Presets are a great way for the beginner to get a feel for what the “right” type of sound is. Whether it’s compression presets, EQ, or reverbs, using presets is definitely a good starting point in your mix.
But it doesn’t end there.
Presets weren’t made for your mix in mind. They are general, overall feels that work in many situations. But you need to tweak them if you want them to apply to your mix.
They are just the starting point, and you need to do fix them to get to the finish line.
Compression Presets
Most compressors come with a few great starter presets for whatever it is you are compressing. If you want a “tight kick drum” or a “punchy vocal”, chances are your compressor has something similar.
But you’ll still need to tweak the parameters to suit the particular waveform that you are mixing. The preset designer probably had something else in mind when he/she created it.
EQ Presets
I rarely use EQ presets. The presets in Logic boost more than I like, so I stay away from them.
I’d rather concentrate on cutting the lower frequencies to get the apparent boost in highs than actually cranking up all the high-end. Then later, if I need a little boost here and there, I can do that. But cut first, before you boost everything out of proportion.
Reverb Presets
You really need to go through your reverb presets to find the right one for the track. Reverb can seem overwhelmingly complex to the untrained eye, so browsing through the presets can usually save you from information overload.
Take your time when you’re selecting reverbs. It can take a while finding the perfect one for your vocal, or drum sound, or snare, or guitar solo etc.
A different reverb preset can make a big difference to the overall sound of your track.
Comment Time
How do you use presets? Do you start with them and then tweak as needed or do you stay away entirely? Tell your story in the comments.
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3 Comments on "A Preset is a Starting Point, NOT the Finish Line"
Hi, I start with the preset when using reverb and then afterwards tweak it to mi desire. One important thing when using a reverb is to adjuts the pr-delay, so that you dont squash the attack of the sound. cheers for the article!
Hey man, nice tips!
I took a really long time to realize myself things I now commonly read on your articles.
About presets, sometimes I don’t feel ashamed to use here or there on processors, but guitar sounds and synth patchs, I really take time to find something special for each song.
In the case of processors, is important to advice that sometimes the preset is ok to your track, but the threshold will never match your track. Eq presets are useless.
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