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I used a translator to translate the German, since I don't know German well. Right now I don't really have standards with audio equipment.

For mixing, production, and to produce the best quality tracks you need to hear through the best quality speakers and through the best quality sound card.

A good sound card can be obtained through companies like M-Audio, The Sound Blaster X-fi is probably the best sound card to get through creative for audio production (getting audigy is still not a standard because anything without D/A converters is considered not usuable to produce professional music if you are using a computer...the D/A converters and firewire ports are what a lot of top audio equipment from synths to mixing consoles would need...many effects use firewire now, compressors, flangers, phasers, EQs, many types of effects).

You need good monitor speakers, usually a couple of hundred can buy you some decent ones. I think by this coming year I'll be able to save up the money I need to upgrade my audio equipment. Anyone serious about music production in general (not just using flstudio, but if you ever wanted to record rock groups, pop groups, country, rap, and electronic music) needs good equipment.

As with mastering, good mixing needs to come first or the mastering won't be good. Some good pointers with mixing are:

1. Use EQ only when necessary (I use it now to modify frequencies that might conflict in the track and produce a muddy or a sound that is too sharp...you can also use the EQ as filters if you want...all's a filter does is cutoff certain frequencies).

2. Use compression on kicks, bass, and to compress the whole track...but don't overdo it. Kicks and bass, always use short attacks and releases if you are looking for a good punchy sound.

3. Always compare your music to professional songs.

4. Experiment - No song will use the same exact compression, the same exact amount of reverb, one track will sound good with a flange on a snare...many won't. You never know what might help the song, or hurt the song.

5. Never be afraid to change anything that doesn't fit. If something doesn't sound right from the get-go, or you are bothered....keep a note of it, because most likely you'll find something better for it as your music progresses.

6. As for mastering, Compression and limiting are always used...but I don't always use limiting. I think it depends how it's used, I usually just compress only. And I do limiting in a sound editting program, once a export my song to wav (and I use the highest resolution and sample rate, before I render my tracks down to mp3 using a sample rate of 44.1 khz. Even though you can render a wav at 96k, and then render it back down to 44.1 khz.......the sound will be more accurate. I learned this in school actually, so I follow it when I use Reason. I don't like Flstudio's rendering as much because there are no options to encode a wav in 24 bit. It's made a bit of a difference. It's not completely noticable. But, if you compare resolutions and sample rates, the higher rates will always sound more full. They have to.)

7. Use Panning, but don't use it on the drums or bass.


I'm still learning a lot. There's a lot of information of audio technology involving mixing, sound design, mastering, recording, arranging, remixing, etc. I'll have a song up this week using flstudio, and it'll have all the instruments that are included in flstudio (I don't have sytrus which sucks, because it is flstudio's best built-in generator - FM synthesis is much more advanced than subtractive synthesis like the 3xosc).

I'll manage though. I'll have an mp3 of the finished track. And a zip file with all the samples and the flp file for people to look at, remix, etc. SLK has done that, and he provided good examples on layering...his layering is very good in his early tracks, if you want a good example ask him for the remix he did of "Countdown" by E2P.

No problem. I hope this advice helps. I am still learning a lot.

heh, thanks. I've been working on the new original. I am using superwave p8 for the strings (since I don't have sytrus which is perfect for strings - superwave p8 will be included for those who don't have it). The track I'm doing is going to be a dark dance/club type track. It's around 125 bpm. Anyone who wants to see everything in action will need flstudio 6 because I did use some of the new effects already (Delay bank is nice, so is reverb 2). It will be zip because I used all of my own samples for the drums (flstudio doesn't come with the best of samples).

Thanks for all of your compliments and words of kindness. Peace.

Quoted

7. Use Panning, but don't use it on the drums or bass.

What? Why not? If you don't pan drums everything will sound centered and all the width is gone. Same with basslines.

That was a typo, I meant to write "kick drum". I used to layer kick drums, and then pan one to the right and another to the left to create a wider space. Now, I keep them centered and just pan other drum parts (hi-hats, bongos, toms, etc)

It's better to keep the kick drum centered, even if you layer it...and pan the hats, the hats are the best to pan...so are bongos, toms, cowbells...I don't pan the claps all the time. Sometimes I might if I am using a lot of drums samples.

But, it is recommended by pros and I even was told this by my audio teacher...don't ever pan anything hard left or hard right (I think that's the term). in other words, don't ever pan all the way to the left or right, because sounds will be out of place. I usually pan 1/4 of the way....sometimes 3/8s to the left/right.

If you have "hold" turned on (on the slayer plug-in)...that is probably why. If you turn it off, the slayer shouldn't ring out at all....it's respond to exactly the midi data you have in the piano roll...whether it's a whole note or a 32nd note.

Well, in fact it is important that u don't does a panning hard left or hard right when u did a radio edit from some track, because of mono-compatibility (a lot of "kitchen radios" only have a mono-speaker). And don't use so much devices for expanding the stereo image.
But if the song is for an album or something u can use also hard panning (but also not too much)...it's only important that there's also in the middle some information like bass, kick drum, snare etc.

most clubs use a mono sound system aswell, so thats something to keep in mind if you are planning on having your shit played live.

Yeah, kicks should be centered. And set to Mono. Stereo kicks can really fuck up your sound.

Well, u must pan it in the middle. but the pan poti is in the beginning of recording and mixing always in the middle...so it's not really neccessary to pan it.

Does it not stop when you have placed it in the playlist?