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 .

The Art of Mixing (Part 2 of 4) by Josh

This week, I’m going to go into more depth on two of the five elements of a mix that I talked about last week in Part 1 .

Hopefully this information will make your collaborations here on Indaba sound even more professional!

Balance

To recap, balance refers to the volume relationship between different musical elements in a mix.  Balance is probably the most clearly evident part of mixing –  when you see an engineer adjusting the faders on a mixer, they are working on achieving a volume balance.  You want to make certain musical instruments, such as lead vocals and a guitar solo, stand out over the backing elements of the song.

The key to achieving good balance starts with identifying what level of importance each musical element should have in the mix, in accordance to the song that you are mixing.  For instance, in a Mariah Carey song, you should recognize that her renowned voice is going to be the key element, and adjust the levels/faders accordingly.  However, if you are working on a techno song, often times the drum and bass elements are right up there with the vocals, if not at a higher volume level. 

Don’t adjust balance purely on the dB readings or the light meters on your mixer, which can be deceiving.  Due to the complexity of sound wave frequencies, sometimes a sound with a lower dB meter rating can appear to sound louder than one with a higher ‘reading.’  Use the meters as a guide, especially to prevent ‘clipping,’   but rely on your ears as the final

Frequency

A quick primer: frequency refers to the “pitch” of a sound, from deep sub-sonic bass to shrill highs. Every instrument or is made up of a bunch of different frequencies, but each one has a prominent frequency centered somewhere along the spectrum.  For instance, a bass guitar is heavy in the lower frequencies.  The tool for adjusting frequencies is EQ, or equalization, which lets you raise and lower the volume (dBs) of each frequency. 

The real complexity with frequency balance comes in when you combine several different instruments together.  When you layer sounds that are heavy in the same frequencies, they tend to clash and create an unbalanced mix.  For instance, a piano, bass guitar, kick drum, toms, guitar, often have a lot of overlapping frequencies in the low-mid range.  When placed in the same mix, you’ll probably get a muddy sound. The trick to frequency balance is to make sure that all frequencies are properly and evenly represented.  This can be done in several ways:

• Carve out a frequency spectrum for each individual offending instrument using EQ – Ex. lower the high-mids on a piano, raise the high-mids on a guitar
• Change the volume level of an offending instrument – Ex. lowering a bass drum signal will help fix the conflict with the bass guitar
  
• Remove offending instruments that are not crucial to the mix - Ex. take out an extra layered kick drum sample

I hope these tips help you out with your mixes.  The most important tool is your ears, so if something doesn’t sound right to you, experiment with volume, pan, and EQ.

Next week I’ll continue with:

• Pan
• Dimension
• Dynamics
• Interest

Let me know your thoughts!

The Art of Mixing (Part 1 of 4) 

Part 1: The Basics - by Josh

With three contests going on at once here at Indaba – Minitek, /Passenger, and of course Mariah Carey – we’ve had an opportunity to listen to thousands of mixes.  I’ve heard everything across the gamut – from quick, simple volume and pan mixes to sliced, chopped up, effects-loaded “re-imaginations.”  In this three part mixing tutorial on the weekly Indaba Production Tips blog, I’m going to describe the elements of a good mix, and let everyone in on a few simple techniques that pro mixing engineers use in the studio.

Mixing is defined as the act of taking multiple tracks or elements of recorded and combining them together on the stereo field.  While this sounds simple, mixing can get quite complicated when you think about all the different ways that you can alter and shape the sound of each track.  My favorite book on mixing – the legendary The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook by Bobby Owsinski – demystifies the art by describing the six elements of a mix:
   

• Balance – Volume or loudness comparison of each track or musical element
• Frequency Range – Making sure that bass, mid-range, and treble frequencies are well balanced – usually through judicious use of EQ
• Pan – The placement of the various instruments across the stereo sound field
• Dimension – Adding effects and ambience to recorded tracks
• Dynamics – Adjusting the changes in loudness of each track or element
• Interest – Making your overall mix have that special quality

Professional mixers take these elements into account every time they make a mix, and you should too.  There are countless methods and techniques for achieving good balance in each of the six elements; every mixer has their own way of doing things. Some aspects of mixing, such as volume and pan, are pretty straightforward. Others, like dimension and interest, are less clearly defined and require experimentation to create a “feel.” Generally, mixers start with balance, frequency range, and pan before moving on to effects and dynamics. Effects such as reverb, delays, and compression are usually applied in these later stages, and this where a mixing engineer really has the power to shape the sound. Next week I’ll talk specifically about the techniques used to create mix, but in the meantime here are a couple tips to get started:

1. Listen critically to well-mixed songs: Pick out several songs that you think sound especially good, and try to identify the six elements above during the course of the song. Listen to the overall balance between the vocal and various instrument elements and how that balance was created. The more you do this, the better your ear for mixing and music in general will become. If you need a place to start, some standards for high mix quality are later Beatles albums (especially Abbey Road and Sgt. Pepper’s) and anything by Steely Dan.  Does the song have that “special” sound that makes it unique?  Can you put your finger on what creates that “interest?”


2. Start simple: Identify the main musical elements of your song – ie. Lead vocals, elec guitar, drums, etc. – and think about which ones you want to bring out in the mix.  Place the main element near the center of the stereo field using panning, and supporting elements more towards the sides.  Make sure that the perceived loudness of the main elements that you want the listener to focus on is higher than the other elements.

Mixing is one of the most challenging and enigmatic aspects of music production, but it is also rewarding, creative, and fun.  The more you think about the balance and clarity of your mix in terms of the overall sound and feel you are trying to create, the better it will sound.  Stay tuned for Part Two on specific techniques and methods next week!