how can i make professional,radio quality,bright,wide,warm and well mixed music?

[eos1001]

Hey ive been producing music for aloooooong time but i just cant ever get it to sound professional it always sounds bland and muddy no matter what eqs i use or plugins or vsts I use fl studio and have compared other daws and they all have the same quality so i know its no tthe daws im using. The vsts sound so bland and no matter what i do nothing makes them sound the way i want like if i try to make it bright it gets way too bright and the other way around way too muddy like everything just sounds so bland i dont know how to describe what im trying to say my mixes sound like heres an example of what my stuff sounds like i did the vocals and made the beat
"https://soundcloud.com/dayliomusic/simple-things"

the quality and level of clarity and finesse im trying to get to is something like this

"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nlSDxvt6JU"
"snails house"

its not particularly my style of music but i know you hear how clear all the instruments are, they all have character and are bright. The bass really moves and hits you but its not all in your face it just sits right, in fact all the things sit right. I cant get synthesizers to sound smooth and bright and warm yet not harsh and muddy. All my mixes sound like their empty or behind you but this song mix sounds like its in your face but it gives you room to breathe and listen. Does anyone have any resources i could go to that would guide me in the path to professional music production at a REALLY high level? ive looked at tutorials and stuff and none of them show how to get the quality of stuff people actually go in droves to listen to. id prefer if it was free resources or courses i could use but paid ones are welcome as well. Id really appreciate it if someone would help me because i have a HUGE compassion for composing music but the way it sounds is nowhere near where i want it to be at all. It all just sounds like a demo

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

Alowing sounds to be more distinct involves creating separation/avoiding overlap in key frequency ranges, so that sounds/instruments aren't fighting for the same space. This can be achieved by using eq's, volume, pan-position etc.

When it comes to using eq you don't want to keep boosting highs, even if you want brightness. This can become messy, quickly, and in many cases you'll find that cutting away lower/darker frequencies will give you a bit of extra brightness without the harshness. You can always add a touch of brightness and sheen at the mastering stage.

Also might be collapsing everything down to mono, and starting your mix like that. It will give you a much better indication of the sounds that are competing.

[Spin Boyz]

Sounds like your mixing environment could be causing the problem.

[eos1001]

Sounds like your mixing environment could be causing the problem.

nah i use headphones

[perfumer]

Sounds like your mixing environment could be causing the problem.

nah i use headphones

This is also an environment, especially if the headphones are not so great.

[Mushy Mushy]

Sounds like your mixing environment could be causing the problem.

nah i use headphones

Beats by Dre?

[Bodhisan]

Actually thought your track sounded just fine - over my headphones, anyway (Superlux HD668B). Comparing it to what you want it to be, however, is apples and oranges. You're using, I'm assuming, an 808 kick, which is going to make it sound more dark and "muddy," whereas the comparison track has a much tighter kick that doesn't take up so much of the sound. Your track is built around the kick, with a very low-profile, dark synth - and there's nothing wrong with that. The comparison track's synth is the main instrument, and it is "bright and crispy." If anything, your vocals could use a little more "somethin" - or less of something, perhaps, to punch it out of the kick more. What's on your vocal track plugin-wise? Also, I think the comparison track is a lot more dry, which gives it more clarity and "finesse" (in my opinion).

[lobanov]

Absolutely agree with what el-bo has said. Cut (or, better, decrease) low frequencies in all the instruments that permit it. But be carefull, it makes no sense to cut the lows completely.

And, as Bodhisan has said, use different instruments or patches. From the beginning.

I'd add this: don't overuse a reverberation. Use (very-very "politely") one reverb with different levels or two different reverbs (room and hall for example). Use sends rather than inserts. Don't use different reverbs on each track. Let one reverb shine in your mix and imbue it.

Try to compare your track to one you like using any spectrum analyzer. Load tracks in audio editor and compare them. May be you'll notice something.

[lobanov]

And try to compress low frecuencies. Use any multiband compressor or any dynamic eq. Sometimes it helps.

[Mister Natural]

and practice, practice, practice

best of luck

[Hermetech Mastering]

Put your 10,000 hours of hard work in, you'll get there.

[imrae]

Skillful mixing and mastering tends to invove multiple processes applied subtly where a similar result can be obtained by applying one process more coarsely. You need to go through a learning stage of using these tools more coarsely to get familiar with how they work and how to hear what they are doing, so you can't really skip straight to professional results.

That being said el-bo has given good advice on how to improve; at this stage you should concentrate on arrangement, planning which parts should dominate which frequency ranges and avoiding too much build-up in any area. Implementing this strategy is then a mixture of choosing suitable sources (e.g. picking the right kick sample, setting suitable synth oscillator and filter settings) and then using EQ to "tidy" from there.

In acoustic/amplified music you should be able to get a reasonable mix with no effects at all just by setting levels, because the song arrangement and instrument settings do most of the work. In electronic music it is a bit more difficult to separate sound design vs mixing processes but the principle is the same.

[imrae]

And try to compress low frecuencies. Use any multiband compressor or any dynamic eq. Sometimes it helps.

I wouldn't recommend anyone to touch multiband processing until they can get 90% of the way there without it. It's so easy to ruin a mix this way.

[Googly Smythe]

And try to compress low frecuencies. Use any multiband compressor or any dynamic eq. Sometimes it helps.

I wouldn't recommend anyone to touch multiband processing until they can get 90% of the way there without it. It's so easy to ruin a mix this way.

Neat.

[ATS]

One thing that will help is using less reverb going from that track you posted. Too much reverb can really muddy up a mix quick. You might want to try using this track you posted as a learning experience on here. Keep working at it and requesting feedback, etc. Also you might want to turn off all the reverbs on that track, remix it, then add it back slowly and carefully.

I don't think many people are ever going to get to be the best at mixing but you can get better all the time if you work at it. You will learn lots of tricks as you go along. BE PATIENT!!!

But yeah great idea starting a thread asking for help, I am sure you will get tons of great tips here.