Harsh Headphone Mix?

[mark4man]

People,

Was experimenting with using various UAD-1 plug-ins to beef up the rhythm track of my new tune (actually, I wanted to accomplish what good tracking plug-ins are designed for...to have the instruments stand out in their own sonic space in the stereo field.)

For the three basic tracks in the DAW (SONAR), I placed the Fairchild 670 across the acoustic piano, at the Default setting. I placed the Pultec Pro across the bass guitar, at the Master-PunchPresence setting. I also placed the Pultec Pro across the drums, at the Stereo Drums Full Boost setting. After the Pultec (on the drums), I added RealVerb-Pro, at the Big Ambience setting.

On my studio monitor system, the mix sounded like a million bucks. But in my Sennheiser headphones, it sounded harsh; & over the top...like I was overdriving either individual tracks or the mix buss. The piano sounded too percussive; & the snare sounded like the snare springs were loose...a rattling sound. But the meters didn't reveal a whole lot of overs.

Not being used to the extra gain I get with the EQ on the Pultec; & not being all that familiar yet with the Fairchild, I'm going to go back to hear what they all sound like by themselves. But overall, I like the sound of the instruments (& mix) as processed; & obviously just need less gain somewhere. So, in a situation like this, what provides the best overall results, trimming the inputs to the plug (Trim falls prior to the Insert in SONAR, as with most DAW’s), or lowering the Track Level after the plug? (And of course I'm going to try different methods on my own to get the best sound at the optimum level), but was wondering what others do when they run across this issue.

Thanks,

mark4man

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1024 MB PC1066 RDRAM
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SONAR XL 2.2
WaveLab 4.1b

BTW - Went back & looked at the max headroom post. My existing levels were averaging around -6dBFS to -12dBFS, with periodic transients at or near 0dBFS.

 

[mbarrs]

Be careful with the Pultec. There is no output level control (we've been requesting this in another thread), and even in a high bit depth audio engine, it can overdrive the next plugin you have in an insert chain. Depending on the situation, you may even need to add another plugin after the Pultec that does nothing more than trim the gain a little, before passing the signal along to the next plugin. I was getting some subtle distortion (the bad kind) in my mixes before I figured this out, and it can happen even if your track faders aren't set especially hot.

Of course it could be something else in your gain staging, but the Pultec is the first thing I'd check.

Mike Barrs

 

[BobYordan]

I agree, using Pultec pro, I tend to get a bit 'deaf' listening to the mid boost it can produce. Sometimes when listen to a mix I made the day before I cant stand the mix the first round of listening, but then the ears adapt rather fast.

 

[mark4man]

mbarrs & BobYordan,

Thanks much.

I think it may be my patches (MIDI/Roland JV-1010.) Especially the pianos, they all seem to distort somewhat with a lot of the UAD-1 plugs (any that add substantial gain, e.g. the Pultec Pro, the Fairchild 670, the LA2A, 1176, etc.)

They're a little smoother when I record them into the DAW via my pre (2-610) first; & then apply the DSP...(as opposed to recording them directly in & boosting the gain.) The Cambridge EQ seems to be working best for me on the pianos. Most of the Roland programs sound great as is; & just need a touch of EQ to make them stand out in the mix.

Thanks,

mark4man