Recording and mixing tips

[pooterpatty]

I try to take the whole song into view when EQing, not just a single track (be it guitar, bass, or drums).

For me it's all about filling up the stereo spectrum. Part of being able to do that is knowing what frequency range the different instruments in a song tend to operate in.

[randy]

I highly recommend that you take a few minutes and read the Rolling Stone article, "The Death of High Fidelity" - You can read it online here:
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17777619/the_death_of_high_fidelity

Discusses the over use of compression and the current "loudness" war. Check it out, as it may make you totally rework your way of mixing.

[RLW1967]

One thing I need to learn and to do is start using EQ on some of my tracks and turn the volume down a bit in some of my songs. I normally turn the bass riff level all the way up even though I have the bass track panned in the center. For the rhythm guitar tracks, I usually panned them to the left. I really don't want my next compositions to go in and out of the mix before I riffcasting. Any tips will help, please. Thank you very much.

[redbaron]

...that document Rich put together, way back up in post #1 - it´s not there anymore. Instead, it says sth like "Account expired". Is there any other place I can download it from?

As far as the topic is concerned, I think every guitarist - or better: every songwriter - eventually comes across the fact that recording dry is the way to a good mix, simply because certain frequencies of drums and bass, guitar and vocals etc eliminate each other. So you need as much as possible control of effects and EQ AFTER you´ve recorded. However, for most (including me) it´s much more fun to play with bombastic sound, not only because it covers the sloppy feel & timing some of us (definitely including me) struggle with - or even worse: are too lazy to deal with...

[fooks]

i have been trying to record as dry as i can and add eq/comp fxs after. but the shaper, delay and filter are very hard to control for me opposed to the gear boxs.

the thing for me is sit down and figure out what everything can do. right now i have a ton of presets i made myself that, as i find out more about the built in's, like the tight and punchy one, makes my homades sorta obsolete.
my main focus will be the eq. i need to hit the presets and watch where the knobs move while listening to a guitar or bass line and see how it effects it.
i think that would give me a leg up on doing a whole composition instead of willy nilly.
then again, i just might have my head so far up..lol.
anyway, i'm with ya on the bombastic, red!

[rhynoclemmis]

Sorry, can't download it. I get a message "Account has been suspended". Is that just me or is the file gone?