The Best Mix

Over the past few years I have come to find that the best mixes I have produced all have one thing in common: the don't suck to listen to.

No, seriously... I'm talking about before they are mixed. I believe that mixing is just the final artistic expression of music through a technical medium. Ideally, I'm not adding or taking away or trying to dramatically change what is there, but only presenting the artists work as it is meant to be head. This only works really well with music that has been well written, arranged, and recorded.

I've always heard people say things like, "a well written song plays itself" or, "a well written song arranges itself." Really, what starts well at the beginning, will finish well. A good arrangement is crucial to a good mix and the arrangement is dependant on a well written song. So I would say, "a well written, arranged, performed and recorded song pretty much mixes itself."


If you are in the studio or considering making an album/demo/whatever, here are a couple tips that will help you music translate well when it comes time to mix:


1. Write good songs. It sounds obvious, but the trick is to not settle for a catchy hook or two plus a verse and a chorus. A good song will contain the rhythmic, melodic, harmonic and dynamic "DNA" for how everything will play out in the recording and mixing process. Don't get to attached to your songs. You will likely need to make changes and maybe even just scrap a few. Get outside critiques from people who know what they are talking about. The more you write, the more you mature and the better your music will be, so write often. If you have only ever written seven songs in your life and you want to record a seven song EP, you are probably jumping the gun.


2. Start with simple arrangements. If you are in a band, focus on a really solid rhythm section and how the vocal sits over it. Vary your dynamics by adding and taking away whole parts, as opposed to everyone just playing all the time but at different levels. If you are writing on your own, focus on that one instrument (usually guitar or keys) that carries the song and make sure that it is simple enough to allow for a whole band to play along while still 'leading' the song rhythmically and melodically. If in doubt, simplify! From a mixers perspective, less is often more.

3. When recording, shoot for convincing emotional performances, as opposed to 'perfect' ones. If you haven't got your guitar part to your own song 'right' after 30 takes, your probably trying to hard and not focusing on the emotional content, but mearly on everything sounding surgically clean. Oh, and while your in the studio and recording guitar... turn down your distortion! From a mix perspective. Nothing is harder to make sound "big" then a wall of layered guitar parts, all with power chords playing through chainsaw like distortion. Turn your distortion down and just play a little harder when you need more crunch. The end result in mixing is a much "punchier" mix that ultimately sounds bigger.

Hope that's helpful.