learning how to mix and master/mixing your own music

so i just make a beat and put it in pro-tools and realized, i always feel like i know what im doing, but when i hear the final mix, i realize that it sucks and it may have even sounded better before i touched it. are any of you good at mixing? i mean obviously im really new to it but its something that i realllly want to learn how to do, cause i understand how important it is in music. but i have no clue where to start. i took a class, but the teacher didnt end up teaching us anything about mixing or mastering, we just learned the basics of pro tools. but anyway, where should i start? any good books? (i mean really good books, ones that made a huge difference). or any helpful tips, or websites with tutorials? i was hoping that it would just take experience.. i know thats a huge part of it, but after **** with the eq and compression for like 5 hours straight and realizing it still sounds like garbage its just discouraging and so i wanted to know how you all learned..
thanks in advance

(my bad that this is kind of unclear... my meds are wearing off and i feel mad tired and so i tried to write this out as fast as i could.. but you know what im saying)

bump

http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/04196 ... ?kbid=1582

very informative

Im decent at it. I make my song. each track has only one sample. when im done I take each sample(wav) and master it individually. just like recording vocals and adlibs. sometimes you want echo.. sometime you want delay in or out.. etc etc.. but you don't know until finial mix. so..... make your song. then master each wav one at a time. Then when you bounce the song out. it will be much faster , more efficient and more crisp when eqing , phasing,reverbing, and coloring the song. it is a long time consuming task. the more time you put into it thou , the better you will get at it. usually when people make a song then try to master or eq a whole song its very hard to get it just right. is you master the wavs , effect ,"lightly" , and eq before hand , the finial mixdown is very seamless and fluid"wet" and colorful. don't be fooled by the youtube "guides"... the real producers generally have mastered wavs/samples before starting on a song. ozone has a function that lets you apply a global setting to your wavs/song.. this helps keep all the wavs in the same target range for me. good luck.

I have read books, articles, watched videos as well too, and I think the only way to learn is to realize what it is your trying to correct/change and figure out how to do that. It takes experience to train your ears so just keep at it everyday and something will eventually click.

ghosty wrote: sometimes you want echo.. sometime you want delay

that is it right there.... you really need to figure out what the sound needs. You gotta figure out what your goal is. Other then that, maybe you are just trying to fit the different components together so they dont clash or what not...

I think the reading and research will for sure help you know what is available and how those things work, and then in your situation you should be able to know what tool to use for the job.

i listened to one of my first beats i ever done on the 500 about 2 yrs ago and then i listened to a track i done about 3 weeks ago...anyone could definetly tell a difference in the mixing of the two tracks and how the newer one sounds 10x better.

i've just been studying up and experimenting with which sounds should use which type of EQ'ing and then panning my sounds. pretty "basic" stuff, but the more you know and the longer you work with them, the better your music will sound.

its just understanding how different sounds work with each other and how much you can phuck around with it until it throws the whole track off

(OH, and props to your avatar dude)

thanks everyone.

MCL i've seen that book, i think someone on this site recommended it to someone else a while ago, i'm probably gonna get it.

I read all the posts and I got confused.

The key to dealing with "learning how to mix and master/mixing your own music" is knowing how to approach each sound source and what you need to do to correct it (eq), & blend it in with other elements (balance=levels/spacial=panning).

Mastering on the other hand is on a different level, it's a craft that takes time to hone in on. Just something to think about.

http://audio.tutsplus.com/

This site is BOSS for mixing and mastering tips and tools.

Like everyone else said, you have to figure out what your looking for in the song to which your mixing. The actual dynamics that go into mixing do take time, trial and error, etc. However, what people forgot to mention, is that the room in which your mixing also has a huge effect on how your mixes will turn out. Where your monitors are placed, where your setup in the room is placed, etc are all extremely important when mixing. If you have your monitors placed poorly, or your setup is in a corner of your room, or your mixing entirely through headphones, these will effect your mixes negetively. An example of this is, say, you mix a song and it sounds great on your studio monitors in the room your mixing, (which isn't acoustically treated in some way, shape, or form) then you bounce the track and say, listen to it in your car and it sounds completely different (i.e. like garbage). That is because you are mixing your tracks in a room that has poor acoustic, or is untreated. There are so many elements that play into mixing that it is always a learning experience.

All in all, what everyone else has posted is great, and research is also a fine tool. Nevertheless, you should look up ways to treat your mixing enviroment, acoustically. There are cheap ways of doing this and there are plenty of DIY home studio websites out there that are dedicated to people with thin pockets like myself. Sound absorption, bass traps, diffusion (which you probly won't need any diffuser). Monitor placement.

I wish you luck.

MCL wrote:http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/0419626/details.html?kbid=1582

very informative

+1

MusicMutt wrote:you're mixing entirely through headphones, these will effect your mixes negetively.

I never understood why this procedure seems to be ok and is accepted with some folks?

i just use my headphones lol. but i use a few pairs to check it. eventually i'll get monitors but my room isnt good for this shit anyway, ill probably set up a better studio when im in college or right after