Ok! So you have all of your tracking done… and you simply don’t know where to begin when it comes to mixing and blending all of this stuff together! I admit, it can be a very overwhelming task when you observe it as a whole. Just dealing with all of these sounds and trying to come up with an end result that sounds listenable seems difficult indeed. The key to successful mixing, though, is much like the key to completing any complex task; it must be done in steps, and with great care.
So where do you start? That’s a fair question indeed if you’re to begin the whole process. Where I begin, though, is making sure everything is in order. Basically do a quick scan through your mix, see that tracks appear to be in stable condition, and nothing is out of place. This shouldn’t take too long, as you’re basically looking for anything that seems odd in your workstation.
To begin your mix, you must understand some key points first. Your mix is somewhat like a three dimensional space in which you place the building blocks of your track. Each individual piece stacks on the other to create a final, whole product. And just as in architectural design, your “building blocks” (the sounds of your mix, if you hadn’t caught on already, heh) can only occupy their own space. This is where we delve into the concepts of frequency management and dynamic control.
A common problem amateurs run across when completing a mix is that it seems too “muddy” and that it is lacking clarity. The reason for this is that the different tracks in your mix are more or less tied to a certain frequency range, and the more they overlap, the more confusion and mess you will get. To work around this, we will use the all mighty, wonderful process known as “equalization”. This is, by far, the greatest and most important tool in any audio engineer’s arsenal, and having a very extensive fundamental knowledge of its procedures will make you that much more of a competent mixer. Each element of your mix, each instrument, will take up its own space within your three dimensional field. Knowing which frequencies are abrasive and which ones conflict with each other is important in achieving clarity.
To begin your mix, I’ll talk about a method known as “zero point reference mixing”. The process involves starting with the dominant element of any given song or soundtrack and setting its average level to read around 0 VU. When working with all digital systems that use peak metering, the engineer uses whatever standard that studio is set at. Most digital systems that work in a 24-bit or greater mix environment use the formula 0 VU=(-14). Simply put, this means that in a song, say the vocal would be EQ’d and compressed to read around 0 VU plus or minus (preferably minus) 3 db. Once this is achieved, blend whatever effects might be necessary for the particular song you’re working on. When the dominant element sits at the proper volume, determine the next musical (non rhythmic) instrument. This could be the guitars, piano, synth patch, anything with chords. The way I would determine what the second element in the mix should be is to ask “if this song were an unplugged version, what would accompany the lead element?” When you have blended the second element into the fold, you now have established a proper reference level you can build upon. Try adding bass, set what the EQ should be taking into account the other items in the mix. Take a look at what the compression should be, if any. Once you have the bass in, you might try seeing how the kick drum works with the bass. Try and understand the relationship between all the elements you have up and make appropriate adjustments to achieve a pleasing balance between the instruments.
Now that we have established a very good way to have excellent volume structure in your mix, we can work on equalization and compression. I’ll start with explaining compression first.
Essentially when you use a compressor on a piece of audio, you are controlling the dynamic range. The dynamic range is the relationship between the softest and loudest points in a sound. A compressor “squashes” this range, to make the softer parts seem more equal to the louder parts, depending on the settings used. This can be a very useful tool, but it can also destroy the mix of its life. Most of the time, it is applied to vocals, and other instruments that have a naturally wide dynamic range. It can also be used on percussive instruments to add a lot of punch, as well. The attack time of a compressor affects how quickly it takes for the unit to begin “compressing”. The ratio is how much compression is being done, the release time is how long the compressor stays working once activated, and the threshold is the lowest point at which the compressor will begin to work. Most compression units also have an output option that will allow you to raise the makeup gain level of the amount being reduced.
Equalization is what you want to do next. This is where the true mettle of an engineer is tested. A basic equalizer will give you these functions: the frequency range, which is fairly self explanatory, your boost and cut, which can either raise or lower the volume of the selected frequencies, and the Bandwidth, or Q, which is how wide of a curve the frequency range is. Now I (and most others) will tell you that subtractive EQ is the safest way to go. That is, finding which frequencies conflict, and which ones sound bad, and cutting. My personal method is to first solo a track, turn the boost all the way up, and slowly turn the frequency knob until you find the sound that sticks out in the most annoying way, and then cut to about -3 db. After that, I would un-solo the track and see how it sounds with the rest of the mix. I do this for just about all of my tracks.
Another form of EQ is called the filter, which essentially removes all frequencies above or below a given point. There are highpass filters and lowpass filters. A highpass will cut all frequencies BELOW a given threshold, and the lowpass will cut all frequencies ABOVE a given threshold. That being said, I tend to highpass nearly every track (except for the bass guitar, kick drum, and maybe a floor tom) at around 100 hz to get rid of all bass content that would otherwise clutter the mix.
Here is something to look at to take into consideration when you apply EQ:
20 Hz and below - impossible to detect, remove as it only adds unnecessary energy to the total sound, thereby most probably holding down the overall volume of the track
60 Hz and below - sub bass (feel only)
80(-100) Hz - feel AND hear bass
100-120 Hz - the "club sound system punch" resides here
200 Hz and below - bottom
250 Hz - notch filter here can add thump to a kick drum
150-400 Hz - boxiness
200 Hz-1.5 KHz - punch, fatness, impact
800 Hz-4 KHz - edge, clarity, harshness, defines timbre
4500 Hz - extremely tiring to the ears, add a slight notch here
5-7 KHz - de-essing is done here
4-9 KHz - brightness, presence, definition, sibilance, high frequency distortion
6-15 KHz - air and presence
9-15 KHz - adding will give sparkle, shimmer, bring out details - cutting will smooth out harshness and darken the mix
This can only help you so much, so I recommend playing around with the equalizer as much as possible. Remember, the key is to take away the frequencies that conflict and sound bad.
Now, after you have taken care of the basic foundation of your mix, you probably want to add some effects, maybe do a bit of automation and put some finishing touches on it. Effects can be very cool if they are used properly, or they can totally mess up your sound when abused! Reverb is often used for ambience and to give a sense of dimension with your tracks. I recommend using a small plate reverb for the vocals, and then a very minor touch of verb on the drums. If you want to add even more on the snare, you can, but you should be very careful of over doing it. You can completely ruin a track with too much reverb.
I won’t go in depth with the other effects for now, as they are mostly for flavor and should be experimented with on your own, but I’ll outline some tips to keep in mind when you do your mixing.
*Be conscious of your panning. For double tracked guitars, a hard left/right pan isn’t always necessary. Kick, bass, vocals, and any leads should be centered. I like to put the overhead drums on 75% left and right, and then pan the toms of the drum kit according to how they are set up in relation to the drummer.
*Make sure you control the dynamics of your vocals, because they can sound quite weak in certain songs if not properly compressed. It isn’t always necessary to use heavy compression though. Use good judgment.
*Your master fader should never clip. If it is be sure to check the gain of each track and adjust the volumes to remove the clipping. Likewise, you don’t want individual tracks to clip either.
*Be conscious of signal flow, just as in recording (except much more important here). If you’re using a complex console set up with a large patchbay and a ton of outboard effects, things can get confusing. Take things slowly one step at a time, trace where your signal is going from the source, follow it to everything else.
*Use automation to your advantage. If there are passages in your song when the guitars should drop out a bit and lead the piano do its thing, you should take that into consideration and automate the levels. When it comes to panning and other effects, especially delays, this is more of a production call.
Ok, this is call I can think of for now. If I feel that I’ve missed anything or I see an error, I’ll make the changes! Thanks!
ALSO!!! Here is a rather large "audio glossary" that I think everyone should check out. If you have any question of what a certain term that you've heard means, this will almost definitely have it.
http://www.modrec.com/glossary/