#39: 7 Tips to Improve Your Piano Mixing

In this episode, I demonstrate how to mix a modern piano using the Korg M1 piano VST and "house piano' patch.

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Transcript

Intro: 0:00

You're listening to the inside the mix podcast with your host, Mark Matthews.

Marc Matthews: 0:05

Hello, and welcome to the inside the mix podcast. I'm Mark Matthews, your host, musician producer, and mix and mastering engineer. You've come to the right place. If you want to know more about your favorite symp music, artists, music engineering, and production songwriting, and the music industry. I've been writing, producing, mixing, and mastering music for over 15 years. And I wanna share what I've learned with you. Hey folks, and welcome back to another inside. Podcast music production tutorial. Now, in this episode, I'm gonna demonstrate how I would go about processing a piano. So I'm actually using the cog M one piano VST, and I'm using the house piano preset. So I haven't got in, created my own in this instance, I'm just using the house piano preset. So I've got that set up. And the first thing I'm gonna do is this. So I'm gonna play the. Piano sort of riff medley melody to you. Okay. So that is it. Um, unprocessed and what I'm gonna do is the first thing I'm gonna make it wider. Um, and to do this, you can use any sort of stereo width based plug and bug gonna use the ozone, uh, So I'm just gonna load that up and I'm gonna use, uh, there's a preset called modern width. I'm just gonna start off with that. And then I'm just gonna add a bit of width to the upper mids and the highs. So this is with the imaging. Okay. That's with, and this is without. Okay. And again, with, we're gonna bring down those highs a bit, so highs, anything about sort of six K and then the mid range, sort of 400 to, to six K. So sort of incorporates a bit of the low mids as well. So I've had a bit of St width cuz the actual plug in. Um, present it in mono. So first things first added a bit of width. So next, what I'm gonna do is, um, I'm gonna add a bit of compression. I'm actually, I've, I've stolen. I say stolen Magid is probably the correct term for this, this, uh, technique from Bob Osinski the mixed engineer's handbook, which, uh, I highly recommend you go and, um, and check out. I've mentioned it a few times and I'll put a link in the sh in the show notes to this. So I'm using the LA to a, um, slate, digital emulation. I've got two of. And what I'm doing is, um, there's actually a preset there called keys leveler. So I started off with that and, um, I've actually set it. So there's about 10 DB of game reduction, and then I've adjusted the gain to compensate for that gain reduction. So this is with the compression. This is without. So hopefully what you can hear there is this is with the dynamics in the piano there, that actual last sort of chord stab. Is, um, leveled it's, it's nice and leveled with the other notes leading up to it. So as again, what I've done there is I've used, uh, an LA two, a emulation, um, and I haven't done it. What I've, what I've wanted to do was keep the initial transient attack. So I didn't wanna hammer down on that initial attack. So peak, uh, reduction set to about 50 with this LA two, a emulation, um, and I'm aiming for 10 DB in terms of game reduction, which is quite a. Um, but what I've done is I've, uh, dialed it back in terms of the mix. So I've only got 60% of the actual, uh, LA two, a coming through. So sort of parallel compression if you like. And I've got two of those running one after the other. Um, just so I can just get that nice level in there. And, um, what I sometimes do is, uh, using the slate digital, uh, mix rack. I like to use the revival plugin just to add a bit of shimmer at the. So, and thickness, it's quite hard to discern. Um, but this is with this shimmer in there as well, or rather the revival. There we go. If I turn it off, hopefully you can hear that it loses that sort of sparkle at the top end. And then right at the end of that, what you should always do with your game staging is whenever you do your processing is get it back to the optimum gain level that you had before it. So you're not got these wild fluctuations in level throughout your mix. So I've used the trimer plugin at the end just to bring it down by about a DTB and a half. So, um, Once again, no compression with compression. So I've got my compression, I've done my stereo whip. The next thing I'm gonna do is this. I'm actually gonna use the infinity EQ, and I'm just gonna find some resonance from this particular piano, cuz it can sound quite harsh in places and also a bit, um, bit muddy as it were in, in the low mid. So I've um, what I'll, what I'll do in this instance is I've I've rolled off the low. A hundred Hertz and below, and then what I've done is I wanted just a bit of that, a hundred Hertz, a little bump there, but only in the mono signal. So what I've used is the, uh, the mid side EQ, and I've said it to, to mid, and I've just a little bump around one DB. Around a hundred Hertz, just that, that sort of filter cut off. And then what I've got at the other end is I've got a, a high shelf with about a DB and a half of boost around 14 kilohertz, just to add a bit of air to it as well. And then what I'll do is, uh, a lot of steps to this. I will use, uh, I'll sweep through using a band filter, trying to find those resonance that I want to get rid of. So I'm just gonna play without the EQ. And this is with the EQ. Okay. So the, the process here, it's basically you wanna get sort of a narrow bell filter and just boost it. I've boosted it around nine DB and then just sweep through the frequency spectrum, trying to find those resonance. So there's one there. So I'm just gonna bring that down. That's about 500 Hertz. Uh, I'm not gonna go through all of them, but there's another one here at sort of 6,000 PERTs or six kilohertz. It's bit brittle. So I'm just gonna put sort of a cut in there. And as I said, I'll go through that process and just sweep through and find those resonances that I want to get rid of rule of thumb here. Uh, if you are cutting narrow, if you're boosting have a nice wide queue. Just a bit of rule of thumb there. Let's take a quick break from this episode so that I could tell you about a free resource that I made for you. It's a PDF checklist that describes what you need to do to properly prepare a mix for mastering. So you've done the hard work and you love your mix yet. Suitably preparing a mix for mastering is often overlooked by musician. Resulting in delayed sessions, excessive back and forth conversation and frustration on both parts. I want to help fix that. So if you want this free resource, just go to www dot synth music, mastering.com. As this checklist will help and guide you to make the mastering process as smooth, transparent, and exciting as possible. So again, the URL is www.sy music, mastering.com for this free preparing a mix for mastering checklist. Let's get back to the episode. So next one I'm gonna add is this, this is called the sooth EQ, and this is great for just attenuating, any high frequency or resonance or sharpness that you wanna get rid of. Now, I've only just found this sooth plugin and I've only just installed it. So I haven't had proper time to play around with it. So I'm using the piano, enhancer, preset. And the idea being is just gonna, once again, after the EQ, it's just gonna really smooth out any resonance or peaks that I have. So this is without the sooth EQ. Okay. And I'm using the piano enhancer setting. So this is what it sounds like with heat sooth, the Q dial it back a bit. Now I really like that. It sounds nice and smooth. Now I've only just started playing around with this particular plugin. So in future tutorials, if I do continue on using this plugin, cause I do have a free trial at the moment for 20 days. I'll um, I'll incorporate this more into my mixing, but that's using the sooth to plug in just to help tame any frequencies. I didn't catch with the E. So next on my list of processing, I'm using the soft tube saturation. No. Now this is a free PR and I really like it. It's really simple to use. It's got a really nice, easy G I as well. Uh, you've gotta keep low NA neutral rather, or keep high. And I just want to add a bit of saturation to the high end. So this is without, okay. Now I'm gonna dial in some saturation in the high end. There we go. So just add in a bit of saturation and presence to those high frequencies. There we go. So that's using the soft tube saturation knob. Now you can use any saturation plugin, you just need to find it or set it so that you're only adding saturation to the high. Um, and in particular with this, if you're using the soft tube, uh, you really don't need that much with this saturation plugin. Otherwise it does, it will sound brittle quite quickly, cause I've gotta set very, very low in terms of the mix. So that's the soft tube saturation. Um, so adding saturation to the high end, the next in my workflow, uh, plugin chain for this piano is reverb. Now I'm using my favorite reverb, which is the Val Halla vintage reverb or vintage verb. And, um, I've got a. Plug in for this one or plug in or set preset rather for this. And I've got it set to about 0.46 in terms of decay, which is time to the track and a 3.16 millisecond delay. And I've only got it, set it to 20 in terms of the mix. I want it to be, I don't want it to be too bright in the mix as well. Cause the piano's quite bright anyway. So I've used the builtin EQ of the vintage Vibra re. And I've got a high cut around. I'm probably gonna bring it back a bit more, actually around eight kilohertz or 8,000 Hertz. And I've got a low cut of 140 Hertz. So just adding a bit of, um, adding or rather attenuating some of that low. So this is without now I'm gonna add the reverb. Bring it still sounds quite brittle eighties. I'm gonna try now. Yeah, I think that sounds pretty good. So that's the reverb added? So once again, it's a relatively short decay 0.4, six time to the track and a pre delay, 3.16, and then a mix around 20 Hertz. Once again, with the actual EQ, if you want something to sound brighter in the mix. Don't roll off so much of the high end allow more of the high end to come through. Uh, if you want someone to sound darker in the mix, then roll back, use more of a high cut to, uh, attenuate those high frequencies. So I wanted it. I didn't want it to sound too high, um, too, too high to, uh, present in the mix. So I've rolled it back to about 8,000 Hertz, eight kilohertz. Um, but I wanted some of. Uh, low end. Um, and that sort of, I wanted to sound a bit darker, so I haven't attenuated as much of the low end as usually would. So it's only about 140 Hertz, so that's the vintage verb. So finally, in my plugin chain for this piano, I'm using the repeater, uh, delay plugin. Okay. It's called repeater as a vintage vintage modeled delay. And, uh, I cycled through all the different, uh, delay presets in this one here. And I quite like the vintage. Slap back, but I've got it very low in the mix. Very low indeed. Cuz um, it's quite apparent when it's in there and I've got the feedback. I'm just gonna dial that up to about 20% at the moment and it was at zero. So this is that. And this is with. I just kind of bring it into the mix a bit more. I should dial it back a bit. Yep. Okay. So that's with the addition now of delay, delay adds more depth to it. I find. Um, and with I, what I find with delays as well is less, is more, I try not to. I get it. So it's just apparent in a mix. Now throughout this whole process, I've actually done all of this processing. Without the context of the mix, which is probably what I wouldn't advise to do, but I just want it. It's, it's easier for the listener and the viewer to hear the changes, cuz they're not familiar with my mix, but when you go through this process, do all this in the context of the mix. And one thing to note with the repeater, probably with any delay plugin, when you start adding that delay and you're boosting it in your mix, you'll find that the output volume output level might drop. So always be ready to compensate for that reduction in output level, as I've had. Do with this particular one. So what I'm gonna do now is I'm just going to bypass all the plugins and then reinstate them so you can hear the final version. Okay. So here we go. This is processed and now I'm gonna bring all the process. So hopefully you can hear that the piano sounds a lot more level. Uh, it's a lot more apparent. It's a lot richer. There's more depth to it as well. And once again, if you're doing this and you're going following these steps, do it in the context of the mix. So on the topic of context in the mix, this is what it sounds like with the rest of the track. Okay. So that is the end of this tutorial episode. I hope you found it useful and you've found something that you're able to take away and you're use in your own product. Please do leave comments and reviews. Let me know if it's been useful. Let me know what you would do differently. I'm always open, um, to honest critique and opinions as well. And also leave, uh, comments. If you want to see me cover anything else in particular. Whatever platform you are listening or viewing this on, please do like follow and subscribe and look out for the next podcast episode next week. Thank you for listening to our show. If you like what you're hearing, make sure to rate our show on apple podcasts.