Mixing with Plugin Alliance Plugins Explained
If you use Plugin Alliance plugins - this course is for you! Recording expert Larry Holcombe shows you how to mix a session from scratch using nothing but Plugin Alliance plugins. You'll see and hear every move, as he processes, filters, compresses, saturates, and more on the way to the final finished product. What's even better is that you get access to all the session's tracks yourself, so you can follow along at home! These videos are for intermediate Plugin Alliance users.
Videos
• Introduction & Rough Mix Playthrough (08:13) - First up, we introduce the series and play through the rough mix. This bounce is then loaded into Metric AB to allow us to check our progress against this start point.
• Managing the Low End (08:18) - This video concentrates on the low end of the mix, including surgical EQ cuts with bx_digital and increased punch using ADPTR Sculpt. Finally, we side-chain the 808 to the kick for some extra groove and headroom.
• Managing Stereo Width (17:08) - We start off by working in some more low end from Subsynth to increase the punch of the kick in this video. We then again use bx_digital to manage the stereo width of certain sounds by applying EQ in mid/side mode. We also use mid/side saturation to achieve a similar result using bx_saturator.
• Filtering Pt. 1 (17:27) - Next up, we focus some of the sounds by cutting extreme low/high frequencies and subtly boosting certain areas to increase clarity and separation. We use Metric AB extensively to analyze the frequency spectrum.
• Filtering Pt. 2 (06:15) - We continue to cut the low frequencies from some of the effects sounds and also use bx_refinement to tame some of the harshness in the mix.
• Compression Pt. 1 (14:06) - Next, we focus on setting groove and front/back perspective using Elysia's Alpha Compressor to bring out or suppress transient information. In addition to musical release times, this allows us to create an enhanced feeling of separation and detail.
• Compression Pt. 2 (14:23) - In this video, we use vintage-style compression from the Purple Audio MC77, the Acme Opticom XLA-3, and the Lindell 7X-500 to dial in some extra hype, solidity, and vibe. Finally, we use the Noveltech Vocal Enhancer to bring out the vocal slightly.
• Additive EQ & Saturation (16:17) - Here, we start by reducing some of the reverb present in the track using SPL's De-Verb. Then we continue with NEOLD BIG AL to add some vintage-style saturation to the drums, which subtly rounds off transients and adds thickness. We then use the bx_console AMEK 9099 plugin to add certain frequency boosts on some of the marquee sounds to again improve mix clarity.
• Bus Processing (10:23) - After fixing a low-mid frequency clash using bx_dynEQ, we create some coherent groove using bus compression from the bx_townhouse SSL emulation. This is applied to our mix stems to ensure consistent groove between the various parts.
• Mastering (13:22) - Finally, we create a master chain using low and high cuts from the Dangerous Music BAX EQ. Then we use mid/side compression from the Elysia Alpha Master for a solid mid band to be combined with a floaty uncompressed side band. We add additive EQ from Mäag EQ4 and then compare against the pre-master using Metric AB. Finally, we reach for the bx_limiter True Peak to bring the track up to a competitive level.