- Much ink has been spilled answering this question in books, magazines, and online. If you really want to know "How to mix", you need to get a good grasp on fundamentals of sound, digital audio, phase, dynamics, EQ, compression, etc... Then you'll want to practice these skills for years and develop a well-trained ear. You might want to invest in some good, flat monitors and acoustically treat your workspace. Then you can really mix properly.
- But, you're working on a track now. You don't have time to work at becoming a world-renowned mixing expert. While mixing is equal parts art and science, I once read a quick, rough method for mixing that should improve the sound of your track in short order.
- First, make sure all of your instruments or samples are assigned to their own mixer tracks.
- Next, go through each track and EQ out any bass you don't need. If you can roll off the lows on a track without hurting the feel or overall sound of a track, do it. You want to save space in the low end for your kicks and bass tracks.
- Next, in your sequencer, loop the part of your song where the maximum number of parts are playing at once. In the mixer, set the volume of every track to zero.
- Make sure you're not using any compressors or limiters to avoid clipping on your master channel. You're going to set your levels properly, so you need to know when you're clipping.
- Now, raise the volume of each track slowly until it sounds JUST RIGHT. This is where the art comes in. If your mix starts clipping (going above 0 db), lower everything a touch and keep going. My preference is to start by raising the volume of the drum submix to a moderate level, and then raise the level of everything else relative to that.
- Your goal is to get everything to sit together without overpowering anything else, sticking out of the mix, or getting buried. Your end goal is to have every part blend together, but also be clearly audible.
- If you're having trouble getting a part to sit right in the mix, try tweaking the EQ or simply panning things away from the center.
- Once you're happy with the mix, you can slap a master limiter on there and boost the loudness. Now you have a more or less well mixed track.
- Mastering is another issue entirely, a mysterious black art that I won't cover here.
Quick n' Dirty Mixing Technique
Submitted by Kemmler on Sun, 03/23/2008 - 03:46.
A very common question on most any music production forum is "How do I mix my track?"
Bass EQ
thanks Kemmler! do you have
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