The Art of Mixing (Part 3 of 4) by Josh

This week, I’m going to talk about three more elements of a good mix, pan and dimension and dynamics. Check out Part 2 for balance and frequency range, and Part 1 for a general primer on mixing. 

Pan – Mixers use pan to position musical elements across the stereo field, from left to right on a two dimensional perspective.  This is achieved by placing more or less of a sound signal in either the left or right channel of a two-channel mix.  Pan is often overlooked as a major element in mixing, but good panning techniques are crucial for a clear, balanced, and interesting mix. 

As with volume balance, the first step when working with pan is to identify the main musical elements of a mix.  The common practice nowadays is to place the lead vocals of a track near the center of the spectrum, and to build backing tracks around the lead vocals on the sides.  Mixers usually place bass-heavy sounds like the kick drum and bass guitar near the center too, as these sounds anchor the mix and will not interfere frequency-wise with the vocals or lead instrument. Some instruments that are recorded in stereo, such as piano and percussion, sound better to me when they exist across a broad spectrum of the stereo field, but if it is a complicated mix I usually try to confine them a bit more.

A common mistake among mixers is to pan a lot to the hard left or hard right (all the way to one side or another).  This creates a build-up of sound on each channel and results in a muddy, unclear mix.  For this reason, I like to place each element in a unique position across the stereo field, from just left of center to almost hard left or right. I like to save the far ends of the spectrum for effects such as reverbs and delays. This will create a clearer mix with more depth and interest. Pan can be used to prevent conflict between two instruments of similar frequencies. For example, panning an electric guitar towards the left and a synthesizer towards the right will eliminate a lot of the frequency clash between the two instruments.

Dimension – Dimension refers to the ambience or effects of a mix. This is done through the use of effects processors such as reverbs and delay. 

Reverbs and delays are used to create a perception of three-dimensional space in a mix.  Delays repeat the original sound at a specified time interval and volume level to create an “echo” effect. Reverbs do basically the same thing, but the repetitions are much shorter and more complex.  Applying reverb and delays generally makes sounds appear further away, so they are a great way to create a sense of three-dimensional space in a mix.  Here are some tips:

• Time your delays to the tempo of the song. Most software delays will do this for you, but here’s a quick formula for those working without an advanced DAW. ¼ note delay in milliseconds = 60,000/Song Temp (BPM) Use this number to find other length delays by dividing or multiplying the quarter note value.
  
• When layering reverbs and delays on top of each other, start with shorter length reverbs and delays, placing longer ones on top. This will create a better sense of space.
• One cool trick is to use several of time, short delays to create space rather than a big reverb – this will help maintain the clarity of the mix.

• EQ the reverb and delays to get the precise sound you want.
  

Dynamics - The volume change/envelope of a track

The manipulation of dynamics is done through the use of compressors, limiters, and gates.  Pretty much universally applied in all major genres, with the exception of some classical and jazz music, compression is key to adding energy and life to a song.

Usually placed right before or after the EQ process of a track, compression controls the dynamics of a sound.  Compression is commonly used to make an instrument or voice stand out and appear closer to the listener.  It is also often used as a last step to make a mix sound louder and more exciting.  Compression is very complicated, check out this Indablog post by PJ for more in-depth conversation on this topic.

Let me know your specific tricks for pan and dimension. Next week we’ll finish up with interest .