Mixing
From WikiRecording
Mixing is the process of taking many instrument, vocal, or other sound sources and blending them into a single, cohesive song. Before you begin to mix make sure you have positioned your monitors correctly.
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Mixing on a Console
In the days before computers and DAW's, mixing was done on large analog consoles. Many records are still made this way, as some people prefer the qualities imparted on a mix by analog gear. Many analog consoles have developed some form of automation to allow for instant project recall and automatic fader moves rather than having to mix everything by hand in real-time.
In-the-Box Mixing
In the past decade or so, it has become possible to produce complete mixes exclusively with computers and software. This is known as In-The-Box (ITB) mixing. ITB mixes can be done with little outboard gear. The only hardware you need aside from the computer are microphones and pre amps to record the performance, and converters to get the audio in and out of the computer. All of the levels, panning, effects, routing, and summing takes place inside the computer.
Analog Summing Busses
Another method that promises the flexibility of in-the-box mixing while retaining the character of analog is the use of an Analog Summing Bus such as the Dangerous 2-Bus or the RMS Folcrom. Summing busses take a series of submixes (typically up to 16) from the DAW and sum them in the analog realm. The stereo output of the summing bus can then be routed to whatever medium you choose for your final mixes.
Basic Mixing Concepts
Levels
During the mix, you will set the levels (volume) of each instrument in relation to the entire mix. Dynamics can be controlled manually by adjusting faders, or in the DAW by setting automation. Also the dynamic range and level of the signal can be adjusted by compression, and gating.
Panning
Panning refers to placing the audio in the stereo field. A pan control allows you to place the signal hard left, hard right, or anywhere in between.
Effects
Though you can record instruments with effects, it's often preferred to add effects during mixdown. This way, you can alter the effect to suit the mix rather than being stuck with the effect as it was recorded. The most common effects are EQ (equalization), reverb and delay. Refer to the Delay, Reverb, and EQ Mixing tips articles for more information.
Mixing Philosophy
A mix can be an attempt to recreate as natural a sound as possible, or it can provide an unrealistic representation of the music intended to make the song sound larger-than-life. Like so many things in music and art, there is no "right way" to mix. Only your ears can decide what's best for the mix at that moment.
Having said that, it's a good idea to reference albums when you are learning how to mix. Learn how the style you are working on is "supposed to sound", and learn how to achieve those sounds. Keep in mind when referencing commercial albums that they have almost certainly been mastered, so are likely to sound better (or at least different) than you are able to reach at this stage. Sometimes a way to emulate that would be to apply an overall compressor on the mix, to simulate what it would sound like with some mastering, a lot of large format boards like SSL's have a built in compressor that can be inserted on the stereo output.
After mixing for a few hours it is important to take a break, your ears get tired. Also when you begin it is usually good to mark a few reference levels for your mix, sometimes put tape on the master volume, that way you can know you're always listening to things at the same low, medium and loud reference levels. Technically some would say you should mix at 80 DB SPL (Sound Pressure Level) If you have a chance to use a device to check how loud that sounds you can get a feel for it. It is a quiet to medium loud level. Remember to think of the Loudness Contour, and Equal Loudness Curves. Basically the idea behind equal loudness is that you perceive less bass in quieter sounds than when the track is loud. So mixing at a low level will tend to give you more bass, than mixing really loud, however the actual curve is more complex.
Various approaches:
- All ON BOARD: basically all faders up at the beginning where you work to get your mix. You add effects and everything else with everything going rather than working much individually on soloed channels.
- Start small: Some engineers choose to start with the a single track and slowly add in other elements. Usually they will begin with the bass or something that roots the mix. adding in a channel at a time until the mix is built.
Tips
The fewer elements in the mix the bigger they should be, the more elements the smaller they should be.
To make an element stick out boost the highs, to make it sit back in the mix boost lows (or cut highs).
Link:A graph of the Equal Loudness curves
