Mix Down Difficulties

[titanisiam]

Hi, I am using Mixcraft 4.1 and I am having some difficulties when I go to Mix Down my Tracks.

Every single time I attempt this, the outcome of the file always sounds 'muddy.' (Best way to describe it) The sound quality, no matter which file type I save it as (even when saving it as an .MP3 with the HIGHEST settings possible) it still comes out as a file that sounds almost as if I upped the bass in it.

Any ideas how to overcome/solve this problem? Its very frustrating and I cant think of any solutions.

Any help is greatly appreciated, hopefully you understand where my problem lies.

Thanks!

[Jim Lad]

Could be any number of reasons. Reverb is one. Monitor quality. How busy are your tracks? What sounds great one track at a time will not necessarily sound so good in the mix.
Best to let someone (not me though) hear a slice.
Somebody smart!

[Vibrant Audio]

titanisiam, are you saying that the file you create on mixdown sounds different than when you just play the multi-track file in Mixcraft?

If so, what are you playing the mixed down file on?

Like Jim says, it would be great to hear what you are talking about. Upload a file somewhere - like mixcraftlive.com.

Probably need to know what ALL of your settings are when you mix down. File->Mix Down to->WAV->Edit Details

[Jim Lad]

Hey Thanks, Vibrant Audio.
I just followed that link and joined up.
I'll throw some songs on later.
Fantastic way to get some help from the folks here.
Cheers!
Jim

[JustOneOldMan]

titanisiam, just to add to what the others said.

I've found that mixes will sound different on almost every player or mixing system. When I finish a mix in Mixcraft and play it, it will sound a little different than when played through Media Player, and a little different through Quicktime, etc.

They also sound a little different when doing identical test mixes in Mixcraft, Acid Pro, and FL Studio.

What I end up doing is listening to a final mix on two different computer sound systems using both Media Player and Quicktime, the home theater system, and the car system. When I get a balance/mix that sounds good on average across the board, I feel like it's done.

If I had a real recording studio that wouldn't be necessary, but it's the way I check the final run.

[Acoustica Eric]

When you master an audio track or cd, you would want to play the audio back on your different players, all without eq, just flat.
That is the biggest reason you find a different sound from different players.
Also, no bass boost or whatever else players might have up their sleeve.

When I play my mastering projects back, I take them to my truck because that is where I listen to 99% of all my music, so i am quite used to how it should shound in there. I also have three sets of studio speakers all on an a/b/c switch, this allows me to find a happy medium for good sound between them all.

[Vibrant Audio]

If I had a real recording studio that wouldn't be necessary, but it's the way I check the final run.

It is still necessary to check your mixes in different systems even with a "real" recording studio. Until you're used to your system and how your mixes translate into other listening environments there will always be a lot of tweaking.

Keeping a notebook with info on eq, dynamics and effects settings from your good mixes can help you get there quicker. Also, factory presets on eq's can be helpful - try applying the presets without changing them and then mix down.

Bottom end is notoriously difficult to manage, especially if you're just mixing down on computer speakers or headphones or earbuds. Like Jim hinted at, getting decent monitoring is definitely a place to start.

[titanisiam]

Alright, thank you for the numerous responses everyone.

First off, to clarify some things, I only have one track in the entire mix, and that contains an acoustic recording that I recorded using a studio mic running through an Audio Interface which is then regulated into Mixcraft itself.

When I listen in Mixcraft, it sounds perfect - exactly how I want it to sound. I have applied no filters/effects anything. Yet when I export it to any format - WAV, MP3, WMA, OGG it always sounds dull and muddy.

I will try to upload a sample in the next 48 hours of both the mixcraft file and the exported/mix down file.

*I also have not changed any of the default settings in the program either

[pauldavid]

One thing it could be is the sample rate.

If you recorded at 16 and try to upsample it to 24 in mixcraft, I would imagine it would make things sound a bit different.