The Mechanics of Mixing in Studio One
Studio guru Eli Krantzberg presents in-depth video tutorials on mixing with Presonus Studio One! If you're new to mixing in Studio One, and you're ready to take advantage of its numerous features that make mixing easier and quicker than ever, this is the course for you. Eli breaks down the process into easily digestible chunks, teaching you valuable general mixing strategies along the way as you learn the specific elements of Studio One. These videos are for those already familiar with Studio One. (For those brand new to Studio One, check out Studio One 5 Explained® or Studio One: Beginner's Guide before watching this course.)
Videos
• Before & After (02:13) - Hear some before and after excerpts of the song and the processing covered in this series.
• Import & Strip Silence (03:03) - Watch as files are imported into an empty Studio One song, sorted into a meaningful order, and color-coded. Strip silence is used to remove large silent sections for quick visual reference to see when specific parts are in and out.
• Setting up the Console View (03:36) - The Console View is customized to show the input trim, instrument and track lists are hidden, a Level Meter plug-in is set up and pinned to the far right for K-20 metering, and some simple sub groups are set up and positioned using bus tracks for the drums, basses, guitars, vocals, and effects.
• Input Trim (08:02) - See how volume envelopes and channel input trims are used to establish a rough static mix of the song?s main elements.
• Mix Engine FX (05:24) - Discover Studio One?s unique ability to cross process multiple channels simultaneously with Mix Engine FX that emulate vintage console hardware, including the subtle saturation and crosstalk found in the analog realm.
• The Mix Bus (07:00) - See how the entire signal flow is routed to a Mix Bus before reaching the main output. EQ is set up to mix into for a hybrid top-down style approach to begin the mix.
• The Drum Bus (06:31) - Compare the Fat Channel versus Compressor + Pro EQ combo on the drum bus. Which do you prefer?
• Drum Overheads (04:04) - Learn how the two overheads are routed to a bus within the drum subgroup and processed with EQ and light parallel compression.
• The Kick Drum (05:12) - Listen as a few different processors are auditioned on the bass drum, yielding similar, yet subtly different, results.
• Snare Drum (05:26) - Watch as a parallel FX Channel is set up with aggressive gating and compression for parallel snare drum processing. Blended with the original snare track, the parallel channel adds snap and weight to the snare transients.
• Drum Room Reverb (06:18) - A new FX channel is created with reverb to simulate the natural sound of a drum studio.
• Drum Parallel Processing (04:04) - Discover how a parallel drum bus is created with extreme compression and EQ and blended in to taste with the main drum bus and room reverb.
• Creating a Bass Layer (03:28) - Learn how a simple Mai Tai bass sound is created from scratch. A MIDI file is then used on it to thicken and layer the existing bass tracks.
• Time Correction (02:39) - Follow along as some minimally invasive time correction is applied to the drums using the Group and Audio Bend functions. The drums are subtly tightened up on the downbeats, where necessary, while the fills and ghost notes are left unaffected.
• Verse Guitars (06:01) - Hard panned guitars on the verse are bussed together with an instance of Ampire processing the two together. Each has its own instance of Fat Channel EQ used to alter the tonal balance sent to Ampire.
• Chorus Guitars (04:57) - See how the guitars on the chorus are processed and how a reverb send is set up using the unprocessed signals. The cross feed function in the Presonus Open Air reverb plug-in is used to offset the hard panning of the dry signals.
• The Interlude Section (04:06) - Follow along as the guitar and synth part used in this section are fit into the mix. The Presonus Phaser effect is used to distinguish the guitar part from the others and add some character to the section.
• Guitar Bus Automation (05:09) - Touch automation (using a Presonus Faderport v.2) is added to the guitar bus volume to bring up the level of the riffs happening between the vocal phrases during the verses. Section markers are also added to the song.
• Bass Bus Automation (05:03) - See how light compression is added to guitar bus. A "safety" limiter is added to the main output, and volume automation on the bass bus during the two choruses is created using the Faderport v.2 control surface.
• Guitar Solo (03:31) - Amp processing and stomp boxes are set up for the guitar solo, and stomp box reverb is added to the verse guitars.
• Lead Vocal, Bass Bus, & Additional Fat Channel Models (08:15) - See how additional Fat Channel models are added via Presonus Sphere and promptly put to work on the lead vocal and the bass bus.
• Lead Vocal Delay & Reverb (09:23) - Follow along as some "do no harm" multiband dynamics are set up for gentle lead vocal de-essing. A Bus channel is then created for delay/reverb vocal effects. Side chain compression is then set up to create a ducking/blooming rhythm to the effects tail, based on when the lead vocal signal is present.
• Doubling the Lead Vocal (04:17) - Discover how Melodyne is used to process a copy of the lead vocal, creating a natural-sounding vocal double with subtle time and pitch variations.
• Backup & Harmony Vocals (06:22) - The backup vocals are treated with some redLight distortion and panned to opposite sides of the vocal FX return track. The harmonies are fed to the vocal FX return as well and adjusted for a smooth blend with the lead.
• More Automation & Mix Scenes (05:26) - Learn about the Console View Scenes function, as it is used to create alternate takes of guitar wah pedal automation.
• Transition FX & Fade Out (04:34) - The transition FX are brought into the mix, the guitar intro is trimmed and tightened up, and a fade out of the full mix is added to end the song.
• Introduction to VCAs (05:35) - Learn how to set up VCA channels to remote control all the various subgroups. VCAs are a great way to establish alternate mixes with offsets for various elements in the mix while preserving existing gain staging and automation.
• It's Never Too Late for a New Scene (04:12) - A late-in-the-game alternate scene is created for a stress-free change to the vocal effects processing.
• Elevate Your Mix (07:27) - Listen to a final play through using the third-party mastering plug-in Elevate and learn how to export your mix in multiple formats.