Yamaha RM800 - Manual (Page 36)

General remarks for recording and mixing 33
Nothing too loud, nothing too quiet. What needs to be heard (i.e. vocals,
solo instruments) can be, and backing instruments are in the background.
• Balance tonal content —now that all instruments can be heard together,
you may need to redo some of your earlier EQ adjustments. For example,
instruments with overlapping frequencies often cause peaks at certain
points in the audio spectrum when mixed. Using a peaking EQ you can cut
back some of these overlapping frequencies. This will improve the separa­
tion between the instruments and provide a more tonally balanced mix. The
overall sound should be tonally balanced so that the low, mid, and high
bands of the audio spectrum contain an equal amount of sound energy. Too
much bass or treble leads to listening fatigue. As stated earlier, with EQ it is
generally better to cut than boost.
• PFL —when several instruments are mixed, it can be difficult to make indi­
vidual judgements about them. The PFL switches for the input sources
allows you to listen to channels in isolation. If you can hear noise or other
unwanted sounds, use PFL to listen to each channel in turn, without affect­
ing the main mix, and correct as necessary.
• ON/OFF —use the QN switches to turn off unused channels. Obviously,
this only works for the signal sources assigned to the input section. Signal
sources assigned to the MQNI/AUX 5-6 busses cannot ne muted. When
input channels are turned off they can still be monitored via PFL, so you can
make adjustments before adding sounds to the mix.
• Fader groups —fader groups allow you to control several faders simulta­
neously using just one fader. This can be used to create a submix within the
main mix, so that, for example, drum levels, keyboard levels, or vocal levels
can be adjusted with ease. The RM800 has eight mono (or four stereo) fader
groups. Working with stereo groups requires that you use both faders simul­
taneously (for example 1 8c 2, 3& 4, etc.)
• Apply effects —Any kind of music requires at least some reverb. Reverb
allows you to broaden and ‘deepen the soilnd image by suggesting that
some instruments or voices are located in the back, while others are up
front. To assign the effect return signals to the stereo mix, press the ST
switches in the Aux Return section.
That just about covers mixing basics and some RM800 specific features.
Although not a complete guide to audio mixing, it should be enough to get you
started. For more information, check out the publications in your local music
bookstore, or try a good technical bookstore.
RM800 User's Guide