Mixing

Mixing is the process of taking all the audio you just recorded and refining it into a presentable thing. It is the process of using judgement to add equalization, compression, reverb, and effects processing to enhance the tracks into a finished product (well almost, if you are going to master) It is a necescary task that must be done. Every engineer mixes songs differently. The process changes for every song but here is my basic mixing philosophy...

First I get set up by setting up tracks to handle all my outboard gear. I use three stereo reverb units and other outboard effects. When I go to mix I usually start by preparing the drum tracks for mixing. Depending on the session I will use several plug in's to handle the drumset. Expander / Gate, Compression, EQ and High pass filters are common things I use on the drums. Then it's bass guitar and then the rest of the instruments, mixing the most foundational ones first. I usually mix the singer or lead instrumentalist last. Somewhere during the process, I will begin setting automation. This is the process of automatically changing volume, pan, and settings to the individual tracks to further enhance the mix. After I get a decent mix happening I go into tweak mode, where many minor adjustments are made. I then will use mastering plug in's as necescary to get the mix big and full. Once all the plug in's are in place, more tweaks ensue.

When the mix is finally prepared for mixdown, I send the signal through high quality digital cables and mix at high resolution to dat tape. The dat tape has no data loss, and is easily transferred to all mastering studios. Simultaneously during mixdown, I also burn a CDR with the mix.

It can take anywhere between 1 and 5 hours to mix a tune. Then there's more mix tweaks, and remixing. From personal experience I can say the best time to mix with me is in the evenings from around 9 pm to 3 am. For some reason my ears really have a good grip on things at those times.

It is important to have a few things in mind when preparing for and during your mixing session. You should be thinking about what effects you want where, and what effects you don't want. You should have a general idea of the song order, and you should be ready to make decisions about the song that will be permanent. It's an important time to be as cohesive as possible, as your actions on mixing day will be reflected upon every time you listen to your disc.