When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

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SweetDan
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When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by SweetDan »

When fading-out the end of a song, do you:

A) make the fade-out part of the mix, or
B) leave it for mastering?
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Roman
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by Roman »

Part of the mix for me
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JD01
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by JD01 »

In the mix - I just fade out all of my tracks equally. Even though I never have fade out songs, all my songs end, I still fade out the dying chords.
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rayc
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by rayc »

I have a penchant for feedback squirling to take the track out so it's part of my recording and mixing.
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Farview
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by Farview »

I save it for mastering. If you fade the mix, the curve and timing of the fade will change because of the compression and limiting during mastering.

Also, if the sound of the finished product relies on the limiting, the sound will fall apart as the song fades out of the limiters threshold.
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ido1957
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by ido1957 »

I fade the mix. I find the ME tends to fade a little quicker than my mix, but have not had him request I don't fade.
Every instrument tends to fade in different levels, so I pick a spot and fade to that point on all tracks.
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by vomitHatSteve »

Last time I had Massive do a master for me, he asked me to leave the fade out of the mix, but send him an mp3 with the fade in so he knew the timing.
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Greg_L
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by Greg_L »

Farview wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2017 9:58 am I save it for mastering. If you fade the mix, the curve and timing of the fade will change because of the compression and limiting during mastering.

Also, if the sound of the finished product relies on the limiting, the sound will fall apart as the song fades out of the limiters threshold.
This ^^^^^^

Fade at mastering unless it's something specific required within the song.
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rammer24
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by rammer24 »

Greg_L wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2017 1:55 pm This ^^^^^^

Fade at mastering unless it's something specific required within the song.
This^^^^^^

I try to write originals with real endings as much as possible. But many covers I do have fade outs. I'll do that in smashtering
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miroslav
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by miroslav »

vomitHatSteve wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2017 12:04 pm Last time I had Massive do a master for me, he asked me to leave the fade out of the mix, but send him an mp3 with the fade in so he knew the timing.

Right...that's the thing...fade outs aren't always just a question of lowering the volume progressively...often it's in sync with something else in the song and/or it's meant to have a specific pace-n-length. So if you send it out, you have to explain all that.

Since I'll do my own "mastering" passes...songs that are supposed to fade out, I always have an extra 10-20 seconds of music beyond where I plan to fade out...that way, when I mixdown, I just let it run to the end of that, and I'll do the fade during my "mastering" stage.

rammer24 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2017 4:04 pm I try to write originals with real endings as much as possible. But many covers I do have fade outs.
I think fades are equally legit as specific endings with originals...it depends on the song.
I mean, do you always avoid fades with originals?
TBH...I never took note with your original stuff. :)
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by Farview »

When I send in songs that need to fade out, I cut the song where I want the fade to end and then give the ME the time for the fade to start (or ask for a 20 second fade to the end, for example). Then I will tell him if it is a linear, logarithmic, exponential or S-curve fade that I'm looking for.

It's not difficult to tell someone when, where and how to fade something out.
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by Greg_L »

Most of my originals have a hard ending, or it ends and just the guitars/cymbals will fade out. I very rarely write a song that plays and plays and plays into fade out.
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SweetDan
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by SweetDan »

Farview wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2017 9:58 am I save it for mastering. If you fade the mix, the curve and timing of the fade will change because of the compression and limiting during mastering.

Also, if the sound of the finished product relies on the limiting, the sound will fall apart as the song fades out of the limiters threshold.
Interesting; I hadn't thought of that. With that info in hand, I think I'll not do the fade-outs on the mixes to be mastered anymore. (I'll probably still do them on rough mixes, though, so that I can figure out how long it is, and so that it sounds OK to anyone I share the rough with.)
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Tadpui
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by Tadpui »

At mastering time for me.

When I'm doing a "for keeps" mix, I'll mix down to a 24-bit WAV file at the sample rate that my project is in. It seems that some VST effects get angry or weird if I render to a different sample rate than what's native to the project. Then when I've got a single WAV file to work with, I trim the start/end points, add a fade-in or fade-out, and bring up the volume to taste.

That's all just much simpler with a single WAV file rather than 2 or 3 dozen tracks all ending at different times. If I want a specific instrument to fade early (like a distorted guitar that has too much hiss), I do that in the mix. But the proper fade out I do at mastering time.
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rammer24
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by rammer24 »

miroslav wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2017 4:59 pm I think fades are equally legit as specific endings with originals...
Well, obviously...considering all covers were originals at one point. :D

I do have a few originals that fade, but I always think of how I'd play my songs live, so I avoid fades unless it really calls for it.
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Greg_L
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by Greg_L »

Tadpui wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2017 5:36 pm At mastering time for me.

When I'm doing a "for keeps" mix, I'll mix down to a 24-bit WAV file at the sample rate that my project is in. It seems that some VST effects get angry or weird if I render to a different sample rate than what's native to the project. Then when I've got a single WAV file to work with, I trim the start/end points, add a fade-in or fade-out, and bring up the volume to taste.

That's all just much simpler with a single WAV file rather than 2 or 3 dozen tracks all ending at different times. If I want a specific instrument to fade early (like a distorted guitar that has too much hiss), I do that in the mix. But the proper fade out I do at mastering time.
This too ^^^^^^
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miroslav
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by miroslav »

rammer24 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2017 5:45 pm I do have a few originals that fade, but I always think of how I'd play my songs live, so I avoid fades unless it really calls for it.

Yes...that is another consideration.
It's not easy to do good long fades when you have to play the songs live.

I don't think about it all that much up front when I'm writing the song, but when I start to track, I know that I need to make that decision, and usually the song and lyrics point to one or the other in most cases. Sometimes I think of doing one thing, then I decide the opposite. :D

I think also it's not that hard to have an alternative endings...like if you decide to fade for the recording, but for live you have a hard ending.
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rammer24
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by rammer24 »

I remember seeing a cover band fade out "Money" by Floyd, live in a club. It was the stupidest thing I've ever heard. :lollers:
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by Roman »

rammer24 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 30, 2017 10:12 pm I remember seeing a cover band fade out "Money" by Floyd, live in a club. It was the stupidest thing I've ever heard. :lollers:
Maybe the sound guy faded them out 'cause he couldn't stand to listen to them any more.

:)
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rammer24
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Re: When fading-out the end of a tune, do you...?

Post by rammer24 »

No, that might have been better. They ll just played softer and softer. It was hilarious.
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