Studio One: Advanced Mixing
Join Studio One wiz Gary Hiebner for an in-depth video tutorial series on advanced mixing concepts in Studio One. If you're familiar with the basics but feel as though your mixes are still lacking that certain something and/or you aren't fully taking advantage of Studio One's flexibility and processing capabilities, this is the Studio One course for you! You'll learn techniques like parallel processing, split-band processing, clip editing, and adding width to your mix, to name a few. By the end of this Studio One mixing course, you'll have a plethora of new skills and tricks at your disposal for your next mix project. These mixing videos are designed for Studio One users familiar with the basics of routing and mixing.
Videos
• Rendering Audio (09:24) - We begin by seeing how we can render/print our instruments and CPU-intensive tracks with effects to free up the load on your CPU and optimize your song. You'll also see how to export stems from a multi-output instrument, such as a multi-output virtual drum instrument.
• Choosing the Routing of Your Tracks (09:32) - In this video, we look at how to pack similar tracks together in folders and then route these folders to bus channels. This allows you to work with similar instruments more seamlessly, and later you'll see how to add bus processing to these bus channels. You'll also discover how to sub-route tracks to folders and bus channels within folders to create a more complex routing system.
• Gain Staging & Panning Your Tracks First (12:29) - Here, you'll learn how to properly gain-stage your tracks, making sure each track is at an optimal level while leaving plenty of headroom. You'll see how to use level meters and VCA faders to control the overall loudness level, and we'll also look at some basic track panning to create a stereo spread of the tracks.
• Processing on the Main Output (04:20) - Here, we'll add some basic dynamic processing onto the main output, the idea being that you mix into the processed main master output. It's a very basic form of mastering and just helps glue all the tracks together while you're mixing.
• Multiple EQs on a Track (05:53) - In this video, we see how you can use multiple EQs chained together on a single track. For example, you can use one EQ to cut resonant frequencies and another to color and shape the sound. So each EQ has its own task in the chain.
• Multi-Stage Compression (07:41) - Here, we look at using multiple compressors on one track, with each one set up to target different tasks. For example, one compressor may be focusing on just taming the peaks, while another compressor is using a higher compression setting to change the dynamics on the audio.
• Using Parallel Processing (05:01) - Learn how to use and set up parallel compression on your tracks. This involves using the bus channels and combining the heavily processed sound with the unprocessed sound to get more energy into your songs. We also look at how to use parallel saturation.
• Split-Band Processing (06:48) - In this video, we see how to use the Splitter to create multiple EQ bands, each with a different chain of processing. This allows you to achieve processing effects that wouldn't be able to do a single band. You can get some very creative dynamic processing results using this method.
• Audio Editing Techniques (04:02) - Here, we take a look at editing techniques you can use to tidy up your audio parts. After all, the neater and cleaner your audio parts are, the easier it is to concentrate on the mix. We'll look at using the cutting and fading tools along with even the clip gain.
• Clip-Based Editing vs Automation (04:34) - In this video, we compare clip-based audio editing against audio automation to see in which instances you would use each.
• Hyper Realism Editing in Your Mixes (04:19) - Hyper Realism describes the act of editing your audio to the point where it doesn't quite sound real. This type of intense editing can have a big effect on the final production. For example, we can remove all the silence between notes from an audio part to create a super staccato effect.
• Adding Width to Your Mixes (05:52) - Discover how you can add width to your mixes using a pitch shifter as a send effect. With this technique, you can dial in how far you want to push the width.
• Reverb & Delay Sends with Side-chaining (07:52) - Here you see how you can use side-chaining on your delay and reverb sends. This works well with lead instruments where you want them in front of the mix and not drowning with delays and reverbs.
• Creating Delay & Reverb Throw Effects (05:54) - See a modern take on how to create this classic effect where you throw your delay and reverb sends up at a point in a song for extra effect. Instead, you see how to have these throw effects on separate tracks.
• Dynamic EQ (08:28) - Learn the difference between a static and Dynamic EQ, the latter of which allows for more control by fine-tuning the boosts or cuts to specific-frequency areas and setting the threshold.
• Using Saturation to Excite Your Tracks (07:48) - Discover how you can use the included distortion and saturation effects, the Red Light Distortion and the Saturation Knob, to excite the harmonics in your audio and give your song more energy.
• Bus Processing on the Different Groups (07:40) - Here, we see how we can work with our buses of the different instrument groups in our song. You can use the buses as overall volume adjustments for the group and/or you can add processing to each bus to help glue the grouped tracks together.
• Side-chain Compression (02:39) - Learn how you can use side-chain compression on a bus, in which the side-chain source is used as an output instead of a send. This works well for creating pumping effects in you mix that can give them more energy.
• Using the Mix Effects (04:33) - To finish off the course, we see how to use the Mix Effects, such as Console Shaper, on your buses for some final glueing and coloring of your tracks.