Mixing Tips from a Seasoned Veteran

Hi all.

I thought this info would be helpful to forum members of all mixing levels. Please try not to deviate from the thread topic too much.

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Here is what I listen and look for in any mix:

1) Is the mix balanced? That is, are track levels fairly balanced across the board or are there some that are too loud in the overall mix?

(As a side note..... There is more than one way to get a track to cut through a mix without having to raise the volume fader.)

2) Has a "pocket" been created in which the main vocal can sit without having to fight for the same space with other instruments?

3) Are the individual tracks tweaked so they can be heard in the mix? The idea is for them to not be fighting against the other tracks while occupying their own "space".

4) Do the kick and /or bass tracks sound "boomy" in the mix? And which instrument (i.e., kick or bass) is carrying the low end of the tune?

5) Are tracks being "washed out" by other tracks due to ambience getting in the way. The use of pre-delay and high/low pass filtering is key to getting the ambience out of the way of the individual tracks being sent to it.

6) How does the mix sound when checking for mono compatability? Are there any problems with anti-phase, phase cancellation, etc.? This is key when mixing, IMO.

There are other things, but the above are some of the first things I check for when listening to a mix or mixing a project myself.

Here are some "Rule of Thumb" tips to use when mixing.....

1) If you want something to stick out in a mix, use a highpass filter to roll off some of the lows.

2) If you want something to blend in in a mix, use a lowpass filter to roll off some of the highs.

3) When using EQ..... Use a narrow "Q" (i.e., bandwidth) when cutting and a wide "Q" when boosting frequencies. This principle applies to complimentary EQing as well.

4) Also along the lines of EQing tracks..... "Cut" if you are trying to make things sound better. "Boost" if you are trying to make things sound different.

5) Use a highpass filter after effects. This will help the track to be "sit" in the mix better as well as cut down on any "wash out" that can occur.

6) You cannot cut/boost something that is not already present in a track in the first place.

7) If something sounds "boomy", cut some at around 50Hz.

8) If something sounds "muddy", cut some at around 200Hz to 300Hz.

9) If something sounds "honky", cut some at around 500Hz.

10) Always check your stereo mix with PAZ or equivalent analyzer to make sure frequencies stay in check.

Here are some pointers regarding ambience (i.e., reverb).....

1) Ambience works better when timed to the tempo of the track.

2) Short ambience tails "push back" a sound in the mix.

3) Long ambience tails makes a sound "float" in a mix.

4) Reducing the ambient time of a plate or a room verb to 0.3-0.6 seconds will often make an instrument fuller and bigger sounding, as well as less "in-your-face" without it being obvious that ambience is being used.

5) Always follow ambience with a highpass filter to control any "wash out" from occurring.

6) Pre-delay is key in helping a track cut through and sit better in the mix.

7) Combining a delay with ambience will create movement to a track and make it more interesting to listen to.

8) Substitute a delay for ambience. They will give movement to a track and sound cleaner for the track as a whole.

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Wow! That was a lot of typing!

There are more things to consider when mixing, but put the above things into place and everything else will fall into place, IMO.

Happy mixing.

Thanks for the information, Chaz, concise rules to follow. I'm going to print it out and tack it to the wall near my monitor.

Thanks Chaz,

You always seem to enlighten instead of criticize, the sign of a good teacher.

Dick

I will have to answer some of your questions later on.

One thing I cannot emphasize enough is the use of a frequency spectrum analyzer like PAZ or equivalent to see what your mix looks like. It can save you a lot of headaches in the longrun. And you can easily see what frequencies need to be adjusted in the overall mix to bring them in line with everything else.

Wrong post

Nice Chaz - Thanks for the tips.

-D

Chaz this is very useful and helpful info.......I copied and pasted your post to word and printed it out and placed it above my screen.....so now when I mix I have a guide to go by to make my music sound that much more OFFICAL!

Thankz

can someone explain "pre-delay" ?

Sure

Is it achieved by doubling the f.e. vocal-track.. moving it a bit to the left while lowering its volume ?

NO.

Predelay is a (nearly) universal parameter used in reverb patches. Basically it "delays" the onset of the reverb tail so that there is a period of time immediately after the word, chord, hit etc. where there is no reverb.

Predelay serves 2 purposes (1 psychoacoustic and the other utilitarian): it makes a reverb sound bigger because in the real world it takes longer for sound to bounce off of a wall thats 100 ft away than it does for one 10 ft away (bigger space = more predelay); and it creates room for individual tracks to breathe and retain definition without being muddied by the immediate onset of reverb.

A very common trick is setting predelay in time with the tempo of your track (like say a 16th note).

can someone explain "pre-delay" ?

In general, verb tend to make things sound farther away; but predelay brings them back forward (If you were in a gym and a singer was directly in front of you, you'd hear the vocal well before the ambience, however, if the singer was at the opposite end of the gym, you here the vocal and ambience very close to the same time.)

For verb on lead vocals, you often want predelay; predelay on percussion, however, can be tricky and may sound like extra hits. You would probably only use predelay on a verb for snare if you wanted a special effect.

A question sir, If I may:

When you mention bandwidth and Q
Narrow - meaning a low value ?
Wide meaning a high value ?
How does the numeric value relate to the narrow / wideness?
TIA

You, sir, are an awesome human being!
Glad to be sharing the same side of the planet with you.

Just spent a couple hours making the best sounding mix EVER

Thanks Chaz

and everyone else who chimed in
Jonas, joe et al

Chaz,

If you get some time can you explain to me "anti-phase, phase cancellation, " I am totally new to all of this.

Thank You

Also I am going to copy and paste this thing for a permanent spot in my computer and print it out.

Richard

ORIGINAL: slim62r

Chaz,

If you get some time can you explain to me "anti-phase, phase cancellation, " I am totally new to all of this...

slim62r,
Phase is a big topic, see this thread for more info:

http://forum.cakewalk.com/tm.asp?m=607785

Cheers.

Thanks to you, too, Jonas. Same!

ORIGINAL: jsaras
1. With the exception of drum overheads, try to record instruments in mono as much as possible. Stereo (soft) synths, stereo guitar effect pedals, stereo chorused bass, etc. can sound terrific when they're played alone, but when they all play together in a mix it can sound very amateurish very quickly. Record in mono and let the panning volume and reverb(s) create the stereo field.

I have a question about about this one. I envision a middle ground in between the extremes of full-stereo sources and fully-mono sources. Plugins like Gpan and the SONAR surround panner let you truly set the width and center position of the stereo source, and let you fill in the space between the two extremes of full stereo (unpannable) and full mono (completely pannable).

I do appreciate the elegance and simplicity of mono tracks for complex mixes, but I can imagine scenarios sitting in between the extremes of complex mixes and solo'd instruments, say, the synth equivalent of a chamber orchestra, i.e. having just two or three instruments besides percussion in a relatively simple setting. This is where I believe that true stereo panning tools can be applied very well.

ORIGINAL: jsaras
I use Waves' stereo imaging plugins for this purpose.

Thanks... I'll look into those. (Not every one of us has taken the plunge into the world of Waves.)

Another option would be to record stereo tracks as dual mono. You can then just use regular panning controls to adust the width of stereo spread.

Thanks again, Jonas. Dual mono, of course (slaps head). Unless I'm missing something, SONAR would require a pair of mono tracks for this per part?