Hi Steve,
I really dig your insight on mixing and mastering, been watching some interviews n'stuff. Could you write a few lines or make a short YT video explaining mono compatibility? Lot of modern mixes are extremely wide, but they also sum really well to mono in the context of the mix and individual patches. Could you please share your thoughts about it and what steps you take to make sure your mixes and patches are mono compatible? Like for instance designing pads on Serum. How do you make it wide without loosing information when summing to mono?
So what I also found very interesting from your previous videos was your technique of setting up a mastering chain and mixing into it. Could you elaborate on this? Specifically spreading the width and mixing into it. Do you make the low end wide too or is that narrowed in at some later stage in the mastering process? How and where/when?
This has been bugging me for quite some time and I haven't found good resource on this topic. Lot of trade secrets… ;-)
CHeeRs!!!
My thoughts are pretty basic:
1) adding width is a compromise in losing mono power, as with everything, having some restraint is the key and less is probably more when it comes to adding width on the master channel (save extreme width for wide moments / elements you don't care about mono compatibility as much on, momentary or white noise sounds are a good example).
2) Reference a mix in mono if you care about mono compatibility (everything always comes back to ears!), it's not rocket science in the sense you can very easily hear it yourself if your bass is warbling, or that super-wide-FX you put on the vocal is making it 18 dB quieter in the mix when listening in mono.
3) understand the concept of mid and side signals and once you're familiar with that the concept of having some pronounced width (side signal) during mixdown means you'll be balancing mid heavy signals (such as a mono kick drum) and side signals (such as a unison rich pad) in a sensible way (as opposed to adding width later, where now your pad is louder and your kick is quieter than the balance you thought you were making in the mixdown).
Make sense?
Yes, thanks Steve!
You really should make a DVD series or something, "Producing, Mixing, Mastering with Steve Duda" and have guest stars and what not. I would buy it, no doubt! :-)
