Mixing Question

[psychopants]

Hello all, first post here but I've been browsing for a month or two and learned some excellent recording advice! This is my first project (band recording) and I'm getting a bit lost with the mixing process. Ok, here's where I'm up to so far.....
Recorded live stereo drums using the cheap sony stereo condenser mic onto tracks 1&2.
Recorded bass straight in onto tracks 3&4, got the levels and panning somewhere right then bounced onto tracks 12V2.
Recorded guitar straight in onto tracks 3&4, got the levels and panning right then bounced onto tracks 12V3.
Recorded first vocals using the sony mic onto tracks 3&4, set the levels and panning then bounced onto tracks 12V4.
Recorded harmony vocals in the same way onto tracks 3&4, and set the levels and panning.
Now this is where I'm up to, all the recordings finished but on playback of one song I realize I want to make the bass louder. Is this possible without turning everything else up? Or have I buggered it up and have to start again? Or am I expecting too much from the BR and will I have to upload it all onto the computer and finish it off on there?

[hewhoiscalledj]

Sounds like you were doing it correctly. If you have already bounced all the tracks together (V1, V2, V3, V4 etc...) Then it's too late to do anything besides EQ and Compression of the final track.

As long as you havent deleted the original recordings and vtracks, you should be able to go back into the bass trakcs and tweak that. I'd suggest mild EQing and not necesarily boosting the low end; you may bet better results from just dropping the high end on that bass track so just experiment. A touch of compression on the lower and mid band should help make that bass line stand out more. You can simply increase the track level, or boost input and or output gain.

[psychopants]

Cheers for that, suspected that may be the case but thought I'd better make sure before I mastered it! Thanks,
Tom

[Kody]

The funny thing is: It's takes alot time and patience to learn how to record with these things, but the same could be said about deleting and redoing things ....I often run out of patience waiting for the UNDO function to do its thing....believe me I use it alot!!

Sounds to me like you might as well delete your first bounced tracks and just start over w/ the levels set how you want them....

By the way, glad to have aboard

[psychopants]

Yeah it can be pretty tricky but I'm learning slowly! I thought once the track was bounced then you lost the original recording? I mean I selected to hear tracks 12V2 to hear the bass on its own and turned the volume down on 3&4 but the drums are also mixed in with it so I figured I couldn't change the level without bass and drums going up.. I'm being really stupid and have yet to completely get my head around the bouncing thing! If I delete my first bounce on 12V2 leaving it empty then where would the original bass track be?
Sorry for all the questions but this is bending my head!

[hewhoiscalledj]

To be clear, when you do the bounce, the MBR asks for the destination track. If you choose a destination track that is the same as an existing track, it will write over it; effectively deleting the original contents.

If Tracks 12V1, 12V2, 12V3 and 12V4 are occupied, then you should bounce to track 12V5 or any other open spot. If that's what you did, then you are golden. You can delete it and just edit the bass track like you wanted and then bounce the final products together. Then master... that's a whole 'nother can of worms but it can be as simple or complicated as you want.

[64Guitars]

I thought once the track was bounced then you lost the original recording?

No. That's a common misconception among beginners. See the following page for a detailed explanation:

http://www.geocities.com/sixtyfourguitars/BossBr/Tutorials/V-Tracks_and_Bouncing.html

[psychopants]

Thanks for the quick replies, I'll do some more reading up on this and try and get my head around it!

[Kody]

If I delete my first bounce on 12V2 leaving it empty then where would the original bass track be?

It would still be on tracks 3/4V1 like you said in your 1st post...

Recorded bass straight in onto tracks 3&4

It's cool man---once you get it figured out, you're gonna love it!!

[psychopants]

Aw man you've just cracked it for me! Every time I recorded a new track I'd do it on 3/4V1 then when it was panned I'd bounce to the next empty V tracks on 1&2, so it's no wonder I can't find the original tracks! What an idiot I am. Ah well, now I know for next time! Thanks again..