Mixing: A General Overview

[pseudonym]

Just learned something else about using reverb when mixing. I read (or heard) somewhere that using reverb is no doubt a good idea for mixes, but use it lightly. Turn up the reverb send just until you can start to hear it, then back off a bit. This just gives things a bit of meshing together without it sounding like a reverb-drenched track.

Something else I saw was parallel processing. It's the same thing as parallel distortion/compression, but with a bunch of effects. I tried it out by just splitting the signal and running one through some distortion, compression, wild eq, etc. Personally, I actually think it is a bit much and makes things sound somewhat fake and inorganic, but there is a decent volume increase without clipping.

Oh yeah, and riding the fader. Record an automation on the master fader to make it pump with the track (i.e. when the kick hits), but just a little bit. Tried it out and I think it does a lot. A lot more life to the track.

[Super Alex]

Mixing Down Your Track - A General Overview

Mixing down your track is easily the hardest part of production, and easily the most important. If you write a musical odyssey that puts Aphex Twin to shame, but don't mix it properly, it'll still sound unprofessional. Mixing tracks correctly is what lets producers write tracks that are plenty loud without being muddy, confused, or lacking in punch. So how do you do this?

First thing's first - mixing properly calls for proper monitoring. This can mean a lot of different things. It ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT mean you have to go buy $500 monitors just so you can mix. Will flat response monitors be useful? Of course. But can you get a good mix just using your headphones? Sure, but it takes a lot more work, and a lot more thought. If you can't get a hold of accurate monitors, listen to your track on as many systems as you possibly can. Listen through your computer, your headphones, your mother's headphones, your car, your boss' car, EVERYWHERE. Then look for trends and fix accordingly.

Now, most of the techniques for mixing have been covered somewhere else on the forum. EQ, compression, reverb, all that good stuff, you can find tutorials about it with a quick search. But no matter how good the hints and tips, there's one thing you will always have to remember: listen. And I mean really, really listen to it. An EQ tutorial put it well... "Don't ask 'do I like this sound', but ask 'What is the function of this sound? what does it add to the track?'" You really do need to get that specific and that penetrative into your track if you want the mixdown to be any good.

Everyone has their own process for mixing. Generally, here's my order:
1. Write the track.
2. Figure out the levels.
3. EQ.
4. Compress, limit, etc on each track, individually.
5. Compress, limit, EQ etc on the entire mix. This is called MASTERING.

I'll go over the basics of each step, other than writing the track.

2. Figuring out levels.
This one is pretty easily. Whichever element you think should be most important, set that level first. Then, one by one, add in tracks and put the level where you feel it's appropriate. Again, listen, and levels should be fine.

3. EQ.
EQ is, in my opinion, the hardest because it takes the most juggling. You have to EQ each element as it relates to every other element of the song. If your sub takes up the lowest register, then EQ out that register from every other element. Generally, it's better to cut frequencies than to boost because you leave a lot of headroom for your song to be loud. There are plenty of tutorials around, so check it out. I suggest you start here: http://www.dnbscene.com/article/88-thin ... q-tutorial

4. Compress, limit, each track individually.
Again, plenty of tutorials are around. The idea is pretty simple: make each element sound good.

5. Mastering.
Mastering is a really tricky subject. A good mastering job should be subtle. A tiny bit of overall EQ if you need it, general compression is good, and maximizing if you really need it, but avoid it if you can. The thing to remember with mastering is that it affects absolutely everything. This isn't the stage to give the snare more crack. It's the stage to make sure everything is smoothed out and cohesive. It's hard to explain, but in general, good mastering makes a track sound professional. That said, mastering can't fix a poorly mixed track.

Alright. There's more stuff on all of this on the internet, on this forum, even in this thread. Get mixing.

[alexc]

Boom! Improved again. Correct me if I'm wrong anywhere, especially in compression.

[pseudonym]

It ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT mean you have to go buy $500 monitors just so you can mix.

+1000000. The most important thing is to KNOW YOUR MONITORS VERY WELL. Know that they favor between 200 and 300 hz and start a gentle roll off above 15 or 16 khz, for example. The function of flat response is that you don't have to worry about this. A great way to see the response curve of your monitors is to use Room EQ Wizard. And the best part is that it's completely free, other than that you need an spl meter, but that is far less expensive than a really nice pair of monitors.

[ReSet]

It ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT mean you have to go buy $500 monitors just so you can mix.

+ another 1
I do all my mixing on headphones, because I can't afford monitors and move up and down the country too much, but I think my mixes are perfectly good. Good monitors doesn't mean good mix. It's all about knowing the monitors and using your ears.

[Pokey]

So where's this super new mega awesome production Bible then?

[alexc]

So where's this super new mega awesome production Bible then?

Haha not made yet. I'll get on it soonish. Just need a few more topics and I can make a start.

[alexc]

Just cleaned up this thread. Hope nobody minds.

[petermennitirecords]

Protip: listen to professionally mixed and mastered tunes you think sound good/that you want your tune to sound like on whatever you happen to be mixing on. This gives you a reference point for your mix and helps you compensate for whatever the quirks of your particular speakers are, even if you don't know specifically what they are. If it sounds similar to what the pro tune sounds like, you're doing it right.

[ReSet]

Truer words never spoken