Start mixing the track you composed the first or third week if you are taking the Symphonic Virtual Orchestration course. If you are taking one of the Mixing Mini-Courses, you can choose to mix one of your tracks.
Export the stems. If you’ve got the buses set up, it should be easy. If not, you can export the stems one by one.
Suggestions:
- Widden the strings.
- You may wanna use an Analog Saturation plugin - or use the built-in in your sequencer - on some instruments/stems.
- Make sure that you’re using different reverbs (or reverb settings) to gain clarity and separation. Also, cutting the low end of the reverb can solve muddiness problems.
- Slightly compress the percussion parts. You may wanna use a multiband compressor for more transparent results. Also, you can route all your percussion stems through one bus and insert a compressor to it for an extra layer of dynamic control and to reconnect the different percussion stems as one unique ensemble.
- Write some extra volume automation (emotion, fluctuation, re-balancing, micro-counterpoint...)
When done, upload the track for review.
Don't worry if you still have doubts when you are mixing. We will fine-tune this track in the next module. We will see how to mix instrument by instrument, section by section. After receiving this week's feedback from your teacher (if you are enrolled to the SVO course), in the next module's assignment, you'll have a chance to finish mixing this track.
You can use free programs like Windows Live Movie Maker to add an image to an audio track so you can convert it into a .WMV video file. After you’ve converted the file, you can then upload it to YouTube.
Here’s how you convert audio tracks into .WMV video files on Windows Live Movie Maker:
Part 1: Select your audio and image files
- Select Add videos and Photos from the bar at the top, then choose an image from your computer. This image will be displayed in your slideshow.
- Click Add music and select your audio track.
Part 2: Adjust the image to fit the audio track
To make sure the file is properly uploaded on YouTube, you’ll need to adjust the duration of the image to match the duration of the audio track on your timeline.
- Double click the green audio bar in the timeline, which will display “End point”. Copy the End point number (e.g. 261.49).
- Double click the image thumbnail in the timeline, and enter a duration equal to the length of the audio track. For example, if the audio track has a length of 261.49 the image duration should be adjusted to 261.49 as well.
Part 3: Save your file
- Choose Recommended for this project.
- After naming your movie, click Save.
You can use a program like iMovie to add an image to an audio track so you can convert it into a .MOV video file. After you’ve converted the file, you can then upload it to YouTube.
Here’s how you convert audio tracks into .MOV video files on iMovie:
Part 1: Add an image and audio file
- Drag an image file from your computer into the project area.
- Drag the audio file into the project area
Part 2: Adjust the image to fit the audio track
To make sure the file is properly uploaded on YouTube, you’ll need to adjust the duration of the image to match the duration of the audio track on your timeline.
- Click the gear menu in the green box
- Click Clip Adjustments and copy the numbers under “Source Duration”. This is the length of your audio track.
- Next, hover your mouse over the thumbnail of the image, and click the gear that appears (not the gear in the green box)
- Select Clip Adjustments
- Enter the numbers from the “Source Duration” in Step 2 into the “Duration” field.
- Click Done
Part 3: Save your file
- Click the Share menu
- Select Export using QuickTime…
- Name your file and click Save
