9 IMPORTANT THINGS YOU SHOULD DO WITH EVERY MIX
MIKES MIX MASTER REVIEW
• IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO TALLY THE NUMBER OF DECISIONS MADE DURING EACH AND EVERY MIX. EVERY PART, PERFORMANCE, AND RECORDING IS UNIQUE, SO I APPROACH EACH MIX AS A UNIQUE ENTITY. STILL, THERE ARE ELEMENTS OF MY PROCESS FOUND IN EVERY MIX THAT I’M HIRED TO COMPLETE.
HAVE A DETAILED DISCUSSION WITH THE CLIENT IT MAY NOT BE IN PERSON, BUT ESTABLISHING SOME KIND OF DIALOG WITH THE CLIENT BEFORE OPENING A SESSION IS ESSENTIAL FOR ESTABLISHING HEALTHY EXPECTATIONS, FEELING OUT WHAT THEY HOPE TO AESTHETICALLY ACHIEVE, AND FOR GETTING A VIBE OF WHO THEY ARE AS AN ARTIST. SOMETHING I ALWAYS ASK FOR FROM CLIENTS IS A SET OF REFERENCE TRACKS — PIECES OF MUSIC THAT INSPIRE THEM, OR AT LEAST THAT SERVE AS AURAL GUIDE MAPS FOR THE SONIC JOURNEY I’M ABOUT TO UNDERTAKE.
MIX PREPARATION THE PREPARATION OF A TRACK TO BE MIXED CARRIED OUT IN FOLLOWING STEPS: • ORGANIZE YOUR TRACKS • GROUP YOUR TRACKS • AVOID CLIPPING AND DIGITAL DISTORTION BY GAIN STAGING • BOUNCE MIDI TRACKS TO AUDIO • TRIM YOUR TRACKS
CREATE BUSES TO QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY MIX YOUR SONG
• DIVIDE THE SONG INTO STEREO GROUPS SUCH AS DRUMS, BASS, ELECTRIC GUITARS, ACOUSTIC, KEYS, PROGRAMMING, BACKGROUND VOCALS AND LEAD VOCAL AND SEND THEM ALL TO THEIR INDIVIDUAL BUSES. THESE BUSES WILL HELP YOU MIX QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY.
FOCUS AND CONTROL THE LOW END • ALL GREAT MIXERS HAVE AMAZINGLY WELL CONTROLLED LOW END. THE KICK AND BASS CAN INHERIT CROSS OVER AREAS, HOWEVER IN A GREAT MIX IF A KICK FOR EXAMPLE IS BOOSTED AROUND 60 HZ AND THE BASS IS BOOSTED AROUND 80 HZ THEN THERE IS VERY OFTEN A CROSS OVER POINT AROUND 100-110 HZ, CUT LIGHTLY FROM THE KICK DRUM THE BASS WILL START TO BREATH AND THE LOW END WILL FEEL BIGGER!
COMPRESSION, USE IT IN STAGES • THE SECRET MANY MIX ENGINEERS USE IS MULTIPLE SETS OF COMPRESSION, THIS IS SOMETIMES KNOWN AS ‘SERIAL COMPRESSION’ WHEN USED ON ONE SOURCE. HOWEVER THE REAL SECRET IS COMPRESSION NOT JUST ON THE CHANNEL, BUT ALSO WHEN IN A GROUP SENT TO A GROUP BUS COMPRESSOR, EVEN IF VERY GENTLE. WHEN APPLIED IT CAN ADD THE AUDIO ‘GLUE’ YOU HEAR PROS TALK ABOUT. THEN LASTLY THE MASTER BUS ALSO HAS COMPRESSION FURTHER GIVING EXTRA ENERGY TO THE MIX.
DON’T BE AFRAID TO USE PARALLEL COMPRESSION • SO MANY GREAT MIXERS USE PARALLEL A LOT! TYPICALLY A DRUM MIX COMPRESSED AGGRESSIVELY IN PARALLEL PUSHED UP UNDERNEATH THE MAIN DRUM BUS WILL ADD A HUGE AMOUNT OF ENERGY EVEN BEFORE FEELING THAT LOUD! VOCAL PARALLEL COMPRESSION ADDS ENERGY TO THE SINGERS PERFORMANCE, A PARALLEL COMPRESSOR ON A LIGHTLY PLAYED ACOUSTIC ARPEGGIO WILL BRING THE SMALLEST PIECES OF ARTICULATION UP.
PAN YOUR INSTRUMENTS TO CREATE SPACE AND WIDTH IN YOUR MIX • MOVING THINGS FROM THE CENTRE WILL CREATE SPACE FOR YOUR LEAD VOCAL, KICK, SNARE AND BASS GUITAR TO STAND OUT. HAVING GUITARS AND KEYS WIDE WILL ALSO CRATE GREATER WIDTH! A COMMON TRICK AMONGST ALL GREAT MIXERS IS TO USE 50% OR LESS PANNING IN THE VERSES AND THEN GO FULL 100% LEFT AND RIGHT ON HEAVY GUITARS FOR INSTANCE TO GET THE CHORUS TO JUMP OUT OF THE SPEAKERS!
AUTOMATION! • THIS COULD BE THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE OF ALL! GREAT MIXERS USE AUTOMATION TO PUSH FORWARD AND FEATURE VOCALS AND INSTRUMENTS AND ALSO DUCK THEM TO PLAY A SUPPORTING ROLE WHEN NEEDED. AUTOMATION CAN TAKE A LITTLE EXTRA TIME AT THE END OF THE MIX BUT WILL DEFINITELY GIVE YOUR MIX IS VERY PROFESSIONAL FEEL!
REVISE UNTIL THE CLIENT IS COMPLETELY SATISFIED • CRUCIAL TO SURVIVAL IN THE CLIENT-DRIVEN SERVICE INDUSTRY THAT IS MUSIC PRODUCTION IS MAKING SURE THAT THE PERSON OR PEOPLE THAT ARE PAYING YOU FOR YOUR WORK ARE COMPLETELY SATISFIED. • THE REVISION PROCESS WILL SOMETIMES BECOME TEDIOUS, AND CLIENTS OCCASIONALLY ASK ME TO TAKE A MIX IN A DIRECTION THAT I DON’T NECESSARILY AGREE WITH, BUT ULTIMATELY — IT’S THEIR ART, AND THEIR DECISION TO MAKE. I’M HAPPY TO OBLIGE AS LONG AS THEY’RE SATISFIED WITH THE FINAL PRODUCT.
THANKS