Hi,  I'm really inexperienced with mixing.  My mixes always turn out bad and  I think it could be the stock plug-ins arent what I need.  Since the topic is sort of vague, I was looking for any good EQ,  stereo shaping, reverb,  just the general basic plug-ins I would need.  I hope this isn't breaking any of the rules but I have no idea where to look for some good ones.  Thank you in advance. 

I'm really inexperienced with mixing.... I think it could be the stock plug-ins arent what I need

This isn't supposed to sound harsh, but if you're new, it's probably not the plugins. More experienced producers like getting their hands on new gear, but only because their ears are developed enough to tell the difference. If you're new, just stick to the old standards until you're confident with them. Worry about getting better gear once you can't go any further without it.

What IS important, is having good gear for listening. A decent set of over-ear headphones and cheap studio monitors should be enough for now, but more than anything, have some good tracks to listen to, so you can check your mixes against them.

E: Are you serious you don't need Waves if you're just learning to mix jfc that's like getting an original Les Paul so you can learn Smoke on the Water

There are a lot of great plug-ins at www.waves.com if you have the cash. Also, over at www.dancemusicproduction.com they have a mixing/mastering tutorial series that I have done. It really helped me to separate the creating process from mixing/mastering. Of note, I didn't have all the plug-ins in the tutorials so I used some general ones that came with my DAW (Ableton). If you google "top free VST plug-ins" you can usually get some really good ones that will generally speaking do the job. Lastly, if you are submitting a track to a label I suggest having an engineer master it once you finish the mix-down. It's more about using what you have than getting more plug-ins in the end.

I'll look at the website,  and a series with this would really help.  It's helped you well? Mixing is one of the biggest areas I struggle with,  so if the class helped you,  I'll definitely have to check it out

Quote from: escrima on January 07, 2016, 12:38:38 am

I'm really inexperienced with mixing.... I think it could be the stock plug-ins arent what I need

What IS important, is having good gear for listening. A decent set of over-ear headphones and cheap studio monitors should be enough for now

I need a pair or studio monitors,  do you know of any good ones to start out with that are not too expensive?

Quote from: Wontolla on January 07, 2016, 12:46:40 am

Quote from: escrima on January 07, 2016, 12:38:38 am

I'm really inexperienced with mixing.... I think it could be the stock plug-ins arent what I need

What IS important, is having good gear for listening. A decent set of over-ear headphones and cheap studio monitors should be enough for now

I need a pair or studio monitors,  do you know of any good ones to start out with that are not too expensive?

I would suggest some simple M-Audio monitors. http://www.m-audio.ca/products/view/studiophile-av-40. Relatively cheap & small. I use a pair of these in my apartment.

I agree with bjorn. if you're inexperienced, its just going to be like that for a while. new plugins won't help. what is important though, is just studying and practicing with what you have until you're satisfied with the results. then you can look into new plugins, and since you know how to use them, the new plugins will make your mix sound even better! just practice practice practice

Quote from: Knappster on January 07, 2016, 12:45:52 am

There are a lot of great plug-ins at www.waves.com if you have the cash. Also, over at www.dancemusicproduction.com they have a mixing/mastering tutorial series that I have done. It really helped me to separate the creating process from mixing/mastering. Of note, I didn't have all the plug-ins in the tutorials so I used some general ones that came with my DAW (Ableton). If you google "top free VST plug-ins" you can usually get some really good ones that will generally speaking do the job. Lastly, if you are submitting a track to a label I suggest having an engineer master it once you finish the mix-down. It's more about using what you have than getting more plug-ins in the end.

I'll look at the website,  and a series with this would really help.  It's helped you well? Mixing is one of the biggest areas I struggle with,  so if the class helped you,  I'll definitely have to check it out

There's a nice Pyramind masterclass with Steve Duda, he says he tells his students he can probably mix better than they can just with volume faders. I think his point was that (a) getting a volume balance is half the battle and (b) there's a lot you can do with arrangement tricks (automating levels so somethimes sounds are up-front and sometimes they're sitting more politely in the background) to optimise the mix.

I really wish I'd had a mentor who'd forced me to learn that, because to this day I've got a bad "oo, maybe that's the last EQ plugin I'll ever need" buying habit. And I wish I could get over it, because it means I'm constantly learning how new plugins work, not learning how mixing works.

Maybe sign up with a different account and post some mixes to the WIP forum? See if anyone's got any hints?

I'm gonna have to go with Wontolla here.

There is no need to overcomplicate mixes as I feel many producers do, especially new producers. You can get a decent to good mix with 'stock' plug-ins or even the simplest of tools within your limited arsenal. The ideal situation is that a producer of any caliber would have hands-on to equipment that accurately portrays the mix as much as possible, but none of that would be useful if they don't know what a good mix will sound like, or even how to achieve it.

If I were you, depending on your budget, I would invest in some decent to good open-back headphones, a set of monitors, and set up your room to absorb sound (you can do it the ghetto way, like putting blankets up on your walls if you have to, for now). Then, once you've got that down, start training your ears.

My biggest advice would be to keep your mix simple. No need to over-compress too much, no need to boost too many frequencies, and no need to distort or saturate way too much.