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

This week, I’m going to finish up the series with the last  element of a good mix, interest (making the mix special). Check out Part 3 for pan and dimension and dynamics, Part 2 for balance and frequency range, and Part 1 for a general primer on mixing.

Interest is often the most elusive element of a good mix.  Oftentimes, mixers fully address the previous five elements (dynamics, frequency, balance, panorama), but the final mix still sounds flat, lifeless, and un-interesting.

A mix needs to have something special that captures the interest of the listener. How many times have you heard a song with relatively simple, straightforward parts, but somehow felt an emotional pull or connection that made you want to listen over and over again?  Especially in popular music, the mixer plays a crucial role in creating the emotion and excitement that makes the song a hit.

Creating excitement and interest in a mix is often a tough feat to accomplish.  One tip is to view the song as a movie or story.  There needs to be moments of tension, a build up that results in an emotional climax, and resolution.  Use compressors, volume change, pan, and other tools to create subtle or dramatic rise and falls throughout the song.

Here are several tips that Bobby Owsinski offers in his great book on mixing and the main source for this blog series, The Mixing Engineers Handbook:

• Find the Direction of the Song:  This is the first thing that a mixer needs to decide. If the song is going in a folk direction the mixing decisions will be different than a rock, pop, hip-hop, or country song.
• Develop the groove: Every piece of music has some sort of groove or pulse.  Find what instruments define the groove (Hint: It’s not always the drums) and develop the song around that element.
• Emphasize the Most Important Element:  In many songs, there is one element that is just as, if not more important than the groove.  For instance, in a Mariah Carey song, the vocals are clearly the focal point and need to be treaded as such.  The vocals are not always the most important element, however.  An example would be a guitar driven garage band that puts more emphasis on loud electric guitars than the vocals.

I hope this information on mixing helps you guys with your mixes here on Indaba.  Like any art, the most important skill is to find your inspiration and trust your instincts.  If something makes you excited, don’t worry about whether or not it is the “technically correct” way – your ears and instincts are much more valuable than meters and rules.  Happy mixing!