Let the games begin.
This is the first (but hopefully not the last) community mixing excercise. The goal for this community mix is to help those who would like to improve on their mixing skills, especially those who are just getting started into the world of recording and mixing.
Those that would like to participate can download the tracks posted below, create a mix of the song, and post them here for critiquing and discussion.
To make sharing of settings and mixing techniques as easily as possible, everyone participating should use only effects plugins that can be
obtained for free (legally that is
) so that we will all have access to the same stuff. (You can use commercial recording programs, but just don’t use the effects built into them.) With everyone mixing the same tracks and using the same effects we will be able to see what others have done with this song and learn from them by trying out the same or similar settings on our own tracks.
A list of FREE VST effects can be found HERE.
THE SONG
I got in touch with the guy who wrote this song and he gave the ok to use the tracks here. This song was written and recorded by xfinsterx on
www.homerecording.com/bbs. You can check out more of his songs on his myspace site here:
www.myspace.com/chrisfinster He may also be joining us here, to take part in the community mix.
The download consists of 11 wave files and is 114MB, so this will probably take a while to download. (It took me 35 minutes to upload it).
DOWNLOAD THE TRACKS HERE.
All the tracks are included in a zip file to make the download process easier. You will need a program to unzip them, such as
WinZip.
Here is an unmixed mp3 of the song with no changes made to the original tracks.
http://www.guitarforbeginners.com/te...20un-mixed.mp3
POSTING YOUR MIXES
We will use the
Collaboration Forum for posting our mixes. Just put CM#1 (for Community Mix #1) at the beginning of your thread title so they're easy to spot in amongst the other posts. Each person should start one thread and then post updates in your thread as you make changes to your mix. Also, don't remove old links so that others can learn as you make changes to your mix.
Feel free to talk about any problems you ran into and how you overcame those problems. What kind of techniques did you use? What worked and what didn't? What style were you going for? Why did you mix the song the way you did, etc... Basically anything that you think might be of help someone else as they are going through the mixing process.
Also, if you get to a certain point and get stuck or want advice on something, feel free to post what you have to get some advice on it. So don't hold back from posting even if your mix is not exactly the way you want it yet.
GETTING STARTED
Recording Software:
For those who need a recording program to use I suggest
Reaper. This is a fully functional trial version that won't ever expire, but he asks that if you continue using Reaper to pay for it. Really, $40 is
DIRT CHEAP for what this program can do.
For what we are doing here Kristal Audio is probably going to be too limited for this task as it only allows you to use 2 VST effects on a single track. That's why I recommend using Reaper instead.
Loading The Tracks:
First things first, all of the 11 wave files will need to be loaded into your recording program onto separate tracks. With each wave file on separate tracks you will be able to change volume levels and effects on each track individually. Each program will have a slightly different method for opening wave files, but it should be fairly straight forward process. I numbered each of the wave files for the easiest layout based on when each instrument enters the song. So load them in the order based on the number at the front of the wave files.
Once each wave file is loaded onto its own track, you're ready to go. I would also recommend loading the original unmixed mp3 I made (see above) of the song onto a separate track. This way you have some kind of a reference to listen to when mixing. Keep this track muted (so it doesn’t affect your mix) and use the solo button to listen to it on its own. Compare your mix to this unmixed mp3 often to make sure the changes you are making are improvements on the track.
For those who will be using Reaper, here are some short video tutorials on getting started with Reaper.
http://www.cockos.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2373
MIXING
You can make it sound however you like using the free VST effects. You can copy and edit the tracks given to make it sound the way you want it to. If you want to record your own additional tracks to it for fun, then you can do that if you like... But for this community mixing exercise I’d like to keep it to the tracks that have been given.
Ok, I think that's everything... Have fun.
-tkr
