Mixing with Pink Noise: THERE IS A BETTER WAY!!!

"5 Ways to Improve your Mix with Saturation"

In this video, I demonstrate my alternative method of using pink noise to set levels and EQ your mix.

Recently, pink noise has been a hot video topic in the world of mixing, but there are many pros and cons.

Here, we show maybe the best and most transparent way to utilize the Pink Noise Power to balance your mix!

[Cerberusmaximus]

Very interesting and clever! I've never done it this way before.Thank You so much!

[meliodascsjo_gaming]

This technique is really good for getting started. I am pretty new to mixing and mastering so I am not entirely sure what to look for.
Not having the best headphones makes this even harder.
I just installed YSFX and the free spectrum matcher and applied this to an orchestral track I made. Even for my ears I could instantly tell that it made a huge differens and cleared up alot of the mud, especially during times where the entire orchestra is playing. It felt like a great quality improvement. especially when consindering the little amount of time it took.

[dmind]

And you'll also find that this technique will cause tracks to sound great in a lot of systems. A lot of newer car systems are tuned to either a pink noise curve or a 6db curve, which is very similar. You can use the above technique in mixing as an "umbrella" over your 2bus, and you can then make decisions about treatments of instrument tracks with that equalization in place. I agree with Trey here - from lots of experience, I've found that about 30% is the most you'll ever want to go. Of course, that would vary from track to track. If your track is off more than that, you have bigger problems.

[sheppo]

Izotope’s eq match allows you to ignore applying EQ at the high and low end - which is where the problem areas tend to be when matching to pink noise.

[Notthisbs]

Definitely helped here. Thanks, never thought of using it this way

[andymartin]

Brilliantly thought out. Congratulations! At last, the correct application of pink noise and the key 'Eureka' knowledge that all other YouTube posts on this subject are missing! Your final freq profile is now in the realm of the typical 'smile' graph so often used in mastering. Its important to understand that pink noise is used in speaker design and manufacture as well as in professional mastering. That is why its entirely relevant and should be part of our workflow, otherwise our mixes won't translate to other playback systems. Your video is greatly appreciated, thank you! Subscribed.

[cgollimusic]

I never used pink noise in any way, but I'm sort of thinking now maybe this technique would be decent to use as a reference. Or even to compare with your own choices and draw some information.

I personally wouldn't use this technique in the final mix or master. But I would consider using it as a reference to make choices. The problem is that the spectrum will detect your most common notes and overtones and turn them down, then take all the rare notes and overtones and turn them up. You could end up with a weird disbalance over time. Therefore I'd look at the general pattern, like "it's getting rid of a lot of mud here, it's boosting some presence here" and then go ahead and apply that myself using a traditional EQ. No mixing or mastering engineer in their right mind would introduce such complex EQ adjustments to a whole mix, you're literally kinda ignoring all your previous decisions that you made based on feel.

[ahadadream]

thx for this tip, very helpful ! support from Malaysia

[NKWTI]

I usually apply a bunch of effects to my vocals first, and then use this after to see what may have ruined the clarity of my recorded vocals for a track, after applying however much match eq percentage I see fit, I may or may not do additional channel EQing afterwards, but only minor adjustments if it’s for stylistic purposes. Also good in the overall mastering phase as well

[midnightsocean]

It's a neat way to use match EQ. I had tried that too but it was mostly useless for me.

The reasons are: One, in the time it took you to do that, I already knew what EQ changes had to be made to get it more balanced towards pink slope. It's IMO much faster just to memorize the slope you want and watch the spectrum analyzer in real time, making general adjustments accordingly. Second, that huge spike the match EQ gave you at the top and bottom of the spectrum is worse than useless. If you could bypass just the high and low shelf or adjust them separately, what you'd have left might be somewhat useful. Third, it's always better to adjust individual instruments to balance sound than to EQ the mains. I would have gone straight to the violin with some EQ (probably active) down round 4k, then looked to how to boost the treble of the mix in general. IMO, EQ on the mains should be a last resort and for VERY minor changes.

As for mixing to the pink slope. In general I've been leveling with a slope similar to what you showed and getting very predictably acceptable balance in sound. Granted I don't do it by ear. I do it by eye on the graph because it's much more predictable. It's not the be all end all though. Because of how the ear perceived loudness depending on spectrum saturation and harmonics, blindly mixing to the slope isn't a good idea. Similar to what you said though, it seems to be a good starting reference point for leveling. I find I usually have to make moderate exceptions most places. So for me the slope is a guide to stay roughly around but not a hard rule.

[rubik]

Hey just use SPAN and have all frequencies at the same level with the appropriate amount of slope (usually 4.5; pink noise has slope of 3, which is very bright. Techno is usually mixed at about 6).

[heythereali]

great explanation and also thats precisely a preset in ozone match eq 🙌🏻

[athomesongwriting]

I have used this method while mastering when I don't trust my ears. You can have it ignore the highs and lows. I have used the Izotope Match EQ to do this as well.

[MDHeleniak]

Hi Trey - good video. I don't use Logic so maybe I am wrong? ...
Your mixed track has low end rolloff - spectrum analyzer shows this - so yes, the Match EQ is going to bump up low end to compensate. Can't see the high end spectrum but upward compensation indicates the high end was rolled off too. That said, isn't this the kind of scenario where you use the 'Fade Extremes' check box, so Match EQ can compensate w/o such an obvious over-the-top mistmatch?

[Tinchokamil]

Thank you, Trey! The first time I saw the video and saw this idea, couldn't wait to test it with the tracks I've been working on and have to send to another producer because I don't know how to mix very well yet. Game changer!!! Just a question, does it also works if I apply to each individual track of my mix or only when applied to the master?

[CLaw-tbgg]

I've never tried it, but I've wondered if Match EQ could be used for separation by applying it negatively. That is: you copy the curve from track A to track B and then set it to minus-whatever-percent, and that should in theory make B have a complementary curve to A.

[nastika]

ey its very interesting... did u know whatplugin can do that the eq match? for free or at least for low price casue i have ozone elements x_x

[KlangderNudel]

Yeah, but you still have to mix the track before

[doppewaxy]

Thanks helpful bro, you know other music producers take it for granted, but for the case of mixing and mastering engineers especially those who are at the early stages of their game, is very intuitive to try to use this pink noise Technics, is very helpful, my self I discovered this Technics after three years of my coming up, but all in all it helps me a lot to identify weak spots on my mixes, thank bro, greetings from East Africa Tanzania🇹🇿

[newguy]

Do you not use the "Fade Extremes" option?