T4.

2 Better Mixes Track One

My first track for T4.2 Better Mixes was electronic/classical crossover based on a previous
composition, whose main theme is heard at 2.08. My initial idea in this track was to cover
two genres I enjoy listening to, electronic dance music and classical cinematic music.
I applied EQ and compression to all of my channels in ways that may seem unorthodox but
were applied to create sounds I thought were good. Now I have learnt about the actual
process and how it can be used to refine a sound, my decisions seem confusing.
I began creating the track by importing a MIDI file (opening strings) from a former
composition to base the new track on. This channel I applied EQ and compression to along
with a reverb insert and stereo enhancer, enhancing the stereo image.
An equalizer in Cubase is much like
any other DAW with a parametric
equalizer. A parametric equalizer lets
you adjust most or all of its frequency
parameters: The centre frequency,
the amount of boost or cut and the Q
factor or band width. To the opening
strings, I boosted the bass
frequencies around 271.0Hz by 13.4
dB with a wide Q factor, by doing this
I increased all of the low shelf
frequencies or bass frequencies down to around 20 HZ. I also increased the gain of
frequencies around 1351.0 Hz by 17.8 dB again with a wide Q factor increasing the volume
of the high shelf frequencies or treble frequencies up to around 20KHz. I further went on
the increase the gain of frequencies around 897 Hz and 4458 Hz to add a little more depth
and colour into the channel both using a very wide Q factor. Looking back at this attempt at
equalizing a channel, I notice that all I have really done is increased the overall gain of the
channel causing it to peak at a higher dBFS (decibels relative to full scale) and potentially clip
as at exceeds zero dBFS later on in the track, instead of refining the sound whereas instead,
I should have removed the unnecessary frequencies and left the good, instead of increasing
them.





To solve the issue to an increasing
gain level in the channel and
preventing digital distortion
(clipping), I explored the use of
compression. Compression is a
way in which the producer of a
track can reduce the increase the
headroom of the stereo output
and the dynamic range of their
composition. The dynamic range is
the difference between the quietest point in a track and the loudest point. But how the
dynamic range is used can be tricky, for example, a singer might get caught up in the
moment and let out an impassioned scream, followed by a soft whispery passage, the mics
signal will jump from its current recording level into severe distortion. To battle this a
compressor can be applied. A compressor is a sort of, automatic fader, used to
proportionately reduce the dynamics of a signal that rises above a set level. Usually found as
an insert in a DAW. On Cubase and most other software, the compressor allows adjustment
to seven parameters: Threshold, Ratio, Make-up, attack, hold, release and analysis. The
main five parameters which affect the sound the most are: The threshold essentially
reduces the gain by limiting how much of an audio signal passes through the thresholds
level. You can explain how the threshold works using a ruler.






In Example A, the compressor isnt doing anything because the threshold is set at 0dB. As
the threshold is reduced in dB seen in Example B, the compressor begins to work, reducing
the gain of anything that passes through the threshold. The compression ratio is a control
that determines the amount of input signal required to cause a 1dB increase at the
compressors output. For example, with a ratio of 4:1, for every 4dB increase at the input,
there will only be a 1dB increase at the output. The compression output/make up gain is
used to determine how much signal will be sent to the devices output and is used to boost
the reduced dynamic signal into a range where it can be better heard in the mix. The
compressor also has attack and release parameters. Compression Attack, (measured in
Example A Example B
milliseconds or 1/1000 of a second) determines how fast or slow the device will reduce a
signal that exceeds the threshold. It is defined as the time taken for the gain to decrease to
a percentage, usually 63% of its final gain value. Setting a fast attack on an instrument with
a long sustain, such as a bass guitar, might be audible, possibly creating a sound that pumps
the signals dynamics. In this situation, it would be best to use a slow attack setting. On the
other hand, setting a slow attack time, might not give the compressor enough time to react
to sharp, transient sound such as a hi-hat. In this case, a fast attack time would work better.
And finally the release, which, similar to attack, is used to determine how slowly or quickly
the device will restore a signal to its original dynamic level once it has fallen below the
threshold. Too fast a release and the compressor will create an audible pumping sound
whilst too slow might affect the dynamics during the transition from a loud to soft passage.
The compression I applied to the
strings channel, although it is
functioning, it does not have any
major audible effect whereas a
change in sound can be heard
when bypassing the compressor
on the first bass. By reducing the
threshold to -38.9 dB with a ratio
of 3.16:1 and a make-up gain level
of 4.2dB, I reduced the bass from
a loud, punchy sound to a quieter but still punchy sound but subtle enough not to
overpower the rest of the mix. I also applied an attack of 0.1ms because the bass part uses
quick staccato notes.