All language subtitles for PART 2_EN

As I'm progressing into the mix,
I'll just add elements in,

but at the same time,
I'm AB-ing the reference to make sure

that as I'm adding stuff in,
I'm still within the vibe.

Not necessarily the sound and where
exactly they had the reference,

but I want to still continue
to keep the vibe of the song.

So I'll be AB-ing.

What I'll do is I'll have the reference
within the section lined up to the song,

so I can do a quick
switch and AB as I'm going.

So, if I want to go
to the B section,

I can hear what the B section sounds
like on my mix versus the reference.

As I'm building, I'm still just
making sure that I'm not taking it

to a place that's far different
than what I was given.

Because I can always
go there if I want,

but I want to build
from that reference spot.

And when I'm dealing
with producers like Stargate,

they're already giving me great sounds,
they've made some great choices

before I got to it,
and I don't want to reinvent the wheel

when it comes to something
that they've given me.

So, I'm always checking on what
they've done, to hear the vibe

of what they've done, but also knowing
that I need to add my thing to it.

So, that's pretty much my process when I'm
adding stuff in, as I'm building the mix.

So, as I'm building, and I have
the bass and the drums

where I want to get them,
I might just EQ a little kick thing.

I might EQ some snare stuff,
just get it to where it needs to be.

And then I'll just start
adding in the different elements.

One of the main elements of this song
is the chords that they put in.

And I'm just listening
to what they did.

And I'm not really changing it
too much as far as EQ.

I added a little
bit of EQ out.

I like this little Scheps EQ
with the 1073 Scheps.

It's got a little character to it.

So I added a little bit of weight
to the keys with this.

Then I just blended it
in the track just to…

Where it didn't overtake the vocals
but it got a good space to it.

This track doesn't really
have a lot going on.

It's basically drums, bass,
this keyboard sound,

and Sam and Normani
for the most part.

So, as I'm adding things in,
I'm just finding space.

In a song like this it's really
not that difficult because,

like I said, it's not a lot
going on in the song.

It's just really about the lyric,
the melody, and the performance

that they've given
on the track.

So I'm just trying
to enhance that.

So, I'm listening to when I
first got this keyboard sound.

It was the famous sound,
the chords they put on the track.

I was listening to it,
and I just felt like

it could be
a little bit warmer.

So I just added a little bit of weight
with this Scheps, boosted a little 7,

a little 20, and it just
gave it a little vibe.

It was a little thin, but it felt better
with the bass, where the bass is sitting

and where the key
is sitting, met together.

This is without it,
and this is with it.

It felt good to me.

And as I added it into the track,
it just made the track overall warmer

and brought it together,
glued it, as you say.

The next element, there were some vocal
parts that they had in, little adlibs,

and some slight vocoder,
and some background effect stuff going on.

So, as I got the leads
where I want them,

I'm doing some slight rides
here in different sections

and different places that I think
the lead can come up and come down,

so I think I boosted a little bit
during the chorus for Sam's lead.

And then he had a little top octave
part that I had a little reverb on it

that I put it in the track right there
where the hooks come in.

So, as that's going, I'm just
getting the balance between the two

to just lift the vocal in that section.

And so the chorus is uplifted,
and then we move into

the second verse
with Normani.

And she had a little vocoder
in her hook as well.

So we added those little elements
around the lead to just

give some excitement
to those choruses.

So now, I'm just listening,
and I'm blending,

and I'm moving stuff around.
I might add a little more hi-hat.

I might bring the kick up.
I'm just balancing as I go.

I go from element to element.
I might EQ a vocal here.

I might turn the bass up.
I might bring a guitar in.

I might EQ
a guitar.

It's like putting a puzzle together
at that point, just seeing what fits,

what needs
to come back.

As I'm boosting
this EQ over here,

what EQ might need to be
subtracted on this side?

So I'm just making it all fit together at
this point, just blending it,

getting a really good blend totally
so everything works together.

Well, the process for me is, like I said,
I like referencing the rough mix

because that just gives me
the guide of where I should go.

But then I just trust
my natural instincts

of what I think will make
the song interesting for myself,

like what would make me want
to listen to the song over and over again,

what would make me excited
about the song when it came on?

And a lot of times, that's just where the
rhythm section is sitting with the vocals,

because that's actually
what's selling a song.

So, I'll listen, like I said, to the ref,
and then I'll come back

and I'll just really enhance
where I think it would just stick out.

A lot of times,
you're not getting a great ref,

but then you can get an idea
where you need to get it to.

So, for me, it's just making sure that the
song is grabbing people's attention.

And so, I just trust my natural
instincts as far as just getting it

to wherever it
needs to feel right.

This is the
reference mix here.

It's a little clear
on the vocal.

Just making them stick
out a little bit more.

Just listening to the overall
where the kick in the snare is,

making sure
that sticks out a lot,

because that's going to be
the driving factor in the song.

More definition in
the rhythm section for me.

Let's see here.

So I'm just listening just to make sure
that I'm still in the ballpark,

but at the same time,
creating my own vibe

so I get the song
where it needs to be.

As far as my Mix Bus processing,
when I'm first getting the blend up,

I'm not really
doing anything yet.

But as I go, and as I build
and I get the song

to where it's feeling like it's getting
close, I'll start adding things.

And so, one of the first things, like
I said, I add is I'll slap in my NTI EQ

just to
wake up the mix.

And what I found
is once I got a great blend,

I slap it in and it just brings
it a little bit more to life.

And then I'm just listening to it.

It's a setting that I have
on it that I just keep.

Also, using this Slate audio,
this Virtual Tape Machines.

I'll run it through that just to give it
a little analog feel, just slight use.

So it just gives a nice
little tone to it. Nothing dramatic.

All the moves
are very subtle moves,

but when you combine them all together,
it makes a good sound.

After I add that and listen to what that's
doing, I'll add a little bit more.

I like a lot of
the Slate gear.

This Revival plug-in is really cool
on the Master Bus.

It's got a thickness
and a shimmer tone to it.

And I use both the trimmer on both sides
to balance the level sometimes,

because going through the plug-ins can
make it really hot or not hot enough.

And so, this one,
I'm adding a little top shimmer

and a little bit
of bottom thickness

to it to overall just bring in
glue and goodness to the mix.

Then, from there, again,
I like the Slate stuff a lot, the AirEQ.

So this is the mix
with nothing on the Bus.

Then, like I said,
I'll slap in my NTI EQ…

…and it automatically just brings
the mix sounding alive.

This is one of my favorite EQs.
I've had it forever.

And as I'm listening to it,
I'm hearing what's going on.

I'll add in the Slate.

Pretty subtle,
nothing major.

I think the most major thing is
the NTI just gives a different character.

Then after that…

…I'll add this in.

Just the Revival.

Very subtle usage on it.

This is without it.

And then after that
I like to do the Eiosis AirEQ.

It looks like I'm actually EQing...

I'm using very, very
subtle top end.

I'm adding a little bit of…

…2K right around that area
to open up the mix

in that high-mid
frequency area.

Nothing major.

And I'm adding a little
top end to it.

And a shelf between 9.12K,
right around there, 9K.

Add that in.

Giving a little sheen to it.

And one of my other favorite compressors,
is the Manley Variable Mu.

I like using it on the Stereo Bus,
but I don't use it dramatically.

I just use it subtly
to glue things together.

Once I added all those EQs
and different things to the mix,

this just settles things down
but puts things in perspective.

Also boosting a lot of
the signal up as well.

That's without it.

Very little compression.

It's a sonic thing.

It just glues it to me.

Very subtle.

And for monitoring
purposes,

I like to run it through the FabFilter
Pro-L2 limiter just to give me

what the feeling is going to be
like after it's mastered.

Super loud, super compressed.

This is what it's
going to sound like.

So, when I make my reference MP3s, I'll
know what it's going to be similar to,

once mastering
touches it.

Now, when I print it,
I won't have this on there,

but I just use it
for monitoring purposes,

so I understand how the song is going to
be affected once it leaves my hands.

That's without it.

This brings the level up overall,
just kind of give you a mastering feel

to what the song
is going to sound like.