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10 Top Tips For A Better Mix |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 03 March 2008 13:27 |
- Try and complete all edits before mixing. You don’t want the mix process to become convoluted by long boring edits. Tidying the dead space between audio by using fades will reduce the need to use gates in the mix.
- Before applying any plug ins or outboard effects, start the mix by pulling all the faders down and then creating a rough fader balance. This wipes the slate clean and is helpful because you can build a good gain structure for the mix and it paints a better picture to allow you judge how much EQ and compression to use.
- Unless you are mixing in an accurate studio environment and you know exactly how the mix should sound use commercial reference material for mix inspiration.
- When mixing drums with vocals sometimes its hard to get both sounding present and punchy without them getting in the way of each other. One good way (assuming your lead vocal is centrally panned) is to pan any some drums slightly off centre (maybe 5%-10%) to give the lead vocal a little more space.
- Don’t over-do the effects. When sounds seem too separate use reverbs and delays. This usually seems to occur to vocals guitars and piano parts. Too much reverb is a big no-no as it will push sounds further back into a mix and will also lack impact when played in a larger room (then the mix room).
- Check your mixes on a variety of common use systems: A car stereo, standard ipod headphones and if possible NS10s. Check that you get an impression of bottom end from each. Listen for anything too resonant in the car.
- The 1-4k area of a mix is tricky to get right. If there is too much going on then the mix will sound harsh. I usually subgroup elements of the mix as this way you can apply a master EQ to sections of your mix and get the balance right.
- If you do this and the mix starts to feel lifeless try a dynamic EQ using a multi-band compressor. Choose the offending band (e.g 1-4k) and set the threshold so that it catches the louder hits/notes and let it compress a little, make sure you do not use any makeup gain as you are trying to suppress certain notes that be causing offence. This way you tend to achieve a crunchy, present mix without the ear piecing harshness.
- Be critical about the direction of the track in the mix. Sometimes ideas laid down at the recording stage just don’t work so make sure you wear a different cap and don’t be afraid to do what’s right for the mix.
- The mix should be an extension to the recording and not a process for fixing a bad one, it’s a chance to review and enhance. If it wasn’t right when recorded it will never be right in the mix.
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