Mixing in ableton (cms 1)

Question 1

What is gain staging

Answer 1

Managing your gain stages is one of the fundamental concepts of mixing.

Changing the gain (level) of signal in a signal chain is considered a gain stage.

Every gain change you make affects every other gain stage after it.

In Ableton Live, the order of gain stages occurs in this order:
Audio clip gain (or a MIDI instrument’s output volume)
Track plug-ins from left to right
Track volume slider
Master track plug-ins from left to right
Master volume slider

Managing the relative balance of these gain stages is the art of mixing.

Question 2

Gain staging in DAWs

Answer 2

In digital audio, gain limits have harsh digital clipping.

In mastering, the goal is to get the signal as high as possible without going into unwanted clipping.

In mixing we have to leave headroom for the mastering process.

Increase gain until it clips, then back it off by 10%.

MIXING TIP:
At 24 or 32 bit resolution, there is almost no loss of quality with audio peaks as low as –12dBFS (decibels to full scale).

It will actually make mixing a lot easier if you tracked your recordings’ average in the –10 to –15dBFS range.

Question 3

Working with automation/modulation

Answer 3

Clip envelopes can be used to automate or modulate mixer and device controls.

Whereas automation envelopes define the value of a control at any given point in time, modulation envelopes can only influence this defined value.

This difference allows the 2 types of envelopes to work together in harmony when controlling the same parameter.

Question 4

Automation

Answer 4

Automation can be drawn in with the mouse or recorded to clip envelopes.

To view and edit automation envelopes in the arrangement view, activate automation mode using the toggle, or the ‘A’ key.

In order to enable automation recording, activate the automation arm button.

To record automation in the session view, use the session record button.

To record automation in the arrangement view, use the global record button.

Session view automation can be viewed/edited in the clip envelopes box. Make sure that ‘aut’ is selected.

Arrangement view automation is moved to its own automation lane. Automation mode must be active to view/edit automation in the arrangement view.

Once automation has been added, the parameter appears with a red dot.

Question 5

Modulation

Answer 5

Modulation envelopes can be created or edited using the mouse only.

In session view clips, switch to mod in the clip envelope box, then create your desired modulation envelope. Modulation envelopes are coloured blue.

In arrangement view, modulation envelopes remain accessible only in the clip envelope box.

NOTE: In arrangement view, a clip must be selected for ‘show modulation’ to appear in the context menu.

In session view, a clip must have been launched for ‘show modulation’ to appear.

If the ‘stop slot’ has been triggered, ‘show modulation’ will be greyed out. Launch a clip to make this option available again in the context menu.

Question 6

3 types of compressors in Ableton

Answer 6

Compressor
Glue compressor
Multi band dynamics.

Question 7

Ratio

Answer 7

The ratio control determines what percentage of the gain that exceeds the threshold will be reduced at any given moment.

Threshold and ratio interact to create gain reduction. They work hand-in-hand in a compressor.

Question 8

Sidechain

Answer 8

All sidechaining does is allow the compressor to accept a separate input for each of its two functions, which is:

1. The analysis of a signal
2. The application of those settings in the form of a gain reduction.

Can be used to separate 2 different tracks by the volume.