I was mixing a song for a client recently and they were asking for the song to be “softer”. This was definitely a mastering thing as the song was as loud as the rest of the tracks on the album but this didn’t serve the flow of the album or the intent of the song.
Mastering To Server The Song
I’ll pause here for a sec to highlight the idea that mastering, whilst focussing on getting a track commercially viable sonically, is still about serving the vision of the song. In this case it was also about serving the vision of the album too. It’s not just about turning up the volume, pumping up the bass and adding shine to the top so you can be impressed with the plugins or hardware you’re using.
But I digress, back to the track that needed to be softer …
I did a revision of the track and pulled down the overall volume a dB and backed off some clipping that was hardening up the sound. It still wasn’t where the client needed it too be.
The Plucky Little Harp That Could
I stepped back and listened to the mix. Immediately I realised that the plucked harp part which made up the harmonic bed for the song was too dynamic and a little too pointy. I could have reached for a compressor but instead I felt I needed to shave off some of the attack of the sound so I reached for Analog Obsession TRAX dialled in -6dB of attenuation and voila, the harp part sat down in the mix and sweetened.
For my own curiosity I tried a transparent compressor to try and achieve the same effect but it just felt a little squashed. It was subtle but the feel was noticeable.
The Right Type Of Sound Re-Design
Why did the transient designer work? The transient designer was redesigning the sound itself, like you’d tweak the attack on a synth sound. A compressor, whilst being able to alter transients, interacts with the sound source in a more dynamic way. This means the effect isn’t consistent which is desirable for many applications.
The Takeaway: In my mind grabbing the transient designer over the compressor is like an artisan grabbing the right tool for the job. You can achieve similar effects with each but the right tool for the job will enhance the overall end result. The compressor would have got me close but the transient designer reshaped the sound to be softer whilst keeping the integrity of the sound intact. In the end that shifted the whole aesthetic of the song.
0 Comments