Member Dana Nielsen
MemberForum Replies Created
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Daniel!
Such a keen observation, man. I notice the same thing and for YEARS I avoided using the lookahead feature for that very reason. However, that has changed in recent months as I’ve found the lookahead is really quite useful! (Albeit not my go-to initial setting)
My Pro-L2 “user default” setting, called DN START, has pretty much no lookahead enabled; attack around 2:30; release around 9:00. I raise the gain/threshold as high as I can push it until the mix starts to break up, then back it off slightly to a more reasonable setting. I often hold the Shift key while finding this “break up” point so that the output volume remains constant and I can easily keep an ear out for compression artifacts and distortion without being fooled by loudness.
Once I have the gain set I preview all the different modes (transparent, dynamic, punch, etc.). Each of those modes sounds quite unique and I find that for each song I find one that feels like magic and helps the mix in some way.
This would be my baseline ideal setting. If the mix sounds awesome and is loud AF and punchy and awesome then I’m done! But … if it’s not loud enough and starts to distort or crumble when I add more gain, THAT is the point at which I start messing with attack, release, and/or lookahead.
I might turn the attack faster, say 9:00, and see if the crumbling distortion artifacts disappear. If not, I’ll slow the release, say 3:00 or whatever feels appropriate for the tempo of the song so that the gain reduction returns to 0-ish by the next snare or kick.
If those adjustments fix the crumbly artifacts yet I feel I’ve lost too much transient punch and snap, THEN I’ll crank up the lookahead, say btwn 9:00 and 12:00, while increasing the attack time as much as possible — back to 2:30 if possible, or more — to recover those transients. I’ve been happily surprised by the result!
By following this process I get to keep my precious “loud AF” volume, without crumbly compression artifacts, while maintaining most of my glorious snappy transients.
Give it a try and lemme know whatcha think!
🕺🏻⚡️🤘
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HOLY MOLY!! A+++ @joerobinson – Bravo!
Such a treat to hear and watch u all play. Such burning cats you all are! And that is some high level video production and lighting too, to top it all off!! 👏👏🤘
Absolutely incredible, homey!!
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Just added to the MP Playlist, too!
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2Hur30TN833YNBj6auawtf?si=55cb5f0103af457f
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Dylan!
What an excellent and thoughtful question.
I get files of all kinds – some great, some not so great haha. Here are a few things that come to mind.
I love it when:
– Files and tracks have been named thoughtfully and thoroughly (no “Audio_01” please! 😂)
– Tracks are laid out top-to-bottom in some kind of organized fashion
– Same goes for track and clip colors – they don’t need to be MY preferred colors, but seeing some type of system helps me to understand the production more quickly and easily.
– Limited options, or no options — just the finished product please 🙂 You aptly mentioned this concept in our Member Meet-up Zoom the other day!
– Waveforms that are nice and loud! But, obv, not clipping. I can’t tell you how many kick and snare and lead vocal tracks I’ve applied +20db of clip gain to. “Bro, your snare track looks like an egg shaker” haha
– If you’re sending a folder of multi-track audio files – as opposed to a Pro Tools session – I love it when people are mindful of their folder names and file names. Such as … Instrument_SongName_mix#_24bit48k_STEM (or MULTI if multitrack file)
– Bonus points if multi-track exports have a 2-digit number upfront to maintain their top-down track layout:
01_Kick_SongName_…
02_Snare-Top_SongName_…
03_Snare-Btm_SongName_…
– And lastly, since you mentioned “uh-the-playing” … I do love excellent playing (and/or editing) that doesn’t require further editing on my part.
Re: Phase … I’m always appreciative and surprised when drums and other things are in phase, tho I don’t expect them to be, and I don’t get riled up if they’re not. After all, phase is a pretty advanced thing to understand and be able to hear and/or adjust properly. And that’s part of MY job to fix that stuff! Plus … if they think their song sounds good with everything out of phase, well that’s an easy “win” for me, as their mixer, haha.
Further resources and fun:
Here’s a brand new blog post and video I made that’s very relevant to this great topic: https://mixprotege.com/2025/02/15/batch-rename-audio-files-with-a-better-finder/
Here’s my Stems Checklist I send to clients who are getting ready to export multitrack audio files: https://dananielsen.com/stems-checklist/
Thanks again, @dylanmandel, for the great topic! ⚡️ I hope to hear additional responses from others here – and your own as well – that I can learn from! 🤘
mixprotege.com
Batch Rename Audio Files with 'A Better Finder'
'A Better Finder Rename' is a powerful MacOS batch renaming tool that has revolutionized my audio file workflow.
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Jezze!
I love that you’re diving deep into compression after watching that Zoom! And you are totally on the right track finding the best settings to lengthen sustain so that held notes don’t die away so quickly.
I think the best strategy (as demonstrated in the Zoom) is to go nuts with the settings in order to hear what each control has to offer. That said, it is easier to hear attack and release settings when applied to brief sounds with sharp transients such as drum hits, which is why I tend to use drums for compression demonstration purposes. Compression settings are harder to “hear” when applied to sustained sounds, so I’m not surprised you’re finding it all a bit more confusing as you delve deeper into sustained notes!
I love your practical example of using compression to lengthen the sustain of a held guitar note so that it doesn’t drop in volume so quickly. This comes up all the time in both the production and mixing phases of a record.
I find it best to imagine it a bit like an algebra equation (barf … I know … bear with me). Or better yet, think of the game show, Jeopardy, where you know “the answer” to the question and just need to work backwards to solve “the question.”
Here’s the same approach described differently:
Rather than wondering “how can I make the back-half of my guitar notes louder?” Ask yourself “how can I make the front-half of my guitar notes quieter?”
Here’s a 5-step approach:
- Find The Quiet: Ok so, park your playhead/cursor in the middle or end of a long sustained guitar note. Choose a position during the note where the level is sustaining nicely but it’s just too dang quiet to cut through the mix. (FUN FACT: you’ve just discovered your threshold! See step 2)
- Set The Threshold: Continue to play that quiet sustained section of the note (or loop it) while you lower the compressor’s threshold. Watch the gain reduction meter as you adjust the threshold and stop lowering the threshold when you start to see the tiniest bit of reduction registering on the GR meter.
- Make It Loud: Continue looping the quiet sustained “below threshold” portion of your note while you turn up the compressor’s make-up gain. Add make-up gain until it’s as loud as you like.
- Enter Launch Codes: Adjust the compressor parameters to the max, just for fun (and to protect your ears now that we’ve added a bunch of makeup gain). Try a ratio of 10:1 or higher; fastest attack, fastest release.
- Let ‘Er Rip: Now position your playhead just before the note and let ‘er rip! With these settings you should see and hear a TON of gain reduction during the initial Attack and Decay of the note. And due to the fast release setting, you should see no further gain reduction by the time the playhead reaches the Sustain and Release part of the note chosen in step 1.
From there, you can continue to adjust the parameters.
- Missing some of the plucky attack as the pick strikes the guitar string? Increase the compressor’s attack setting to let some of that through!
- Are you hearing “pumping” artifacts during the sustain of the note? Increase the compressor’s release setting to smooth things out!
- Want a super-sustained sound? Lower the threshold all the way down to just above the noise floor and turn up the make-up gain to 11!
- Love the way your compressor is controlling the dynamics but it’s starting to sound unnatural? Try a lower ratio! Or a “softer knee” if your compressor has it! Or if your compressor has a “mix” or “dry/wet” knob, blend back in some of the uncompressed signal!
Lemme know if these tips are helpful, homey! Thanks for the great question – keep em comin!
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So freaking gorgeous, Joe!!! Man. Great to hear this again — in STEREO no less, lol, after our mono Zoom meetup last week.
I love all these excellent observations and suggestions by @JLew and @shimmerisland – what an awesome, talented, creative, supportive bunch of badass musicians you all are here in this community. It is I who am humbled!
I have a bunch of thoughts and techniques/ideas that come to mind but all of them would be much easier to demonstrate rather than write about. Not much different from what Jesse commented on, but thought it’d be helpful to show HOW I tackle those things.
Is your mix session in Pro Tools? Feel free to DM me and maybe we can schedule a livestream event here on MP if you’re up for something like that.
👏 Regardless, your song is beautiful as-is – i love it! 👏
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James!
So fun to hear this again – such an awesome composition, performance, and soundscape. Bravo!!
I just love that you and your daughter work on these together – she sounds great! Her voice and stacked harmony style reminds me of a group @cmn and @kwas and I have been listening to lots lately, The Roches. 💜
OK, so here are the very few ideas that came to mind while rocking out to “Give It A Name”:
- 1:05 – gimme lots more sidestick backbeat!!
- Try turning up the Kick throughout so that it’s at least as big and loud as those rocking toms
- love those little electronic percussion elements!!
All easy stuff man! And only if you’re feelin it, too! Awesome work as always, “J-Cube”.
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yeah usual go-to is the Trim plugin, tho I also use this free plugin called Flipper, which is simple and effective (and shows me without having to open the plugin whether the phase has been flipped or is normal (bypassed)
refusesoftware.com
reFuse Software: Tools for music and audio creation, including the Lowender and Bucketverb plugins.
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😍
Oh just remembered another “I love it when….”. This one’s on my stems checklist on the link above:
I love it when mono sources come as mono files (i.e. bass DI), and stereo sources come as stereo interleaved files (i.e. Poly Synth DI).
Using my ears and meters and mono button and phase flip to determine that this “stereo” kick track is actually mono, then splitting the stereo track into dual-mono so that I can delete the original stereo track plus the left side of the newly-created multi-mono tracks … welll … it’s a giant waste of time. Heck, it’s a waste of time to even write about that tedious, mundane, and unnecessary task, lolol.
Ok. Rant: over!
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We missed ya, homey! But glad u got the replay! 💜
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Thrilled u could be there Dylan, and to learn more about what ur up to, man!
Hop on into the forums here and make urself at home!! 🏡
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That’s so cool, thanks for the hip tip! I own RX Advanced but have never used the Spectral Repair module. Gonna check it out!
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Hey Paul – which RX Advanced module was able to do that? Inquiring minds want to know … 🤯
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Ah, gotcha! Hope your eyes checked out ok with the doc 👀. And yeah, small and conversational indeed – very nice 😊