S T U D I O S E S S I O N S
#3 with BREAK Back with his third exclusive production lesson for Trap, Break is renowned as having some of the finest mixdowns in the business. Whatever genre you produce, read on for Break’s studio secrets!
SESSION THREE: MAKING IT FAT The strive for loudness at the limit can be great, but, like many activities or sports, riding that limit with control is perfection and one touch over means disaster. Playing it safe with the overall level can be a really good way to avoid the pitfalls of slamming soundwaves, but sometimes a track needs that extra smack to really hit home. Here are a few tips that will hopefully help get your tracks fatter without them sounding horrible, as louder can often mean thinner!
STEP ONE: MIXING INTO A LIMITER Many people use this method to achieve a loud track from the get-go. It involves putting a Limiter/Compressor on the Master Buss, cranking that up a bit and then continuing to make your tune, knowing it’s hitting 0db. I’ve used this method a lot, but it can fool you into thinking you’ve got a good mix when, really, you’ve just got a loud mix. Better results can be achieved by doing this after you’ve got a tighter mix to start with. A sloppy mix is usually just made worse. The same rules apply to multi-band compression, too. The Fabfilter Pro L or the UAD Precision Limiter are great to use on the Master; I often end up around 3db as a good boost.
STEP TWO: MIX TO THE METERS Checking the Master Channel with an Analysis/Metering tool can help you see which tracks in your mix are peaking, are too quiet, or combing in a way that pushes the overall level too high. Tweaking EQs and levels at this point can really help iron out bumps before the final Limiter has to do the work.