Earlier I did a video about mixing orchestral strings. It was part of the Masterclass Realistic orchestral mockups. This time another video about this topic. But quite different. I will take some time to show you 2CAudio Precedence (spatial plugin) and Breeze2 (reverb plugin) in action.
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Mixing orchestral strings with 2CAudio Precedence and Breeze2
This week I received an email with a question about the use of Precedence from 2CAudio.
“David, where do you put the Precedence plugin? Is it always in the insert chain? And in what order? Is it placed after or before the EQ, Compression, Delays etc.?”
I thought this was a good question from Martijn. He told me that he had this plugin for quite a while, but never really found a good tutorial about it. So I replied: I’ll make a special video about it. Showing you how I have used Precedence for my orchestral music track Valse Mystique.
Valse Mystique – Let’s look at the mixing project
If you have followed me along through the masterclass of Show Opener you’re familiar with the setup of the mixing project. Woodwinds on top, then brass, then percussion and at the bottom the string section.
For this tutorial I’m going to use the last section: the strings.
When we have a look at the mixing panel a couple of things are interesting to mention. This time I did the balancing of the orchestral instruments in the mixing and not during the composing. The only thing I did during the composing, is setting up the mic mixes. Not only did I use the tree mic, but I also used the closed and ambient mics for the strings. This gives a great natural sound of the Air Studios Lyndhurst. The location in which the instruments have been recorded.
Secondly, on almost all of the tracks you will see the same plugins. I’ve used the Fabfilter Pro Q plugin for cleaning up the recordings. The API 550 EQ plugin to get the string sound that I love. Just with some small boosts and cuts the strings will come to life. And they get that little bit of analog flavor that we all love. On the double basses I’ve used the Fabfilter Pro MB compressor. One of the tricks that Tom Holkenborg, also known as JunkieXL, told us in his masterclass. Since then I’ve put this plugin on each instrument or synth with lots of low frequencies. This clears up the mix. And the last spots in the chain have been reserved for Precendence in combination with Breeze2.
Third point to mention. All individual tracks are routed to a buss track. Three plugins on the mix buss do a final polish. Again the API 550 adding some air to the strings. The Fabfilter Pro MB to tame the low frequencies a little bit more. And a Tape Emulator to add some analog flavor to the entire string section.
Normally, I routed this mix buss to another buss to add some reverb. But in this track I did it a little bit different. Cause I inserted Precedence in combination with Breeze2 on each individual track. That is the way to go if you want to get the most out of these two plugins accordingly to 2CAudio. So I experimented with this strategy for the music track Valse Mystique. And to be honest, I’m quite satisfied with the results!
So how does it work these two plugins? I’ll show you in the video with the help if this mixing project. I’m going to play some passages and just flip on and flip off some plugins and show you the settings.
I hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments on Youtube.