One of the best ways to ensure your mix is heading in the right direction is by listening to well mixed songs periodically throughout the mixing process. Continually checking your mix against a great reference helps you shape specific elements in your mix, keeps your ears tuned, and challenges you to perfect your mix.
Like with many other art-forms, imitation is flattery rather than forgery. Mixes cannot be copyrighted (lucky for us). If you find a song with great production you can copy everything in the mix, as long as you have the skills and patience to do it. I'm not talking about sampling, I'm talking about the eq, the effects, the compression. Really like those drum sounds on the latest Foo Fighters' CD? Put that on your reference list. As you are tweaking the drum sounds, switch back and forth from your mix to the Foo Fighters and sculpt the sounds to match.
You can put 3 or 4 songs in a playlist within ITunes or Windows Media Player and set it on random. Pick songs from different artists that each represent something you like that you would like to emulate in your mix. Every time you return to the beginning of your song, switch to your reference for 10-20 seconds. Listen to what sounds different (or better) and try to understand why. Try not to rationalize what you are doing as being really creative - if it doesn't compare favorably it is probably going too far. And don't fool yourself into thinking your mix sounds better because the bass is so full and the reference song is just wimpy. You are probably overdoing the bass. Push yourself to understand why the mix engineer on your favorite mixes did what they did.
One thing to be aware of is that you are comparing fully mastered songs to your mix. They are probably way louder than your mix. Set your reference players volume so it is the same level as your mix. Besides volume, the closer you get to your reference in terms of EQ, balance, separation of instruments, etc. the less will have to be done in mastering. This is a good thing - you want your mix to have the right balance. Just avoid adding any compression, limiting or eq to the overall mix. The more you can shape each individual element of the mix to get the overall sound you are after, the better the final product will be after mastering.
Reference listening also can help compensate for a poor mixing room or monitors. If you have 3 or 4 reference songs and your mix sounds somewhat similar playing in your room on your monitors, you are probably in the right ballpark. (Your room is affecting the curve of the reference songs the same way it is affecting your mix.) This is certainly not a solution to the problem, but can help you create better mixes if you can't do anything about your environment.
Once you think you have a good mix, listen to it along with your reference songs on as many different systems in as many different rooms as you can. Every room and every system will reveal different things in your mix. Your car is a really good place to listen. The thing that is interesting is that your reference songs will sound good in just about any environment. This is your goal!! Take notes on what sounds different on each system, go back and try to compensate.
One of the myths about audio engineers is that they always know what the "right" sound is. The truth is that they have learned to tune their ears often to a good reference, especially when moving around from studio to studio. After many years, you get a better sense of what is right and wrong, but this technique remains indispensible.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
HPF is your Friend
How do you get tight, full, clear bottom end in your mix? This is one of the most challenging aspects of most mixes. One reason it is challenging is that the answer is unintuitive. Cut the low end.
Every instrument in your mix has a useable range of bottom end. Everything below a certain frequency contributes to mush and mud. If your bass instruments are competing with (or contributing to) this mush, your mix may sound flabby and undefined. For example, your kick may not cut through and just sounds like cardboard rather than a kick drum.
Even your bass instruments (kick, bass, possibly synths or effects) need to be carefully managed to not have unnecessary bottom end. In most mixes, either the kick or the bass own the low end. Imagine how you want the song to sound in your head and try to figure out which is really holding the bottom. Listening to reference songs in similar styles can help you make this decision.
If the kick will be your bottom, you may boost it around 60-80hz by 2-3db. Use a High-Pass Filter (HPF) to roll off everything below 40hz (yes, even on your lowest frequency element). Take a scoop out of the kick between 150-250hz. The amount of cut depends greatly on the kick source. If you recorded a real kick you may need to take 8-10db or more out with a fairly wide Q. This will tighten the sound, give it more punch and (counter intuitively) make it feel as if it has more bass. Sampled kicks probably already have similar EQ applied so you won't need to be as drastic. Now for the Bass, you want to use the HPF to roll off gently below 80hz. Take advantage of the hole you created in the kick by boosting the bass in the 150hz range slightly. You can take a wide-Q cut in the midrange (300-500hz) of 2-3db.
If bass is your primary bottom end, you do the opposite. Another trick to extend the bass is to use a subsonic bass plug-in or add a MIDI track with a sine wave synth sound down 1 octave from the real bass. Now the real bass can be EQed to maximize clarity and punch and the synth handles the extreme lows. You guessed it - use an HPF to cut everything below 100hz or so.
Now lets apply that HPF on your non-bass instruments. This is sometimes hard to do when you listen to the instruments alone. You worked hard to get that beefy guitar tone and now you are butchering it. Remember you are working to create a piece of music that will have an emotional impact. You need to serve the entire mix.
If the bass and guitar are mostly playing in unison, you can filter out below 200hz on the guitar, sometimes higher. Acoustic guitar in a busy mix can be filtered below 350hz. Lead vocals around 100hz and backing vocals around 200hz. Snare & toms around 150-200hz. Cymbals and other percussion up to 500hz or higher. Piano, synths and other instruments can vary greatly depending on the purpose of the part. Think about that purpose and how much bottom end you can do without. All of these cuts can help smooth the dynamics and help the instruments blend in the mix with less compression. (The peaks that stick out often have lots of lower end content). And now your low end is clear to shine through without blasting it.
It is important that there are low frequencies in your bass instruments. Most likely it is there.. you don't need to boost it. You need to carve away the mud to expose it - like carving a face out of a piece of wood.
Every instrument in your mix has a useable range of bottom end. Everything below a certain frequency contributes to mush and mud. If your bass instruments are competing with (or contributing to) this mush, your mix may sound flabby and undefined. For example, your kick may not cut through and just sounds like cardboard rather than a kick drum.
Even your bass instruments (kick, bass, possibly synths or effects) need to be carefully managed to not have unnecessary bottom end. In most mixes, either the kick or the bass own the low end. Imagine how you want the song to sound in your head and try to figure out which is really holding the bottom. Listening to reference songs in similar styles can help you make this decision.
If the kick will be your bottom, you may boost it around 60-80hz by 2-3db. Use a High-Pass Filter (HPF) to roll off everything below 40hz (yes, even on your lowest frequency element). Take a scoop out of the kick between 150-250hz. The amount of cut depends greatly on the kick source. If you recorded a real kick you may need to take 8-10db or more out with a fairly wide Q. This will tighten the sound, give it more punch and (counter intuitively) make it feel as if it has more bass. Sampled kicks probably already have similar EQ applied so you won't need to be as drastic. Now for the Bass, you want to use the HPF to roll off gently below 80hz. Take advantage of the hole you created in the kick by boosting the bass in the 150hz range slightly. You can take a wide-Q cut in the midrange (300-500hz) of 2-3db.
If bass is your primary bottom end, you do the opposite. Another trick to extend the bass is to use a subsonic bass plug-in or add a MIDI track with a sine wave synth sound down 1 octave from the real bass. Now the real bass can be EQed to maximize clarity and punch and the synth handles the extreme lows. You guessed it - use an HPF to cut everything below 100hz or so.
Now lets apply that HPF on your non-bass instruments. This is sometimes hard to do when you listen to the instruments alone. You worked hard to get that beefy guitar tone and now you are butchering it. Remember you are working to create a piece of music that will have an emotional impact. You need to serve the entire mix.
If the bass and guitar are mostly playing in unison, you can filter out below 200hz on the guitar, sometimes higher. Acoustic guitar in a busy mix can be filtered below 350hz. Lead vocals around 100hz and backing vocals around 200hz. Snare & toms around 150-200hz. Cymbals and other percussion up to 500hz or higher. Piano, synths and other instruments can vary greatly depending on the purpose of the part. Think about that purpose and how much bottom end you can do without. All of these cuts can help smooth the dynamics and help the instruments blend in the mix with less compression. (The peaks that stick out often have lots of lower end content). And now your low end is clear to shine through without blasting it.
It is important that there are low frequencies in your bass instruments. Most likely it is there.. you don't need to boost it. You need to carve away the mud to expose it - like carving a face out of a piece of wood.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Get Some Perspective
The first rule of mixing is: There are no rules.
Yes, audio engineering is a science... there are many important concepts that must be understood and followed (proper gain management, minimizing phase problems, analog to digital conversion, bit-rates, etc.). But following the rules alone won't get you there.
The goal of mixing is to create a piece of music that creates an emotional impact. You have to "find the magic" in a song and bring it out in the mix. Mixing is at least 80% art.
So how do you find the magic in a mix? One important technique is to listen in a new context - as a "first time" listener. This is particularly challenging for the artist, band, or engineer who has been working on the project for weeks or months, listening over and over and getting more and more accustomed to the working mix. The first time listener is listening to the song as a whole - the groove, the mood, the feeling. A small timing error on a drum fill or a particularly loud bass note could totally distract this listener. They can't tell you what was wrong, but they are no longer "in it". On the other extreme, a perfectly balanced mix with no surprises will bore the listener within 30 seconds. In today's world, that listener is already on to another song.
The remainder of this article describes an approach to mixing focused on connecting with the listener.
If you have a mix you've been working with, save it off and start fresh. Set all of your faders to -6db. play the song and turn down tracks that are too loud to get a basic balance (we are keeping lots of headroom). Now listen to the song like you've never heard it before. Turn it up a bit so you can feel it. Listen for any "jarring" moments - where something sticks out and you are no longer just groovin' to the beat. FIX THESE. They are the biggest indicators of amateurism in a recording! Listen through a couple of times to make sure the rhythm is solid and there are no notes that distract (volume or tuning).
Now listen again from the beginning, but put on a different filter. Listen for the parts that are particularly cool. What are the hooks - the parts that people will have stuck in their heads? Now - how can you emphasize these parts in the mix? There are as many ways to do this as there are cool parts in songs, but here are some examples:
Lets say there is a particularly nifty counterpoint between bass drum and bass guitar leading into the chorus. If there is also a guitar build-up at the same time, try muting it or applying a high-pass filter so it lets the lower frequency bass instruments shine through. Apply a slight upper-mid boost to the kick to accentuate the rhythm (or a compressor with a medium attack to add extra punch).
Another example - a guitar riff that fills the spaces in the verses. Again, try to remove parts (or move them out of the way) that compete with the riff, such as the rhythm guitar. Adding a slight flange or phase is a good way to draw attention to a part. Modulate in other ways such as vibrato or tremolo.
There are more dramatic ways to draw attention to a track or a part. This is where you really break the rules. Trust your ears and go crazy with the EQ. Have a gate that triggers the pan location, so louder parts push toward the center or edge. Go lo-fi or add distortion (distortion is subconsciously associated with loudness by our brains). Be sure to double-check these sounds the next day (with fresh ears) and comparing to a reference song to make sure you didn't go too far. Hit songs push the boundaries with fresh sounds, but it is easy to just come out weird or unprofessional sounding if you aren't careful.
This is overly simplistic, but sometimes it is just a matter of turning these cool parts up. Use your mix automation! You will likely need to change the volume, pan or effects of a track depending on what else is playing. For instance, a drum intro may sound too wet if you leave the effects where they sounds best when all of the instruments come in. You may want to cut the reverbs back for the intro.
Time for the third filter: does the tune hold a new listener's attention through it's entire length? This one is a balancing act between keeping it interesting and being distracting. Often the easiest way to keep things interesting is by muting parts earlier in the song and adding them in later. If your song is just straight guitar, bass & drums from beginning to end you can still pull this off by adding layers and different timbres. Copy your guitar track to 3 additional tracks. If you have a direct guitar track you can apply different modeling plug-ins to each track or re-amp them. Start with a fairly bright tone and roll off the lows below 250hz. When you get to the first chorus add another guitar track with a thicker tone. Play with muting these various tracks at various locations. The changes don't have to be dramatic - remember, you don't want to distract, just keep it interesting.
Getting an impartial, fresh perspective on your song can really help take it to the next level. It is partially for this reason that specialized mix engineers have become more and more popular. At the very least, take a week or longer break between tracking and mixing. When you come back after this break, it may surprise you how many little things sounded ok before but are now irritating. You just took a step toward being a first time listener.
Yes, audio engineering is a science... there are many important concepts that must be understood and followed (proper gain management, minimizing phase problems, analog to digital conversion, bit-rates, etc.). But following the rules alone won't get you there.
The goal of mixing is to create a piece of music that creates an emotional impact. You have to "find the magic" in a song and bring it out in the mix. Mixing is at least 80% art.
So how do you find the magic in a mix? One important technique is to listen in a new context - as a "first time" listener. This is particularly challenging for the artist, band, or engineer who has been working on the project for weeks or months, listening over and over and getting more and more accustomed to the working mix. The first time listener is listening to the song as a whole - the groove, the mood, the feeling. A small timing error on a drum fill or a particularly loud bass note could totally distract this listener. They can't tell you what was wrong, but they are no longer "in it". On the other extreme, a perfectly balanced mix with no surprises will bore the listener within 30 seconds. In today's world, that listener is already on to another song.
The remainder of this article describes an approach to mixing focused on connecting with the listener.
If you have a mix you've been working with, save it off and start fresh. Set all of your faders to -6db. play the song and turn down tracks that are too loud to get a basic balance (we are keeping lots of headroom). Now listen to the song like you've never heard it before. Turn it up a bit so you can feel it. Listen for any "jarring" moments - where something sticks out and you are no longer just groovin' to the beat. FIX THESE. They are the biggest indicators of amateurism in a recording! Listen through a couple of times to make sure the rhythm is solid and there are no notes that distract (volume or tuning).
Now listen again from the beginning, but put on a different filter. Listen for the parts that are particularly cool. What are the hooks - the parts that people will have stuck in their heads? Now - how can you emphasize these parts in the mix? There are as many ways to do this as there are cool parts in songs, but here are some examples:
Lets say there is a particularly nifty counterpoint between bass drum and bass guitar leading into the chorus. If there is also a guitar build-up at the same time, try muting it or applying a high-pass filter so it lets the lower frequency bass instruments shine through. Apply a slight upper-mid boost to the kick to accentuate the rhythm (or a compressor with a medium attack to add extra punch).
Another example - a guitar riff that fills the spaces in the verses. Again, try to remove parts (or move them out of the way) that compete with the riff, such as the rhythm guitar. Adding a slight flange or phase is a good way to draw attention to a part. Modulate in other ways such as vibrato or tremolo.
There are more dramatic ways to draw attention to a track or a part. This is where you really break the rules. Trust your ears and go crazy with the EQ. Have a gate that triggers the pan location, so louder parts push toward the center or edge. Go lo-fi or add distortion (distortion is subconsciously associated with loudness by our brains). Be sure to double-check these sounds the next day (with fresh ears) and comparing to a reference song to make sure you didn't go too far. Hit songs push the boundaries with fresh sounds, but it is easy to just come out weird or unprofessional sounding if you aren't careful.
This is overly simplistic, but sometimes it is just a matter of turning these cool parts up. Use your mix automation! You will likely need to change the volume, pan or effects of a track depending on what else is playing. For instance, a drum intro may sound too wet if you leave the effects where they sounds best when all of the instruments come in. You may want to cut the reverbs back for the intro.
Time for the third filter: does the tune hold a new listener's attention through it's entire length? This one is a balancing act between keeping it interesting and being distracting. Often the easiest way to keep things interesting is by muting parts earlier in the song and adding them in later. If your song is just straight guitar, bass & drums from beginning to end you can still pull this off by adding layers and different timbres. Copy your guitar track to 3 additional tracks. If you have a direct guitar track you can apply different modeling plug-ins to each track or re-amp them. Start with a fairly bright tone and roll off the lows below 250hz. When you get to the first chorus add another guitar track with a thicker tone. Play with muting these various tracks at various locations. The changes don't have to be dramatic - remember, you don't want to distract, just keep it interesting.
Getting an impartial, fresh perspective on your song can really help take it to the next level. It is partially for this reason that specialized mix engineers have become more and more popular. At the very least, take a week or longer break between tracking and mixing. When you come back after this break, it may surprise you how many little things sounded ok before but are now irritating. You just took a step toward being a first time listener.
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