Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

This week's Knowledge Wednesday is a quick tip on a couple of keys frequency bands to be aware of on distorted electric guitar.

400Hz - 500Hz 

2KHz - 3KHz 

The above frequency bands are areas that i'm known for cutting in and sometimes boosting, but i want you to listen for yourself. Create a fairly wide bandwidth (Q) a boost in these areas and listen to the difference both boosted and cut. Let your ears be the judge.

Please keep in mind that guitar EQ varies massively depending on the guitar, the pickups, the amp and the microphone.

The obvious thing to do is spend time achieving the sound you want at the recording stage however if you find yourself mixing guitars that have already been committed to, then the areas above are a couple to focus on.

Multi-band Compression on Bass Guitar By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

Compression on bass guitar is a very subjective and contextual topic due to the many different types of acoustic and electric basses, not to mention the difference in playing styles and dynamics. So, for this post I'm going to focus on compression for rock and metal bass guitar and my goal is to achieve a consistent low end with a controlled attack.


The tool I often choose to use to compress bass is a multi-band compressor because this gives me independent control over specific frequency bands, meaning I can compress the the lows differently to the mids and so on.

I firstly create a section in the multi-band compressor which contains the frequencies between 40Hz and 120Hz. I then set a fast attack and a slightly slower release, usually with a low ratio of 2:1 and pull the threshold down until the compressor starts to work. I use a fast attack and a slower release because i don't want any peaks in the low end and i want to keep the compression smooth. Depending on how inconsistent the low end is, I usually aim for 3-6dB of gain reduction. Once this is complete, I use the make-up gain to match the level that was audible before the compressor was engaged.

I'd like to point out that sometimes, compressing the low end is as far as I go with bass compression and sometimes I'll apply a single band compressor like an LA-2A just to even out the dynamics.


When dealing with an aggressive picked bass, I will usually add a second band into the multi-band compressor to even out the pick attack. I use a slower attack in this range to retain some of the transients and then apply a fast release so that the compressor recovers in time for the next transient. I normally go for a ratio of 3:1 or 4:1 and pull down on the threshold so that the compressor is consistently working on the pick attack. Again, I apply the appropriate make-up gain.


Multi-band compression is not the be all and end all to processing bass, it is simply an option and one that you may decide to take depending on the source tone you are working with.


If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page.

knowledge wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

This week's tip is to try using an EQ before a compressor in your channel strip.

The goal of this is quite simple - to control the frequencies that are going into the compressor for example, you will want to remove problematic resonant frequencies before hitting the compressor otherwise the compressor could be overly reactive to these specific areas and you may not be able to achieve your desired result.

Sculpting your sound with EQ first ensures that your compressor will only react to the frequencies you want it to.

Mix Templates By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

Using mix templates is something i use in the production of my music as well as other clients and in this post, i want to explain the benefits of doing this and hopefully give you a strategy to implement into your own productions.

Keep in mind that in order to utilise a mix template, you firstly need to put the time into creating one.

I firstly start with the drums and depending on whether they are acoustically played and recorded or programmed and sampled, i like to have my channels already set up so that the the kick-in goes to channel 1, the kick-out goes to channel 2, the snare top goes to channel 3 and so on. I also create a drum buss and a parallel drum buss ready for compression and blending. As well as this, I apply console emulation across all the channels and leave them engaged all the time. I like to insert some of my go-to plugins such as the Fab Filter Pro-Q2 EQ, Waves CLA-76, Fab Filter Pro-C2 Compressor, Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machine and Slate Digital Virtual Buss Compressors onto specific channels and busses to prep them for tweaking. I'd to mention that on certain instruments, i have presets saved within the plugins that i like engage to get me into the ball-park of the sound i'm listening for.

I then move onto the bass guitar, keeping it quite simple i create an amp channel and a DI channel, as well as a couple of auxiliary channels for different types of saturation and distortion, should i wish to use them. Similarly to the drums, i like to insert console emulation and a basic EQ and Compressor to get me started. Once I've done this, i create a bass buss so that i can monitor and control the level on one fader.

Next i focus on the guitars and these are very simple for me, i use console emulation and a basic EQ that has a high pass and low pass filter applied to remove some of the unnecessary frequencies. I then create a guitar buss which i apply some gentle tape saturation to. Sometimes, i will use 2 or 3 different busses if i have a lot of rhythms, leads and clean sounds present in the mix to give me greater control.

For vocals, i load up some console emulation, a De-Esser, compressor and a basic EQ with a high pass filter engaged to remove the unwanted low end. Depending on the song, i usually start off with an 1176 style compressor or sometimes i like run parallel compression or even series compression utilising an 1176 and an LA2A style compressor.

Finally, i create a couple of auxiliary channels with reverb and delay effects engaged so that they are there for vocals, guitars or drums to be sent to as and when i get to the state in the mix where i'm wanting to apply effects.

The very last thing i do (sometimes it's actually first) before i start mixing is create a mix buss and this contains console emulation, gentle tape saturation, compression and a limiter to ensure that no peaks creep through. At this point the limiter is doing nothing but ensuring that nothing clips, i do not use it to increase the level of the song.

Once i've done all this, i save it as a mix template and label it accordingly.  

I like to utilise mix templates with clients projects particularly when they are looking for consistency across an album because it's a way of mapping out the sounds that i may have already achieved in one session and then i want to apply that across the other songs. It doesn't mean the sounds strictly have to be the same, i still adjust the compressors, adjust the EQs and apply higher or lower values of saturation, but the point is that it's giving me the most positive and constructive start to a mix.

I also like to use a variation of mix templates in the production of my own music because it allows me to hear the finished product much quicker and keeps me inspired during the times that i'm writing and tracking parts.

Considering using mix templates going forward with your own work and if you are doing work for other people, you will find that you will save time, improve your work flow and achieve more consistent results.

If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page.

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

Always use fades on audio files when you are editing.

This is particularly important when comping because using fades is a way of smoothing out any audio artefacts that might appear between the takes. If it is just one audio file on its own, then a simple fade-in and fade-out will be perfect, but when it's multiple audio files that need gluing together, it's worth applying a good cross-fade to ensure a smooth transition and to minimise the audible differences as much as possible. This will become much easier if the quality and consistency of the performance is high.

Clean and accurate editing is a major factor in setting up for a solid mix so never neglect it!

Parallel Compression on Drums By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

In this post, I'm going to cover parallel compression on drums and how I use the technique in some of the mixes I do.  

Let's consider that your individual drums are mixed and sounding the way you want them to but they just aren't quite cutting it in the overall mix, something is missing...enter parallel compression. 

The first thing I do is send each track to an auxiliary channel, which is what will have the compression on. I send these pre fader so that any adjustments on the individual tracks (levels or plugins) don't affect the auxiliary channel. Some people like to send everything all at the same level, but personally I like to control the levels before hitting the compressor.  

I usually have the kick send between -10 to -15dB and this because I don't want it to dominate the compressor and cause heavy a heavy pumping effect. I leave the snare and toms a 0bB because these are two major elements of the drums that I want to accentuate with the compressor. I keep the overheads send quite low as well between -8 to -12dB because I don't want overly washy cymbals. Finally, the room mics are sent between -5 to -8dB, just enough for the sound of the snare and toms in the room to be caught by the compressor and minimising some of the cymbal sound. 

I've now achieved the blend of drums that I want the compressor to work on. The compressor plugins I use vary between the Waves CLA-76, API 2500, FabFilter Pro C2 and Slate Digital Buss Compressors however, the principles are the same whichever I choose to use. 

I start with the attack which I set to the fastest setting possible to ensure that all the transients are being squashed consistently. I then move onto the release and apply a fast setting (slightly slower than the attack to avoid distortion) so that the compressor recovers quickly in time for the next transient.  

I usually set a high ratio, anything between 6:1 to 20:1 and then pull down the threshold and listen to the compressor working, usually aiming for -10 to -20dB of gain reduction. Once I've achieved the sound I want, I make sure I've used the make-up gain appropriately to make sure the output level is matched to the level of the input (this is easily checked by bypassing the compressor). I then blend the auxiliary channel in with my main drum tracks to taste.

Something else I like to do on the auxiliary channel before hitting the compressor is add an EQ with a low and high shelf. I usually add about 3-4dB on each end of the spectrum to create more of a HI-FI sound as this is what I want the compressor to react to the most.

Parallel Compression, also know as New York Compression enables you to achieve a greater sustain and character on the drums and ultimately gives them that 'larger than life' sound that helps solidify the foundation that they set for a song. There's no limit to how much parallel compression can you be used in conjunction with your main drum tracks however, I recommend blending the effect in whilst listening to the whole mix so that you know whether you have achieved the best balance. 

If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page.

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

 Instrument busses  can be very useful when you have a group of audio sources such as drums, multiple rhythm guitars and bass guitar with clean and distorted tracks because you may want to apply processing to them as a whole and have more convenient control over the levels. For example, all the individual tracks that you balanced earlier are great but you just want to reduce the overall level by 1 or 2 dB to have them sit just right in the mix. You may also want to apply processing such as console emulation or tape saturation on an instrument buss for extra colour and warmth.

Try your next mix using utilising instrument busses for a extra way of balancing your mix and applying extra processing across groups of instruments. 

If you are looking for mixing and mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk  and get in touch via the contact page.