Mixing help on dp24sd

[Scratch_Thaddich]

I've been racking my brain on how to get this song mixed well. My main problem has been really trying to figure out the best eq/panning for each part mixing-wise, and whether it needs compression/limiting, etc. I've been messing with all of the above for a while, but I just can't tell if it sounds good/works, so i just end up not really using any of it, even though it could do with a little bit of separation or whatnot. i've tried messing with the compressor, but i just dont have the ear for it. I'm trying to do all of the mixing in the dp24, trying not to mess with using a computer DAW.
Any clue on where to start to tackle this song?

https://scratchthaddich.bandcamp.com/track/berbst001

 

[Mark Richards]

Welcome. You're likely to get broader exposure to more members with solid mixing experience if you re-post in the sub-forum dedicated to evaluating mixes (click blue link to go there).

As a new member, I also suggest spending some time looking at the DP-24/32/SD sub-forum's "New Members", "Production Tips", and "Equipment Related Tips" sticky threads pinned in the blue section at the top of the DP-24/32/SD sub-forum. You'll find lots of useful information there.

 

[Scratch_Thaddich]

cool, thank you!

 

[-mjk-]

The drums come in and then the keyboard washes the drums out. You need to balance the keyboard level with the drums so they fit together better. I listened for over a minutes and didn't hear any vocals so there isn't much movement going on in the song. So if you want there to be any kind of movement you would have to create that and the easiest way is to gently and smoothly bring the keyboard level up and down during the different sections.

BTW, $420.69 USD is a bit high for a digital track.

 

[Scratch_Thaddich]

yeah i didn't really want to sell the track, that's why i put it so high lol; 420 and 69 are pretty much meme numbers now too Unlimited listens though! Just a reference track.
If you only listened for just over a minute, you didn't get to the good part! No vocals necessary. My main problems is just trying to get the drums punchy and cut through. as well as eq with all of the parts

 

[-mjk-]

I did not get the meme references, sorry.

If you only listened for just over a minute, you didn't get to the good part! No vocals necessary.

If you would like for me to comment specifically on this subject, I will.

My main problems is just trying to get the drums punchy and cut through. as well as eq with all of the parts

As for the drums, they were probably OK but the levels on the keyboards were just too high. Get the drums up where you want them and then slowly bring in the keyboards until they blend. Not every single detail of all instruments is possible in a high energy mix. It's a compromise with different sections going in and out of focus over time. There is a very narrow window of a few dB that everything is competing for.

EQ is a university degree course! With dance stuff I generally start at the bottom and work up unlike most pop record mixing. In Mastering, if you get the bottom end right the tops almost take care of themselves if the mix is good. You may find that the sound coming out of the keyboard is fine just how it is.

One thing that you can do to make the drums more punchy is to break them out onto separate tracks so you can EQ and effect them individually. The EQ that you want on the snare is probably not the EQ you want on the kick, or the overheads, etc.. My standard drum track layout is 7 or 8, depending on how the ride cymbal sounds.

 

[Scratch_Thaddich]

Awesome, thank you! I will take all of that into consideration. The is a lot of foundational parts of the recording/mixing process that I feel i've rushed past. I have found some online courses that look promising, and Phil Tipping's videos have helped me a lot. Do you have any personal recommendations/resources learning-wise? I appreciate the feedback

 

[-mjk-]

@Scratch_Thaddich sorry, I do not. I won't watch YouTube videos about mixing because they are all about mixing with a DAW and there are things that one does when using a DAW that one would not ordinarily do when using a console. The DP machine acts more like a mixing console than a software DAW.

There are some good videos on ear training though and you could most likely benefit from those videos. Most of the time, new mixers don't know what to listen for and they often listen to one thing at a time therefore missing the concept of blending things together. If you do check out instructional videos try to discern if they are teaching how to mix a record, or if they are teaching you how to use a DAW with plugins to mix a record, because the latter won't be of any real use to you.

My advice is to make small moves. Start with the drums. If you have individual tracks, go Kick, Snare, etc. until you build up the kit. If you only have a stereo pair of drum tracks, work with the EQ to get a broad spectrum with no "hot spots" in the EQ that jump out. Use FX sparingly because with only 2 tracks you are putting the FX across the entire drum kit evenly.

Bring up the Bass. Listen for the relationship between the Bass and the Kick. Try to use the EQ to make them sound separate so they don't mash together.

Then bring up the Keyboards until they match well and blend into the mix.

There are a number of forum users who could do a mix for you to compare. All you would have to do is post a link to the individual tracks for downloading. Sometimes that's the best way because it's almost like sitting next to a mixing engineer and watching what they do. While studying a YouTube video is useful, that person is not working with your tracks. When I started in this business there was no civilian internet or YouTube videos. I sat in on sessions with well-known mixing engineers and worked my way up.