Mixing and mastering

browj2 wrote on 7/6/2015, 11:13 PM

Hi,

You didn't say which version of MMM that you are using - basic or Premium, so I will assume 2015 Premium. There are less effects in the basic version.

See the tutorial on Mixing for Samplitude Music Studio on this web page which is close to Music Maker but there are less goodies in the Music Maker mixer. You should also watch Editing and Automation. Also take a look at all of the tutorials for Music Maker and Samplitude Music Studio on the Magix.com site.

If you are new to MusicMaker, take a look at my tutorial on getting started. I cover very quickly mixing and mastering.

Simply put, mixing is when you take the recordings of each instrument and adjust the volumes to make the sound you want to hear in the recording. It is the process of blending all the individual tracks in a recording to create a version of the song that sounds as good as possible – the “mix”. It also involves:

Panning

In addition to volume levels, decide where in the stereo spectrum to place each instrument. Music is recorded and played back in a stereo field, meaning there are left and right speakers and sounds can be placed accordingly. It is imperative for all instruments to be panned to a proper place in order to get a clean mix. Not only does that help individual parts stand out and be heard clearly without infringing on another song element, but it allows for the mix to sound balanced between the left and right channels.

EQ (Equalizer)

When you layer multiple instruments on top of each other, you start getting a “muddy” sound as they take up the same audio frequencies. A good mix engineer knows how to EQ highs, mids, lows, and everything in between so that a mix will sound “clean” and each instrument takes up only its intended place in the song. It takes a trained ear to recognize when certain frequencies should be cut or boosted for particular tracks.

Effects

Guitarists sometimes record with effects, but the vast majority of effects processing goes on during the mixing process. Things like compression, reverbs, delays, and many other effects have to be chosen and tweaked to help make what might otherwise be a dull or lifeless recording into something full and lush. Music Maker has several quality effects processors and plug-ins ensure a great mix. When in the Mixer, click on FX at the very top left of a track. This will open the Audio FX tools.

Automation

It would be nice if mixing was as simple as setting the volume faders in one place and letting the song finish, but unfortunately it’s a lot harder than that. Because different tracks need to be at the forefront of the song at different times–lead vocals here, guitar solo there, etc.–things like volume levels, panning, and effects need to be automated. Automation is programming certain fades and pans into different parts of the song, so that each time it plays, that cool keyboard lick in measure ten will come up to the exact same level every time the mix is played back. This can be a very specific and complicated process and requires learning and practice. You can read up on this in the manual. Start small.

Mixing often also includes a good deal of editing - choosing the best bits of every take of a song, and sometimes even building musical elements from scratch. Sometimes there is so much editing involved it forms a separate stage in between tracking and mixing.

Once you have everything edited and mixed and you are ready to go the final step, this would be Mastering.

Mastering has 2 meanings. One is the process of turning a collection of songs into an album (or single, or playlist, or podcast…) and combining them to create a final master for manufacturing. The other is making your music sound the best it can be.

In Music Maker, shortcut N, or click on the Mastering button on the Master track of the Mixer, or go to Effects in the top menu, Audio, Mastering Suite. It will open. There is a button on the screen that says "Show more effect." Click on it. Mastering Suite is a special effect rack for use with the mixer master channel. Its effects serve the so-called "Mastering" with which the finished mixed music file is given its last one-over. At the top are overall presets that you can try out. Next you have Auto Mastering presets. Try these out to see what they do. You will see the results in the tools - 6 Band EQ, Stereo enhancer, MultiMax and Limiter, and view results in the digital audio meter (Analyzer) which provides separate control method displays for 10 wave bands on each channel. This device is used for orientation purposes, e.g. selective equalizer editing.

You will have to learn what each tool does and how they work together. This is beyond any single tutorial. Read up on each of the aforementioned highlighted terms in the manual. Then to try them out. Start with a small project. Each audio object, track and project will likely require its own settings. Your ears are the judge. Be careful to not overdo it.

The above is copied from websites that I found on mixing, mastering, Magix MusicMaker and Samplitude Music Studio manuals, and what I know.

You can also look at some of the Kraznet tutorials on YouTube. They are for Samplitude Pro, which is way above MusicMaker, but there are many things that are applicable.

omarbibz wrote on 7/9/2015, 8:30 PM

Your post was extremely helpful however I still did not understand HOW exactly to mix. I understand the concept of mixing and mastering. However, I would like to know how to actually do it using MAGIX Music Maker (Not premium). When I open the mixer it feels very basic, I don't really understand what to do with this eq. For example my kick's bass is a little loud and sounds a bit cheap, additionally the synth also sounds cheap and loud. Whenever I try playing with the eq's a bit it doesn't get that clean sound I'm looking for..

browj2 wrote on 7/10/2015, 9:45 PM

Hi,

MMM basic is quite basic. Premium gives you more tools and Samplitude Music Studio even more.

You will have to play with what you have. For the EQ, look at the presets to guide you. Look at the settings that you get. Review the EQ and other tools in the manual to see if there is something that helps.

Here is a in Samplitude Pro. You will recognize some of the features, as this is the fully blown much bigger brother to MMM. In fact, you should just continue watching the videos one after the other; they are short. You will notice that some of the tools are the same as in MMM, except that Sam Pro has more tools to make adjustments.

There are some good musicians who should jump in here and give some help.

browj2 wrote on 7/13/2015, 9:51 AM

I found a site with a wealth of information.

Here is a link to a tutorial on basic mixing. The tools are pretty much the same that you have available in MMM.

As stated, look at the presets for each tool and start with those. Read the details in the manual before moving the dials around. Then move them and note what works.

Check out some of the other tutorials on this site. Here is a link to page 6. The tutorial about 3D mixing is very good. There are many others.

Without having the tracks, it is difficult to help. For the kicks, try reducing the gain and introducing a low-pass fllter on the EQ to remove the highs.

Don't know about the synths. Again, reduce the gain. Maybe try reducing lows and highs with the EQ and then compressing. Make sure that you don't have any clipping. If already clipped, you would have to use the declipper. Turn on the limiter.