Mixing & Mastering Workflow FL STUDIO 11

[iJackPot]

Now before I start I know music is all about preference and all that good stuff but I what really gets me sometimes is finding a efficient workflow when mixing. I just wanna know how do you guys go about mixing and mastering in steps. Like do you fiddle with the faders first for volume, then add fx, then automation clips then sub group, then sidechain etc. What are you step you go by.

I just need a guideline so I can have a easier workflow instead of bouncing around then loosing track of what I'm doing. You don't have to make up a scenario to describe what your doing in the process of mixing/mastering just give me your check list for example once my beats done I do this, then this, then that etc.

 

[mindcryme]

The first two things I will always do is EQ and then adjust the levels.

 

[Ddream]

what I normally do (doesn't mean it's the righ way), is to export what I call "the mixing" track as a wav, put it on a new project. Then, I use a EQ to level things out. Then I use an exciter (basically a distortion/saturation plugin) to fatten it a bit more. Then EQ again. Then comes the multiband compressor.

 

[BeatbyAS]

first,I put the track in mono.
I start with the levels, while doing that I'm EQ because EQ changes the amount of energy in your sound, so you need to check your levels constantly.

After having a rough mix of my levels. I EQ the remaining lows that are unnecessary in certain sounds, mono really helps with that. when I feel I have a good proper mono mix, I turn it back to stereo.

The mono mix is because a lot of system plays music on mono.

So now we back to stereo. I start panning my stuff. Usually all my drum sounds are in mono. After panning, I do some minor level changes if needed. When i feel I filled my imaginary cube at its fullest, I go to my master. Clean it with EQ on the master, multiband compressor if needed, raise the volume, EQ after compression.

Turn it back to mono, to comfirm that my last changes didn't **** up the mono result, if it did, I go back to fix.

Don't forget to bring back to stereo before exportation. PS : if you mix sound good on mono, then you can already estimate that it will sound good on stereo.

Laast but not least, I open all the visual aid needed to see if my final mix makes sense. If no sound is clashing.

this is a rough lesson of what I do lol.

 

[Spoonhead Music]

if on an instrumental I usually have a sample picked out then I usually find my snares, kicks, hats, cowbells etc. and when im happy with my kit I mix each individual thing by its self and play it against my sample. once my kit is mixed i then chuck in my instruments and then mix them to the rest. same thing really if I do vocals, I just pick one channel at a time and EQ, compress, reverb whatever I need to and then listen to it against the beat. im usually jumping back and fourth because an overdub is clashing with a main vocal channel and I like the sound of the overdub better. after all that is done I master and check anything I think doesn't sound right back on the mixer. not really a system to it but it works for me

 

[Yumid]

mixing is done in 3 stages, although this is all debatable. This is after all your housekeeping (groups, sub groups, organization, etc..)

1.)Volume Balance/Panning/Minor EQing like low passing/high passing. (non color Eqing)
2.)Dynamics (compression, gating, etc)
3.)Dimension aka Effects (reverb, delays, etc...)

Color EQing can be anywhere you want in stages 2 or 3. I usually do it after compression but again, debatable. I find myself coming back to EQing in step 3 as well because you will need to EQ your effects. I like to do my low pass and high pass(track dependant) before compression in step 1. Then ill put another EQ on for more detailed cuts and boosts after compression in most cased. So the series actually has 2 EQ plugins on one chain.

After you're done each step save your session and create a new copy. By the time your done mixing you should have at least 4 different session files. One before you started mixing. One when your finished 1, one when your finished 2, one when your finished 3 and one final save. Ok thats 5 copies but whatever. This is just good file management and allows you to go back whenever. I always have more copies than that regardless.

Mastering is a whole different party.

 

[Ametrine]

first,I put the track in mono.

I'm not sure if there's much practical use to mixing in mono? My understanding is that it's good to test it at times, but mixing in it kind of defeats the purpose. Correct me if I'm wrong.

OP: Another thing you can do is make a template based off of all the stuff you typically use. Start a new track from scratch and rroute all your channels to the mixer, insert your most frequently used plugins, set up all your sidechains, etc. Then save that track as a template for future tracks.

From then on, you won't have to fiddle around with small things and can just jump straight into getting ideas in your head down into the DAW.

 

[Salem Beats]

An under-rated step in the mixing process is the organization stage.
Being properly organized can save you lots of time,
and how your project is laid out affects how you'll think about tackling it.

For example:



I do:
- coloring,
- bussing,
- naming,
- trimming,
- marking regions,
- grouping,
- and any other sorting/cleanup procedures,
as the first step when I mix a song.

Takes about half an hour for a decent-sized mix when moving quickly.
This also gives me some time to think about how the various elements might relate to one another, so I can decide what strategy I'm going to use.
People are generally a lot better at solving known problems than they are at identifying problems.
This is the stage where you carefully define the issues you want to resolve.

-Ki
Salem Beats

 

[SwagProductionz]

i personally make the beat and mix at the end...

 

[BeatbyAS]

I don't mix it in mono, I Just place a rough mix. cause in mono, since all frequencies are in the middle , you can hear which frequencies is clashing easier. So I take out the unnecessary low that I know are useless even in stereo. I don't add FX, or panning during mono. I just rough fix the levels. then switch to stereo to REALLY mix.