Howdy beautiful people, this blog is music-centric. I would be honored if you share it with those in your tribe who produce music. We are going to talk about some basic mixing tips. For those with other talents enjoy learning a little about the process of music production.
Mixing is a beast all it’s own. There’s no such thing as a perfect mix because mixing is subjective. Here are some techniques my daughter (Zoey the White Lioness) and I use.
Panning
When sound files are recorded, the default is center pan. This can cause a muddy mix as frequencies are fighting for space. The first thing you want to do is adjust the panning. People have different preferences for where music should pan on the left and right side of the mix.
Panning is simply moving the sound out of the center to the left or right. You may even have a favorite song that has a really cool sound that sneaks up in the recording because it is panned. Several songs use panning in the intro. When you hear more music on one side in your earbuds? Yes, that is panning. If you keep hearing all the music on one side of your earbuds you may need a new set.
When panning, it is okay to experiment a little. The main thing you want to do is give everything its own space. For example, a tambourine and a hi-hat might sound muddy together, meaning it’s hard to hear the details of each instrument individually.
Try panning the hi-hat to the far right and the tambourine to the far left. The most important thing you should do after that is simple, listen! Another example, a vocal that is drowned out by the bass – try panning the bass just a little to left or right so it still hangs near the center of the mix but isn’t masking the vocal. As a general rule, anything you want to stand out (lead vocal, drums, guitar solos) that drives the song should stay panned to the center.
Volume
You can barely hear the vocals because the drums are super loud? Before you turn up the vocals to match the drums, slap on some compression, or adjust the EQ, simply adjust the volume. Turn the drums down. Many times we load up the track with plugins and effects trying to get an instrument or vocal “louder.” Sometimes all that is needed is simply turning down the volume of the drums. Basically you are aiming for getting a good volume balance in the mix.
Compression
When you have panned and optimized the volume of your tracks, it’s time to add some compression. You especially want to add compression when you have a track that is peaking. Depending on the song, snare hits tend to be very dynamic and are prone to peaking. Compression can not only tame unruly frequencies but depending where you have your attack, release, and threshold. You can keep the snare sounding full in the mix. You may be tempted to set the attack high on drums but you don’t want to crush the frequencies only tame them. There are tons of compression options for you to explore.
Listen!
Biggest mixing tip, listen and listen some more. What sounds good on solo in your DAW (digital audio workstation) may not sound good for the whole mix. What sounds good in your headphones may sound different in your car. One trick I learned from a famous mix engineer, Bobby Owsinski is to turn your listening volume down to almost a whisper and listen for what stands out. That was super helpful and is one of the last things I do before I am done mixing.
Mixing is hard to do effectively for hours and hours. If your fighting with a mix, walk away and revisit the process after you give your ears a much-needed break. Mixing is a big job. There are many great resources that are free to help you. You can always hire a mix engineer as well. It can be challenging to mix your own music. Find a reference track to use. A reference track is simply another song that has the mix close to how you want your song mixed. Whether you hire mixing out or do it yourself, using a reference track keeps you from flying blind therefore your mixing time is more productive. Most importantly, be patient, don’t rush the process and never stop improving!
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