This is probably the newbiest shit ever, but something I haven't really considered before. Why is it that in a mix everything is recorded in -dbs? I've always just taken it for granted and not really thought about it until now, so what's the actual reason behind this?

I think it would be cool to have sub forums for different DAWs to enable people to learn software specific techniques, but I wouldn't want this to divide the forum into different groups, so idk? What does everyone else think?

Hey guys!

I have this track here and I'm not too interested whether you love it or absolutely hate it. I can hear there is something wrong with the mixing and/or mastering of the track. The bass (although intended to be grainy and loud) just sounds too muddy to me among other things. I'm looking for some technical advice on how to fix this and improve the song with regard to mixing/mastering.

I'm not looking for praise, followers or anything like that. Please help! 

Track:
https://soundcloud.com/anumamusic/anuma-pixelate

On a side note, I always wondered this: There's always this condition in remix competitions to use at least one stem. So ... if you sample a kick drum, or crash cymbal, you can enter with original song as long as this little sample is in?

Hmm, well within reason, I'm sure it still has to be identifiable as a remix. You can't just create an entirely new track using the same kick and pass it off as a remix in my opinion.

I think an artist owned label is the way to go if you do want to sign for a label, take the Madeon/Sony incident for example...

http://www.stereogum.com/1803424/madeon-accuses-sony-music-of-holding-artists-hostage-by-removing-their-music-from-soundcloud/wheres-the-beef/

However, I would just say make sure you read the small print before signing anything.

If you can use the stems from the original track that's always helpful as you can pick out the parts you want to use and discard others without a lot of hassle. Ableton also has a cool feature where you can convert and audio clip into MIDI enabling you to copy parts if (like me) you struggle to identify all the notes in the song. Not only can you then change the sound but also add your own variations to parts.

Also remember not every remix has to be massively different from the original, so don't try drastically to completely deface the original stems or copy some of the melody etc.

So when layering all the different sounds in a track, I often find I don't know what which point it is best to stop or add more sounds to "fill the space".
Sometimes I find it's nice to let a track have some breathing room as well.

What are your experiences with this topic and what advice would you give regarding the amount of layers used for different types of track?