Recording - September 2017 - 4

publisher:

FadeIn
"Let us mix, Max."
In last month's issue, we spent some time talking about how important it is to
get your initial tracks right before you move on. It's clichéd but true: it's almost
always easier to get things right in the first place than wait until mixdown to make
repairs. While "fix it in the mix" is a situation that can't always be avoided, you
can avoid using that idea as a crutch. You shouldn't let tracking problems pile
up to be addressed at mixdown time... you'll have enough to deal with as it is!
Mixing is rarely easy and never trivial. Once in a while, you'll hear an engineer
say that the tracks in a given session are so good that mixing is basically "put all
faders at unity gain and press Play". Don't count on it. Even on relatively simple
sessions, mixes must juggle competing frequency bands, clashes in level, dynamics
issues, changes in energy from verse to chorus and back, and a hundred other
things. It can be daunting to the novice.
Fortunately, mixing is a process where practice pays dividends you can hear
right away. You won't turn into Geoff Emerick overnight, but the more you mix,
the better you'll get. Just like playing an instrument or setting up mics, the best
way to get good at mixing is to do it as much as you can.
In this issue (page 22), Alex Hawley provides three (actually four) practices
that have been beneficial to him as he's begun a career as a professional mix
engineer. We all have to start somewhere, and Alex's hints make a good foundation.
I'd like to offer a few more, to bring the number up to an even ten.
5. Start simple. A basic rock song doesn't have to have as many tracks as a
Hollywood soundstage mix. You can't mix 32 tracks if you can't mix eight.
6. Compare your mixes to the sound of records you love. The act of listening
to music that moves you is a learning experience in and of itself.
7. Don't hesitate to set aside a good mix of a song and try again in the hopes
of making it a great mix.
8. Learn the fundamentals of audio, so you don't trip yourself up. For example,
knowing the Equal Loudness Contours helps you understand why you should mix
at the same loudness whenever possible.
9. Read Scott Dorsey's Fade Out (page 72) and remember that our mixing
rooms continue to be vital in our work. Mixing may start with your console or
DAW, but it ends with your speakers and your ears in your room, so those have
to be right before anything else is.
10. Learn the tools you have inside and out, so that when you're ready to
invest in new tools, your money and learning time are well spent.
That last point needs emphasizing. This issue has a bunch of great reviews of mixing
gear, from unusual mixer designs for specialized applications to powerful control
surfaces and mix-friendly software. That said, buying new gear and expecting it to
do your work for you will leave you broke-and no closer to being an engineer.
Any kid with a PC and a few hundred dollars has more raw mixing functionality
at hand nowadays than the folks who mixed the Beatles at Abbey Road... but
musicianship, good taste, an educated ear, and practice aren't available in a
software bundle. You have to go get those yourself, step by step, mix by mix.
Luckily it's a lot of fun.
Enjoy the issue.

EDITORIAL
Mike Metlay
special projects editor: Lorenz Rychner
technical editor: Paul Vnuk Jr.
editor at large: Beto Hale
copy editor: Diana Smethurst
músico pro editor: Fernando Curiel
editor:

CONTRIBUTORS
Paul Vnuk Jr., Alex Hawley,
Darwin Grosse, James Lindenschmidt,
Marty Peters, Aaron J. Trumm, Scott Dorsey
SOCIAL MEDIA
Brent Heintz, Paul Vnuk Jr.
ART & PRODUCTION
Joseph Hawley
production manager: Colin Courtney
web goalie: Colin Courtney
creative director:

PLAYBACK PLATINUM SERIES
Lorenz Rychner

editor/producer:

CIRCULATION
Tiffany Sepe

circulation manager:

ADVERTISING SALES AND MARKETING
director: Brent Heintz
classifieds manager: Colin Courtney
ADMINISTRATION
Thomas Hawley

accounts receivable:

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Thomas Hawley
vice president: Brent Heintz
president:

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4

RECORDING September 2017

Thomas Hawley
Brent Heintz

associate publisher:
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - September 2017
