Hey Jon Love your work especially on “I LUV IT” !!
I was just wondering how you got that big low end on the mix for I LUV IT.
I usually run into that my 808 distorts the mix & it takes a lot of space. So how do I get the 808 clear while still keep the rest sounding open. (I mix into a clipper)
Thank you !
I personally think it depends on the type of distortion you’re using, and whether you have the HPF at the right frequency because of the phase stuff. u can declutter and clear the 808 up if you use odd order saturation plugins which just add saturation and not clamp and ruin the 808, like the khs distortion plugin, which is pure odd harmonics, and its free. however, your mixing into the clipper does complicate things, and mostly in a bad way, because you will have ruined your transient and it will be hard to reshape how those frequencies sound, it will all get mushy.
I suggest you mix into a compressor and a transparent limiter, with added saturation at first (my rule generally is Saturation->compression->width->limiting (ML4000), I learned this from John Hanes, Serban Ghenea’s assistant.)
don’t mix into a clipper, or at least have an overall 4dB compression on your mixbus stage (better if broken down into 2dB+2dB), as the low-end will definitely fart and get cause the problem you’re having.
take the clipper of and replace it with a combo of saturation then limiter if you don’t wanna use compressors. hell, If you really like mixing into clippers do so into inflator because that has a more transparent perceived loudness increase, turn its clipper off, and have the Effect at 100%. but be mindful as having high voltage 808s and low-end in general will fart your mix. another way is to limit it using a transparent limiter so it wont fart into the mixbus processing (yours is the clipper).
DO NOT USE DECAPITATOR ON YOUR 808s
that will destroy an already heavily saturated 808 which will ruin your sound at the mixbus stage.
another useful thing to know that might help you, Reconsider using a clipper on the mixbus, is that the clipper will not reshape your transients.
It will NOT keep the clarity, openness you are looking for. it will just make the transients have a square wave above some threshold, which is a reminiscent of Mario cart sounds which everybody hates these days.
replace the clipper with saturation, soft-knee comp and soft-knee limiting, and limit your 808 at the source. if you would like to saturate the 808 further, use transparent saturation such as khs distortion, Fabfilter Saturn’s “subtle saturation”, maybe inflator though it might sound rough, maybe Tone Projects Kelvin on 3rd Harmonic mode (this is one of the “cleanest” saturation u can get as it only adds the 3rd harmonic tone and not the overtones of 5th, 7th, etc.). you can use other saturation plugins but be mindful of the harmonics they make. if u did the first saturation stage above and if your mids where too empty (which has never happened in my case, but im guessing you like some “fullness” caused by the even order harmonics in the lowend saturation which to my ears "clutter the 200-400hz, but its your choice), in that case use a saturation plugin that creates even order harmonics too, (but i would put it before the odd order, so you add less even order harmonics but it will have more perception in the audio, so you get the benefit of having less actual clutter but “fuller” sound.
in short, modify your mixbus, be mindful of how much and what type of saturation you use, and try to limit your 808 so it wont hit your clipper like Mike Tyson. (hopefully you will replace it with the processes i mentioned above).
p.s. if you really want to have a clipper still, use Oxford inflator or Softube’s Clipper. the Softube is actually much more transparent and lets you have soft-knee clipping so keep those two in mind.
I also suggest you read John Hanes’ threads in Gearspace as he explains a shitload of information and how to do stuff to keep the clarity.
plus make sure your 808s and kick and bass aren’t hitting at the same time, watch some of Jaycen Joshua’s methods for that too, he explains it better.
Remember, less is always more.