Mixing tips

shemihazazel

shemihazazel

Fractal Fanatic
So I finally have enough material to start making a full record. However, I am apparently full retard when it comes to mixing with actual guitars and drums. I'd like to hear from you all on individual experiences/approaches when it comes to mixing. How much EQing, compressing, etc. do you apply to individual tracks, or to none of them, to get a decent sounding mix?
 
Maybe try EZMix by Toontracks. Designed for small DAW workstations, has lots to expensive equipment already baked into the cake for your mixing pleasure.

Mixing has always been a black art to me...I don't get it. So anything that makes it dumb-ass simple appeals to me.
 
mixing is not easy to do well..
I'm not exactly great at it, but I do understand the basics..

1 - on paper, work out the songs different sections [verse1, verse 2, chorus 1, chorus 2, final chorus, riff, solo, mid-8 etc] then rearrange them into a list terms of which should be the loudest / most powerful sounding section, with the loudest / most powerful at the top and the softest section last
this will determine the order in which you mix
cos if you have a soft intro and mix it hot, you have no headroom left for the loud stuff

2 - get a good drum sound, then add the bass

3 - then add in the principle 'thing' [voice, lead instrument etc] in that section

4 - then add the next most important thing [maybe rhythm guits or keys]

5 - continue to add parts in order of what is most important, so that the last thing added is what you think is the least important thing
this is because each time you add a new thing, you may need to do more and more processing / EQ to it to get it to 'find a place' in the mix]
all this processing and EQ is destructive, so destroy most what matters least
 
shemihazazel said:
So I finally have enough material to start making a full record. However, I am apparently full retard when it comes to mixing with actual guitars and drums. I'd like to hear from you all on individual experiences/approaches when it comes to mixing. How much EQing, compressing, etc. do you apply to individual tracks, or to none of them, to get a decent sounding mix?
Click to expand...


It's really hard to speak in general terms when it comes to mixing. What I do in terms of EQ, compression, etc. may not work for you because you may be starting out with completely different tones and may be headed in a totally different direction sonically-speaking.

Mixing is a very broad subject and to understand it fully you need to understand all the components involved such as tracking, panning, EQ, compression, limiting, reverb, delay, the stereo field. You need to understand how changing one component will affect another. It's really something you could spend years learning about and still never become an "expert".

I recommend checking out the mixing and mastering tutorial videos at Learn Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Ableton Live and more - Training and Tutorial Videos. If you have a high-speed connection you can get the "all-access pass" and watch as many videos as you want for 15 bucks a month. They're really good videos and I've learned a ton from them.

Be prepared to spend a lot of time learning about mixing if you really want to wrap your head around it. And then, practice, practice, practice. Don't expect your mixes to sound great on the 1st try. Don't get frustrated, just keep at it and you'll eventually get there.
 
I would definitely check out some DVD / downloads to learn the ropes.

They have been very helpful to me over the years.
 
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