Marcello

Hi guys/gals, I'm not such a pro at mixing and I'm still learning, despite this I have recorded and mixed a few songs at home which sounds pretty ok to me. I'm using Cakewalk by Bandlab, I'm now in the phase where I'm trying to understand a few things like Mix balance, stereo width and phase issues. I downloaded Izotope Ozone Imager (freeware version) and upload it on my Master bus, I was wondering if any of you is using it and would give me some tips. There are some things that are not quite clear to me. So I have read and followed pretty much the LCR technique, recommended by lot of mixing engineers, so in my mix (instrumental song), I have drums, bass and lots of guitars with clean and distorted parts. So where I have only 2 guitars I panned them 100% right and left, when 3 guitars I put 2 on the sides and one in the mid. Bass and drums in the center. I used a reference track and also there I can hear the guitars 100% or so panned L/R. I tried to look at the stereo ozone imager graph on the master bus but it's not clear to me what should it looks like, how it is suppose to look? I understand that the -1/0/1 bar on the right should be between 0 and 1, if it goes to -1 it's out of phase. If it's out of phase, what should I do to the mix? pan the guitars I put 100% left and right more in the middle? like 60/50 % pan? If so, that wouldn't follow anymore the LCR technique correct? I want my guitars to be wide. Out of phase means the instrument is too much panned left and right and so should be panned more in the mid? Am I wrong? In my mix in the first (clean) part of the song it goes under 0 on the right bar, so it seems out of phase, what should be done to avoid this? again not pan the guitars 100% R/L? Also the waves I see in the imager left and right should not be larger or the same as the one in the middle? or is it ok? WHat if one wave on the left end is longer that the one on the right? is it bad? Could someone please clarify these points? Here's my mix if someone would like to have a listen. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oLGf45PdSCaTDvxdgJU7Fm2DdYNpHXeG/view?usp=sharing Thanks

DO you mean pasting a track over another one by mistake? I don't think so because the problem is not on one track is on every track.

No I checked that's off. Anyway I solved with a workaround, very time consuming, I copied and pasted all tracks one by one in a new project, and re-done the settings. I could not figure it out, I just realized I cancelled all busses and re-added new busses, redirecting the tracks to the new busses, and it worked! But only on one project, I did the same on the other song I did and didn't work. Very Very strange, anyway I solved now thank you all.

No BREVERB is not on my master bus but it has it's own bus that has as an output the master bus.

I figured out the problem is on every bloody track! everything get wide! I tried to open a new project, add a new track and copy paste a track in the new project, re-adding the same plugins, the problem is solved! But if I try to export the entire tracks template from the corrupted project and import them in the new one the problem is still there! Very very strange! If I copy paste a guitar track pan to 0 (center) for instance in a new track in a new project, it sounds in the mid, in the corrupted project it sound like there is a copy on the left and a copy on the right, extremely wide. What that could be? I suspect there is some track setting or something at project level. I used to copy paste the tracks in the corrupted project, instead of creating a new one, this might have reproduced the issue in every track. I want to avoid to copy paste and do all settings again to a new project, even if that would solve the issue, it would take me ages! What could that be? Very strange!

It is but I figure out it's on all tracks in my project. I copy paste the tracks I barely create new ones cause it's more handy, that might have reproduced the issue in all tracks. No Effects, i tried to open a new project, copy paste the guitar riff in a new track in the new project, loading the same guitar amp plugin, the issue is not present. So must be some track settings, the busses have no effects!

Hi guys! Is there a way to export individual tracks from a project, in order to import them in another project but maintaining the loaded plugins, maintaining the same panning settings and effects?

Hi there I'm having a very very strange issue with my Cakewalk projects Basically I have 2 projects, in one of these everything sounds completely fine, on the other project the Every track sounds incredibly WIDE, meaning they are not centered. You can hear the difference here I exported the 2 drums tracks just as an example but for any other track is the same issue even with guitars: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F5mxhDq0mKMg1kVraYVcbdMZ2-1bWnJA/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mKaCWNQ9wMt6yJv6n0tH280royqYP4Tp/view?usp=sharing Consider I did a test just exporting the drums bus in the project where everything sounds OK, then I imported them in a new stereo track on the other project where everything sounds wide, and the issue is the same!!! Even though I added a new track with an imported file! It looks like there is a stereo widener all over the project!!! What's going on? Anyone aware of any setting in cakewalk that could widen averything?

Consider I’m quite a newbie. If I understood well, the phase issue is when everything is too wide right? Apart from this issue one of the side parts coming from the headphones or left right speakers, is delayed compared to the other side. So is not a matter of performance correct? It’s something in the plugins or settings that is somehow delaying everything correct? so what this has to do with the bpm sorry? I’m just getting more and more confused honestly the drums is programmed midi drums, and the drum track by itself sounds ok, no issue, but together with the mix is delayed only on one side , left, of the headphones. Is there a way to split the entire track in stereo? In order to see the two waves, left and right, if they are aligned or not? I want to see this with my eyes, I cannot hear it.

Thanks for the tips! Do you agree with this guy on my mix? Here's the track would you give a listen? Thanks https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cHksDmh6R7iRNWw2RIaCwfCXdzETeWa0/view?usp=sharing

No no sorry my bad, it is mono

Thanks a lot! If you would like to give a quick listen to my mix, if you notice some kind of issue, thanks! This is the link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cHksDmh6R7iRNWw2RIaCwfCXdzETeWa0/view?usp=sharing

Thanks for the tips! I will check these plugins, in any case the bass is already in mono, and centered, so I don't get why is so wide, I don't think it has to do with cutting the low frequencies, it's just widen, like I can feel the lows in the back of my ears, hopefully these plugins will help.

You can listen at the link I posted. I compared it with a Mogwai song, and I can actually hear the difference, the bass is too wide it goes to the back of my ears, the Mogwai one is dead center. Is there like a plugin opposite of a widener kinda?

Hi there, I'm having an issue, so basically I'm using these SPAN plugin which allows you to see if your mix is balanced, it seems that my mix is building too much low ends on the sides (Left,Right) and not in the center, even if equally balanced L/R, meaning the low ends are too wide. In the mix with SPAN Plugin when Routing Mid-Side Stereo I noticed something wrong, in the tutorial they say that usually you don't want too much low end on the sides but more in the mid, also the side waveform should be a bit lower of the mid waveform, while in my case as you can see from the graph is the opposite, the low end on the sides overtake the low ends in the mid. Look at the following 3 screnshoots, There's something wrong, like if the bass and the kick drums are too wide, and not in the mid, they are equally balanced left and right but not centered. Someone has any idea how to solve this? Here's the mix (yes the guitars are too panned left and right but that's how it should be): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cHksDmh6R7iRNWw2RIaCwfCXdzETeWa0/view?usp=sharing The green is the mid, the red is the side. Here it's everything together: Here's the bass only playing, as you can see it pan centered!! Here's only the drums, look at the kick

Anyway I played a bit with the mastering and maybe here something changed, would you please have a listen? I made 3 different versions of masters, would be great to have your opinion on which sounds better to you https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jVf6VazZnH50Uxp7l9HZmhBi-iR9X9Jb/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XTANYQEPbhcYjceactLErcW7g8fB1PoX/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/14yC6aXvXA2BGCVbZGUYAwDNsQrvpQTPT/view?usp=sharing By the way in the mix with SPAN Plugin when Routing Mid-Side Stereo, I see this, I noticed something wrong, in the tutorial they say that usually you don't want too much low end on the sides but more in the mid, also the side waveform should be a bit lower of the mid waveform, while in my case as you can see from the graph is the opposite, the low end on the sides overtake the low ends in the mid. How to solve this? I have recorded a temporary bass track in this mix with the guitar in stereo and with a plugin pitch shifter that makes the guitar sound like the bass, waiting for my friend to record the bass but in the meantime I wanted to have an idea. So could it be that the bass is the issue! it seems too wide , Building too much on the sides, also the drum kick is too wide? Look at the following 3 screnshoots, There's something wrong, like if the bass and the kick drums are too wide, and not in the mid, they are equally balanced left and right but not centered. Here it's everything together: Here's the bass only playing, as you can see it pan centered!! Here's only the drums, look at the kick

Thanks! Would you help with my other issue i linked in the las post? Would be great to have your opinion

Lots of people make lots of videos, that's correct, but who should I follow? Some guys on a forum, with all maximum respect, or a professional mixing engineer who did lots of records like him? It could also be, that depends from the kind of music you make? like for metal, post metal-rock is better to have guitars panned 100% L/R but maybe you make jazz, or pop which works in a completely different way? Think also about that I think it's important. ANd I finally confirm what the mixing engineer says about panning just by listening to one of my favourite albums. If you play with the headphones removing one on the right hear then on the left, you can hear the guitars are 100% panned L/R indeed. And I love the sound, this proves that this is probably due to personal taste and not a mixing mistake, as this way of recording is recommended by lots of mixing engineers out there. This song: https://envy.bandcamp.com/track/light-and-solitude

Have you watched the video? He says 2 guitars must go 100% left and right respectively. So you are saying the opposite. anyway in the LANDR AI master I’m using I did some test, and i figured out the master will put everything a bit more centered, so I can solve this issue at master level I think, with tightening the stereo spectrum.

Well yes, but I basically just followed what this guy is saying, not sure whether you agree but he’s a pro mixing engineer, not sure why that would affect the vinyl thing

Thanks a lot I’m gonna try this tool. I’m a bit relieved now. he also mentioned the following thing about my mix, not sure what is he speaking about. Do you get the point?

Guys no worries, too much mess, I re-recorded the track. fine thanks a lot. But I'm having a much bigger issue I posted here. Anyone can help? never experienced this:

Hi there, some guy from another forum made me notice that my whole mix seems to be out of phase of 90 degrees. Meaning everything arriving on the right headphone is a bit delayed compared to the left one. So I exported only the drum track and is not out of phase by itself he says, but the whole mix with the other instruments everything is out of phase of 90 degrees. How is this possible? I'm not really able to listen to that by myself but he used some tools/plugin to see this. Now I didn't put any plugin, compressor, delay or effect , limiter on the busses neither on the master bus. How can be possible? Might be some Cakewalk setting messed up? Latency? (Shouldn't be) a bug? Stereo right and left setting? I have no idea. Anyone can help please? This is the mix. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UZML-VlzERq9juPUAkf__sxQ-A3Rx646/view?usp=sharing

I dont find this Bounce to track in the menu, neither right clicking on the track

I'll try thanks, I just need it to be pan in the center, but it's mono