How To Make "In-Between" Noise Colours?

[ITHertz]

Hi All,

I've been experimenting with using various noise colours as mixing references in Eventide's Equivocate and the various Tokyo Dawn EQ plug-ins.

I'm finding that pink noise is a bit bright and brown noise is a bit dark. So like Goldilocks, I'm looking for something that's just right, say, noise with a slope of -4.5dB/oct.

Just wondering how I can make (in software) a noise profile that has this slope?

Cheers,

Chris

[BWC]

Generate white noise and filter it to your liking.

[Hugh Robjohns]

Agreed -- filtering white noise to taste is probably the easiest solution. There are 'scientific' EQs that will allow you to adjust the slope to your preferences.

However, if pink noise seems a bit bright I think I'd be checking the monitor speakers first, as 'bright' isn't a description that comes to mind with pink noise.

[ITHertz]

Generate white noise and filter it to your liking.

So what filter would I use for this - a LPF with a 4.5dB/oct. rolloff? I can only find 6/12dB/oct. filters.

[BWC]

So what filter would I use for this - a LPF with a 4.5dB/oct. rolloff? I can only find 6/12dB/oct. filters.

What do you have available? What DAW are you using?

Also, Hugh does have a point, I too wonder why you find pink noise too bright.

[BWC]

You mentioned EQuivocate; I haven't used it, but it looks plenty capable.

[Mixedup]

what Hugh said: Pink noise shouldn't really sound 'bright'. But of you want a darker sounding profile, just apply a tilt EQ to taste. Or maybe just both pink and brown noise generators and blend the outputs to taste...

[Wonks]

Pink noise mixing is a guide, but pink noise is liked by the ear and you'll find most balanced tracks will have an overall frequency response that follows a pink noise profile. But use it as an initial guide to get the mix in the right ballpark, and then use your creative judgement from there.

Of course if your track is mainly bass and treble, then the exposed treble is probably going to sound quite bright in comparison.

If the pink noise mix seems overly bright to you, then maybe there is a monitoring issue. I'd ask other peoples opinions on what they think is a good mix of your track. Do one to pink noise, brown noise and one in-between and see if they have a preference, listening on their own systems.

[ITHertz]

So what filter would I use for this - a LPF with a 4.5dB/oct. rolloff? I can only find 6/12dB/oct. filters.

What do you have available? What DAW are you using?

Also, Hugh does have a point, I too wonder why you find pink noise too bright.

I'm using Studio One Pro 5 and I have a reasonable range of plug-ins available. I have Slick EQ GE and M, TB Equalizer 4 - these all have tilt EQs however when I run them through Bertom Analyzer they all tend to flatten off in the high/low range.

[BWC]

I'm using Studio One Pro 5 and I have a reasonable range of plug-ins available. I have Slick EQ GE and M, TB Equalizer 4 - these all have tilt EQs however when I run them through Bertom Analyzer they all tend to flatten off in the high/low range.

Around what frequencies do they "flatten off?" Any decent, full-featured filter / EQ should allow you to shape noise to taste, and what you hear, especially from a reference, is far more important than what any analyzer displays.

Also, as Wonks rightly points out, mixing to a noise reference is meant to get you quickly off and running, you'll likely still have some miles left to go, by ear, to get the specific material you're working on to where it sounds best to you.

To be clear, is it the noise itself that sounds too bright to you, or the results you get from mixing into that noise that sound too bright?

[ITHertz]

To be clear, is it the noise itself that sounds too bright to you, or the results you get from mixing into that noise that sound too bright?

It's not the noise that's too bright, it's what I end up with, so I'm probably not matching it closely enough.

[BWC]

It's not the noise that's too bright, it's what I end up with, so I'm probably not matching it closely enough.

OK, I see, I'd say it's that you're expecting too much from the technique. It's just to get you close, really quickly (with a little practice), so that you can spend the majority of your time on the finer details, the real fun of mixing. I like to start with a pink noise mix myself. Then, I sit back and listen, while making a list of all the things that are wrong, or could be better. Then, I address the items on the list in whatever order makes the most sense to me. Then, rinse and repeat, until the list comes up empty. BTW, the "rinse" part is taking breaks, which is a critically important step.

[Wonks]

What’s your hearing like? My upper frequency hearing is non-existent. I tried the pink noise mixing some years ago and it worked OK for everything but the really bright sounds like cymbals. I could hear the lower frequencies they made, but not the upper frequencies and the corresponding noise frequencies. As these upper frequencies were dominant, the cymbals ended up far too loud in the mix, so I had to set their levels in the mix context, not to the noise.

[MarkOne]

Wait a minute, before we go down the types of noise rabbit hole...

Can we take a step back and can someone explain how noise can be used as a mix reference? This is an unknown concept for me (Sorry if I've been living under a rock, or something)

[Rich Hanson]

See this article: https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques ... -reference

[MarkOne]

cool, thanks

[Martin Walker]

What’s your hearing like? My upper frequency hearing is non-existent. I tried the pink noise mixing some years ago and it worked OK for everything but the really bright sounds like cymbals. I could hear the lower frequencies they made, but not the upper frequencies and the corresponding noise frequencies. As these upper frequencies were dominant, the cymbals ended up far too loud in the mix, so I had to set their levels in the mix context, not to the noise.

I echo this, especially since I venture into electronic drum/percussion sounds which can sometimes have huge amounts of energy over 10kHz.

I love starting my mixes with a basic pink noise balance, but always monitor the mix later on with a decent spectrum analyser (I use MetricAB) so I can spot any 'inuadible' high frequencies sticking out. I also compare my mixes as I go along with well known (to me) reference tracks (again using MetricAB) to make sure I'm not pushing the frequency balance too far in any direction.

Martin

[BWC]

What’s your hearing like?...

This is a part of the "with a little practice" I mentioned, learning to compensate for any known hearing or monitoring deficiencies you may have to deal with. My own high frequency hearing ain't what it used to be, and I expect it will only get worse as time continues to relentlessly have its way, but I've learned to be mindful of this as I bring up sources with lots of high end energy. Still, there will always be more to do after removing the noise reference. Again, the technique is only meant to be a quick way of getting started.