Finalising Your Mix

Bouncing
A finished piece of work in Logic must be bounced down to a stereo audio file format so it can be burnt to CD or played through another audio application such as itunes. When your mix is ready to bounce, use the following settings for a PCM file: File format: AIFF Resolution: 16bit Sample Rate: 44100 File Type: Interleaved Dithering: None

When bouncing to mp3 use the following settings: Bit rate mono: 96kbps Bit rate stereo: 192kbps Do NOT use variable bit rate encoding Use best encoding and Filter frequencies below 10Hz should be selected.

Finalising Your Mix

Finalising Your Tracks

Here are some tips on preparing your track for submission. Level Bear in mind when you are mixing that peak levels on your main L-R mix must not exceed 0dB. The level at the main mix is an accumulation of all the channels in your mixer so consider from the start how each track is contributing to the level at the main fader. In general, try to avoid your L-R mix peaking above -2db. Normalisation The level of an audio file can be lifted through normalisation a process which raises the loudest peak in your mix to a predetermined normalisation level. This can be useful if the level at your main outs is low. However, a low level at the main outs means you are not using the mixers headroom efficiently and may have a poor signal to noise ratio. If this is the case, it might be better to look again at the levels of individual tracks. Compression Your use of compression in the mix will have a bearing on how effective normalisation will be. If youve chosen not to reduce transients (the sharp, attack portion of a musical sounds waveform) using compressors, then the audio file may contain peaks which already approach 0dB. In this case the normalisation function will not be able to raise the overall level of the file much and will have little effect. Controlling transients with compressors however, will reduce dynamic range and enable you to push up the level of an individual track or of the L-R mix without it peaking. The result a higher average level and a louder sounding mix.

Finalising Your Mix Limiting A limiter is very similar to a compressor. The primary difference is the ratio used in reducing gain. In a limiter, this ratio is set up to be as close to infinity:1 as possible (no matter how much the input signal changes, the output level should remain pretty much constant). The idea is that a limiter establishes a maximum gain setting, and prevents signals from getting any louder than that setting. See Logics Instruments and Effects manual for a simple explanation. Limiters can be used in the main L-R bus or on a previously bounced stereo file to prevent clipping. You should use limiting primarily to prevent signals becoming too loud. In modern pop mastering limiting is sometimes used as a creative effect if a high signal is driven into the limiter drastic gain reduction takes place giving the impression that a mix is very powerful but is somewhat squashed and lacking dynamic range. If you decide to use a limiter do so in a subtle way or the examiners may think you have misunderstood the process. Avoid squashing your mix by keeping a careful eye on the limiters gain reduction meter. If it is registering more than about 1dB of gain reduction you are driving your signal too hard into the limiter and you should consider reducing the level arriving at the limiter. Mastering The process of treating a stereo mix to prepare it for release is known as mastering. Mastering is a process usually separated from mix engineering. Professional mastering takes place in purpose built studios using dedicated hardware and plug-ins. As a consequence, mastering your own recordings can be a minefield and, as music tech students, you are not expected to deliver professionally mastered work. Beware of over-processing the main left-right mix channel and, if in doubt, dont process it at all.