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| Go from ok mixes to great mixes this these Pro Tips from Bobby Owsinski |
Although most engineers ultimately rely on their intuition when doing a mix, they do consciously or unconsciously follow certain mixing procedures.
Every mix, according to Bobby Owsinski’s ‘The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook’ in order to be great, must include six main elements.
So let's get started with the 6 elements to produce a great mix.
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| The 6 more important elements of a mix |
Element 1: Balance - The mixing part of mixing.
The most basic element of a mix is balance. A great mix must start here, for without balance, the other mix elements pale in importance. There's more to balance than just moving some faders though.
Good balance starts with good arrangement. It's important to understand arrangements because so much of mixing is subtractive by nature. This means that the arrangement, and therefore the balance, is changed by the simple act of muting an instrument whose part doesn't fit well with another. If the instruments fit well together arrangement-wise and don't fight one another, the mixer's life becomes immensely easier. But what exactly does "fighting one another" mean?
When two instruments that have essentially the same frequency band play at the same volume, the result is a fight for attention. Think of it this way: You don't usually hear a lead vocal and a guitar solo at the same time do you? That's because a human ear can't decide which to listen and becomes confused and fatigued as a result.
So how do you get around instrument "fighting" First and foremost is a well written arrangement that keeps instruments out of each other's way right from the beginning. The best writers and arrangers have an innate feel for what will work, and the result is an arrangement that automatically lies together without much help.
But it's not uncommon to work with an artist or band that isn't sure of the arrangement or is into experimenting and just allows an instrument to play throughout the entire song, thereby creating numerous conflicts. This is where a mixer gets a chance to rearrange the track by keeping what works and muting the conflicting instrument or instruments. Not only can the mixer influence the arrangement this way, but he can also influence the dynamics and general development of the song.
To understand how arrangement influences balance, we have to understand the mechanics of a well written arrangement.
Most well conceived arrangements are limited in the number of elements that occur at the same time. An element can be a single instrument like a lead guitar or a vocal, or it can be a group of instruments like the bass and drums, a doubled guitar line a group of backing vocals and so on. Generally, a group of instruments playing the same rhythm is considered an element. For example, a doubled lead guitar or doubled vocal is a single element, as is a lead vocal with two additional harmonies. Two lead guitars playing different parts are two elements, however. A lead and a rhythm guitar are also two separate elements.
Element 2: Panorama - Placing the sound in the sound field
One of the most overlooked or taken for granted elements in mixing is panorama, or the placement of a sound element in the sound field. To understand panorama, first we must understand that the stereo sound system (which is two channels for our purposes) represents sound and spatiality. Panning let us select where in that space we place that sound.
In fact panning does more than just that. Panning can create excitement by adding movements to the track and adding clarity to an instrument by moving it out of the way of other sounds that might be clashing with it. Correct panning for a track can also make it sound bigger wider and deeper.
So what is the proper way to pan? Are there rules? Well, just like so many other things in mixing, although panning decisions might sometimes seem arbitrary, there's a method to follow and a reason behind the method.
Imagine that you're at the movies and watching a Western. The scene is a panorama of the Arizona desert, and right in the middle of the screen is a cowboy sitting on his horse in a medium shot from his boots up. A pack of Indians (we'll say six) is attacking him, but we can't see them their impact as a suspense builder is limited, and they cost the production money that just went to ease. Wouldn't it be better if the director moved the Indians to the left out of the shadow of the cowboy so we could see them? Or maybe spread them out across the screen so the attack seems larger and more intimidating?
Of course, that's what we do with the pan control (sometimes called pan pot, which is short for potentiometer, the name of the electronic component used to pan the signal). It allows the engineer (the director) to move the background vocals (Indians) out of the way of the lead vocal (cowboy) so that in this case we can hear (see) each much more distinctly.
Element 3: Frequency range - Equalizing
Even though as an engineer has every intention of making his track sound as big and as clear as possible during tracking and overdubs, the frequency range of some or all of the tracks is often still somewhat limited when it comes to the mix. This could be because the tracks were recorded in a different studio using different monitors, used a different signal path, or were highly influenced by the producer and the musician. As a result the mixing engineer must extend the frequency range of those tracks.
In the quest to make things sound bigger, fatter, brighter and clearer, the equalizer is the chief tool that most mixers use. But perhaps more than any other tool, the use of the equalizer requires a skill that separates the average engineer from the master.
- There are three primary goals when equalizing:
- Make an instrument sound clearer and more defined.
- Make the instrument or mix bigger and larger than life
Make all the elements of a mix fit together better by juggling frequencies so that each instrument has it's own predominate frequency range.
Element 4: Dimension - Adding effects
The fourth element of a mix is dimension, which is the ambient field where the track or tracks sit. Dimension can be captured while recording but usually has to be created or enhanced when mixing by adding effects such as reverb, delay, or any of the modulated delays such as chorusing or flanging, Dimension might be something as simple as re-creating an acoustic environment, but it could also be the process of adding width or depth to a track or trying to spruce up a boring sound.
Actually there are really four reasons why a mixer would add dimension to a track:
- To create an Aural Space
- To add Excitement
- To Move a Track Back in the Mix (Give the impression it's Farther Away)
Element 5: Dynamics - Compression and gating
In years past the control of the volume envelope of a sound (dynamics) would not have been included as a necessary element of a great mix, in fact dynamics control is still not a major part of Classical and Jazz mixing. But in today's modern music, the manipulation of dynamics plays a major role in the sound. In fact, just about nothing else can affect your mix as much as in so many ways as compression.
Compression is an automated level control using the input signal to determine the output level. You set compression by using the Threshold and Ratio controls.
Compressors work on the principle of gain ratio, which is measured on the basis of input level to output level. This means that for every 4dB that goes into the compressor, 1dB will come out, for a ration of 4 to 1 or 4:1. If a gain ratio of 8:1 is set, then for every 8dB that goes into the unit, only 1 will come out of the output. Although this could apply to the entire signal regardless of a level, a compressor is usually not set up that way. A threshold control determines at what signal level the compressor will begin to operate. Therefore, threshold and ration are interrelated, and one affects the way the other works. Some compressors (like LA2-As and UREI LA-3s) have a fixed ration, but on most units the control is variable.
Most compressors also have attack and release parameters. These controls determine how fast or slow the compressor reacts to the beginning (attack) and end (release) of the signal. Many compressors have an Auto mode that sets the track and release in relation to the dynamics of the signal. Although Auto works relatively well, it still doesn't allow for the precise settings required by certain source material. Some compressors (like the dbx 160 series) have a fixed attack and release, which gives it a particular sound.
When a compressor operates, it decreases the gain of the signal, so there is another control called Make-up Gain or Output that allows the signal to be boosted back up to it's original level or beyond.
Most compressors also have an additional input and output called a side chain, which is an input and output back into a compressor for connecting other signals processors to it. The connected processor only gets the signal when the compressor exceeds threshold and begins to compres. Side chains are often to EQs to make a de-esser, which softens the loud SSS and PPP sounds from a vocalist when he exceeds the compressors threshold. But you can connect delays, reverbs, or anything you want to side chain for unusual, program level dependent effects, Side chains are not needed for typical compressor operations, so many manufacturers don't include side chain connectors.
Element 6: Interest - The key to Great (As Opposed to Merely Good) Mixes
Although having control of the previous five elements might be sufficient for many times of audio jobs and might be just fine to get a decent mix, most popular music requires a mix that can take it to another level.
Although is always easier with great tracks, solid arrangements, and spectacular playing, a great mix can take simply okay tracks and transform them into hit material so compelling that people can't get enough of them.
That's been done on some of your all time favorite songs.
To close this post I'll quote Bobby Owsinski: "Although having control of the previous five elements, might be sufficient for many types of audio jobs and might be just fine to get a decent mix, most popular music requires a mix that can take it to another level, Although it's always easier with great tracks, solid arrangements, and spectacular playing, a great mix can take simply okay tracks and transform them into hit material so compelling that people can't get enough of them. That's been done on some of your-all time favorite songs.
Most neophyte mixers have only four or five of these when doing a mix, but all of these elements MUST be present for a GREAT mix, as they are all equally important. You can read about these six elements in more detail in The Mixing Engineer's Handbook".
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