split-band
de-esser rather than the simpler compressor with an equaliser
in the side-chain, as the split-band approach produces fewer undesirable
side effects. It's always best to try to avoid sibilance by moving
the mic slightly or by using a different mic, rather than trying
to fix it afterwards. Pointing the mic slightly above or below
the singer's mouth sometimes helps.
19. When you're using prominent echo or delay effects on a vocal,
try to get them in time with the song, either by calculating the
delay needed to match the tempo or by using the tap-tempo facility
if one is provided. For a less obviously rhythmic echo, try a
multi-tap delay with irregular tap spacings.
20. To ensure that the vocal is mixed at the right level in the song,
listen to the mix from outside the room and see if the song has
the same balance as something you might hear on the radio. The
vocals are the most important part of the song and so must be
well forward, but not so far forward that they sound 'stuck on'
to the backing.
20 Tips On Using Effects In The Mix
1. Reverb creates the illusion of space, but in doing so it also 'smears' the stereo localisation of the original sound source, just as it does in real life. If you want to maintain a specific stereo placement for one or more sounds in a mix, consider using a mono reverb effect and panning the reverb to the same position as the original dry sound.
2. Reverb is very useful for making vocals sound more musical and for making them sit with the rest of the mix, but adding too much will have the effect of pushing the vocals back, rather than allowing them to take front position. Experiment with pre-delay values of 60-100mS to help counter this, and also try using a reverb patch that has a lot of early reflections, as these help reinforce the dry sound. You can learn a lot from listening carefully to records you like to see how much and what type of reverb is used. Often it's rather less than you think.
3. Bright reverbs can flatter vocals, but may exaggerate sibilance. As an alternative to de-essing the vocals, try instead de-essing the feed to the reverb unit, so that sibilance is removed before the reverb is applied.
4. Reverb is probably the most important effect in the studio, so don't compromise by using a low-quality software reverb plug-in just because you're short of processing power. Use a good external hardware reverb unit if you have one, otherwise choose a more powerful software plug-in to treat the vocal track in non-real time. This may involve off-line processing or doing a real-time 'bounce to disk' of the vocal track in isolation, via the plug-in.
5. Vocals almost always require compression, but rather than doing all the compressing at the recording stage, apply a little less compression than you think you might ultimately need, then add further compression when you come to mix. This dual-stage process ensures you don't record an overcompressed sound, whilst still allowing you to even out the level of the recorded signal.
6. Compressors bring up low-level noise just as effectively as they do low-level signals, so try to gate the signal prior to compression when you're mixing. Also, use no more compression than you need, or the signal-to-noise ratio may be compromised unnecessarily. However, it's usually unwise to gate the compressor input during recording for the reasons explained in the next tip.
7. Avoid gating during recording if at all possible, as a badly set gate can completely ruin an otherwise good take by chopping out low-level sections of the wanted audio. Instead, gate during mixing, when you have the chance to reset the parameters and try again if it doesn't work out first time. A further benefit of this approach is that any noise, crosstalk or spill accumulated during recording will also be gated out.
8. Always gate signals prior to adding reverb if you can -- gates can easily chop off the tail end of a long reverb. Furthermore, if you add reverb or echo after gating, any minor gating artifacts may be completely
9. Don't always set your gate to fully attenuate the signal when the gate is closed. In some situations, it may sound more natural if a low level of background sound is still audible between wanted sounds, and when working with drums, you'll find the gate opens faster if the range control is set to around 12dB rather than to maximum.
10. Single-ended noise-reduction units (the type that work by applying level-dependent top-cut) can be very useful in reducing the perceived level of hiss during material where there are no silences that would allow a gate or expander to operate. However, make constant A/B comparisons to ensure that there's no obvious top-end loss when the unit is switched in. If there is, lower the threshold slightly until you get an acceptable compromise between high-end loss during low-level passages, and audible hiss. As with gates, applying reverb after dynamic filtering may help disguise any side-effects as well as safeguarding the reverb tails from being truncated.
11. Don't add long reverb to bass sounds unless you have an artistic reason to do so, as this tends to muddy the low end of the mix. If you need to add space to a kick drum, try a short ambience program or a gated reverb as an alternative. If you are in a position where you need to apply reverb to an entire drum mix, roll off the low end feeding the reverb for a cleaner sound.
12. Chorus is a useful effect for creating the illusion of space and movement, but it also tends to push sounds back in the mix, rather as reverb does. If you need a sound treated with chorus to stand out in a mix, try either panning a dry version of the sound to one side and a chorused version to the other, or ensure that the song's arrangement leaves plenty of room for the chorused sound.
14. Equalisation is often used as an alternative to getting a sound right at source, but the result is seldom as satisfactory as doing things properly. Nevertheless, on occasions where equalisation is necessary, applying cut to the over-emphasised frequencies rather than boost to weaker ones generally results in a more natural sound, especially with vocals and acoustic instruments. This is especially true of in-desk equalisers or budget parametrics, as they often sound nasal or phasey when used to boost mid-range sounds.
15. Sounds can often be made to sit better in a mix by 'bracketing' them with high- and low-pass filters so as to restrict their spectral content. Many console EQs don't have the sharp filters necessary to do this, but the side-chain filters fitted to many gates are often ideal for the job. Simply set the gate to its side-chain listen mode, then use the filters to shave away unwanted high and low frequencies. Acoustic guitars often work better in a mix if the low end is rolled off in this way, though the high end can usually be left alone.
16. When setting up a mix, try to get the mix sounding close to right before you add any effects or signal processing. Once you've got this right, add further vocal compression if needed and also apply just enough reverb to make the vocals sit comfortably with the backing track. When you're happy with the overall timbre and balance, adding effects for 'effect' should be easier. Remember that, in most cases, effects are there just to add the final gloss -- they won't compensate for a poor balance or bad basic sounds.
17. Still on the subject of effects in the mix, don't be tempted to hide poor playing by heaping on more effects, it never works -- take it from someone who's tried everything at one time or another! However, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, slightly imperfect vocal pitching can be tightened up almost magically using pitch-correction processors, such as Antares' Autotune software or ATR1 hardware.
18. Go easy when using enhancers to treat complex signals such as a whole mix as it's very tempting to go too far. Make frequent use of the bypass button to remind yourself just how radically the sound has changed, and if you're adding more than a little high-end enhancement, check the bottom end to see if that needs bringing up to keep the overall mix in balance.
19. Often it's better to enhance just some elements of a mix so as to make them stand out from the rest. The best way to do this is to connect the enhancer to a pair of group insert points, then send all the sounds that need enhancing to that group. Listen carefully to enhanced vocals as the process can often exaggerate sibilance problems.
20. Treatments designed to increase the stereo width of a mix (other than the simple mixing-antiphase-signals-into-the-opposite-channel trick) can have detrimental effects on mono compatibility. Use your console's mono button to check that your mix doesn't lose too much when it's played in mono, as this is important when material is played over mono radios or TVs. Listen to see if the subjective balance or timbre changes by an unacceptable degree. If it does, either use less overall width expansion or leave the main mix elements untreated and only process secondary sounds, such as incidental percussion, sound effects, effects returns and so on.
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