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    Muddy Mix Cheat Sheet

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    Jaime Saldanha
    The document discusses how to create clear mixes by addressing two main sources of muddiness. The first is excessive low end buildup, which can be fixed through proper high-passing of tracks. The second is low midrange buildup, particularly from drums, which can be addressed by scooping frequencies around 350Hz. With careful EQ and attention to these low frequency areas, a muddy mix can be cleaned up to give space to all elements.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Muddy Mix Cheat Sheet

    Uploaded by

    Jaime Saldanha
    99 views1 page
    The document discusses how to create clear mixes by addressing two main sources of muddiness. The first is excessive low end buildup, which can be fixed through proper high-passing of tracks. The second is low midrange buildup, particularly from drums, which can be addressed by scooping frequencies around 350Hz. With careful EQ and attention to these low frequency areas, a muddy mix can be cleaned up to give space to all elements.

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    Muddy+Mix+Cheat+Sheet

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    The document discusses how to create clear mixes by addressing two main sources of muddiness. The first is excessive low end buildup, which can be fixed through proper high-passing of tracks. The second is low midrange buildup, particularly from drums, which can be addressed by scooping frequencies around 350Hz. With careful EQ and attention to these low frequency areas, a muddy mix can be cleaned up to give space to all elements.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    99 views1 page

    Muddy Mix Cheat Sheet

    Uploaded by

    Jaime Saldanha
    The document discusses how to create clear mixes by addressing two main sources of muddiness. The first is excessive low end buildup, which can be fixed through proper high-passing of tracks. The second is low midrange buildup, particularly from drums, which can be addressed by scooping frequencies around 350Hz. With careful EQ and attention to these low frequency areas, a muddy mix can be cleaned up to give space to all elements.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 1

    CLEAN UP A MUDDY MIX

    ProduceLikeAPro.com

    1. GREAT PRODUCTION CREATES GREAT MIXES


    If you listen to The Beach Boys album ‘Pet Sounds’ you’ll hear a masterpiece of production!
    Due the limitations of tracks, only 4 or at most 8, when artists such as The Beatles or The
    Beach Boys made albums they had to shape multiple sounds and parts perfectly before they
    could bounce them together, parts and sounds could not be undone, so they had to be right!
    Recording the right sounds and parts that support each other is not only great production it, will
    also make the final mix much easier to do!
    2. USING VIRTUAL INSTRUMENTS GIVES DIFFERENT RESULTS
    THAN ORGANIC INSTRUMENTS
    Virtual Instruments Will Not Have the Huge Dynamic EQ issues that Organic instruments can
    have. Real, mic’d up instruments can have the issue of players moving so the mic placement
    varies, giving you wildly varying EQ (boominess from sound holes or F holes of some instru-
    ments) or overly dynamic performances. However, virtual instruments are perfectly recorded and
    can easily be manipulated, with basic, simple midi adjustments to sound like they have been
    consistently performed. With organic instruments you’re often going to find yourself applying
    more compression and corrective EQ, sometimes even using dynamic EQs or Multiband com-
    pressors.

    3. MUDDINESS COMES FROM TWO MAIN AREAS, FIRSTLY LOW


    END BUILD UP.
    Excessive low end is easy to fix with proper High Passing, decide what you want the real low
    end to be, is it a super low Sub Bass line with a Kick shelved around 100Hz, more of a thump?
    Or is it a huge low Sub Kick with a bass line sitting above it? Or is it both where a side chain
    compressor ducks the excessive low build up from two sources of low end hitting at the same
    time. Find the fundamental of sound, such the low end on your electric guitars and boost that
    area, cut immediately below it, bypass the EQ and you’ll realise that even though low end has
    been cut, the new EQ settings increase the fullness of the guitar sound but leave space for the
    Bass and Kick Drum to shine!

    4. SECOND AREA OF BUILD UP: THE LOW MIDS.


    Drums in particular can get a lot of low mid build up. On their own, soloed that may not be that
    much of an issue. However, in a fairly dense track that will really add to the overall muddiness.
    Typically scooping out low mids of Toms, The Kick Drum (Bass Drum), Overheads and Room
    Mics at around 350hz (roughly an area between 250-450hz) with a fairly wide Q will really open
    up the drums leaving room for low mids on other instruments, such as guitars which benefit
    from the fullness of low mids.

    Listen to your whole mix to find areas where low muds start to build up, don’t be afraid to high
    pass high lines that don’t need low end or low mids. Large amounts of Synth Pads and raked
    guitars so over do the Low Mid Area so be careful not to boost the low kids in every pad, string
    part or rhythm guitar!
    ProduceLikeAPro.com

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