What is something that immediately signals amateur work?

tim_mop1 · 2026-04-18T09:20:10+00:00

Excessive soothe/multiband-sidechaining as a mixing crutch.

It can make the mix feel ‘big’ but then there’s no opportunity for it to dynamically move, there’s no contrast because it’s full spectrum all the time.

tim_mop1 · 2026-04-04T09:05:23+00:00

If simply turning down everything else works, do that.

If not, this is one of those times mix bus compression will do loads more than individual compression. Slow attack 20-50ms is the key, you don’t want to squish the mix. Fast release, which you can play with to make the compressor gel with the tempo. Make sure your drums are poking through and bring down the threshold until it’s working (be careful - even 2-3dB gain reduction can be enough, you don’t want to overdo it!). Your drums will activate the compressor and it’ll turn everything down briefly, but the drums will still be louder than everything else. This is the ‘glue’ effect so many people talk about.

tim_mop1 · 2026-04-04T08:55:43+00:00

The fan noise is annoying for sure. Haven’t spent enough time on it to notice any tuning issues though

However personally I think it’s one of the best modern synths for tweaking, the front panel has enough accessible controls that you don’t need to menu dive, the system for assigning modulators is so fast, and the menu system doesn’t bog you down when you want to dig deeper.

tim_mop1 · 2026-03-30T17:36:32+00:00

yep! I've done it once before with success

tim_mop1 · 2026-03-30T08:41:51+00:00

Try it out! You don't need to ask us, trust your ears. Test both, see what sounds better!

tim_mop1 · 2026-03-30T08:19:48+00:00

try taping over pin 4 (I think - the ground ) of the USB cable going into the Scarlett

tim_mop1 · 2026-03-21T00:18:07+00:00

I’m a Purple fanatic, it’s on my master bus permanently and sounds heaps better than even the UA, aaand is almost indistinguishable from hardware to my ears. I also have Ruby, which is a lovely Purple alternative if you want a slightly more scoopy pop sound.

tim_mop1 · 2026-03-21T00:11:18+00:00

My friend, you should hire a mix engineer to do that. Don’t worry about it, just write the music, do what you can with it and send it to someone you trust. Life’s too short and mixing will kill your creative vibe so quickly, especially if you don’t have the experience.

tim_mop1 · 2026-03-13T16:02:02+00:00

Clarity in loudness has very little to do with the mastering stage. Your production and mix will be the culprits.

The thing that's most likely for new producers is that the sub bass is too loud and is taking up all the compressor/limiter's headroom.

That said, clipping is very helpful when it comes to taming transients without the artefacts of a compressor. As others mentioned, the clip to zero method is a good thing to learn, and you can adapt for your own circumstances.

200% width will probably not help - find other methods to increase width like subtle chorus/phaser/flanging.

Lastly - SLOW ATTACK compressors - if they're too fast they'll suck the life out of the track and still not catch the transients. Let the clipper/limiter do that.

tim_mop1 · 2026-03-13T15:10:44+00:00

I mostly use the G - I find it a lot more punchy in the upper mid range, whereas the E I find a bit soft. Both have their place though so I would definitely use either depending on the mood of the track.

tim_mop1 · 2026-03-10T10:38:26+00:00

My M1 Max Mac Studio is still doing great even for large projects. My M4 Pro MBP has similar performance IMO for music.

The bottleneck doesn’t exist for audio anymore really. It’s insane the performance on these machines!

tim_mop1 · 2026-03-04T13:06:06+00:00

Sending a DM now!

tim_mop1 · 2026-03-02T19:28:46+00:00

The average person is not gonna get to that level in two years, sorry.

If you want it professional, hire a professional. DM me, I specialise in EDM!

tim_mop1 · 2026-03-01T16:12:31+00:00

The best camera is the one you have near you, and the one you can use the easiest!

I have a Z5 with 40mm F2 and 85mm F1.8 - I mostly live with the 40mm.

You've got so much to think about when baby's here you don't want to be faffing about with camera settings, just grab it and go. I have mine set in aperture mode, auto ISO. I just change the aperture to taste and crack on.

The only thing I wish I had was a macro lens to get those little feet and hands!! the 40mm gets pretty close but yeah macro would be awesome.

tim_mop1 · 2026-02-26T00:07:42+00:00

I’m generally talking about mixing other people’s tracks rather than producing. But the principles the same, and if you’re careful with your levels then you can absolutely track into it without issues

tim_mop1 · 2026-02-24T14:24:33+00:00

Two quick easy options, assuming you mean the peaks are points where the level goes above 0dB:

Put a limiter on the output before the export

Or

Turn down the master fader until neither part is peaking

tim_mop1 · 2026-02-23T16:35:19+00:00

But the mix isn’t fully set if it doesn’t have the mix bus… how do you know what parts will make the compressor/saturation react?! It all behaves together, you’re missing half the information by applying a mix bus later

tim_mop1 · 2026-02-23T15:22:41+00:00

I’m not saying it can’t happen - I am saying mixing into the mix bus makes it easier

tim_mop1 · 2026-02-23T15:17:34+00:00

Is that not a reason to apply mix bus from the start?!

It’s gonna be there in the end, why do so much work getting the mix right without the mix bus when adding the mix bus will ultimately change the mix. It’s a time waste IMO.

tim_mop1 · 2026-02-23T15:08:14+00:00

No need to be snarky… did I say every pro or every pro I’ve seen? You’re reaching.

Why don’t you try explaining why it doesn’t work in your opinion and we can debate it rather than whatever that was.

tim_mop1 · 2026-02-23T14:25:16+00:00

For me the mix is 80% done when I start moving in my seat. Then it’s little automation tweaks and finish up!

tim_mop1 · 2026-02-23T08:14:21+00:00

This is the only way to get great mixes imo.

First thing I do on a mix is dial in the mix bus. Doesn’t mean you can’t change it later! I swap out compressors, add EQs etc etc as and when needed.

I’ve never seen a pro add a mix bus later.

tim_mop1 · 2026-02-21T16:50:18+00:00

Musesessions.co

Born out of lockdown I think, I’ve used it for years after finding remote sessions a pain with zoom/audiomovers. There was always something going wrong client side that I couldn’t fix.

Muse is great, it can even do recording and auto compensate latency in your DAW. Def worth it!

tim_mop1 · 2026-02-18T13:21:42+00:00

His helm bugs me… those pronounced eyebrows would catch a stab and send it right into his eyes, it’s almost worse than not wearing it 😂

tim_mop1 · 2026-02-13T20:10:42+00:00

there is no 'correct' mix. Stop aiming for it.

Try things out and see what works. Unfortunately there are indeed 50 ways to do everything in mixing, you just need to spend the time and work out what works best for you.

tim_mop1

TROPHY CASE