Manolo Remiddi: Tips and Tricks

Music Industry Scheme... Learn More

PLUG INS TUTORIAL (waves)
Browse through detailed tutorials and get a first hand experience on how to use Waves Plug-ins for the best possible results:
Adding life to a track
Create dirt - Restoration / Noise Reduction plug-ins
Mix separation(get a cappella from stereo mix)
and more
Learn how

TIPS ON HOW TO USE COMPRESSORS
Many people have difficulty using compressors. Most cope by turning a few knobs (or values) until something sounds acceptable, or by dialing in a favorite setting or preset. Dynamics Processors are actually easy to understand
Learn more

Mastering: I like Loud and Bright. In this section you can find an examples of mastering technique. You will understand why it is worth having a mastering engineer. Mastering is a mixture between the art and the science.
Read more

Windows Xp Optimizations for Audio PCs
Optimize your Pc with 23 cool Tweaks

Learn more

Art of Mixing An introduction to one of the most difficult forms of art. Space, ambience, dynamics, sound quality and balance can all be manipulated by the mixer engineer.Coming soon

Work on the Vocal Sound
I've previously been asked to make a bell sound like a sexy warm vocal. Learn how I achieved this. Coming soon

Set up your Home Studio
Sometimes you have already all you need to produce a good sounding record. The only problem u have is how to set up your studio equipment. Coming soon

Stereo microphone techniques.
Here you can find some examples of stereo recording techniques. There are no rules when you record an instrument, what is important is to get the sound that you're looking for. Being experimental, sometimes can be the answer.
Coming soon

All you need to know when working with a Drum Kit in the studio. Learn how to record, mix, compress and Eq a drum.

Coming soon

Kjaerhus Audio The Classic Series
(download free VST plugins)

Emulating classic effect units typical of the 70's and 80's. This series is regularly expanded and currently contains nine plugins: Chorus,
Compressor, Delay, Equalizer, Auto-Filter, Flanger, Master Limiter, Phaser and Reverb.
Read more

Virtual Instruments I love them. I'm able to have a complete production studio within my laptop... pre-sets are nice but I prefer to use unique sounds. These enable me to deliver a special production...

Vintage Sounds
Sometimes, how you approach the music and the instruments is more important than worrying about using vintage instruments. You can achieve these sounds from modern instruments and equipment. Learn how.

manolo remiddi - tips and tricks -

Microphone Techniques ( Sound Advice on )

A Concise Guide to Compression & Limiting

How To Record Vocals

The Art Of Mixing

The Home Recording

Table of contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Welcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Your Room Your Monitors . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Dynamics Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Sequencing:
Relative Levels, Loudness
and Normalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Recipe for Radio Success . . . . . . . . . . 11
Dither . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Equalization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Sibilance Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Noise reduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Advanced Mastering Techniques . . . . . 17

Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
6

Congratulations on your purchase of a TC Electronics Finalizer.
Baxandall Curve (grey) vs. Shelf (black)
1k 2k 4k 8k 16k
16

At concerts do you try to identify the
microphones that are used?

If a film or TV actor wearing a microphone
crosses his arms, do you immediately notice
the change in sound quality?
Monitors and Equalization

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A big thank you to Boig, of Gateway Mastering, Portland Maine, and
Glenn Meadows, of Masterfonics, Nashville, Tennessee. Bob and Glenn
reviewed the manuscript and added helpful suggestions that made an even
better booklet.

Manolo Remiddi
mixer / producer
30A Vestry Street London, N1 7RE
Email: info@manoloremiddi.com
Phone: +44 (0)7977223283
Fax:+44 (0) 209000979

Windows Xp optimiZations for audio pcs

or six easy steps to ultimate happiness!
Let's imagine we're working with some rock music. It's the final mix from that very expensive recording studio down the road, but for some reason there is 5.0 dB of headroom left, wasting precious volume reserves. No compression was applied to the stereo mix. (Actually, we are happy about this because it leaves all options open).

1. Setup
Before we start, let's set up MasterX3 as follows:

LOOK AHEAD DELAY: 3 ms
DIGITAL CEILING: 0 dB
3 BAND LEVELS: 0 dB
OUTPUT: 0 dB
EXPANDER: OFF
COMPRESSOR: OFF
LIMITER: OFF
TARGET CURVE: LINEAR

2. Input Level Adjustment
Set the input level for both channels to +5.0 dB. In our example, this will bring the input level up to an optimal value of 0 dB. Adjust this value until no clipping is indicated (i.e., until there are no Consecutive Clips in the input). For this example, set it to +4.9 dB. Remember: as long as you don't alter any settings in the signal chain before MasterX, you won't get any changes in the input level, so there is no risk of clipping once you've set the level correctly!

3.Turn on the Compressor block
The FREQUENCY / LEVELS display in the upper-half of the Plug-In window, the three displays beneath them, and the Compressor's parameter faders come to life! The music has probably come up in volume already, and the sound has changed a little too – and perhaps some “pumping” is evident. So, let's set the Compressor properly to get rid of the pumping, beef up the overall sound, and, yes – we want it louder!

Let's set the Attack and Release Times to remove the “pumping” from the sound.We start with small values for both parameters. If the attack time is too short, we may remove some“kick” from the material.That's certainly not what we want, so if it happens, try a greater value. Heavy peaks can be smoothed using the limiter section.
If the release-time is too fast, it will result in a terrible “pumping,” because the compressor returns to the uncompressed signal immediately whenever the signal falls below the compressor's threshold setting. Increase the value of the release time until you are satisfied with the result. In our example, we have chosen an Attack time of 1ms and a Release time of 0.2 s. If you don't get the desired result, try some different crossover frequencies. Keep in mind that you have three independent bands – why should a bass drum signal affect the mid and high bands when its peak is in the low end? (We chose 125 Hz and 2.5 kHz as the settings for our example.)

NOTE: Sometimes it's easier to adjust the Attack and Release times and the Crossover frequencies by using extreme values for Threshold and Ratio during setup.This will make the effect of your settings much easier to hear. Additionally, the band SOLO-Function helps to focus on a single band.

Now we will adjust the compressor's threshold and ratio. Set these parameters to the desired values. In most cases, you would use a low threshold in combination with a small ratio and vice-versa. Let's choose a low threshold of -20 dB and a small compression ratio of 2.5:1 to be satisfied.
Satisfied? Why be satisfied? We have now set the compressor – but with identical settings for all three bands! With identical settings, we are not taking full advantage of the multiband capabilities.This is where the famed Target Curves and the Target Factor come in.
The Target Curves create different settings for each of the three bands.The displayed values in each fader section are always the mid-band settings. If the Target Curve is set to “Linear” (or if the Target Factor is set to “Off”), the values will be identical for all three bands. If you select the “Hyped” curve, for example, the high band will be compressed more than the others.
The Target Factor defines how much the target curve characteristics will influence the hi or low band.To set the Target Curve and Factor properly, we recommend that you compare the processed signal with the uncompressed, because you can use it to change the overall sound impression. Does your mix lack treble? Use the “Hyped” curve and adjust the target factor to your liking.Too bright? Select “Pink" and adjust the target factor. Not enough treble and bass? Go for “Smiley” and you'll be smiling too!

To get a better impression of how the sound – as opposed to the output volume – is
influenced by MasterX, reduce the output level so the bypassed and processed signals are equally loud – but don't forget to bring the output level back up in the end!
The band levels in the upper display supply you with an additional tool for easily adjusting the sound of your mix. Use them like a low, mid, treble EQ!

4.Activate the Limiter
We've pumped up the volume and reduced the dynamics to optimize the sound and to make it more compact and “punchy.”
But there's something really nasty that can happen when you work with digital audio:
digital clipping. If you have more than one tiny sample clip, your whole master will be
worthless for serious use – such as putting the music on CD.
That's why there is a Limiter block in MasterX. It ensures that you get only the levels you want, and eliminates the ones that would not only spoil your day but also your whole mix!
You should use the Limiter carefully, as a limiter is always a somewhat “drastic” tool to apply to your audio. Just a couple dB should be enough to limit strong peaks. Softclip will help the limiter work even more smoothly.
For our example we have chosen a threshold of -4 dB and a Softclip of 20%.The Attack Time is short (50 µs), so the Limiter is capable of preventing clips.The release time is set to a value that avoids unwanted pumping (0.3 s).
Set the target factor in the same way you set the compressor.Trust your ears (and the Consecutive Clips meters) to judge whether a band needs more limiting.

5. Expand!
By compressing the signal we made it sound louder. However, an unwanted side effect is that the ground floor level is also brought up (which may cause you to remark,“Where did all that noise come from?”).The noise will be most evident in the pauses.
The Expander is one possible cure for this. (Obviously, the Expander can't replace broadband noise reduction – but it will reduce audible noise when applied to vocal tracks, for example.)

Use the Expander carefully.The modulated noise of the ground floor level is much more audible than a higher ground floor level without such modulation.
The Expander's threshold must be lower than the compressor's threshold. If you raise it too much, you might cut into low parts of the signal, such as reverb tails.
The Expander's range parameter determines the width of the level range.Also, the target Factor enables you to determine whether to apply different settings to all three bands, and ifso, just how different the settings should be!

6.Adjust the Output Level
We are almost finished – just one parameter left: the Digital Ceiling. Set this parameter to a value lower than 0 dB to prevent unwanted clipping.
The most common value is -0.01 dB.With this setting, the maximum output level is -0.01 dB.
No portion of your signal will be able to pass this absolute setting. Now you can be
absolutely sure that there is no clipping – and the difference from 0 dB will be imperceptible.

NOTE: If you want to further edit your settings, please make sure that you first switch the Digital Ceiling back to 0 dB. Otherwise, you won't be able to tell if there are internal clips!

As always, before you start tweaking, ensure your pc is running correctly:

1. Make sure you have no IRQ conflicts or memory range conflicts, if you have, your system will not run smoothly and may not even work at all for some things. you can check this by looking at the properties of each device and checking for anything being written about conflicts.

2. Make sure you have reliable drivers for everything. xp, like win2000 has a lot of commonly used drivers so you won't need many except for your audio hardware. The most recent drivers are not necessarily the best. check the known bugs/issues list. Try the driver guide along with the manufacturers' website. If you built the system yourself, make sure you've installed the motherboard driver(s).

Tweaks:

3. Disable unnecessary 'startup' items. This, as in win 9x can be done by clicking the start button, then run and typing msconfig. Now go to the 'startup' tab and un-tick any items you don't feel you need. this method is totally undoable (as long as the option doesn't stop windows from loading properly) - just exercise a bit of caution but of course, you'll have backed up all you files before you started tweaking anyway won't you?

4. Windows xp now self-optimises to some extent. It attempts to monitor your usage patterns and optimises the file system accordingly (every three days upon system inactivity). At boot-time, it will pre-fetch some of the data which is often used directly after boot-up which should speed up your application loading time.

5. Windows xp, like 2000 uses 'services'. These are individual windows components which are specialised to run various functions. Unnecessary services can be disabled to preserve memory and processor power:

Go to 'start' > 'run' and type services.msc - this should bring up the services screen. Set all services which aren't disabled to 'manual'. Now restart your machine (it will take longer to boot for just this time) and go back to the services screen after a minute or so. Any services which are not started after you have used your audio applications should be ok to disable, but you can leave them on 'manual' just in case. Any services which are started should be set to 'automatic' so that windows will start them when it boots. Do exercise caution though...and always back up you files before tweaking...you should disable the services for any windows components you have disabled as windows probably won't do it. There are several 'generic' services that you probably won't use and should therefore be able to disable such as:

'Portable media serial number' - unless you have a portable music device that you plug in to your pc. 'Print spooler' - if you don't do any printing from your audio install you can disable it. 'Help and support' - windows alleged "help". 'Telnet' - unless you use it, and if you don't know what it is, trust me, you don't use it... 'Error reporting' - as you'd expect, it's windows error reporting. 'Task scheduler' - lets face it, it's awful but it now does some of the aforementioned data pre-fetching. Personally, I'd turn it off. 'Indexing service' - for the Microsoft 'search for files...' function 'Fast user switching' - as the name implies... 'Internet connection/firewall sharing' - if you don't use the net or share a Connection/firewall on this install, disable it.

6. As with all new-ish Microsoft os's, xp has the oh-so-useful 'automatic update' feature. You must disable this or prepare to lose takes...you've been warned:

Go to 'start' > 'settings' > 'control panel' > 'performance and maintenance' > 'automatic updates' and select 'turn off automatic updating, I want to update my computer manually'.

7. Windows Xp, like me has the debatably useful 'system restore' function which backs up your system files periodically to try to ensure that you can never kill your machine by dodgy installs etc etc. in my experience, system restore is a bad thing as it uses a surprisingly large amount of resources and causes a lot of disk activity which, while supposedly only running during system inactivity, actually runs quite a large percentage of the time. in a true audio system, it should be disabled, you can still make restore points manually if you want to anyway...

Right-click on 'my computer' and choose 'properties'> 'system restore' and choose 'turn off system restore on all drives'.

8. Boost overall system performance by increasing the irq priority of the cmos real-time clock by doing this:

copy this:

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contr

ol\PriorityControl]

"IRQ8Priority"=dword:00000001

And paste it into a text editor such as notepad or WordPad. Save the file as whatever name you want, perhaps boost_irq_priority with a .reg file extension e.g. boost_irq_priority.reg - you can now close the text-editor and simply double-click on the file you just created to enter the information into the registry.

To undo this tweak, repeat the procedure but copy this instead into the text file:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contr

ol\PriorityControl]

"IRQ8Priority"=dword:00000000

You should find that your overall system performance increases from this tweak.

9. Make sure your DMA capable devices are run in DMA mode which uses much less cpu power...right-click on 'my computer' select 'properties' > 'device manager' and find the entry named 'IDE ATA/ATAPI device controllers'. Now click on 'advanced settings' and check each channel and each device on that channel. You should set the devices which are DMA compatible (most new-ish devices are) to 'DMA if available'.

10. Add the following line to your system.ini file after the [386 Enh] tag so it looks as follows:

[386 Enh]

ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1

This makes the system use RAM more often rather than the virtual memory. This improves system performance since RAM is much faster than the hard-disk. (Note: do not use this option if you have less than 128MB of RAM installed) (Go to 'start'>'run' and type system.ini - a notepad will be launched containing the system.ini file. add the above line after [386 Enh] so it looks as above. there will be other lines in the section you're adding to, just add it before them. now save the changes you made and close the notepad - as ever, you will have to restart for the change to take effect). Also add or edit the entry after the [vcache] tag in system.ini so it appears as follows:

[vcache]

MinFileCache=16384

MaxFileCache=16384

This limits the amount of your system memory (RAM) that windows uses as a buffer or cache when reading from or writing to disk drives to 16MB instead of the Cubase default of 1/4 of your system RAM/Memory which is often too high. If the [vcache] tag does not exist in your system.ini, add it after the [386 enh] tag and its contents so it looks as above.

11. Audio machines always benefit from removing acpi (advanced computer & power interface) as Windows then has less control of your pc. go to control panel > system > hardware > device manager > click on computer then double click on Advanced Computer and Power Interface (ACPI) pc. Click on the drivers tab, then on update driver. Don't let windows install automatically, choose to select the driver from a list. Select 'standard pc' then install the drivers and allow the pc to reboot. Also, go to control panel > system > hardware > device manager > click on computer then double click on standard pc (there may be 2 of them, do this on both).

12. If you are experiencing pop/crackles from your soundcard, try optimising windows performance for background tasks. It is not recommended to alter the performance options program-by-program as this has been known to cause problems - be careful of altering program priorities with RME audio cards, their website has the proper information on it as regards priorities. (go to 'Control Panel' > 'System' >' Advanced' and select 'Best performance for background services' - or similar).

13. Don't set your display resolution and bit depth too high, experiment with different settings starting from 16 bit 800 x 600 and working upwards with a reasonably complex song until the re-draws get slower then set it back to it's previous setting (when re-draws were acceptably quick). Don't set your display to 256 colours as most new graphics cards do not accelerate this number of colours meaning your processor will have to do the work instead. rme advise that you keep the colour-depth at 16 Bits though this is not always the best setting.

14. Make sure hardware graphics acceleration is on FULL. this takes some load off your processor (right-click on the desktop and select 'properties' from the menu. now click on 'settings' then 'advanced' then 'troubleshooting' now set the 'hardware acceleration' slider up to full).

15. Turn of visual effects. These consume unnecessary amounts of cpu time. (Control panel > system > advanced > performance settings > visual effects. Select custom, de-select all options and apply).

16. Set windows theme to 'classic' (right click on desktop, select properties, windows theme - first option).

17. As always, the less icons and the less complex your background images (desktop and Cubase), the less 'background' cpu cycles and memory will be used.

18. Make sure that only one user is logged on at a time. Individual user accounts may be handy but Windows actually leaves the programs and utilities for each user open until that user closes them.

19. For us audio-users, the picture viewer in win xp should not be necessary, it can be unregistered (removed from windows but not uninstalled) by typing the following from a command prompt: regsvr32 /u shimgvw.dll

20. Is error reporting annoying you? You can enable or disable it by going to to 'control panel' > 'system' > 'advanced'. Now click on 'error reporting' and choose either 'enable' or 'disable'.

21. Want to disable windows apm? (Automatic power mode) it may increase system stability since windows will not then be in control of the power section of your motherboard. On the other hand, you may want to enable apm if you don't suffer a performance hit since your pc will then turn off when you request it to from windows. Either way, you can change the setting by right clicking on my computer then clicking on 'properties'. now choose 'hardware' then 'device manager'. Next click on 'view' and then on 'show hidden devices'. Double-click on 'nt atm/legacy interface mode' and a new screen will appear, you can now choose to enable or disable apm from the menu at the bottom of this screen.

22. Want to remove Microsoft messenger? Here's how...find the file c:\windows\inf\sysoc.inf (replace c: with whatever you windows install path is if it's not on drive c) and open it in a text-editor such as wordpad. find the section which reads: msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7 and remove the word 'hide' so it reads: msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,,7 now save the file and go to 'control panel' > 'add/remove programs' and you will be able to uninstall messenger. This method should work for most windows applications/utilities which are listed in sysoc.inf.

23. Got Xp Pro? You can access lots of hidden features. just click the start button then go to 'run' and type gpedit.msc - you will now be presented with the 'group policy mmc' window. Explore the tree structure to see all the tweaks you can make...

If you find anything useful which is not listed, please email me with the link... thanks

About the LSS :

The London School of Sound was created to provide the best training in every aspect of music production, with a particular attention to the home/project studio scene.

We know, through our experience as freelance programmers and sound engineers, that a professional result can be achieved at home just like in an expensive studio .

We realized that many people have the talent and the ideas but are held back by some technical limitations and lack of experience, and it's quite frustrating to see that the majority of the courses around don't really answer their questions, preferring to focus on a few antiquated "industry standard" machines, teaching the things anyone could learn just by reading the manual, instead of helping the students to achieve better mixes, better arranging, unique sounds.

Also we wanted to offer short, intensive, specific courses to all the experienced musicians and djs looking to improve their technical knowledge, but who obviously wouldn't have the time or the need for a full music production course.

We proud ourselves of the fact that all our lecturers are part-timers , meaning that our students benefit from the experience of real professionals, people who don't just teach, but every week mix, produce, and use the instruments in the real world.

We are committed to be the BEST of all the courses you have ever seen and will ever see: our classes have an average maximum of four students (when it's not one-to-one), and as much as possible the students practice through direct involvement in real productions for commercial release.

And above all, we absolutely love what we teach and care that each and every student gets the most from our courses.

A Visual Guide to Recording,
Engineering, and Production
by David Gibson
Technical edit by
George Petersen
236 Georgia Street, Suite 100
Vallejo, CA 94590
©1997 David Gibson
Published under license exclusively to MixBooks, an imprint of artispro.com, LLC
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, copied, transmitted or stored in any
mechanical or electronic form without the written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 97-071643
Book design and layout: Linda Gough
Production staff: Mike Lawson: publisher; Lisa Duran: editor; Randy Antin: editorial assistant;
Teresa Poss: administrative assistant; Ellen Richman: production director; Sherry Bloom: production assistant
Technical Editor: George Petersen
Front Cover Design: Gary Carpenter
236 Georgia Street, Suite 100
Vallejo, CA 94590
(707) 554-1935
Also from MixBooks:
500 Songwriting Ideas (For Brave and Passionate People)
Music Publishing: The Real Road to Music Business Success
How to Run a Recording Session
The Songwriters Guide to Collaboration, Rev. and Exp. 2nd Ed.
Critical Listening and Auditory Perception
The AudioPro Home Recording Course Vol. 's I-III
Modular Digital Multitracks: The Power User's Guide Rev. Ed.
Sound for Picture
Music Producers 2nd Ed.
Live Sound Reinforcement
Also from EMBooks:
Making the Ultimate Demo
Making Music With Your Computer
Anatomy of a Home Studio
MixBooks is an imprint of artistpro.com LLC.
Printed in Auburn Hills, Michigan
ISBN 0-918371-17-1
DEDICATION
This book is dedicated to all those who just want to
know how to make it sound better.
Contents
vi
LIST OF VISUALS
1 x
PREFACE
xiii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHAPTER 1
All Aspects of a Recorded Piece of Music
Aspect #1: Concept or Theme
Aspect #2: Melody
Aspect #3: Rhythm
Aspect #4: Harmony
Aspect #5: Lyrics
Aspect #6: Arrangement
Aspect #7: Instrumentation
Aspect #8: Song Structure
Aspect #9: Performance
Aspect #10: Quality of the Equipment and the
Recording
Aspect #11: The Mix
xiv
INTRODUCTION 8
CHAPTER 2
Visual Representations of "Imaging"
Section A: Physical Sound Waves vs. the Imagined
Placement of Sounds Between the Speakers
Section B: The Space Between the Speakers
Section C: Visual Representations of Sounds
CHAPTER 3
Guides to a Great Mix
(Reasons for Creating One Style of Mix or Another)
Section A: The Style of Music
Section B: The Song and All of Its Details
Section C: The People Involved
iv
28
CHAPTER 4
Functions of Studio Equipment and Visual
Representations of All Parameters
Section A: Volume Controls
Faders
Compressor/Limiters
Noise Gates
Section B: Equalizers
Frequency (Pitch)
Using Equalizers
Section C: Panpots and Stereo Placement
Section D: Time-Based Effects
Delays
Flangers, Choruses, and Phase Shifters
Reverb
Harmony Processors, Pitch Transposers, Octavers
119
CHAPTER 7
The Relationship of Musical Dynamics Created by
Equipment to the Musical Dynamics Found in Music
and Songs
76 121
CHAPTER 5
Traditions and Common "Musical Dynamics"
Created With Studio Equipment
The Dynamics in Music and Songs
The Dynamics Created by the Equipment
Section A: Volume Control Dynamics
Fader Volume Levels
Compressor/Limiters
Noise Gates
Section B: Equalization Dynamics
Section C: Panning Dynamics
Section D: Time-Based Effects Dynamics
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
116
CHAPTER 6
Styles of Mixes
Using Combinations of Multiple Settings to Create
High-Level Dynamics
Creating a Context or Style of Mix
Changing the Style of Mix in the Middle of the Song
122
APPENDIX A
123
APPENDIX B
126
INDEX
v
Visuals
Visual 1. Sound Imaging (see color Visual)
Visual 2. Structuring Mix (see color Visual)
Visual 3. 11 Aspects of Recorded Piece of Music
(see color Visual)
Visual 4. Sound Waves: Traveling Compressed
and Spaced Out Air
Visual 5. Imaging in Head
Visual 6. Brain in Head
Visual 7. Dynamics Created With Studio
Equipment
Visual 8. Sound to Visuals: X, Y, Z Axes
Visual 9. Panning: Left to Right Placement
Visual 10. Volume: Front to Back Placement
Visual 11. Frequency: Low to High Placement
Visual 12. Frequencies in Us
Visual 13. Song With Highs and Lows Highlighted
Visual 14. Left and Right Boundaries of Imaging
Visual 15. Imaging Limits Around Boom Box
Visual 16. Imaging Limits Around Large PA
Visual 17. Imaging Front and Back Boundaries
Visual 18. Imaging Top and Bottom Boundaries
Visual 19. Only Place Mix Occurs
Visual 20. Large Orchestra Crowded Between
Speakers (see color Visual)
Visual 21. 3 Violins With Plenty of Space in
Between (see color Visual)
Visual 22. Movement of Sounds With Volume,
Panning, EQ
Visual 23. Solar Eclipse: Natural Masking
Visual 24. Mud City
Visual 25. 10 Bells Playing at Same Time
Visual 26. Loud Bass Guitar Masking Rest of Mix
Visual 27. Delay Longer Than 30ms
Visual 28. Close to 1ms Delay Time Per Foot
Visual 29. Fattening: <30ms Delay Time
(see color Visual)
Visual 30. Fattening Panned 11:00-1:00
Visual 31. Fattening Panned 10:00-2:00
Visual 32. Loud Fattening Right Up Front
Visual 33. Low Volume Fattening in Background
Visual 34. Fattening With High-Frequency EQ
Boost
Visual 35. Fattening With Low-Frequency EQ
Boost
Visual 36. Stereo Reverb on Sound
(see color Visual)
Visual 37. Reverb Panned 11:00-1:00
Visual 38. Reverb Panned 10:00-2:00
Visual 39. Loud Reverb
Visual 40. Reverb With High-Frequency EQ Boost
Visual 41. Reverb With Low-Frequency EQ Boost
Visual 42. Even Volumes (see color Visual)
Visual 43. Uneven Volumes (see color Visual)
Visual 44. Balanced (Symmetrical) Mix
(see color Visual)
Visual 45. Lopsided (Asymmetrical) Mix
(see color Visual)
Visual 46. Natural EQ (see color Visual)
Visual 47. Interesting EQ (see color Visual)
Visual 48. Sparse Mix (see color Visual)
Visual 49. Full (Wall of Sound) Mix (see color
Visual)
Visual 50. Virtual Mixer EQ (see color Visual)
Chart 1. All Sound Manipulators
Visual 51. Sound Creators
Visual 52. Sound Routers
Visual 53. Sound Storers
Visual 54. Sound Transducers
Visual 55. Effects Rack
Visual 56. Volume As Front to Back
Visual 57. Actual EQ Curve of Resonance (Silicon
Graphics "AMESH" Spectrum Analysis)
Visual 58. Resonance Flattened Out
Visual 59. Sound Smashing Into Threshold on
Compressor/Limiter (see color Visual)
Visual 60. 2:1 Ratio on Compressor/Limiter
Visual 61. Sound Fading Out Past Threshold on
Noise Gate (see color Visual)
Visual 62. Noise Gate on Guitar Sound
Visual 63. Noise Gate: Threshold Set Between
Sound and Bleed
Visual 64. Noise Gate Cutting Off Attack and
Release of Sound
Visual 65. Envelope (Change in Volume Over
Time) of Gated Reverb
Visual 66. 31-Band Graphic EQ
Visual 67. Wide Bandwidth on Graphic EQ
Visual 68. Virtual Mixer Graphic EQ
Visual 69. l000Hz Boost
Visual 70. Wide and Narrow Bandwidths on
Parametric EQ
vi
Visual 71. Wide Bandwidth of Frequencies
Boosted
Visual 72. Highpass (Low-Cut) Filter
Visual 73. Things That Rumble
Visual 74. Lowpass (High-Cut) Filter
Chart 2. Frequencies Corresponding to Pitches
Chart 3. 6 Frequency Ranges
Visual 75. Pitches in Harmonic Structure for
Note "A"
Visual 76. Harmonic Structure of Note "A" As on
Guitar
Visual 77. Song With High Frequencies
Highlighted
Visual 78. Song With Midrange Frequencies
Highlighted
Visual 79. Song With Low Frequencies Highlighted
Visual 80. EQ Knob With Volume Set to "0"
Visual 81. Wide and Thin Bandwidths on 300Hz
Cut
Chart 4. Equalization Chart
Chart 5. Common Quick General EQ
Chart 6. Typical EQ for Typical Instruments
Chart 7. Common Terminology and Slang
Visual 82. Left and Right Placement
Chart 8. Distance vs. Delay Time
Color Visuals
Visual A. Hip Hop Mix
Visual B. Blues Mix
Visual C. Rap Mix
Visual D. Reggae Mix
Visual 167C. Heavy Metal Mix
Visual 203C. New Age Mix
Visual 168C. Alternative Rock Mix
Visual 198C. Acoustic Jazz Mix
Visual 199C. Folk Music Mix
Visual 200C. Bluegrass Mix
Visual 166C. Big Band Mix
Visual 1C. Sound Imaging
Visual 2C. Structuring Mix
Visual 3C. 11 Aspects of Recorded Piece of Music
Visual 20C. Large Orchestra Crowded Between
Speakers
Visual 21C. 3 Violins With Plenty of Space in
Between
Visual 29C. Fattening: <30ms Delay Time
Visual 36C. Stereo Reverb on Sound
Visual 42C. Even Volumes
Visual 43C. Uneven Volumes
Visual 44C. Balanced (Symmetrical) Mix
Visual 45C. Lopsided (Asymmetrical) Mix
Visual 46C. Natural EQ
Visual 47C. Interesting EQ
Visual 48C. Sparse Mix
Visual 49C. Full (Wall of Sound) Mix
Visual 50C. Virtual Mixer EQ
Visual 59C. Sound Smashing Into Threshold on
Compressor/Limiter
Visual 61C. Sound Fading Out Past Threshold on
Noise Gate
Visual 88C. Virtual Mixer Flanging
Visual 109C. Reverb Filling in Space Between
Speakers
Visual 128C. Pyramid of Tools and Dynamics
Visual 129C. 6 Apparent Volume Levels
Visual 136C. Apparent Volume Level 2 Vocals
Visual 138C. Apparent Volume Level 4 Vocals
Visual 139C. Apparent Volume Level 2 Snare
Visual 141C. Apparent Volume Level 4 Snare
Visual 143C. Apparent Volume Level 1 Kick
Visual 146C. Apparent Volume Level 4 Kick
Visual 148C. Apparent Volume Level 1 Bass
Visual 150C. Apparent Volume Level 3 Bass
Visual 152C. Apparent Volume Level 2 Toms
Visual 154C. Apparent Volume Level 4 Toms
Visual 155C. Apparent Volume Level 2 Hi-Hat
Visual 157C. Apparent Volume Level 5 Hi-Hat
Visual 158C. Apparent Volume Level 2 Cymbals
Visual 159C. Apparent Volume Level 4 Cymbals
Visual 160C. Apparent Volume Level 1 Effects
Visual 161C. Apparent Volume Level 2 Effects
Visual 162C. Apparent Volume Level 4 Effects
Visual 163C. Apparent Volume Level 5 Effects
Visual 176C. Hi-Hat Panned Halfway Between
Left Side and Middle
Visual 177C. Toms Panned Completely Left to Right
Visual 178C. Toms Panned Same As on Drum Kit
Visual 180C. Toms Panned Right to Left
Visual 183C. Mix With Drums Panned to One Side
Visual 185C. Lead Vocals Panned at 11:00 and 1:00
Visual 189C. 3 Background Vocals Panned
Separately
Visual 190C. 7 Background Vocals Panned to
7 Different Places Combined With
Variety of Fattening
Visual 191 C. Panning With High End of Piano
on Right and Hi-Hat on Left
Visual 192C. Panning As If Onstage
Visual 193C. Natural Panning of Drum Kit
Visual 196C. Mix Balanced at Each Frequency Range
Visual 197C. Unbalanced Mix at Each Frequency
Range
Visual 204C. Mix With Extremely Wide Panning
Overall
Visual 205C. Mix With Panning Not So Wide Overall
Visual 210C. Mix With Lots of Different Delays
Filling Out Mix
Visual 218C. Clean and Clear Mix
Visual 214C. Extremely Busy Mix With No Effects
Visual 215C. Extremely Busy Mix With Lots of
Effects
Visual 216C. Extremely Sparse Mix With Fattening
and Reverb
vii
Visual 217C. Extremely Sparse Mix With No
Fattening and Reverb
Visual L. "Blinded Me With Science" on Wireless
by Thomas Dolby
Visual M. The Alarm Clock Section in "Time" on
Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd
Visual N. "Sledgehammer" on So by Peter Gabriel
Visual O. "Babylon Sisters" on Gaucho by
Steely Dan
Visual P. The Four Seasons by Vivaldi
Chart 9. Tempo vs. Delay Time
Chart 10. Quickness of Our Brain
Visual 83. Fattening: Delay <30ms
Visual 84. Two Mics Picking Up Sound in Phase
Visual 85. Volume, Panning, EQ Movement of
Delay >30ms
Visual 86. Volume, Panning, EQ, Movement of
Fattening
Visual 87. Pitch vs. Delay Time of Flanging
Visual 88. Virtual Mixer Flanging
(see color Visual)
Visual 89. Virtual Mixer Chorusing
Visual 90. Virtual Mixer Phasing
Visual 91. Narrow and Wide Sweep on Flange,
Chorus, or Phaser
Visual 92. Flanging Panned Various Ways
Visual 93. Flanging at Different Volumes
Visual 94. Flanging EQ'd Differently
Visual 95. Waves Bouncing Around Room
Visual 96. Wash of Reverb
Visual 97. Virtual Mixer Reverb
Visual 98. Reverb: Hundreds of Delays Panned
Between Speakers
Visual 99. Long and Short Reverb Times
Visual 100. Predelay Time
Visual 101. Low-Diffusion Reverb
Visual 102. High-Diffusion Reverb
Visual 103. Reverb With Low-Frequency EQ Boost
Visual 104. Reverb With High-Frequency EQ Boost
Visual 105. Envelope (Change in Volume Over
Time) of Normal Reverb
Visual 106. Envelope of Gated Reverb
Visual 107. Envelope of Reverse Gate Reverb
Visual 108. Preverb
Visual 109. Reverb Filling in Space Between
Speakers (see color Visual)
Visual 110. Reverb Panned to Left
Visual 111. Reverb Panned From Left to 1:00
Visual 112. Reverb Panned From 11:00 to 1:00
Visual 113. Reverb Panned From 10:00 to 2:00
Visual 114. Reverb Turned Up in Mix
Visual 115. Reverb Turned Down in Mix
Visual 116. Reverb With High-Frequency EQ Boost
Visual 117. Reverb With Low-Frequency EQ Boost
Visual 118. Mix as Center of 11 Aspects
(see color Visual)
Visual 119. Some People Get Feelings and
Emotions Out of Music
Visual 120. Some People See Structure and Form
in Music
Visual 121. Some People See Thought Forms and
the Mind
Visual 122. Some People See Music Theory
Visual 123. Some People Move When They Hear
Music
Visual 124. Where in Body Would You Put Sounds
in Mix?
Visual 125. Some Get Imagination Out of Music
Visual 126. Some See Bubbles
Visual 127. Some See Spirituality in Music
Visual 128. Pyramid of Tools and Dynamics
(and Outline of This Chapter)
(see color Visual)
Visual 129. 6 Apparent Volume Levels
(see color Visual)
Chart 11. 6 Ranges of Apparent Volume Levels
With Typical Instruments in Each Level
Visual 130. Apparent Volume Level 1 Highlighted
Visual 131. Apparent Volume Level 2 Highlighted
Visual 132. Apparent Volume Level 3 Highlighted
Visual 133. Apparent Volume Level 4 Highlighted
Visual 134. Apparent Volume Level 5 Highlighted
Visual 135. Apparent Volume Level 6 Highlighted
Visual 136. Apparent Volume Level 2 Vocals
(see color Visual)
Visual 137. Apparent Volume Level 3 Vocals
Visual 138. Apparent Volume Level 4 Vocals
(see color Visual)
Visual 139. Apparent Volume Level 2 Snare
(see color Visual)
Visual 140. Apparent Volume Level 3 Snare
Visual 141. Apparent Volume Level 4 Snare
(see color Visual)
Visual 142. Apparent Volume Level 5 Snare
Visual 143. Apparent Volume Level 1 Kick
(see color Visual)
Visual 144. Apparent Volume Level 2 Kick
Visual 145. Apparent Volume Level 3 Kick
Visual 146. Apparent Volume Level 4 Kick
(see color Visual)
Visual 147. Apparent Volume Level 5 Kick
Visual 148. Apparent Volume Level 1 Bass
(see color Visual)
Visual 149. Apparent Volume Level 2 Bass
Visual 150. Apparent Volume Level 3 Bass
(see color Visual)
Visual 151. Apparent Volume Level 4 Bass
Visual 152. Apparent Volume Level 2 Toms
(see color Visual)
Visual 153. Apparent Volume Level 3 Toms
Visual 154. Apparent Volume Level 4 Toms
(see color Visual)
Visual 155. Apparent Volume Level 2 Hi-Hat
(see color Visual)
viii
Visual 156. Apparent Volume Level 4 Hi-Hat
Visual 157. Apparent Volume Level 5 Hi-Hat
(see color Visual)
Visual 158. Apparent Volume Level 2 Cymbals
(see color Visual)
Visual 159. Apparent Volume Level 4 Cymbals
(see color Visual)
Visual 160. Apparent Volume Level 1 Effects
(see color Visual)
Visual 161. Apparent Volume Level 2 Effects
(see color Visual)
Visual 162. Apparent Volume Level 4 Effects
(see color Visual)
Visual 163. Apparent Volume Level 5 Effects
(see color Visual)
Visual 164. Song With Even Volumes
(see color Visual)
Visual 165. Song With Uneven Volumes
(see color Visual)
Visual 166. Uneven Volumes: Big Band Mix
(see color Visual)
Visual 167. Even Volumes: Heavy Metal Mix
(see color Visual)
Visual 168. Even Volumes: Alternative Rock Mix
(see color Visual)
Visual 169. Spectrum Analysis of Sound With
Excessive Frequency Peaks
Visual 170. General Overall EQ for Heavy Metal
Visual 171. General Overall EQ for Jazz
Visual 172. General Overall EQ for Country
Visual 173. General Overall EQ for Rap and Hip
Hop
Visual 174. Kick Drum Panned to Center
Visual 175. Snare Drum Panned to Center
Visual 176. Hi-Hat Panned Halfway Between Left
Side and Middle (see color Visual)
Visual 177. Toms Panned Completely Left to Right
(see color Visual)
Visual 178. Toms Panned Same As on Drum Kit
(see color Visual)
Visual 179. Toms Panned Left to Right
Visual 180. Toms Panned Right to Left
(see color Visual)
Visual 181. Overheads Panned Completely Left to
Right
Visual 182. Overhead Panning When Using "X"
Technique
Visual 183. Mix With Drums Panned to One Side
(see color Visual)
Visual 184. Mix With Bass Guitar Panned to Center
Visual 185. Lead Vocals Panned at 11:00 and 1:00
(see color Visual)
Visual 186. Vocals Panned Completely Left and
Right
Visual 187. 1 Stereo Background Vocal Panned
From 11:00 to 1:00 With Fattening
Visual 188. 2 Background Vocals "Pulling
Together"
Visual 189. 3 Background Vocals Panned Separately
(see color Visual)
Visual 190. 7 Background Vocals Panned to 7
Different Places Combined With
Variety of Fattening (see color Visual)
Visual 191. Panning With High End of Piano on
Right and Hi-Hat on Left
(see color Visual)
Visual 192. Panning As If Onstage
(see color Visual)
Visual 193. Natural Panning of Drum Kit
(see color Visual)
Visual 194. Balanced (Symmetrical) Mix
(see color Visual)
Visual 195. Lopsided (Asymmetrical) Mix
(see color Visual)
Visual 196. Mix Balanced at Each Frequency Range
(see color Visual)
Visual 197. Unbalanced Mix at Each Frequency
Range (see color Visual)
Visual 198. Clarity Style of Mix: Acoustic Jazz
(see color Visual)
Visual 199. Clarity Style of Mix: Folk Music
(see color Visual)
Visual 200. Clarity Style of Mix: Bluegrass
(see color Visual)
Visual 201. Wall of Sound Style of Mix: Heavy
Metal (see color Visual)
Visual 202. Wall of Sound Style of Mix: Alternative
Rock (see color Visual)
Visual 203. Wall of Sound Style of Mix: New Age
(see color Visual)
Visual 204. Mix With Extremely Wide Panning
Overall (see color Visual)
Visual 205. Mix With Panning Not So Wide Overall
(see color Visual)
Visual 206. Wide vs. Narrow Sweeping Panning
Visual 207. Spacious Reverb
Visual 208. Dreamy Delay
Visual 209. Underwater Flanging
Visual 210. Mix With Lots of Different Delays Filling
Out Mix (see color Visual)
Visual 211. Fattening
Visual 212. Flanging
Visual 213. Reverb
Visual 214. Extremely Busy Mix With No Effects
(see color Visual)
Visual 215. Extremely Busy Mix With Lots of
Effects (see color Visual)
Visual 216. Extremely Sparse Mix With Fattening
and Reverb (see color Visual)
Visual 217. Extremely Sparse Mix With No
Fattening and Reverb (see color Visual)
Visual 218. Clean and Clear Mix (see color Visual)
Visual 219. Distant Mix
Visual 220. Making Mix Fuller
Visual 221. Dynamic Ranges Using 4 Mixing Tools
ix
Preface
This book has been designed to answer the elusive
questions, "What makes a great mix?" and "How do
you go about creating a great mix?" Although most
people know what they like, they often don't know
how to achieve what they want when they're in the
studio.
To answer these questions, I explain and use
visual representations of sounds as a tool for understanding
the whole world of dynamics that an engineer
can create with the equipment in the studio.
It's easy to learn the function of each piece of
equipment in the studio; you can read user's manuals
or the tons of good books available that explain the
equipment. The difficulty lies in knowing how to use
the equipment and learning what combinations of
equipment are used to create great sounding mixes.
Once you know what the knobs do, which way do you
turn them?
In other fields of art, there is no shortage of
books that attempt to explain the whole world of aesthetics.
From music to finger painting, scholars have
tried answering the question, "What makes great art?"
But recording is a relatively new field, and very little
has been written about the aesthetics of mixing.
This is one of the first books that attempts to
explain the aesthetic side of creating a great mix.
This is no simple feat, as there are many musical styles
based on any number of different instruments, all of
which are recorded differently. Each style of music
has its own world of values that are changing constantly.
The number of variations is endless. Perhaps
no one has attacked this complex subject of mixing
due to the lack of a framework to analyze the process.
Without a framework, it is difficult to explain what is
going on and hard to remember all the different
things that can be done in a mix. In music, music theory
provides this framework. This book introduces a
framework for understanding everything that engineers
do in mixing.
The primary goal of this book is to give you a
perspective on how the equipment works together to
create every mix in the world. Once you have a perspective
on what can be done, you can be truly creative
on your own.
It has been said that there are no rules when it
comes to recording. After all, the perfect mix to one
person may be the worst mix to another. However,
most bands want mixes that sound like their style of
music, and for some styles of music—such as big band,
acoustic jazz, and even certain types of rock 'n' roll—
the rules are actually quite strict.
In the recording industry, there are certain
high-level values that are commonly held. We know
this because there are certain professional engineers
who can create a great mix every time they sit in front
of a console. These engineers command exorbitant
fees because they are capable of coming up with
something that most people perceive as great, every
time. So what is it they are doing? It isn't magic. They
are only doing some very specific things. If you could
simply understand and learn what they do, you could
start down the path to becoming a great engineer.
Getting there might be a long process—but once you
know where you're going, you'll get there faster! And
once you understand what the successful engineers
are doing, you can create your own style. This book
will help you develop and recognize your own values
through visuals, because visuals help us to remember.
After all, a picture is worth a thousand sounds.
Visual 1. Sound Imaging (see color Visual 1C)
This book will help you discover the high-level
values that major engineers have and help you do
the most difficult job of all: make art out of technology.
The recording engineer makes the relationship
X
between the equipment dynamics and the musical
dynamics work. This is the art of mixing.
Visual 2. Structuring Mix (see color Visual 2C)
xi
Acknowledgments
There is a wide range of people that helped me along
the way to this point where I am writing this book.
The truth is that in this book I have simply gathered
together a large amount of information from a huge
number of contacts and sources—and then there are
those divine inspirations, and who knows where they
come from?
First, I probably would have never gotten into
this business without the suggestion of my brother
Bill. He was the first to say, "Ever thought about being
a recording engineer?" Then, there were my various
music instructors and all of my recording instructors,
including Bob Beede and John Barsotti. There was
also Herbert Zettl, whose book on video aesthetics
helped to inspire the structure of this book. Craig
Gower was also another inspiring force in learning
about working with music. And then there was
Chunky Venable who was kind enough to have the
faith in me to run his studio even though I was so
green.
There are also those various artists, engineers,
and producers who have influenced my values on this
long road. Everybody from Pink Floyd to Bob Clearmountain
have made a huge impression on my
recording and mixing values.
A very special thanks goes to my dear friend
Steven Rappaport, who was there at the inception of
this book. He spent many hours looking over rough
manuscripts, brainstorming over various ideas and
concepts, and encouraging me to go forth with the
project.
I would especially like to thank those who spent
the time to read through earlier versions of the book
at no cost: David Schwartz, Charlie Albert, Fred Catero,
Roy Pritz, Bob Ezrin, and Thomas Dolby. A special
thanks to Fred for his exuberant and detailed critique
of the book. Extra thanks to Thomas for his evangelical
support of the whole visual paradigm.
Thanks are in order to Todd Stock, who has
helped with editing and been a spiritual advisor of
sorts. Thanks to Archer Sully, who has been helping
to bring into reality an actual working version of the
Virtual Mixer. Thanks also to Silicon Graphics for
their support and for loaning me an Indigo 2 computer.
Thanks go to Donna Compton for helping with
the rough editing of the earlier version of the book.
Thanks go to Fred Mueller for much of his graphics
work on the book. Extra thanks go to Melissa Lubofsky
for her visual inspirations and dedicated work in
creating many of the graphics, as well as her patient
efforts in helping me to learn Photoshop so I could
do many of the visuals on my own. Thanks also to
Alon Clarke for his enthusiasm and creativity with the
photography.
And then there is Patrice Newman who has
spent so many hours by my side, giving me emotional
support, helping me with rough edits, and critiquing
the visuals.
Much appreciation goes out to all of the gang at
Mix Bookshelf for their extremely helpful, creative,
and professional support: Mike Lawson, George Petersen,
Lisa Duran, and Linda Gough.
And finally, I would be amiss if I didn't thank all
of my students from over the years for the innumerable
suggestions and inspirations that they have
brought to me. They are the real reason for this book.
May this book begin an ongoing dialogue about what
makes a great mix, to light the way for students in the
future, so none of us are "all mixed up" ever again.
xiii
Introduction
This book is designed to explain how to create great
mixes. However, the mix is only one aspect of what
makes a great recording. Other factors also contribute
to what is perceived as a quality recording and mix.
Chapter 1
"All Aspects of a Recorded Piece of Music" begins by
covering the eleven aspects of a great recording: concept,
melody, rhythm, harmony, lyrics, arrangement,
instrumentation, song structure, performance, quality
of the equipment/recording, and the mix.
Each of these aspects must be at least of basically
good quality. If even one of them isn't, the recording
will suffer. The mix is only one of the eleven aspects,
but it is one of the most powerful because it can hide
some of the weaker aspects or highlight the magic in
the stronger aspects.
In the first chapter, we explore what the recording
engineer can do to help refine each of these components.
The rest of the book continues with what
can be done with only the aspect of the mix.
Chapter 2
"Visual Representations of 'Imaging' " introduces the
visual framework for representing "imaging," the
apparent placement of sounds between the speakers.
Section A shows the difference between the perception
of physical sound waves coming out of the
speakers and the imagined perception of imaging.
This is important because the two are sometimes confused,
and the visuals represent only imaging, not
physical sound waves.
Section B introduces volume, frequency, and
panning visually and then defines the boundaries of
imaging (the limited space where a mix occurs
between the speakers).
Section C explains how and why specific visuals
were chosen for each sound and effect in the studio.
Chapter 3
"Guides to a Great Mix" explains all of the reasons for
creating one style of mix or another.
Section A explains how the style of music affects
the way a song is mixed.
Section B describes how the song and all of its
details dictate the way a song is mixed. It goes
through every detail within a song and explains how
each aspect might affect the placement of volume,
EQ, panning, and effects.
Section C discusses how the people involved—
the engineer, the band, the producer, and the mass
audience—contribute to the way a song is mixed. It
explains the most difficult job of all for the engineer:
to take the values, suggestions, and ideas of everyone
involved in a project; decide which ones are best for
the project; then diplomatically work with everyone
to bring about the best recording and mix possible. It
also covers the extraordinary human dynamics that
go into balancing the values of everyone involved.
Chapter 4
"Functions of Studio Equipment and Visual Representations
of All Parameters" utilizes the images outlined
in Chapter 2 to describe the function of each
piece of studio equipment in the mix. It briefly, but
technically, explains what each piece of equipment
does. (As you will see, the visuals make the details of
complex functions easily understandable.)
Section A explains the basic functions of faders,
compressor/limiters, and noise gates and how to set
them for different instruments in various styles of
music and songs.
Section B explains the differences between various
types of equalizers—graphics, parametrics, and
rolloffs—and describes all the frequency ranges
found in sounds.
Besides the individual frequencies, it is also
important to understand how different frequencies
work together to create sounds, or timbres. This harmonic
structure is the basic building block of sound.
It is important because when you use an equalizer,
you are changing the harmonic's volume in that
sound.
Most importantly, this section gives you a step-bystep
process for using an equalizer to make something
sound good—or just the way you want it to sound!
Section C covers the basics of left to right placement
in a mix.
xiv
Section D describes each of the common functions
and parameters of delays, flangers, choruses,
phase shifters, reverbs, and harmony processors.
At this point, all of the details of the equipment
will have been covered visually. Now the visual representations
will be utilized to show how all of the
equipment is used together to create different styles
of mixes.
Chapter 5
"Traditions and Common 'Musical Dynamics' Created
With Studio Equipment" first discusses the different
dynamics found in music and the incredibly
wide range of possible dynamics that different people
perceive in music, including feelings and emotions;
thought forms; psychological, physiological, and
physical reactions; visual imagery; cultural and even
spiritual connotations.
The mixing board and the rest of the equipment
in the studio can also create musical and emotional
dynamics. Therefore, the engineer must not only
know what all of the equipment does but he or she
must also become familiar with the dynamic complexities
that can be created with the equipment in a mix.
This chapter embarks on an in-depth survey of
how each piece of equipment in the studio creates
musical and emotional dynamics based on the style of
music, the song and its details, and what the people
want. The chapter begins by defining the three levels
of dynamics that can be created with each of the tools
in the control room—volume, EQ, panning, and effects.
Then it describes each tool in the control room,
explaining what it does based on three levels of
dynamics for volume, equalization, panning, and
time-based effects: individual placement and relative
settings, patterns of placement, and changing settings.
Once you see all that can be done with the
equipment in the studio, a whole new world will open
up for you
Chapter 6
"Styles of Mixes" is an exploration of the dynamics
that can be created with all of the equipment
together. It explains how high-level dynamics can be
created using combinations of a variety of multiple
settings.
Once you have created a context or a particular
style of mix, the most intense dynamic that can be
created is to completely change all of the settings on
all of the equipment at once to create a completely
different type of mix or context. There is nothing so
intense and powerful when it comes to engineering.
This chapter discusses that technique.
Chapter 7
"The Relationship of Musical Dynamics Created by
Equipment to the Musical Dynamics Found in Music
and Songs" is designed to set you on your way in this
lifelong exploration of all of the relationships
between the dynamics you can create in a mix and
the dynamics that are found in music. After all, relationships
are what it's all about.
At this point, you will have a framework for understanding
and remembering all that can be done in a
mix. You can then use this framework to understand
exactly what engineers are doing in the mix of every
song you hear. Ask yourself, "Do I like what they are
doing?" And after a while, you will develop your own
style and you can confidently do whatever you want.
xv
C H A P T E R 1
All Aspects of a Recorded
Piece of Music
Visual 3. 11 Aspects of Recorded Piece of Music (see color Visual 3C)
When I did my first album, the mix sounded great but
the band and the song weren't that hot. Everyone
who listened to it agreed that it wasn't that great—
they couldn't separate the mix from the music. Most
people don't differentiate between the individual
parts that make up a recorded piece of music.
An engineer, however, will often make comments
about aspects of a recorded piece of music
other than the recording or the mix. If there is a producer,
he or she is actually responsible for the details,
but most often there isn't a producer, so the engineer
takes on that role. Even when there is a producer, he
or she will rely heavily on the values and critiques of
the engineer. In fact, groups often go to major studios
solely because of the production assistance they
get from professional recording engineers. This
chapter covers the aspects that go into creating a
quality recorded piece of music.
All of these eleven aspects contribute to what is
perceived as a quality recording and mix. Every
aspect of a song should meet at least the minimum
requirements of perfection. If any one of them is
lacking, it will show through as the weak link in the
whole recording. Even though each aspect is only a
small part of the overall song, any single flawed aspect
could destroy the whole song. If all of the eleven
aspects are incredible or perfect, the chances of a
song becoming a hit are probably a million to one. If
any one of these components is less than perfect, the
chances for success go down exponentially. Therefore,
it is necessary to critique and refine each of
these aspects whenever possible. You wouldn't think
the job of an engineer would include working on
things like the concept of the song, the melody,
1
Chapter One
rhythm, and harmony; after all, aren't those things
the responsibility of the band? Besides, if the music
or band is bad, it isn't the engineer's fault; and making
comments in these sensitive areas could be hazardous
to your health and/or job security. However,
the big secret is that professional engineers do more
than just getting sounds on tape and mixing them
down. Professional engineers help refine all these
aspects whenever possible. This is a secret for obvious
reasons: If you call engineers "producers," they get a
lot more money. In fact, the engineers who are really
good at it often become producers.
There are plenty of great books and no shortage
of classes on how to refine these aspects. Therefore,
we'll briefly examine each of these components in
order to put "the mix" into perspective. The rest of
this book is about the mix.
Quality is defined in different ways by different people,
so it can take awhile to learn all the ways in which
songs can be refined. But if you pay attention, you
will develop your own values. If you ask yourself every
step of the way, "Do I like this or not?" you will naturally
develop your own perspective on what you like
and what is "good." When it comes to values, the only
one that's really bad is "no values at all." If you don't
have an opinion, you're in the wrong business. If you
don't know what you like, just listen.
The definition of what constitutes "good" and
"quality" is extremely subjective and ever changing
for each of the eleven aspects. People have very
strong opinions; therefore, the only way to approach
this emotionally charged subject is to list commonly
held values and preferences. You can use this list to
begin your lifelong study of people's values. It is
important to recognize where people's values and
preferences lie, so that you know where they are coming
from. It makes it easier to work with them, please
them, and negotiate with them. With this in mind,
let's discuss each of the aspects of a recorded piece of
music that can be refined and common suggestions
that recording engineers make in each area.
Aspect #1: Concept or Theme
The concept or theme can be defined as the combination
of the other ten components. It is also known
as "the mood," "the flow," or "the aura," depending
on your perspective. It is usually defined as the feeling
or idea that is conveyed most consistently and
strongly in the most number of aspects of a recorded
piece of music.
Songs vary in the consistency or cohesiveness of
the concept. In some songs, the concept is quite
strong and cohesive, while in other songs it might be
non-existent (although the concept could be "no
concept"). As an engineer, you might suggest ideas
that help make the concept stronger and more cohesive.
Such a comment might be made when something
in a song just doesn't seem to fit. For example,
you might point out that a screaming heavy metal guitar
just doesn't fit the mood of a love song, or a
spacey flange effect might not fit a straightforward
rock 'n' roll song. Perhaps someone wants to use a
sound or effect that they heard in another song, but
it isn't appropriate for the current song. It is the engineer's
responsibility to point out these inconsistencies
(with kid gloves, of course).
Discovering how each aspect relates to and contributes
to the cohesiveness of the whole song can
often reveal inconsistencies and deficiencies that
might need to be fine tuned. Even more importantly,
such a detailed analysis can sometimes provide inspiration
and lead to the creation of new ideas.
Positive values for the concept or theme can be
its existence, cohesiveness, color, or complexity. Negative
values can be that it is rote, uncreative, or predictable.
Aspect #2: Melody
Commenting on someone's melody line can be especially
dangerous. Statements such as, "The melody
sucks," does nothing for the creative process, much
less your relationship with the band. The truth is that
there isn't too much that you can say about a melody
line. You might point out that it is too busy or too simple,
but in both cases it might just be what the band
really wants.
In order to avoid copyright problems, you would
want to comment if you find that the melody line is
exactly the same as another song. As an engineer, you
would probably point out a bad note in a melody, but
it might turn out to be intentional. You might also
come across a case where the band is improvising
around the melody in the choruses of a song (especially
in jazz). You could mention that it might be a
good idea for them to go ahead and sing or play the
melody line straight in the first chorus in order to
establish the melody.
Positive values for a melody can be that it is
catchy, hummable, beautiful, or interesting. Negative
values can be that it is busy, banal, simplistic, annoying,
or chaotic.
Aspect #3: Rhythm
Those of you who know a lot about the complexities
of rhythms, might make some suggestions if you feel
it is appropriate. There are entire worlds of rhythm
that are taught in music theory classes. However, even
if you know nothing about rhythms, there is still one
thing you could critique: Is the rhythm too busy or
2
The Art of Mixing
too simple? Anyone can tell if the rhythm is boring or
too complex. If you are falling asleep, it could probably
use some spicing up. If you can't keep up, the
rhythm might need to be weeded out a bit.
When one rhythm part is not working with
another, you might want to inform the band. Perhaps
the guitar part is stepping on the keyboard part. If so,
say something. In fact, if any part is bugging you, you
might just quack (then duck).
It is also a good idea to check out the variation
in rhythm parts from section to section in the song.
For example, you might suggest that the drum pattern
be changed a bit for the lead break or bridge. A
change in the guitar part might be appropriate for
the choruses. Perhaps the way that the rhythm parts
change from section to section doesn't work for you
or is distracting. If so, you might say, "Hey, is that
really the way you want it?"
You might comment on the tempo of the song if
it seems to be Russian or dragon (hee, hee). Often listening
to the vocals can be a good clue as to whether
the tempo is right.
Positive values for rhythm can be that it is too
intricate or too simple. Negative values can be that it
is too simple, too busy, has the wrong tempo, or is
disjointed.
Aspect #4: Harmony
First, if you can arrange the harmony parts for the
band, they will normally think you are God—that is,
if they can sing them. Even if you don't know anything
about chord structures, inversions, or voicing,
most people can tell if it just doesn't sound right
somehow. If so, squawk.
Besides critiquing the actual notes in the harmony
parts, you can also make suggestions about the
number of parts and their ultimate placement in the
mix. A band may not be aware of all the different ways
that background vocals can be recorded.
You could record a three-part harmony on one
microphone and place them in the left speaker in the
mix, then record the same three parts on another
track and place them in the right speaker, creating a
full stereo spread of harmonies. You could also
record the three parts with three separate mics and
place them left, center, and right between the speakers;
then record the same three parts again and place
them so that you have two parts of each left, center,
and right. You could also record a three-part harmony
ten times on ten different tracks so that you
have thirty vocals. Then "ping-pong" (bounce) the
thirty parts down to two open tracks. Once you have
mixed the thirty tracks down to only two tracks, you
can then erase the original ten tracks and reuse them.
You end up with thirty vocals on two tracks in full
stereo for that Mormon Tabernacle Choir effect.
Many bands don't realize all the possibilities for
recording background vocals, so it is the responsibility
of the engineer to suggest these possibilities when
they might be appropriate. I will commonly have the
band at least double the background vocals (record
them twice).
Positive values for harmony could include it having
multiple parts or unique chord structure. Negative
values could be that it is too simple, too full, or
has an inappropriate chordal arrangement.
Aspect #5: Lyrics
Telling someone that their lyrics are lame is not good
for your health. It is amazing how many hit songs
have stupid lyrics. Therefore, I recommend that you
be especially careful when making comments about
someone's lyrics, unless you know the people well.
If you add one word to a song, you then own
half of the song by law. As you can imagine, this
makes some songwriters quite wary of taking any suggestions.
Therefore, because of copyright laws, an
engineer should be extremely careful when making
suggestions in this area. Instead of coming up with
some new lyrics, it is always better to try to get the
band to come up with new ideas themselves.
One of the most important things to watch out
for is that the lyrics are rhythmically correct. In certain
types of music, such as rap, it is critical that the
lyrics fit the music rhythmically. If you hear lyrics that
have too many or too few syllables, you might say
something. Ask the band if they are happy with the
way the lyrics work with the music rhythmically. If
they're not, try to get them to come up with something
else. Going out on a limb to help refine any
weak lyrics could mean the difference between a hit
or just an overall great song.
Positive values for lyrics can be that they are
heartfelt, sincere, thoughtful, rhythmic, poetic, or
lyrical. Negative values can be that they are banal,
cliched, corny, or nonsensical.
Aspect #6: Arrangement
The term "arrangement" is used here to refer to the
density of the arrangement, the number of sounds in
the song at any single moment, including how many
sounds are in each frequency range.
The main aspects to evaluate in an arrangement
are the sparsity or density. If the band is obviously trying
to create as full a mix as possible, you might make
some suggestions to help. Adding more sounds or
notes is the best way to fill out a mix. Therefore, you
might suggest doubletracking (recording the same
part twice) or even tripletracking. You could recommend
doubling a part with a different instrument or
3
Chapter One
even suggest that someone play a busier part. You can
also mention that adding time-based effects, such as
delays, flanging, or reverb, will help to fill out the
arrangement. And recording a part in stereo with multiple
microphones will add to the fullness of the song.
However, a more common problem with
arrangements is that they are too full and need weeding
out. There are some bands that would record 48
tracks if available, just because they are there and they
can! Even worse, when it comes to the mix, they want
all 48 tracks in the mix because they have become
attached to their parts. After all, they spent so much
time recording them. Even if there isn't enough room
between the speakers for all of the sounds, they want
it all in there because they did them.
It often becomes your duty to try to weed out the
arrangement, for clarity's sake. An engineer will often
suggest turning off (muting) certain tracks in particular
sections of the song. Dropping out parts like this
can make certain sections of the song seem more personal
and will contribute to the overall clarity.
Bands often don't think about dropping out
sounds from the mix because they are used to playing
live onstage. It might never occur to them to actually
stop playing in certain parts of the song: "What do
you mean stop playing?!" Often, simply demonstrating
what it would sound like will convince the band.
It is especially common when mixing hip hop or
techno to turn various tracks on and off throughout
the mix.
On a more detailed level, the engineer might
point out when too much is going on in a specific frequency
range. You might suggest playing a part at a
different octave or in a different inversion.
Positive values for an arrangement could be that
it is sparse, full, builds and breaks down, or changes
in interesting ways. Negative values could be that it is
too busy or full, has too many instruments in a particular
frequency range, or is too thin.
Aspect #7: Instrumentation
As the engineer, you're responsible for making sure
that the sound of each instrument is good, even
though it is the band who has chosen the instruments.
If there is something wrong with an instrument sound,
you can only do so much to fix it in the mix, no matter
how much you process or effect it. Therefore, it is
important to recognize bad sounds in the first place,
so you can replace them. If you can't replace them,
point them out so that the band realizes the instrument
sound was bad, not the mix.
For example, if you have a drum kit that doesn't
sound so great, see if you can rent another set. In
addition, make sure all the heads are new. Let the
band know that there is nothing in the control room
that can fix a drum head that's held on with duct
tape. Also make sure that there is nothing wrong with
the guitar sounds. Each guitar should be set up so
that the intonation is right. There is no reason for a
guitar player to use the one guitar they have for the
entire album. Beg, borrow, or steal a selection of guitars
for the project. The album will normally sound
much better with a variety of guitar textures.
Make sure all the amps sound good. Again,
there is no reason for you to have only one amp
sound on an album. It is especially effective to use a
"Y" cable, so one guitar can feed two different amps.
Recording the two amps on two different tracks gives
you a variety of sound combinations, creating a totally
unique sound.
You should also become familiar with all of the
sounds within each synthesizer in the studio you are
working in, so that the band won't have to spend two
hours going through all 5000 presets. You can easily
direct them to the banks with the types of sounds they
are looking for. An engineer will commonly suggest
unique sounds to incorporate into a song. There is a
huge number of totally unique and bizarre sounds
that could be used. There is a world of different ethnic
percussion instruments available these days. You
might even suggest designing a new sound altogether
with a synthesizer or computer. You might also think
about sampling some unusual natural sounds and
using them as instrument sounds. When placed low
in the mix, some very unusual sounds can actually fit
in quite well, even in the most normal type of song.
The recording engineer is quite commonly the
most knowledgeable person in the studio when it
comes to being aware of all the types of musical instruments
and sounds available. Professional engineers
get to know the difference between different brands
and types of instruments intimately. Often the engineer
is the most qualified person to make suggestions
on the appropriateness of a particular instrument for
a song. In fact, producers commonly rely on the engineer's
expertise when it comes to instrument sounds.
Positive values for instrumentation can be that it
is unique, unusual, bizarre, or new. Negative values
can be that it's the same old same old.
Aspect #8: Song Structure
The song structure refers to the order and length of
the song sections (intro, verse, chorus, lead break,
bridge, vamp). As an engineer, you wouldn't normally
say very much about the structure of someone's song,
unless you knew the songwriter well. However, if the
structure somehow bothers you, or if you have an
idea to make it better, you might ask the band what
they think.
For instance, you might point out that a five-
4
The Art of Mixing
minute lead break is a bit long, and a record company
might not be patient enough to listen to an
introduction that is longer than ten seconds. You
might suggest that they do two different versions or
that you edit the final mix to make a shorter version.
A positive value for song structure can be that it
is different from the norm, while a negative value can
be that it is too simple or normal.
Aspect #9: Performance
The recording engineer—whether there is a producer
on the project or not—is most often responsible
for critiquing and refining a performance. There
are five main aspects of performance that a recording
engineer may be involved in: pitch, timing, technique,
dynamics, and greatness (the goosebump factor).
PITCH
Normally, the recording engineer is ultimately
responsible for all instruments being in tune and
every note of a performance being in pitch.
There are two levels of pitch perception. Perfect
pitch is when you can recognize the exact note or
frequency of a sound. Some people can tell you the
frequency (such as 440Hz) when they hear a note.
This skill, although great to possess, is fairly rare.
Relative pitch, the ability to tell if a sound is in
tune with previous sounds in a song, is much more
common and is extremely important. It is critical for
a recording engineer to develop good relative pitch
perception. Although some people are born with it, if
you are not, it is a skill that can be learned. There are
some very good computer programs and study
courses on tape that teach this skill.
I know from personal experience that just about
everyone interested in this business has very good
pitch, though they might not be quick at it. The trick
is to become skilled at hearing the pitch of every single
note in a string of notes at a fast tempo. Ultimately
you need to be able to hear the pitch of each
note as well as the relative pitch of the beginning,
middle, and end of each note. It all comes down to
simply concentrating on finer and finer moments.
And, of course, this amount of concentration becomes
easier with practice.
The hard part is getting to the point where you
can remember which note is out of tune in an entire
riff. It is great if you can also tell if a note is flat or sharp,
but it is not absolutely necessary. It is enough to know
simply if a note is out of pitch and which one it is.
TIMING
Another important skill for a recording engineer to
master is being able to tell if the timing is stable.
Some people are born with perfect timing perception.
However, most of us have to listen closely. Some
people pat their leg. Others keep time with one finger
in the air. Some just tilt their head in a funny way.
Regardless of the technique, it takes serious concentration
to hear variations in tempo.
There are certain points when timing typically
varies in performances. Drummers commonly speed
up when they do a torn roll, so it is critical to listen
closely to torn rolls. Also, a band will often speed up
at the end of a song as they get rocking.
Some people are fanatics about stable tempo
and go out of their way to get tempos to be as stable
as possible. Therefore, it is critical to find out if the
band's values lie in this area, so that you can give the
necessary added attention and focus to the timing. If
a band doesn't care, work with them to get them to
focus on it more. One interesting technique is to
have them play to a click track for awhile. Only if the
drummer has practiced with the click track for weeks
can he or she actually play with one in a recording
session, so take the click track out of their headphones
when they are ready to record. They will now
be more focused on timing.
Do what you can, but there is only so much you
can do before they get irritated. Always try to calculate
how far you can push them.
TECHNIQUE
There are specific techniques that musicians must
learn for each instrument; these will vary depending
on the style of music being played. Any tips or techniques
you can offer to a musician can only help. Of
course, you can't be expected to know the right thing
to say to a musician for each and every instrument;
but the more you work in the business, the more
tricks you pick up.
For example, there are specific techniques for
playing each of the drums in a drum set. The kick
drum should be "popped" with the foot. For some
styles of music, it is best to really whack the snare
drum. For guitar players, there are many little things
to watch out for, such as not causing any string buzz
or not causing the strings to squeak as you move up
and down the neck. All that is necessary is to point
out the problems.
There is a wide range of comments that you can
make to help singers (as well as a wide range of comments
that don't help). Suggestions such as, "Sing
out," or "Project more," can be helpful if given at the
right moment and with sensitivity. Often it helps to
get the singer to focus more on using their diaphragm.
Some people will even have a vocal coach
come into the studio during the recording session to
really help out.
It is especially important to pay close attention
5
Chapter One
when an experienced producer or professional musician
makes a comment or suggestion that works. After
awhile, you will learn an entire range of tips and techniques
that you can use to help musicians play better.
DYNAMICS
There are two main types of dynamics that you can
critique and help refine. First, it is a good idea to
keep an eye on simple changes in volume dynamics in
a performance. You might find them to be too
dynamic when they vary too much. Or you might find
them to be too stable in volume, so that it sounds like
a synthesizer or drum machine. It is important to
make sure that the volume dynamics fluctuate in a
way that is musical or appropriate for the song.
The second dynamic to critique is the level of
emotional intensity at every moment in the song. Just
as with volume dynamics, you might find them to vary
too much, be too boring, or be inappropriate. For
example, singers occasionally sing out too intensely at
the beginning of a song when perhaps they should be
saving it for the end of the song. On the other hand,
maybe they need to put more emotion and feeling
into the performance right up front.
Checking out the performance dynamics at
each moment in the song can help you fashion it in
exactly the way you want.
GREATNESS
This is the "goosebump" factor. You should never let
a performance go . . . until it turns you on. There is a
wide range of values that people hold. Common values
include sincerity, heartfelt feelings, and emotions.
Most likely, you are in this business because you
know what you like. At the very least, don't let a performance
that you don't like go by. If you make sure
that every single performance is incredible, at least in
your eyes, chances are that the overall performance
of the song will be great.
The Limits of Perfection: The problem with perfection
is that it has no limits. Normally, once you obtain
perfection, you realize how it could be better.
There are a number of factors that contribute to
the decision of how much time you spend trying to
get a great performance. After all, it is the engineer's
responsibility to gauge the amount of time spent on
refining a particular performance. Regardless of the
circumstances, everyone wants a basic level of quality.
However, after obtaining this basic level of perfection,
there is only so much you can do to get a perfect
performance. This will be dependent on:
Budget
If the band can't afford the time to perfect a performance,
there is nothing you can do unless you are
rich or own the studio and are extremely generous. If
the band is trying to do a ten-song demo for $100,
you just might have to move the session along.
Deadlines
A deadline, such as a meeting with a record company,
an appointment to have a project mastered or
pressed, or even Christmas (especially when a project
is rushed to be ready for holiday sales), is one of the
primary destroyers of project quality. It can often
help to point out to the band how detrimental deadlines
can be. However, sometimes they cannot be
avoided, so if a group has a limited amount of time,
an engineer might have to accept a performance that
is less than perfect.
Purpose of a Project
Obviously, if a project is destined to be a CD, much
more refinement is in order. Vinyl is final, and every
album is a part of your reputation. If the project is
being done as a demo, then the engineer might let
less-than-perfect performances pass as acceptable.
Generally, an engineer will try to obtain perfect performances
on drums because of the amount of setup
time involved. If the demo is accepted by a record
company, the drums could then be kept as basic
tracks for the album.
Expertise of Musicians
The quality of musicianship makes a big difference
in the amount of time it takes to get an acceptable
performance. You would think that the worse the
players are, the longer it would take. But this is often
not the case. Many times great musicians take even
longer because they know how good they can be. At
some point, you might need to suggest hiring professional
musicians (if you have a bulletproof vest).
One good idea is to present this idea, then tell the
band that if they like their own playing better than
the professional's, you'll pay for it. I've never had to
pay for it yet.
Apparent Musical Values
Different people hold different values for their
music. For example, a punk band might focus on
energy instead of perfect tuning. An R&B band might
care about the spatiality of the sound. A rap group
may be mostly concerned about the "boom." A jazz
combo might emphasize the interaction between the
players. Often, these values will determine whether a
performance is acceptable or not. It is often fruitless
to spend too much time on an aspect that the band
6
The, Art of Mixing
could care less about. On the other hand, it is critical
to pay extremely close attention to the aspects that
the band obviously values the most.
Determination
The amount of determination that a band brings to a
project affects the time spent working on a part and
the quality of the final project. Often band members
don't realize how much work it takes to get a performance
perfect or great. Musicians can easily get frustrated
or fatigued to the point where they say, "Good
enough." You should always try to inspire everyone to
work harder and longer until it is as good as possible,
but you can only push musicians so far before they
become irritable. It might help to simply point out
that it is normal for it to take a long time to get things
right and that professional musicians often take days
to get a performance perfected. This can help to
inspire people to push themselves to be great.
On the other hand, some musicians are so
determined to get a performance perfect that they
never stop. In the beginning, these people can make
you nuts, but you'll soon realize that with this kind of
perfectionist, you will end up with an incredible performance.
Subsequently, when people listen to the
project they will say, "Wow, you recorded that?"
Therefore, you come to appreciate the obsessive ones.
Aspect #10: Quality of the Equipment
and the Recording
The quality of the equipment refers to the recording
equipment, as opposed to the instruments (which
were covered under "Instrumentation"). The engineer
should make sure that all of the equipment is of
the best quality possible and, even more importantly,
that it is in good working order.
The quality of the recording includes things like
getting good levels on tape (not too low or too hot),
good miking techniques, and no distortion or excessive
noise. Obviously, these are the recording engineer's
responsibility.
Newness is a positive value for equipment, while
age is a negative value.
Positive values for recording quality can be that
it is present and clean; therefore, negative values can
be that it is noisy, distorted, and unclear.
Aspect #11: The Mix
The mix may only be one small part of everything
that goes into creating a great overall recording; however,
it is one of the most powerful aspects because
the mix can be utilized to hide weaknesses in other
areas.
The rest of this book is about the mix.
7
Chapter One
C H A P T E R 2
Visual Representations
of "Imaging"
SECTION A
Physical Sound Waves vs.
the Imagined Placement of
Sounds Between the
Speakers
We relate to sound in two ways: We feel (and hear)
the physical sound waves that come out of the speakers,
and we imagine the apparent placement of
sounds between the speakers.
Physical Sound Waves
Whether in the control room or living room, sound
first comes out of the speakers in sound waves and
travels through every molecule in the room, hitting
all parts of your body. Just as waves travel on water,
sound waves travel through the air. When the speaker
pushes out, it creates compressed air (denser air with
a higher air pressure) in front of the speakers. This
compressed air corresponds to the crest of a wave in
water. When the speaker pulls back in and the sound
doesn't return, it creates "spaced out" air (rarefied
air). As we all know, when you have a water fight in
the pool and you push the water and pull your hand
back, the water doesn't come back. Instead, a trough
is created. In the air, this trough corresponds to
spaced out air. Therefore, sound travels in waves consisting
of alternating compressed and rarefied air.
This is one way that we perceive sound.
Visual 4. Sound Waves: Traveling Compressed and
Spaced Out Air
"Imaging"
The second way we perceive sound is by imagining
sounds between the speakers. The apparent placement
of sounds between the speakers is called "imaging"
because it is a figment of our imagination. So
you see, we're not talking about reality here. When
we imagine a sound, like a vocal, to be between the
speakers, there is, in actuality, no sound there. The
same sound is coming out of both speakers, traveling
throughout the room, and we just imagine the sound
to be between the speakers.
8
The Art of Mixing
The same thing happens when you listen to headphones:
When you hear a sound in the middle of
your head . . .
Visual 5. Imaging in
Head
. . there's no sound there. Your brain's there!
Visual 6. Brain in
Head
With no imagination process, such as when you
are asleep, there's no imaging. If you aren't paying
attention to a mix or if you are off to the side of the
speakers, imaging does not exist. On the other hand,
physical sound waves still hit your body when you are
asleep. Even if you aren't paying attention, sound
waves are still slapping every cell in your body. You
feel sound waves even if you aren't listening.
Imaging requires active imagination to exist. Sound
waves do not.
Some people do not hear imaging. There are
those who are simply not conscious of it. But there
are also people who don't hear imaging because the
shape of their outer ears actually causes phase cancelation.
This physical difference destroys their ability
to place a sound between the speakers.
People relate to sound in two ways: they feel the
sound waves and/or they perceive imaging. Although
professional engineers utilize both modes of perception
to gain as much information about the mix as possible,
they are often more concerned with the dynamics
that exist in this imaginary world of imaging.
A wide range of dynamics are created by different
placements of sounds between the speakers, and
these dynamics are utilized to create all the various
styles of mixes that fit all types of music and songs.
Visual 7. Dynamics Created With Studio Equipment
SECTION B
The Space Between
the Speakers
Mapping Volume, Frequency, and Panning Visually
In order to explain different styles of mixes, let's map
out how each piece of equipment affects imaging, the
apparent placement of sound between the speakers.
There are three basic parameters of sound corresponding
to the X, Y, and Z visual axes.
Visual 8. Sound to Visuals: X, Y, Z Axes
9
Chapter Two
Panning as Left to Right
Panning, the left/right placement of sounds between
the speakers, is shown as a left to right placement
visually.
Visual 9. Panning: Left to Right Placement
Volume as Front to Back
Sounds that are closer to us are louder and distant
sounds are softer, therefore the volume of a sound in
the mix can be shown as front to back placement.
Visual 10. Volume: Front to Back Placement
As you have probably noticed in mixes, some
sounds are right out front (normally vocals and lead
instruments), while other instruments, like strings
and background vocals, are often in the background
(consequently, the term background vocals). If you
want a sound out front in a mix, the number one
thing to do is to raise the fader on the mixing board.
Lowering the volume will, of course, put the sound in
the background.
Although volume is the number one function of
front to back placement, there are other pieces of
equipment or factors that can make sounds seem
more out front, such as compressor/limiters, equalization
boosted in the presence range, short delays
less than 30 milliseconds (ms), and any effect that
makes a sound seem "unusual" so that it sticks out.
Reverb and long delay times tend to make sounds
more distant. These effects are discussed further in
Chapter 4, "Functions of Studio Equipment and
Visual Representations of all Parameters."
NOTE: You need other cues, such as delays and
reverb, to help gauge the distance a sound is from
you. If you happen to be hanging out in an anechoic
test chamber (a room that absorbs all sound so there
are absolutely no reflections off the walls), you can't
tell the distance of a sound by volume alone. However,
for the purposes of this book, volume is still
shown as front to back. After all, the louder the
sound, the more out front it will appear in the world
of imaging and mixing.
Pitch as Up and Down
There is an interesting illusion that occurs with high
and low frequencies in the world of imaging. Check it
out on your own system. Play a song and listen to
where high- and low-frequency sounds seem to be
between the speakers. Most people agree that highs
are higher and lows are lower. Instruments such as
bells, cymbals, and high strings always seem to be
much higher between the speakers than instruments
such as bass guitars, kick drums, and rap booms.
Visual 11. Frequency: Low to High Placement
There are a number of reasons why this illusion
exists. First of all, low frequencies come through the
floor to your feet; high frequencies don't. No matter
how much bass you add to a piccolo, it will never rumble
the floor. In fact, professional studios are calibrated
to exactly how many low frequencies travel
along the floor to your feet. (This is why some engineers
like to work barefoot!)
On a more esoteric level, there is a theory in the
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The Art of Mixing
field of music psychology that maps out frequencies
from low to high in the body, from the base of the
spine to the top of the head, that respond to different
frequencies.
Visual 12.
Frequencies in Us
We're not here to argue the validity of such a system;
however, it might contribute to our perception
of highs and lows in the world of imaging. But regardless
of why it happens, the truth is that high frequencies
do seem to appear higher between the speakers
than low frequencies. Therefore, we'll put the high
frequencies up high and the low frequencies down
low in all our visuals.
Visual 13. Song With Highs and Lows Highlighted
You can raise or lower the sound by changing
the pitch with harmony processors and aural exciters
or by having a musician play their instrument in a
higher octave or chord inversion. Since equalization
controls the volume of frequencies, with an EQ we
can move a sound up and down . . . at least a little bit.
Again, no matter how much bass we add to a piccolo,
we will never be able to get it to rumble the floor, and
we won't be able to put a bass guitar in the sky.
Defining the Boundaries of the 3D
Stereo Field of Imaging
Consider this: The image of a sound never seems to
appear further left than the left speaker or further
right than the right speaker. Right? Right, unless the
room is strange.
Because the exact placement is a figment of our
imagination, different people see the left and right
boundaries differently. Some say that it can't be further
left or right than the speaker itself. Some people
see sounds just a little bit further outside of the speakers,
maybe an inch or two. Check it out for yourself.
Pan a sound all the way to the left and listen to see
how far left the image seems to be.
The left and right boundaries of imaging are
shown like this:
Visual 14. Left and Right Boundaries of Imaging
When you turn the panpot, it's as though you
can "see" the sound moving left and right between
the speakers. Now, what about front to back boundaries
of volume levels?
Normally, background vocals and strings are
only a few inches behind the speakers. As you reduce
the volume of a sound, it seems to recede into the distance.
The question is, "How far behind the speakers
is a sound before it disappears altogether?"
Most people seem to imagine sounds to be
about six inches to two feet behind the speakers,
depending on the size of the speakers. It is interesting
to note how the speaker size affects the illusion.
With a boom box, we normally don't hear sounds
more than a couple of inches behind its speakers.
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Chapter Two
Visual 15. Imaging Limits Around Boom Box
Whereas, when listening to a huge PA at a large
concert, the image seems to be as much as six feet
behind the speakers.
Visual 16. Imaging Limits Around Large PA
Check out how far back the sound seems to be
around various speakers. Normally, sounds are only a
short distance behind the speakers.
NOTE: There is a psychoacoustic phenomenon
based on previous experience wherein certain sounds
appear to be even further behind the speakers than
the normal imagined limit. For example, if you place
the sound of distant thunder between the speakers, it
can seem to be miles behind the speakers. The sound
of reverb in a large coliseum or a distant echo at the
Grand Canyon might also seem to be way behind the
speakers. This is a good illusion to remember when
trying to create unusually expansive audio worlds
between the speakers.
Now, as previously mentioned, when you turn a
sound up, it appears to be more out front in a mix.
But how far out front will it go? First, no matter how
loudly you raise the volume of a sound, you can't
make it come from behind you. In fact, sounds rarely
seem to be more than a short distance in front of the
speakers. Most people imagine sounds to be only
about three inches to a foot in front of the speakers.
Again, it depends on the size of the speakers. A loud
sound in a boom box will appear only about two
inches in front, whereas sounds in a huge PA might
appear as far out front as six to ten feet. (Check it out
on your own speakers.)
Regardless of our perception of the exact limits
of imaging from front to back, it is easy to imagine the
placement of sounds from front to back, with volume
being the main factor that moves a sound. Therefore,
the normal stereo field is actually three-dimensional! We'll
show the rear boundaries of imaging like this (the
front boundaries aren't shown because they would
just get in the way):
Visual 17. Imaging Front and Back Boundaries
Finally, what about the upper and lower limits
of imaging? As discussed earlier, high frequencies
seem to be higher between the speakers than low frequencies.
The questions are: How high are high
frequencies? And how high do the very highest frequencies
we hear seem to be between the speakers?
Some people say sounds never seem any higher than
the speakers themselves. Some say sounds seem to
float a few inches above the speakers. Again, the
exact limit depends on the size of the speakers and
the imagination of the listener. Regardless of the
exact limit, sounds never seem to come from the ceiling.
Imaging is limited to somewhere around the top
of the speakers.
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The Art of Mixing
Now, what about the lower limit? Low frequencies
commonly come through the floor to our feet.
Therefore, the floor is the lower limit. The upper and
lower limits can now be shown like