Now that you've spent hours and days and weeks and months recording your musical masterpieces (and you've also read my article "Tips for a Great Recording Session"), you have arrived at my favorite time in the studio; The Mixdown.
But don't think your job is done yet! The mixdown is just as important as recording. As an artist, you have to approach the mixdown from an artist's point of view and stay on the 'creative' side of the fence where it's still possible to shape and mold your songs throughout the mixdown process.
Remember the old "Yin-Yang" principle which states, "whenever you turn something up, something else disappears. Furthermore; whenever you turn something down, something else gets louder". This applies to EQ, levels and almost anywhere you have two or more tracks.
The Beginning Of The End
STOP!! Don't even think about starting your mixdown on the same day you finish tracking. Take a day off, have a break and then come back refreshed with a new perspective.
Now back to business...
First of all, let's "zero the board". This is simply the action of bringing all the faders to the bottom (-∞) and centering all the pan knobs and effects sends.
I know what you're thinking, you're thinking "but our mix sounded good when we were tracking!".
OK, but did the mix actually sound good or were you just accustomed to hearing it that way? That's why zero-ing the board is important. It flushes your memory and allows you to start from scratch. It might even be better to mix a song that you finished recording a while back.
1. Get Kicked.
This is where I prefer to start. Other people like to start with the vocals and build around them. But I'm more rhythm based and prefer to start with the kick drum.
One tricky part of any mix is getting a good gain-stage structure where you don't clip the master faders at the end of your mixing session when all your instrument faders are raised. We must be careful to keep watching the master bus clipping lights to make sure they never get into the red. Here is why the kick is a good place to start.
Play your songs and watch the master bus VU meters. This is probably the only time you will "mix with your eyes". As you're watching the master VU meter, slowly raise the kick fader until the master meter reads about -7dB. If you are a four piece band, then you can leave the kick there and move on. But if you have a really dense tune, then you may have to lower the kick to -8dB or so (to leave room for all the other instruments as they come up).
Now you are set to mix. The kick should be the only channel that you set levels by watching. Every other channel mixed into the song will be with your ears relative to the kick.
2. Moving On
From now on, it's pretty much a free-for-all. Some people like to move on to the bass next, in order to find the balance for the low-end of the song. Other people like to keep working on the drum kit "as a whole" before moving to other instruments. I prefer to move onto the drum kit over-head mics.
They say that a great drum kit sound can be captured using only two over-head mics, and a kick mic. And it's true. Some of my tunes only use three mics on the final mixed versions, even though we had used up to ten mics for the recording of the kit.
If you placed your over-head mics properly (i.e.: so the snare sounds centered in the stereo image, and not skewed to the left or right speaker) then you will have a better stereo image of the drum kit when the mix is finished. Otherwise you might have to do some fancy panning or EQ to get a balanced image with the drum kit.
You can now bring in the rest of the kit underneath the over heads to fill out the sound. I prefer to leave EQ and effects to the very end of the mix, after all of the instruments are playing. Try to place your toms in the same panning position as the overhead mics recorded them. If your floor tom in the overheads is to the right at 3 o'clock then pan your individual floor tom fader to the same position.
And don't forget to check your phase between your mics pointing down and your mics pointing up.
3. Big Bottom
Now I like to add in the bass. Nothing too important here if you have good source audio. I'm also a huge side-chaining fan. I LOVE to side-chain the bass with the kick so the low end frequencies wouldn't fight for space in the mix. It just makes things sound "tighter". Sometimes you may have to eq the lowest of the lows out of the kick in order to make a little more room for the bass to sit in the mix.
4. Pads and More
Here is where I add the "pad" type of sounds. These are sounds that usually have longer sustains and hold the chords of the song. Sounds like strings, sustained electric guitar chords, synth pads, and maybe even some rhythm acoustic guitars are great foundation instruments.
I like to lay these instruments on top of the drums and bass tracks we have already mixed. You can get very creative with the panning of these sounds and create a wide stereo field. This will help make your mix interesting by allowing your lead instruments and vocals sit in the center of your stereo image, attracting attention to themselves.
5. The Vox
Let's finally add the vocals. I usually start off with the lead vocal, and then place all the harmony and background vocals underneath the lead. Sometimes, you can end up putting the vocal a little too high in the mix, and a great way to check this is to turn your monitors way down and listen to the mix at an almost inaudible level. This way of listening to your mix will surprise you, but you have to be confident and trust your ears. If something sounds disproportionately loud at this quiet level, then it is too loud. If you must, then you can compress the vocals too, but that really depends on the song's style. Maybe a few fader rides are a better choice then some static compression.
6. The Rest
You can start adding effects and other fancy shmancy things to your tune. Get funky with automating some pan knobs, fade-in some pads etc.. Here is a good time to get creative.
It's also a very good time to actively listen and re-adjust your mix. Is the kick too loud? Should I put some higher frequencies on the bass? Should I compress the backing vocals more? Is the coffee finally ready?
When you feel you have a good mix, burn it to CD and listen to it EVERYWHERE! In the car, in the bath, at home, on the TV set, at your friend's place etc., and make a lot of notes. And at the end, if all your notes cancel out, then you are finished!
©2005 Richard Dolmat (Digital Sound Magic)
===========================================================
About The Author
Richard Dolmat is owner, engineer and producer for the Vancouver based recording studio Digital Sound Magic. Visit his site at: http://www.digitalsoundmagic.com
Les Paul vintage Gibson guitars were first produced in 1952.... Read More
Fan support for musicians is a two way street. You... Read More
The Open Position Chord (OPC) allows you to create a... Read More
How is it that a little white boy from Kansas... Read More
They're everywhere, and not only are they everywhere, they look... Read More
A number of people have asked about my own methodology... Read More
So now you've decided to record your songs. Good for... Read More
Before they got together as Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong,... Read More
The harp that once through Tara's halls the soul of... Read More
Here are six very good reasons to learn how to... Read More
Betty Kresin, Eminem's grandmother from the maternal side... Read More
What exactly is a Gong?The gong is a musical instrument... Read More
Do you know what a didgeridoo is? There are so... Read More
"Turn it down!"How often have you heard that command in... Read More
This lesson can open for you a secret of high-speed... Read More
Many piano students spend much time learning how to play... Read More
In many years of arranging jazz bands for all sorts... Read More
If you are just starting out learning guitar one of... Read More
The steel-stringed acoustic guitar is usually credited with being developed... Read More
Piano lessons are a great activity for children. They encourage... Read More
To avoid any sort of injuries when playing guitar a... Read More
Sometime during the 1930's electric guitars were introduced onto the... Read More
As a full-time guitar instructor, I am constantly faced with... Read More
It's not what you play, it's how you play it.... Read More
One of the things New Age pianist George Winston is... Read More
"In human life, art may arise from almost any activity,... Read More
Anyone who has recorded vocals to tape knows there is... Read More
Movie and record producers alike are saying file-sharing networks that... Read More
Repetition is the key to learning something deeply. It works... Read More
Despite the title of this article, the purpose of it... Read More
Ostinato means "repeating pattern" and is used frequently in all... Read More
Marshall Mathers, was born October 17, 72, and could be... Read More
While most students want to know when to play certain... Read More
In the world of music, many Jazz improvisers and Classical... Read More
Remember when radio stations played great music?OK, before you accuse... Read More
Every student realizes that guitar practice is important if they... Read More
Now that you've spent hours and days and weeks and... Read More
Members of LAMN (founded in 1988) and NARIP (founded in... Read More
Virtually all of you have probably heard of the RIAA's... Read More
Like starting with any instrument, beginning clarinet is a process... Read More
Piano improvising and arranging is an art but definitely not... Read More
Where music meets licensing, there's money to be made. How... Read More
It is said that the forerunner of the guitar, the... Read More
Since chords (the main component of harmony) are one of... Read More
Are you a perfectionist? Does every note have to sound... Read More
There are a lot of independent labels out there waiting... Read More
Digital Music Download. Ever since file-sharing programs entered the hard... Read More
You've probably heard the saying "practice makes perfect" and it... Read More
Congratulations! Your singing has become amazing, and it's time the... Read More
Meet the 12 Major Notes:1. C (do)2. C# - Db... Read More
Small independent record labels are facing a different fight today... Read More
Piano lessons provide a wide range of benefits to young... Read More
Let me guess, you love music and would do anything... Read More
Whenever I go to a Borders bookstore here in San... Read More
Change is good. Just ask the millions of unsigned artists... Read More
Do you ramble on endlessly with your improvisations? If so,... Read More
It is believed that the custom of dining in began... Read More
Would you like to pop in a CD and have... Read More
I will be honest. I am addicted to music recording.... Read More
In 1994 Daniel Johns and his group Silverchair were catapulted... Read More
One of the reasons I picked up the violin was... Read More
P2P file sharing programs are free. Period. But there are... Read More
Michael Jackson was born Michael Joseph Jackson on August 29,... Read More
The Search for the Right MusicEver since Georgi Lozonav, the... Read More
The music of Rush influences and inspires, at least that's... Read More
Eminem's roots can be found in Scandinavia through his mother... Read More
Music & MP3 |