Quote:
Originally Posted by BonzoHansen
FWIW, the song on the new GHIII cd is supposedly better soudning. Why I do not know.
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They could have done it two different ways; they could have taken the pre-mix tracks and handed them over to another studio to take the tracks and create the session for GH3 with a different mix and code it for video games (I forget the coding name, Coding for Mixed Media is the next class at Berklee). This would result in a totally different mix, as well as the coding to allow for each section of tracks (drums, vocals, bass, guitar) to be isolated for the game.
Or, they could have taken the post-mix tracks and sent them off to a different studio and re-processed the mix to add dynamics. I did this a few times for situations like this, and it's a bit of studio trickery. What you do is consider the post-mix tracks as say 0db, or at the digital peak level. Then record them into Pro Tools at say -10db. This would take the 0db clipped mix and bring it back into Pro Tools at a lower volume, but, it still wouldnt have dynamics. So, what you do then is either sent it back out to be processed externally (to the computer) or you can do it in the box as well. You could run the mix through reverb to add a little life to it and run the reverb returns to a set of aux tracks and mix the levels. This will add some dynamics. Then run the summed outs to a transient modulator and set it high to try and pull some of the transients out. This will increase the attacks, or wave peaks, and synthetically add dynamics. Now, you have to address the issue from when you re-recorded the tracks back into Pro Tools at a lower volume (half actually, as -10db is half perceptual volume). You can use a perceptual level modifier, like the Sony Inflator that increases perceived volume, while keeping the electrical level the same. Now, you wouldnt want tot just push the volume fader up to make it louder, because that would result in the same outcome of what you were trying to fix, as the wave peaks you just created would get clipped as the RMS level got closer to the peak level of 0db. So, what you would do is use something like the Sony Inflator to increase the perceived volume level, while keeping your wave shapes the same. Magic, now you have the new Metallica album with more dynamics. Unfortunately, this wont fix the mix, only make it more listenable and add more dynamics to it.
One of the first things I was taught was appreciation for all forms of music from an engineering stand point. The one thing the teachers all said was take this from funk and R&B; everything in these styles is groove, and groove is the fundamental for a catchy song. Funk and R&B are full of it, and as an engineer, you know you have a song that grooves if you can look at your stereo master level indicators and you see them bouncing up and down with the rhythm, and your head is following them. If you squeeze all of the dynamics out like they did here, it kills the groove.