Any professional engineer will tell you that he/she does at least a dozen or more different mixes-- sometimes 20 or more.
For orchestral mixing, it's best to just get the mix levels right. Compression can squeeze out the loudest sounds and duck others, changing the mix. With an orchestra, there is a theory that there should be little compression at all. You might want to raise the lower end of the dynamic range to make the softer passages easier to hear, but you don't want to compress the heck out your orchestral track the way a pop or R&B or rap track is heavily compressed.
Do your mix first and then add compression. Adjust compression, then turn it off. Adjust your mix and then turn on compression again. Mute the compressor and add a peak limiter. Set the peak limit levels so that your loudest points are don't clip. Consider your lowest levels and consider what is *comfortable* for the listener. One ought not strain to hear the softest passages. Neither should one recoil at the loudest passages. Turn off the limiter and try a compander-- a combo compressor-expander-limiter. Use dynamics processing sparingly, and understand your final mix's acceptable dynamic range. Always use reference tracks similar to the type you are producing-- fly in a professional classical or flimscore track into your sequence-- muting and unmuting it for the sake of EQ and dynamics referencing.
Go back and unmute any one or combo of processors and create a mix-- and another-- and another-- and another.... Don't be afraid to identify what you DON'T want. If you have good taste, this will be a lesson you'll only have to learn once. Don't be afraid to not use any compression or limiting if what you've programmed doesn't help the mix. Moreover, don't be afraid to have someone else master your track-- and hang out during the session to take notes. The objectivity of a second opinion is priceless and not to be understimated.
Test these mixes in your car or on your laptop's speakers or on a boom box. Dare to make an mp3 of your track and check it out on an iPod. This will only give you the truth about your mix, even in the face of inferior audio quality. Take notes and do another mix-- as many as necessary. The more you do it, the better you get at it-- and the more you are aware of what mistakes NOT to make.
The point is, once you have done just ONE mix to be proud of, you'll instantly realize that it was worth all the trouble. The next mix WILL be easier.
For orchestral mixing, it's best to just get the mix levels right. Compression can squeeze out the loudest sounds and duck others, changing the mix. With an orchestra, there is a theory that there should be little compression at all. You might want to raise the lower end of the dynamic range to make the softer passages easier to hear, but you don't want to compress the heck out your orchestral track the way a pop or R&B or rap track is heavily compressed.
Do your mix first and then add compression. Adjust compression, then turn it off. Adjust your mix and then turn on compression again. Mute the compressor and add a peak limiter. Set the peak limit levels so that your loudest points are don't clip. Consider your lowest levels and consider what is *comfortable* for the listener. One ought not strain to hear the softest passages. Neither should one recoil at the loudest passages. Turn off the limiter and try a compander-- a combo compressor-expander-limiter. Use dynamics processing sparingly, and understand your final mix's acceptable dynamic range. Always use reference tracks similar to the type you are producing-- fly in a professional classical or flimscore track into your sequence-- muting and unmuting it for the sake of EQ and dynamics referencing.
Go back and unmute any one or combo of processors and create a mix-- and another-- and another-- and another.... Don't be afraid to identify what you DON'T want. If you have good taste, this will be a lesson you'll only have to learn once. Don't be afraid to not use any compression or limiting if what you've programmed doesn't help the mix. Moreover, don't be afraid to have someone else master your track-- and hang out during the session to take notes. The objectivity of a second opinion is priceless and not to be understimated.
Test these mixes in your car or on your laptop's speakers or on a boom box. Dare to make an mp3 of your track and check it out on an iPod. This will only give you the truth about your mix, even in the face of inferior audio quality. Take notes and do another mix-- as many as necessary. The more you do it, the better you get at it-- and the more you are aware of what mistakes NOT to make.
The point is, once you have done just ONE mix to be proud of, you'll instantly realize that it was worth all the trouble. The next mix WILL be easier.
