Let us get real-- for those who question

[browzer]

I had problem with wax build-up a couple of months ago, went to Specsavers who wanted £60 per ear to vacuum, decided to try it myself first and bought this Kit from Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07C2SBCDL/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1  

3 drops in both ears, twice a day for 1 week then used the syringe. It worked a treat at first attempt for both me and wife. It's the way my doctor used to do it when I was a kid and it only cost £10.98. Now had my hearing back to normal since November and no sign of the problem returning.

Ronnie

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

Hi Browzer or Ron,
You could of damaged your ears by getting a do it yourself kit. I know for example people have to pay a lot of money in the USA, so i can only explain the UK way.
I will drive myself nuts and then put them in my ear and pour Lindt chocolate in for a treat on Friday night. Thanks for the tip Del Boy!!
I saw a nurse this morning at our surgery and she checked both ears.
Well, the funny thing is that my blocked ear is an infection and my good ear has wax in it which drops would sort out.
Now that was totally opposite to what i was thinking as my Bad ear feels as though it has a block of wood in it scouling against the sides which is probably now inflamation.
Have been given anti-biotics free as i am an old git over 60 and that has saved me £60 or $75 approx.
I would say go to your GP first to have your lug holes checked as they are the only pair like eyes that you get. No second chances.
It does make you feel grumpy!!! grrraaaaaah!!


All the Best
John                             Ps Hopefully get back on with the music end of next week   " I will see DR Lee now"

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[Lee Batchelor]

Ps Hopefully get back on with the music end of next week   " I will see DR Lee now"

Good one, John! I actually do have medical credentials in the pathology lab. I studied laboratory medicine out of university. Ironically, 99% of my instructors were from the UK !

It's a known fact among the medical community that prolonged wearing of headphones can contribute or even cause ear infections. The moisture and temperature in this sustained environment is the perfect breeding ground for pathogens. Here's a good article.
https://www.axahealth.co.uk/health-information/conditions/headphones-hearing-and-ear-health/

Get this fixed. Otherwise we may all need to post replies to you in UPPERCASE LETTERS, which is the universally accepted sign on the internet that someone is yelling .

[Toril S]

So no I have to worry about all sorts of germs crawling around in my headphones! Rhanks a lot guys😀😀😀 I really needed yet another thing to worry me😀😀😀🛏🎹

[Lee Batchelor]

So no I have to worry about all sorts of germs crawling around in my headphones! Thanks a lot guys😀😀😀 I really needed yet another thing to worry me😀😀😀🛏🎹

On a brighter note Toril, I believe they recommend wearing headphones for 20 minutes at a time and then taking a break to let the middle and inner ear environment stabilize. That's good advice for the hearing organ too and your ability to monitor sound correctly. Sustained stimulation to the ears causes the ears to shutdown. It's their defense mechanism against sustained loud sounds - unless some idiot turns their Marshall or Fender amp up to 11 !!

Oh yes, don't forget there's still those little Omicrons floating around the planet. If you see one, step on it - with attitude !

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

Hi Toril ,
Now you can thank Dr Lee!!
I have got a weeks course of Clarithromycin which is hoped to clear it up. Some form of penicillin i think.
Sounds like a build up of fluid due to infection.
Talking about pathologists, there is a good Australian series called Harrow. On third series.
Well back to the GENOS YELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL'
It is funny where mixing takes you!!



All the best
John

[soundphase]

I think a very good music score can be totally ruined by a bad mix (hurting ears), and a very flat score with poor sounds, can become very good with a good mix
If you listen to a good orchestra recorded on a 1930's 78 rpm or 1960's 33 rpm Vinyl, and the same, after remastering and new numeric effects, you can generally hear a lot of differences. 

[CRTyros]

hi all,

intresting topic with intresting comments.
My two cents: have you tried the pink noise trick?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQYoFwCRYTw

I have been using it for a while and it gets you to a good baseline and then you can tweak along the way.


/Claudio

[maartenb]

Mixing, as well as producing and mastering, are crafts. What you hear on CDs is created by the best. So give yourself some slack and time to learn it.

This video by Doctor Mix shows how much layers are in the song "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2qO-Zi_YbY
Just to give you an idea of what happens in the song.

So, get some books and/or online courses about mixing and practice, practice, practice. All while having a ton of fun!


Maarten

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

Hi Marten
I do look at tons of videos and read.
This is a long learn curve.but i am making slow progress.
What has helped me is that my ears ar now getting over a long ear infection. Sorted with a variation of penicillen.
I can hear stereo properly again.
It is not nice to get a waxed up ear one side and after that was ok  i got an ear infection in the other.
Also sinuses do not help this time of year.
I will get there in the end if nothing else gets me.


All the Best
john

[Joe H]

Creating a good mix is subjective and is an art.  It also takes a good ear.  Some people need to study (like music theory) some play by ear.  Same is true with mixing.  Some people need to study technique, and some have skills enough to mix by ear.

"One man's meat is another man's poison" applies to mixing.  One person may think the "mix" is really good, and other will say it sounds bad.

Go figure!



Joe H

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

hi Joe
I have  listened to some of Paul McCartney recordings and they are so clear and warm and a lot going on in the backgrounds.
I find a lot of modern music and some rock mixes are quite bland for pro mastering. Another mans meat , i suppose.
Some songs have great front,background and width with warmth and class and others seem like enhanced mono
Now i find i am getting closer , but it is getting a consistancy which is challanging. It seems like the impossible dream.
I suppose taking the Genos alone and getting a great mix, the trick must be to make a good template.
A different story if you have singers though.
I will be using a lot more vst soon and vst sound is far superior to the Genos sounds off the bat.
My ear infection has cleared now and  and minor sinus winter problems which does makes you feel boxy around the ears.
It is great to hear stereo again though!!
The best mixes that you hear for example is Pink Floyds --Money. Comes out unbelievable on my Focal Alpha monitors.
I am using reference tracks a lot more now that i am getting into it and the gap is now closing.
The thing that i have learnt is not to change a track whilst mixing as you can lose focus. Just enhanceand make small moves with eq and compression.
It is getting all of that in your head along with low and high passing etc.  Gulfoss EQ is starting to take some weight off of me as it is an intelligent EQ and acts also like  a muliband as it goes through all of the frequencies adjusting constantly during a song. This is what i have learnt and it sounds great doing the before and after. It pulls out frequencies and can cut them back. This EQ is worth the money
Any way i will keep plugging on  as i love this challenge.


All the best
John   " it certainly keeps your brain active"

[overover]

Off Topic

Hi John --
Reading articles about musicians great and not-so-great, no one seems completely satisfied with work that is supposedly "finished." Sometimes I have to tell myself "Close enough for rock'n'roll" and move on. 
I
Well said PJD  Somewhere ,years ago, I read a quote which said "A musician's work is never done. It is the musician's joy and curse".  signed Yammyfan.

Hi YammyFan,

When using the Quote function, please make sure to write your answer outside of the [quote⁣] ... [/quote]⁣ tags (so that your answer doesn't appear in the speech bubble of the quoted text). Otherwise it is somewhat confusing to read.


Best regards,
Chris

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

Hi Off Topic

Thanks for the Info!!

All the best
y"ummy Yami Ugawog"a
Sorry Chris!!

Close enough , we have to move on!!

[Lee Batchelor]

Yammy fan has disappeared. Hope we didn't hurt his or her feelings .

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

Hi Lee
I bet he has a ducks back as he was only trying to help.
I hope you are on top form and now i have my ears back and hearing stereo.
That infection was not very nice and the after effects last quite a while.
What i am doing at the moment is mixing a song and going back to the original recording if i lose focus
I have realized now that a recording from the Genos is really well balanced , so no need for gain staging in Cubase.
The songs always for me land up at around 16 to 17 LUF's and that is in the ballpark.
When mixing in Cubase it is easy to lose focus when learning and rather keep plugging on , i go back to the original .
I like Eileens tip that she was told when recording keep the compressor off and just have the Eq.
When mixing i hear faults in the strings, like unwanted artifacts that can be eq'd out at certain frequencies. By leaving EQ on and not changing the Strings for example can sound better that trying to change everything.
I have come to the conclusion, if it sounds good on the Genos,  do not change it, just mix the song in Cubase. Small moves with EQ and other things.
When it comes to an attempt at mastering  it is where things can go wrong. Your song can sound thin, toppy,etc and maybe you have to go back to the mix.
Ozone helps a lot , but it is understanding what everything does. I try to get things upfront at the back and over your head feeling and stereo width rather than going for the loudest thing that could put out.
It is fun learning , but frustrating sometimes. Very time consuming , but now i am retired It is "Back to the Future  We have all the time in the world"
People who just record and use Audacity to finish can get pretty good results and going through Cubase and mix/ mastering can mess things up. But the Cubase way is the best if you get your head around it and recording can be made better. it is up to the pilot and how well he can manage that aeroplane.
Some may say why do you do what you do , and i say it is fun learning no matter how old you get. Slowly getting there now.
Just watch Ian Sheppards mastering video live last night and it is amazing how little you really have to do. But you have to know your room and what you are doing.
i put on my favourite music when in my room on the monitors so i get used to how the real songs sound . Got to get the ears tuned up to the genre's i like.  It is all a long learn curve of trial and error.   I am finding Gulfoss a great help . Amazing EQ




All the best
john

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

Yammy fan has disappeared. Hope we didn't hurt his or her feelings .

I do not want to upset Chris either

[YammyFan]

Yammy fan has disappeared. Hope we didn't hurt his or her feelings .

No, You haven't hurt my feelings. It is just that I  removed my post  and tried to put it up properly and couldn't figure out how to do that.

[Roger Brenizer]

No, You haven't hurt my feelings. It is just that I  removed my post  and tried to put it up properly and couldn't figure out how to do that.

If you're referring to the post that Chris tried to help you with, in Reply #42 above, it's very simple, YammyFan.  After selecting the "Quote Function", as I have done in this post, just position the cursor at the end of the last displayed [/quote] and hit "Enter" twice to position your comment outside the original member's quote.  Then start your own comment and it will look like what you see in this post.

I hope this helps you, YammyFan. 

[YammyFan]

If you're referring to the post that Chris tried to help you with, in Reply #42 above, it's very simple, YammyFan.  After selecting the "Quote Function", as I have done in this post,



I hope this helps you, YammyFan. 

Well, that's good information. I'll try it. And I will take Chris's advice and always preview. Good on you Roger and Chris. signed Yammyfan.

[Lee Batchelor]

Glad you're still here, YammyFan.

John, well put. The formula, "less is more" really applies to final mixing. Yours and Eileen's comments gave me an "ah-ha" moment. Recordings from the Genos are very good. I think Yamaha has attempted to provide an output that satisfies the living room players who use the Yamaha speakers, as well as, those who play the live stage and use far bigger systems. Recordings from the Genos likely need very little tweaking. The Mastering software must be used very carefully. The tendency is to crush a final mix with all kinds of algorithms from the Mastering software, when in reality, it results in a sloppy mess.

You mentioned using VST instruments. Yes, VST sounds are superior to most of the Genos sounds, although that's debatable with the ART and SA2 voices. I've done recordings using 95% VST and a few Genos voices. Those final mixes took a ton of time and work to get right.

The moral: Learn how to do final mixing with predominantly Genos voices first, and then advance to VST voices. It sounds like you're well on your way to doing that already.

I've let my recording activities slide over the past year in favor of learning how to play the R&B genre. The new band I joined needs brass, sax, B3, strings, piano, vibes, and e.piano. The Genos is absolutely the best instrument with which to achieve these sounds. The Registrations make the job very smooth. The guys wonder how I can switch over to different sounds so fast. They sometimes wonder if I pre-scored a lot of my sounds! That would be impossible without a click track for the drummer. The Genos is just stellar for this type of playing. But I digress......again....

[Joe H]

hi Joe... 
Gulfoss EQ is starting to take some weight off of me as it is an intelligent EQ and acts also like  a muliband as it goes through all of the frequencies adjusting constantly during a song. This is what i have learnt and it sounds great doing the before and after... Any way i will keep plugging on  as i love this challenge.


All the best
John   " it certainly keeps your brain active"

John,

I find it helpful to take a break for a couple of days, ( my ears can get tired) then come back and listen to the mix again.  Many times I hear things differently that way. It helps me a lot!



Joe H

[YammyFan]

Hi John --

I. Reading articles about musicians great and not-so-great, no one seems completely satisfied with work that is supposedly "finished." Sometimes I have to tell myself "Close enough for rock'n'roll" and move on. 

All the best to ya -- pj

I read somewhere a good quote which said "A musician's work is never done. It is the musician's joy and curse."

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

I must admit it sound a little pedantic. it all depends which way you look at it 
What have you done with that flaming quote Yammi!!! "Sausages"!!

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

I read somewhere a good quote which said "A musician's work is never done. It is the musician's joy and curse."

hi Pj

A bit like a Bumble bee !!

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

Hi Joe

I am now walking away for an hour after a spell on the mixing.
You ought to look at Gulfoss, it makes the difference.
I will demonstrate my latest effort a little later.


all the best
John

[Joe H]

Hey John,

I just spent several hours mixing a new style I created.  I'm up to 14 iterations and still not done.  Every time I make an edit I save with a new letter... style A, style B, Style C, etc. That's what it is like. It's a slow process of adjusting Voices, drum kits, Volumes, DSP Types and depths, Filters, Panning, etc. Then there is the OTS settings... picking the appropriate Right and Left Voices.  Some days are good days and some are bad days. A few months from now I may decide it needs more editing.



Joe H

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

Hi Joe
I have just mixed Love Grows an Edison Lighthouse song and to my ears on the headphones it sounds like i have got it right comparing with the real version.
I have had to really get used to flat sound using Sonarworks Sound ID reference. It's all a worry. 
Tonight, i will check on my monitors and then back to headhones to check the stereo fine points.
After a bounce down to single track i will put into Ozone and try to master it the best that i can, just making minor tweaks and then bring up to stream level and also have a go to bring it to CD level.
My Christmas mix and master of the song that i did i felt it was too bright and slightly thin, so i went back to delving into videos online again to find answers.
Looking how they mastesr make it look easy with only small moves to polish,  it is down to experimentaion again to emulate them.
We will crack it in the end.
I will compare the finish result from Ozone 9 and also just using Gulfoss master EQ and limiter to bring the level to 11 to 14 LUF's
Ozone 9 has a Tonal balance to get your song into the right bracket, but sometimes it never turns out the way that you think it would.
It is all down to the learning process. It is getting closer
Just hope it turns out the same as the reference track this time.
I am also putting on songs more often on my Monitors regulaly now, so i get used the sound of them.
Well i will keep on trying and now i have got my ears back to normal after a o'rrible ear infection . That makes you very miserable

All the best
john

[Lee Batchelor]

John, would you post some of your work? I'd love to hear your final product. Probably need to use a hosting site due to the large file sizes.

[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

Hi Lee

Yes , i will put the song on Box.com when finished.
Tomorrow i hope to get somewhere.
I will explain what i have done and  i am open to criticism, hopefully constructive
I do not mind as learning is the way to go and any advice is always welcome.
I wonder also what the updates are in Stylemagic. Looking foward to having a look.


All the Best
John