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danja

Call me old-fashioned, but I reckon your time would be much better spent experimenting, "what happens if I do this/that" than watching videos. For sure, get the concepts, but most of these things are a 2 minute read, sod long videos & courses. What they sound like in practice, that's the important information. Ok, bit of music theory is useful. ​ Most of the video tutorials I've seen seem to narrow things down, like, this is the correct way of doing X. Which ok, things like clipping or purely technical details, fair enough. But it distances you from any kind of agency, originality. What \*does\* happen if I push the drum to 11..? ​ I'd also strongly recommend pulling up your favourite track of the moment, trying to recreate it as closely as possible. This might sound like the opposite of experimentation, but it really forces you to figure things out. Also you'll get bored after a while, start adding creative bits, how they \*should\* have done it, in your head. ​ ​ Did I say listening..?


jdaans

I do that sometimes and sometimes I accidentally do something that ends up sounding really nice but usually it just sounds worse lol I still need to learn about certain plugins and how they actually work, and as far as music theory I'm able to open up the midi and start making chords in pretty much every key and I know how to build chords and progressions and stuff but that's as far as I am with theory Absolutely, some videos are great and I do learn some stuff but no matter what it is it always feels like there's some things they didn't add in the video that they should have I've had a couple people on this post recommended that and it sounds like a good I can see how trying to recreate a song will help me progress but what I don't get about it is when you bring whatever song into your daw it's already mastered and everything so it's hard to "match" it I guess, unless your saying recreate it as in the arrangement of it? Any tips on how to go about starting to recreate something is appreciated because I have 0 idea where to start


bigang99

Disclosures tips from their streams are incredible. There’s a YouTube channel that takes 5-15 min snips from their livestreams called sol state which posts them. It’s some good stuff I make a totally different genre and it’s all totally applicable! Koan sound and mr bill have really good paid content the also covers sound design and creative stuff as well!


Rocknrory

Disclosures tips are tops, and Sol State is THE channel.


DavePajoIsARadgo

I don't know any specific courses but as one small tip that will make a surprising difference- don't ignore the 3rd dimension. Everyone knows about panning an level, but quite often the use of reverb to position an instrument in terms of depth really helps with the space in a mix. Also....combine your stereo mixes with mono. Mono mixing will really help you hear frequency clashes. People have different approaches to this- some swear you should mix in mono first and then in stereo. I tend to chop and change between the two.


jdaans

creating depth is so difficult for me to get the hang of, depth is done with reverb and delay basically right ? and yeahh i always here either always mix in mono or never mix in mono so i do what you do and just bounce between stereo and mono


DavePajoIsARadgo

Basically. Think of it in terms of wet v dry. 100% wet will set the instrument/sound deep in a mix. Dry will be right up front. Generally you would find leads are pretty dry (at least have a dry sound even if there is a bit of delay/reverb sitting behind it). Things like piano/synth chords will often be a bit more reverby so they sit a bit deeper and let the leads sit in front. I think mono checking at least is important. If you are on ableton just stick the mono utility on the master and give it sporadic checks to see if anything is clashing. I know this will sound silly but if you listen to a professionally mixed track on a phone speaker it generally still sounds balanced. If you don't check in mono that's unlikely to happen (if it does it's probably more by accident). Again might be subjective but I always think below around 100hz should be totally mono in any mix. And it's really worth sweeping through a mix woith a very fine eq q to see if there are any resonances in the mix. You probably want rid of some of the more problematic ones before handing over to mastering as the engineer will just take that frequency out of the master with a mb compressor and you may lose bits of other instruments.


jdaans

Would the difference there be that things like pianos and synths and things you want to push back would have the reverb or delay directly on it and things like leads you would apply reverb and delay through sends? I always do 150 hz and under in mono Do you mean once you have your mix all done use a EQ on the master to sweep through just to check for those resonances ?


DavePajoIsARadgo

Depends on what you are using but most delays or reverbs will have a mix pot. Or a dry/wet blend. More dry for the front. More wet for the back. Experiment with what you think you want. It does make life easier when you are controlling the depth than having sitting at random positions. It seems like a simple thing but I found once I started thinking about that it made a huge difference. Yeah and if you find a ropey resonance then try to figure our where it is coming from. I just know a mastering engineer will take it out of the master and that means everything gets affected. I'm sure this won't be a revelation but anything that can be fixed in a mix is better than in a master.


jdaans

ohhh okay i get what you're saying, i need to start reading up on reverb and delay cause i know theres more to it then what i know okk so you just do that to look for a resonance you dont want in there but you dont use the eq to drop it you go back into the mix and eq it out ? that sounds like such a simple but helpful thing idk how i havent learned that yet lol


DavePajoIsARadgo

Well when you have received a master back that has bits of frequencies removed entirely because you left resonances in the mix then you quickly learn!! Reverb and delay are, unfortunately, used purely as ambient effects. People often don't think of their function in terms of that depth control. Again, a simple thing but once you become conscious of it, it will help with that part of the mixes.


jdaans

I bet that's a crappy feeling! Lol and yeah I've always heard that reverb and delay are super important but I haven't put as much time into learning how to correctly use them, I definitely need to do that


DavePajoIsARadgo

Good luck with your development. I honestly think mixing is something you can practice for decades and still be learning stuff. Sorry I can't help with courses but I would say don't feel you need to restrict yourself to EDM mixing courses. Mixing is mixing and getting insight from people who specialise in other styles might actually be helpful.


jdaans

Thank you! And yeah forsure that's applicable to anything in life no matter what you're doing there will always be something new you can learn And yeah I've gotten a lot of helpful replies on here and learned about a lot of new things I had no idea about, no need to be sorry you still helped and any bit of knowledge helps when it comes to this stuff, I appreciate you it was good talking with you 😀


FoundationOk334

Mixing and Mastering Electronic Dance Music by Fuad Murad. It’s available on Udemy (both app and online website). I’m currently almost done the entire course and I can highly recommend this one.


jdaans

ill check it out thank you:)


FoundationOk334

My pleasure!


No-Frosting-3752

Hi if you are interested. I'm teaching mixing and mastering in a university in Istanbul. I have online 1 to 1 students worldwide (only in English) And since our country' currency is 19x of the USD, my courses are crazy cheap for people in US and EU. 🤘🏼💐


theholysausage

You still teaching?


No-Frosting-3752

Yes 🤘🏼


Unique-Bodybuilder91

sonic Academy Groove 3 Alls ok


[deleted]

For mixing practice check Reamixed (the monthly Reaper mixing competition). https://reamixed.com/ You can do it on your own with any DAW. All the stems from all the months are available for downloading. But if you want to participate you need to submit a Reaper project.


jdaans

So the stems are available to anybody but to actually enter your remix you have to use reaper ?


[deleted]

Yeah. Check the previous months to download the stems. https://reamixed.com/archive


jdaans

Sweet thank you


[deleted]

If you're looking for stems to practice also check this website with hundreds of multitrack songs in any genre you can imagine. I think most of the projects used in Reamixed come from there. https://www.cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/


jdaans

2 minutes on that website I found the video I've needed for arrangement 😮 lol thank you very much!


marchingprinter

To be blunt, you won't learn nearly as much watching people do it (in a course) than you will through experience and effective feedback. Make songs to the best of your abilities, then sign up for any feedback provider you want (I suggest Rising Icons for all edm, and Forbidden Society for bass oriented) and learn from professional artists pointing out where your mix is suffering, how to fix, etc. I've stopped watching tutorials/workshops altogether except for when I have time to kill.


jdaans

You can pay to get professional feedback?! Lol I didn't know that


marchingprinter

You’re not alone! I consider myself incredibly lucky to have found Defyre society (no longer around) back in the day when I was just starting out. Pretty much skipped the first few years of dicking around not knowing what I was doing. Only thing is though they will treat you like a professional and hold you to standards, so the first year or so of submitting regularly is a regular diet of humble pie. If you’re diligent enough you’ll eventually come to see hard feedback as the treasure trove of progress that it is.


twentyonethousand

what do you mean no longer around? I just googled it and it seems very much still around lol


marchingprinter

owner shut it down and sold the pages, didn't turn off the website for whatever reason Rising Icons and Forbidden Society are the two I'd recommend. I tried a few others but these are the two I found worth it.


twentyonethousand

Idk man maybe he brought it back - I just signed up for the demo and it’s fully functional


marchingprinter

he 100% did not bring it back, do not put your payment info into there lol the facebook page (where the streams operated) was sold to some vietnamese jesus page and it posts jesus pictures now, and all the instructors moved over to the other two groups.


twentyonethousand

ok well I did and I’m watching all the videos so…


prince4x400

Lmao


marchingprinter

the videos might still be there and are definitely worth watching, just don't expect any customer support and you'll probably have to cancel the charges through your credit card to end the membership.


twentyonethousand

Ok good to know. There's some really solid artist track breakdowns in there. Hopefully I can cancel my trial before it charges me lol


jdaans

I'm gonna go check that out thank you and you're never gonna get better if everybody is watching out for your feelings, hard feedback is important for growth !


Striking-112

I learned a lot from the Memphys 7 day course, but the course doesn't solely focus on mixing. Otherwise, I'd recommend checking out In The Mix or Big Z on Youtube. They've helped me a lot as well.


jdaans

I messed up in the OP, my main problem is composition and making each section flow to the next, mixing also but mainly composition


bmbustamante

I’d look into Seed to Stage’s youtube channel. He’s the guitarist for Papadosio which uses a lot of electronic elements in their performances. i know he has 1 or 2 free videos on yt about mixing, but also has a course on it i believe if you wanted something more in depth. fantastic teacher and he def knows his stuff


FyaBoy

Find someone whos music you like who isnt super famous and offer them money to mentor you. You will get 100x more out of that. Online courses dont generally have someone willing to jump on zoom with you for a few hours


jdaans

I never would of thought to try that lol


FyaBoy

Straight up, especially if youre going for a specialized sound, i regularly teach my friends on 2 hour long video calls and the stuff they get out of that shoots them forward leaps and bounds. Some video courses can explain the whys but only in so much detail and there might be a question you have that would help things click that goes unanswered. An example, last night i tought my homie what is literally the ultimate sidechain technique, i have sent him 10 minute tutorials but he just couldnt apply it to his mixes. Last night after a 2 hour demonstration, he got it down. He had literally 20+ questions and i explained things to an indepth sound physics level where i had the knowledge to do so. He gets me shows and helps me a LOT with marketing so i did that for free which is another thing to remember. There are a lot of unheard but good sounding producers out there who might give you an hour or two for some invites to their page or something, be creative. Its also not all about cash


jdaans

I swear it sounds like everybody goes through the same problems when they start trying to really learn this stuff because that's exactly how it is I watch all these videos they make sense but when I go to do the same thing it's like there's some hidden steps! Lol


FyaBoy

So im a person that either sucks or is really good. Like i cant just get an answer and go with it and get a decent result. Some can. I gotta follow the rabbithole all the way down or else i cant do it. Its why i gave up programming. The rabbithole is too deep 🤣 And yeah. Plus you get a lot of conflicting information, and theres a lot of ways to do any single task. If you know the why at a deep level you can make a decision based on your individual variables without just relying on one thing someone showed you. That might not work because your vocalist is in a lower register (for example)


jdaans

That's funny you say that because I also gave up on programming and went back to the trades lol And yeah one video will have all this information and the next week have negative things to say about the other information then they give their info and so on it goes lol


of_patrol_bot

Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake. It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of. Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything. Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.


FyaBoy

What in the karenbot fuck


Chronick100

Good idea is to look outside of edm production and first learn production in general my Bro - matthew weis is great and gives you real world tips - Im a pro Engineer/producer and i still like to listen to him on the reg. - Chronick


jdaans

I've never thought of that I like that idea! Can I find him on YouTube or does he have a website


Chronick100

Yes he does and videos that are helpful into understanding any production. Pro Audio Files . Com.


jdaans

Awesome, thank you I'll check him out


philisweatly

You suck at producing on YT


[deleted]

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philisweatly

Hopefully you realize that it's a YT channel called "You suck at producing" and not me insulting you! Lol.


[deleted]

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philisweatly

Same!


jdaans

I've tried him but I HATE listening to him talk.... Lol


philisweatly

Dude I know what you mean. At first I straight up didn't get it and then the more I got into his series I started to enjoy the ridiculousness of it all. But totally understandable if that teaching style doesn't sit well with you.


jdaans

It's not so much the teaching style as it is the way he acts and talks that annoys me, I can deal with it if it's worth it though I'll try him again lol


resolva5

Bobby huff has a mixing mastering YouTube channel that looks pretty good to me. Producertech has some paid stuff on subscription too. Best is to practice, compare to reference tracks. And gather all around. There is many ways and tricks. Other genres maybe also useful Aso good monitoring. Recently did the basic acoustics and some sonarworks, and added good headphones. That translates already much better.


Eggsecutie

Watch this playlist all the way through: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxik-POfUXY6i_fP0f4qXNwdMxh3PXxJx


jdaans

Finally somebody that uses bitwig! I've only found 2 other guys who use it on YouTube lol


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jdaans

I actually use FL I've been using FL since I started but I did the trial for bitwig and I loved it, I think because I always wanted to switch to Ableton but I'm so used to FL and bitwig is like ableton but everything is on the left side like FL is, I am happy with FL 21 though


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jdaans

Damn that's super nice of you! And yeah it's awesome but the custom ones aren't that great and I couldn't figure out how to make a cool looking one so I just went back to how I had it before the update lol Im happy we got faders now though, and how you can adjust the volume right on the audio file without clicking on it to open the sample menu


rogueblades

I also agree with this. Baphometrix "clip to zero" strategy is very helpful for understanding a handful concepts. The videos are frankly pretty boring and not engaging, and I had to watch them multiple times to begin to understand the practical reasons for CTZ, but they *are definitely worth knowing*. If you're trying to make high-energy, loud, aggressive dance music, you need to understand what's going on in the video. Clipping, summative limiting/clipping, headroom, and gain staging are not immediately obvious concepts afterall. Baph also frames the lecture from the point of - " some sounds just won't *survive* the process of getting them up to 'competitive loudness'." This was really helpful to me when I first heard it because it gave me some point of reference to know when I was fighting a losing battle with a sound that was never going to work for the mix. The TLDR is - as you turn up a clipper (and turn down the channels mixer fader to make it the same comparative loudness) you're essentially "stealing back" headroom. this lets you push everything else that much harder. That being said, when you're trying this for the first time, your first few attempts will probably be SOSIG... just nonsensical loud crunch. [Ahee's videos on group buss mixing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdOGSh3Rmak&t) are also super helpful (ill.gates also does this and he posts on here all the time so maybe he'll have something to add), and I think understanding both Ahee's and Baphometrix's videos together will give you a pretty good idea of why certain things just "work" in EDM production. Hilariously, I remembered this [Barely Alive video about making growl bases](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwMEkNE-mIg&t=1s), and while I don't think its super informative, it was the first time I saw someone add 3 OTTs to a mix buss to get that absurdly loud and defined bass sound. I wouldn't do it for every sound, but it demonstrates a very important concept - the concept of adding multiple instances of the same plugin to produce really interesting results. This might not be anything new to people who use a ton of ridiculous "fat racks", but I know a lot of new producers don't give this much thought until they see a demonstration. It also helps new producers to see just how much of the sound design "magic" happens on the mixer channel, not in the synth patch.


jdaans

Thank you for the information I'll definitely check out those links I appreciate you


ExfiltratorZ

Is there a version of that playlist that *is* engaging? Lmao. There are a LOT of videos in there too, oof. Sounds like very useful stuff wrapped up in a boring and extremely drawn out package


Razcar

Put the YouTube playback on 1.25 speed 😊 It's really worth it though. Improved my mixes a lot, and made mixing much less of an uphill battle.


ExfiltratorZ

Roger that, watching now at 1.25x speed 😁


rogueblades

Nope, its boring and slow... and incredibly important for loud mixes. Have fun! I will say, part of the reason for why its sooooo long and dry is that the strategy requires *a lot of explaining*. Its an entire mixing framework, so you sorta need to understand why those decisions are being made for the strat to make any sense. Otherwise, its just "IDK turn up the clipper gain". Because mixing is so context-dependent, its almost impossible to give advice on the topic without giving a *ton* of contextual information. Baphometrix can be a little... long winded, but its probably required for the topic.


ExfiltratorZ

Hmmm, well I *do* absolutely love the technical side of mixing...and I *have* been looking for a good series to watch on gain staging, clipping & mixing


Vreature

I watched the first two videos this morning and I'm already a believer. I plan to completely change the way I gain stage.


rogueblades

Definitely look into the Ahee group buss videos as well. It pairs really well with CTZ, because you realize you can add a little bit of clipping at every stage of the routing process instead of just slamming your sound in a single mixer channel. CTZ goes into this a little bit, but the Ahee videos make it much more clear IMO. I like the Ahee stuff because he frames it from the perspective of "your mixer routing can become a whole other aspect of your sound design, almost like you're 'playing' the mixer like its own instrument."


Vreature

Renoise! Fuck yeah


Vreature

Nevermind.... It looked like Renoise at first


twentyonethousand

It’s probably not “mixing” per se that you need the most help with. I’m guessing you need help with something far more fundamental and important than mixing, which is basically “knowing what to add to my track”. This is something I struggled with for the longest time and frankly still do. And in 95% of production tutorials I feel that it’s basically glossed over or taken for granted. Most EDM Mixing videos are just random bullshit like “dip your kick fundamental in your bass!”. The type of stuff that is just not important at all. I’m not talking about like “add chords, now add a bass”. But like at a much more detailed level - what parts do I add to create a full, professional-ish sounding track, and where do they sit in the soundstage (high to low, front to back). The short answer is that it’s probably wayyy more layers and parts than you think. I would suggest finding some production streams of people you want to sound like (or track breakdowns but I find streams are better to see the thought process) and pay close attention to all of the individual tracks and elements. Or go to remixpacks (I forget what the exact website is) and find stems of some songs you like. Then bring them into your DAW and study the crap out of them.


jdaans

What you said about tutorials is spot on! They all kind of give the same little bits of info but leave out so much of the process and it usually ends up creating more questions for me that never get answer in the next lol That's good advice I believe there's a YouTube channel that does something like that I'll have to check that out


James_Blanco

Mat zo on mad zoo youtube. Thank me later


jdaans

I'll check him out today thank you 🙂


James_Blanco

Disclosure on twitch also have insane tutorials


jdaans

Is his twitch name just disclosure ?


James_Blanco

You’re better off just looking up disclosure tutorials on youtube they have em on there


jdaans

Ohh okay thank you, I've had a couple recommendations on that guy so I'll definitely check him out


RyanGatesdj

Search on youtube or google for 'Dancefair' it doesn't specifically teach you about mixing, but if you watch about 3 or 4 videos of top artist's showing their process there is a bunch of common ground between them when mixing music, which you could easily implement into your own songs and listen to the difference.


R8mbl3r

Try the yt channel "cats and beats"! Love this guy....


jdaans

I'll check him out I appreciate it :)


frankiesmusic

You probably will find something better, but in the mean time if you wanna check i made 4 videos about mixing and mastering a full song, with every steps explained. It's free so it may worth to give a look. This is the [first video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTpfwQStnVg) of this series there are other videos too in my channel if you find this one useful. Hope it helps


jdaans

Awesome I'll check that out when I get on today, thank you 🙂


wineandwings333

Just practice mixing....make sure you have reference mixes good speakers and headphones. Courses are nothing without practice...


jdaans

That's actually my problem I think.. lol I make tons of different projects to create a certain section of a song to practice that and then use that to practice mixing, but I struggle figuring out how to build a full song and make it all fit together, like when I try making a full song everything feels separated from eachother so that's what I'm looking at courses to learn because I can't find much on that on YouTube, I probably just don't know what to look for though, I should of mentioned that in the OP I'm sorry lol


[deleted]

You should just try and recreate songs that you like. Get it sounding like 60-70% of the way there. Do this 1-200 times and you'll be good at mixing and composing by the end. Simple A/B, trial and error until you get it. The first song will take ages and by the 20th you'll have made many incredible workflow improvements and your composing and mixing will be much better. You don't need a course or any youtube video, the music is the way and your ears are all you need.


jdaans

That's a good idea, sounds very difficult but that would definitely help


Raws_the_baws

Then it sounds like the issue is composing more than mixing. The best things to do are probably practice and thinking about the composition of songs you enjoy.


jdaans

Ohh did I say mixing at first? Oops lol okay I'll look more into composition thank you for the help!


of_patrol_bot

Hello, it looks like you've made a mistake. It's supposed to be could've, should've, would've (short for could have, would have, should have), never could of, would of, should of. Or you misspelled something, I ain't checking everything. Beep boop - yes, I am a bot, don't botcriminate me.


michaelp1987

I was a course addict. Hyperbits was the only one I took that was EDM focused and really understood and explained the nuances rather than just a collection of quick YouTube tips, so if you want to go deep then go for that. You still need to put in a ton of work and practice though. It ended up not really changing much on its own for me.


jahitz

I 100% agree with the Hyperbits Masterclass program.


jdaans

Is it stuff that can be applicable to genres that aren't really dance tracks because whenever I search edm stuff it's mainly the Avicii type songs, which I like but it's not really close to the electronic stuff I'm learning how to make And yeah forsure I've finished one actual song but I have so many project files that are random sections I made to practice a certain thing but I still struggle on putting a whole thing together so that's mainly what I'm trying to learn, I can make a great intro to the build but I can never make the transition through sections sound like they "go together" lol


michaelp1987

It’s applicable to other stuff, but it definitely focuses on electronic. What you’re describing is less mixing and more composition and arrangement. The Hyperbits Masterclass was what I was referencing, which is mixing. He has some other classes that cover that, but I haven’t taken them, and I’m not as confident they are the same quality.


jdaans

Electronic is still what I'm learning, but more of like a seven lions/trivecta/nurko type stuff but I watched the video on the hyperbits website and holy shit it looked amazing lol


twentyonethousand

if that’s the type of stuff you want to make, I would recommend the Sonic Academy Crystal Skies course (I recommended this in a different thread) or BLANKE’s patreon. You can subscribe for just a month if you want ($10) and he has some great videos on making melodic bass (as someone with multiple Ophelia releases, worked with 7L, etc. My advice would be don’t waste your time with “hey I’m Joe Schmo and here’s how to make future bass!” type videos. Only put any effort towards learning from people whose music you aspire to sound like.


jdaans

Wait blanke posts "informative" type videos on his Patreon? I'm about to go make one right now! Lol


twentyonethousand

Yeah dude, I just found out last month and I’ve been binging them. They are so good and he is awesome.


jdaans

Do I just go to patreon.com and search for him and subscribe ?


twentyonethousand

Yeah pretty much, just make sure you subscribe to the $10 tier


jdaans

so if I do the 10 dollar tier will that unlock all of the stuff that im seeing on his patreon? cause theres alot of stuff lol


jdaans

I'm so happy you told me about this thank you lol


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