Computer Music Guide to Basic Mixing - Tutorial

8/14/2019 Computer Music Guide to Basic Mixing - Tutorial

1/5

utorial - the Computer Music Guide to Basic Mixing

What is mixing? Mixing is the process of balancing sound. It is a skill. It is alsocreative, but that doesn't mean it can't be taught. However, to become good atdoing anything you have to practise, practise, practise, as any good mum willtell you. Don't expect that after reading this article you will be able to go awayand create the most amazing track on the planet, because you won't. Thisguide is designed to help those of you who are new to mixing get a better ideaof where to start, where you're going, and where you might end up goingwrong.The first thing you need to understand is that mixing is a subjective art, andthe 'process' of a mix is very much dependant on the type of music that you'reworking on. So let's take, for example, a typical pop record consisting of

drums, bass, keyboards, guitars and a vocal, and see how we would go aboutcreating a mix for it.

Take it from the topWe're going to assume at this point that you have a basic studio facility - ie, a computer (PC or Mac), a soundcard anda MIDI sequencer with hard disk recording. We're also going to assume you've got a few ideas looping round andround. So how do you make it sound professional? The first thing to do is mute everything - there, sounds betteralready doesn't it? OK, bad joke...

Initially it's important to establish the element that gives our mix its identity. This is usually the part that plays orsings the main tune/sound, providing the 'story' to a piece of music, and therefore is usually the most prominent. Inour example mix, this would be the vocal. You can now use this part for two very important jobs: 1. To constantly testthe mix, and 2. To keep you focused on where you're going. So now, with everything muted and a firm idea of what

your mix is about, you can begin. Most mixes are built around the rhythm section of a song, so let's start with thoseparts of your track. First, the bass drum. It's a good idea to separate each different rhythm sound onto its own trackwithin your sequencer. With most multitimbral synths, the drum kit is usually part 10 (MIDI channel 10), but thatdoesn't mean you can't have as many tracks as you like on MIDI channel 10. So if you have several drum sounds allplaying from the same track, split them up like this:

Bass drum track 1 MIDI channel 10 Closed hi-hat track 2 MIDI channel 10 Open hi-hat track 3 MIDI channel 10 Snare drum track 4 MIDI channel 10

Putting each drum on a separate track makes lifethat bit easier

ttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/tutorial/bmix/bmix.asp (2 of 3)02-09-2004 3:39:27


2/5


Easy on the EQDon't destroy your mix!

Most musicians love fiddling with EQand it is great fun, but just as EQ hasthe power to correct faults with yoursound production, it also has thepower to completely destroy yourmix, leaving you in a world of earshattering confusion - so be careful.EQ should be applied with maximum

care and attention. It's normally usedto correct a sound that is nearlyright, as opposed to turning analready bad sound into a good one.It's far better to change the soundcompletely than to force it with loadsof EQ.Imagine your mix with bottom(100Hz), middle (1kHz) and top(10kHz) frequency ranges. A goodgeneral approach is to boost thebottom and top frequencies and dropthe middle slightly, thus sweeteningthe mix as a whole. Bear in mind thestandard V-shaped slope that youwould set on the graphic EQ of yourhome hi-fi system and try to applythat all the way across your mix.Sounds tricky? Well, it is. So to helpyou, here is a very rough guide towhere the instruments in ourexample mix lie within the frequencyrange, listed in approximate orderfrom low to high...

Bass drum: 30Hz (sub bassdrum) to 400Hz (woodymiddle)

Bass: 30Hz (sub bass) to1kHz (goose)

Snare drum: 220Hz (doorslam) to 6kHz (dustbin lid)

Keys/guitars: 100Hz (warm

pad) to 8kHz (metal/glassykeys) Vocal: 100Hz (Louis

Armstrong) to 16kHz (breathywhisper)

Hi-hats: 3kHz (clack) to 6kHz('tsss')

You can see from this list that therewould be no point in boosting the lowfrequencies on the hi-hat part astheir range is way above the 100Hzarea. The same can be said aboutboosting high frequencies on thebass drum. Professional EQ pots

work in the same way as a graphicEQ on a hi-fi. You select a frequencywith the frequency pot and thenboost or cut that frequency with theEQ gain/cut pot. Tip: When mixing, ifyou're unsure of the frequency rangeof a particular instrument, turn eachof the EQ gains up, one at a time,about half way and

sweep the associated frequency pot.You should be able to hear that therange gets louder as you movethrough the frequencies that your partis playing. Sweep each frequencyselector in turn (boosting theassociated gain) until you find therange that affects your instrument the

most. Another tip: If you do boost orcut frequencies from a sound, it willaffect the overall volume level of thatsound, so you may need to adjust themain level in the mix accordingly.

Treat these knobs with the respectthey deserve...

Next page

About Us Basics Tutorials Reviews Buyers Guide Issue Demos For

Future Publishing 2004. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

ttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/tutorial/bmix/bmix.asp (3 of 3)02-09-2004 3:39:27
http://www.computermusic.co.uk/about/aboutus.asphttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/basics/basics.asphttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/tutorial/tutorialmain.asphttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/reviews/reviewsmain.asphttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/product/productmain.asphttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/issue/issue.asphttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/product/productmain.asphttp://forum.midiaddict.com/http://www.futurenet.com/futureonline/privacy.asphttp://www.futurenet.com/futureonline/privacy.asphttp://forum.midiaddict.com/http://www.computermusic.co.uk/product/productmain.asphttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/issue/issue.asphttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/product/productmain.asphttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/reviews/reviewsmain.asphttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/tutorial/tutorialmain.asphttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/basics/basics.asphttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/about/aboutus.asp


3/5


You might think this is a bit if a waste of time becausewith all the drum sounds on the same MIDI channel,you can't alter volume levels (among other things)independently. However, there is a way around this, asdescribed in Drum kit presets (over the page). Thisseparation process is good practice for several reasons.Firstly it enables you to quickly see which parts areplaying at any point in your track by simply looking atthe arrangement or the MIDI activity meters (if yoursequencer has them). Secondly it gives you, at the veryleast, individual control over the mute buttons for eachsound, and these are recordable. This opens up more

creative possibilities later on... In general, everydifferent part should be on a separate track in yoursequencer. For example, if you're playing some chordswith a string sound and you want to add a tune with thesame sound on the same MIDI channel, put the tune ona separate track. You normally have a huge if notunlimited amount of MIDI tracks in a sequencer, so usethem! This gives you much more control over your mixand helps you to identify problems quickly and deal withthem more effectively, since it's easier to see whereeverything is. So, to balance your drums, start with theloudest sound - say, the bass drum. Make sure itsvolume/velocity (again, see Drum kit presets) is set tofull (consideration for the 'feel' of the instrument shouldalso be taken into account). This gives you the best

signal to noise ratio, thus reducing any annoying hiss orhum to a minimum. This may seem a bit picky withregard to small programming suites, but as your studioexpands, noise can become a major problem, so onceagain this is good practice. At this point it should besaid, TURN ALL YOUR EFFECTS PROCESSORS OFF. As anovice sound engineer, balancing your sounds using'dry' signals can help you to become aware of everyelement of a mix and how each part interacts with theothers. Effects are usually added towards the end of amix as the final icing on the cake.

Next, unmute the two hi-hat tracks and set their volumesuntil you're happy with them in relation to the bass drum.Then do the same for the snare drum. You now have thecore element of your rhythm section thumping away.Don't worry about any other rhythm parts just yet. Checkyour mix so far by fading up the vocal part until it soundsjust louder than the drums. Everything should sound cleanand crisp - turn the volume up quite loud to make sure.Now turn the volume down again and mute the vocal.

At this point you should be checking out the vocalswith the drums

Adding EffectsKeep it simple

A good rule of thumb here is: Less is more. If your mix is not going according to your liking, don't swamp it withloads of reverb and chorus - that just makes things worse. As you add more and more effects to your parts, theybecome indistinguishable from one another and the dynamics of the mix are quickly swallowed up in a whirlpool offlanging delays. Try to keep some contrast in your mix. Adopt the approach of adding a little reverb here, a littlechorus there, etc.So to help you stay on the right track, try to keep your drums 'dry' (no effects) if you can, as this is the best way tokeep the mix punchy. If you want to make your drums sound 'live', try putting a touch of reverb on the snare drumalone. It's surprising what a difference this can make. The vocal may also benefit from the tiniest amounts of reverbor delay - but nothing too loud or long as things can get messy very quickly.Remember also that many chorus effects are in stereo, so the moment you apply one to a part of the mix, the stereoimage for that sound that you so carefully set up earlier is lost or at least diffused. In general, use effects where theyare needed rather than just sporadically splashing them all over your mix. They do sound good, but not oneverything simultaneously.

Next page



ttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/tutorial/bmix/1.asp (2 of 2)02-09-2004 3:41:27


4/5


Volume control

A couple of important tips at this point: Don't constantlymix at high volume. Also, don't constantly mix at thesame volume. Check your mix frequently using a verylow volume and at various mid-level volumes, and everynow and then crank it up to really hear how things hithard. Look at your speakers when you do this to help youto identify when you're overdriving them. When the mixis finished, you should listen to it from start to finish at ahigh level, turning it down again if you need to make

further alterations. Your ears can get tired and evendamaged if you listen to loud music for long periods,resulting in a muffled version of the sound that you'relistening to. Don't mess with your ears - you need tokeep them in the best condition possible.

Anyway, back to our mix. The next thing to add is thebassline. Again, alter its volume until you're happy withit, but pay particular attention to how it fits or clasheswith the bass drum. Very often, the bass and the bassdrum play together and if you're not careful at this stage,it's easy to end up with a 'bass heavy' mix. The reasonfor this is that these two parts contain similar lowfrequencies and you can get a doubling up effect whenthey hit at the same time. Try to blend the frequencies of

the bass and bass drum using a little EQ (see Easy onthe EQ on the previous page) so that they gel togethermore, and re-adjust the level of the bass again. Checkyour mix with the vocal, as before. Now, again one byone, add any rhythm keyboard or rhythm guitar partsyou have.

Be careful not to drown out the other instruments thatare already playing. These rhythmic parts arefundamentally accompaniments and should thereforeprovide a support to the parts which are already playing.It can be a good idea to pan these rhythmic keyboard/guitar parts to different sides of your stereo mix - thishelps to differentiate them without the need forcomplicated EQ adjustments. Check your mix once againwith the vocal.(NB. Panning a sound fully left or right actually reducesits overall level by 3dB. This should be taken intoaccount, particularly if you're listening to your mix from a

distance or in mono.)

Leave the vocal in the mix now and add any internal/external effects you wish. Finally, mute everything oncemore and run through the mix process again, only thistime concentrate solely on the balance or levels of yourparts, as you have now set up the EQ, panning andeffects. If you're still not happy with your mix, don'tworry. It takes a lot of practice to get it right, and mostprofessional sound engineers will often 'flatten' their mixand start again several times before they finally collapseat the mixing desk.

It should be restated that mixing is a subjective thing

and that this guide is just that - a guide. There is no rightor wrong way to create a mix, so don't worry if you findyou prefer to do things differently to anyone else. Themain idea is to have fun.

Pan your instruments to hear them more distictly...Even if your not happy at this stage you can alwaysstart again.

Drum kit presetsHandier than you think...At first glance, the part 10 rhythm set-ups may not appearvery useful, but if you delve deep and really look at howyou can edit them, they are quite versatile (depending onyour synth). You have just about all the parametersnecessary to mix your drums internally to a very highstandard. Earlier we mentioned the limitations of havingall the drum sounds on the same MIDI channel; well, thisis where you get round them. There are independentcontrols for each drum sound in your rhythm set-up.These include: Level, Pan, Velocity Sensitivity, TVAEnvelope, Cutoff, Resonance, TVF Envelope, Pitch, PitchEnvelope and individual sends to the internal effectsonboard your synth.

On some more powerful synths/soundcards you evenhave individual real-time controllers such as pitch bendand modulation. Many of these parameters should beutilised if you are to create a defined and well-spreadrhythm section in your mix. Obviously the levels shouldbe altered as necessary to create the right balance foryour instruments, and you can also individually adjustthe tone of each drum sound by simply using the Cutofffor that instrument, again readjusting the level as youdo it. Panning your drum sounds (particularly those notincluded in the 'core' of your rhythm section) shouldalso be considered. This again helps to separate soundsacross the stereo image, thus minimising the 'boxy' endresult that can easily occur when all your sounds arecoming from the same synth - a common problem withsmall studio set-ups. That said, though, panning is a

ttp://www.computermusic.co.uk/tutorial/bmix/2.asp (2 of 3)02-09-2004 3:46:08


5/5


Real time controller functionality is a must. If youhaven't got it, er... get it.

creative tool, so don't worry about right or wrong - justcheck out any Beatles album. As we progress up theladder of synth programming and sound-balancingskills, the introduction of real-time controllers can addflare and life to your final mix. Assigning pitch bend ormodulation controllers to various parameters of yourindividual drum sounds can have amazing effects - andwe're not talking about the internal/external effectsprocessors here. Try assigning the pitch bend controllerto the Level of the snare drum, then constructing aslope for the pitch bend control of that MIDI channelover a four-bar loop. Program the snare drum to play

sixteenths and you have the gradual crescendo effectthat is typically used in dance music. Now change theassignment of the pitch bend controller to a differentparameter - say, Cutoff. You can even assign themodulation controller to another parametersimultaneously. Of course, you need a synth/soundcardthat has these real-time controller capabilities - if yoursdoesn't, buy one that does. It's worth it.

Back to the start



ttp://www computermusic co uk/tutorial/bmix/2 asp (3 of 3)02-09-2004 3:46:08

Computer Music Guide to Basic Mixing - Tutorial

Documents

Transcript of Computer Music Guide to Basic Mixing - Tutorial