Mixing is one of the final steps when getting a track ready for release. This step usually comes before the final master. The idea of a mix down is to get the levels correct and level before the master pushes everything back up. There are elements that need to be pushed further back into the mix and also need to be brought further forward. Mixing also means the adding of effects such as reverb, delay, EQ, compression and distortion. All of these will shape your sound and make them sound clean and professional. Mixing is extremely important for any type of track. Wether its a live recording, an electronically made track, a sample that has been flipped into a track, or even a soundscape. Mixing should never be overlooked as after all it is going to greatly affect your final product.
A Brief History
Before the age of multi-track recordings, the volume of each recorded instrument was decided by how far away the microphone was from the recorded instrument. This was the most vital part of the mix before the digital era. If the recording was unsatisfactory or had a mistake, it had to be played all over again. With the introduction of multi-track recording, mixing became much more simple. The three stages of a mix were recording, overdubbing and mixing.
Production will always be the most important part of the process which is making a song. It will significantly effect the way that the final product turns out. Production is the arrangement and selection of instruments that go into a track. But it was only from the early 80’s that the difference between a producer and an engineer was actually starting to be explored. Post production and mixing was entirely an after thought until then. In the 1970’s band started getting more experimental. the idea of reverb, delay, distortion and compression became more enticing with the introduction of Phsyc-rock. Music today wouldn’t be the same without the mixing and sound that defines them. The perfect example of this is, would Daft Punk’s ‘Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger’ be the same without the Vocoder?
The Process
Clarity, depth, width, dynamics, frequency range and tone, are all examples of what mixing is today. They are all crucial to what a modern day song sounds like. Mixers need to think about how each individual thing added will impact the song. If it wont, don’t include it. Each individual effect will do something, you may not hear it, but it will be doing something. So, if it doesn’t positively impact the sound, take it out. Once a producer has finished with the track, it will be sent to a mixing engineer who will then take care of the mixing. This can be a project file of 4 tracks, or a project file in a folder filled with 100+stems. A chunk of an engineer’s job in the early part is organizational in nature – labelling and colour-coding tracks, ordering them to their preference and creating instrumental groups and sub-mixes (i.e. all drums, all bass etc.). Once this is done, it allows the engineer to get creative and mess around with the tools at their disposable. Anything to help the track. Depending on the quality of recording, this can take a couple of hours. If there are a few problems, this could take days or weeks. Mixing engineers will test the song out in different rooms based on how well acoustically treated they are. They will also test the final mix on different monitors, speakers, headphones and famously cars to make sure the professional sound they have created is transferable on all devices.
Equipment
Most of todays mixing will be done inside a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). But some engineers still prefer to use a physical desk. The tools at a mixers disposal can be broken down into four general sub-categories; affecting volume (faders, compressors and limiters), affecting frequencies (EQ and filters), affecting time (reverbs and delays) and affecting space (panning and modulation). These tasks can be preformed via analog or digitally. All of these elements are combined to make each recording as audible and sonically enjoyable to listen to as possible. Most engineers will work inside of a DAW using plugins and outboard gear from a range of different companies. Universal Audio, Soundtoys, Fabfilter and Izotope are some of the plugin manufacturers creating a new landscape with their software. However, some engineers still prefer to use consoles during mixes due to the qualities of built-in channel strips that offer a high quality of manipulation of routing and manipulation.
Once an engineer has done the work and all of the parties involved are happy, it will be sent to a mastering engineer. This is where the final stage of creating a track will be done. Then it is ready for distribution.
Reference list
Rolling Stone Australia. (2021). The Art of Mixing A Song. [online] Available at: https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/the-art-of-mixing-a-song-28839/