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MIXING IN THEORY

During the mixing step, you will balance instruments, place them in the sound space, set their volumes, modify their frequencies, fix or hide the flaws. The purpose is to define each instrument's location, make them separated from one another and create a song that is pleasant to listen to.

Dynamics
Equalization
Panning
Compression
Reverb
Delay
Depth
Conclusion

DYNAMICS

Dynamics is the interval between the lowest and the highest volumes in a sound. OK, fine, but we are doing Rock music, who cares about low volume? We want to kick ass! Drums must beat, guitars must yell, the bass must make the walls shake and the vocals must be loud! Pump up the volume! Wooo... calm down!

If everything is loud, then nothing is

Yes, that's logical. If everything is loud all the time, nothing stands out. But it's the contrasts that bring both subtleties and raging moments to light. How do you expect to surprise your listeners with a sound hurricane if you've already given them thunder and lightning without a break? You have to spare some quiet moments before the storm. Let's compare this with drawing. A black dot on a white background will stand out more easily than the very same black dot on a dark-gray background.

Obvious? Yes, but many musicians just care for that "powerful sound" to such an extent that it eventually becomes tiring to listen to.

You can increase the contrasts through the very writing of the song (guitar/vocal bars, followed by a passage with 3 guitars, 1 distorted bass, big drums...), or through interpretation (the musicians play louder, faster...), or through the use of effects (saturation, compression...).

Contrasts don't have to be huge, it all depends on what kind of emotion you wish to convey, on the music genre, on the topic of the song, on what you are looking for...

Nowadays, too many songs just look (and sound) like this:
Over compression

Do your ears a favor: don't do this

EQ

EQ stands for equalization. It's a tool that allows you to set the level of the frequencies that make the sound. Basically, it's like a volume knob, but instead of changing the volume of a whole song, you lower or raise only the frequencies of your choice. Just like when you use a stereo amplifier for instance: you can find "bass", "medium" and "treble" knobs. They are a simple EQ that help you to tune the sound.

Well, you are going to apply this same principle to each of the instruments of your song.

The purpose of equalization is simple: changing the sound, so that each instrument primarily occupies the frequency range that defines it the best, without encroaching on the other instruments.

In other words, lower the level of the frequencies that are not necessary to an instrument without distorting it, and see to it that the various instruments main frequencies do not overlap. Each instrument will thus be alone in its own sound space without encroaching on the others, ensuring all instruments are clearly distinct from the rest.

The hard part is to do this without distorting the sound of the instruments, and also to see to it that instruments which have common frequencies by nature be well-marked.

You will deduce that the more instruments there are, the more complex mixing becomes.

PANNING

Music is usually mixed in stereo. Not always, but we have two ears, we use headsets or speakers that usually come in pairs, so it only makes sense to use left and right channels when mixing.

That's what panning is: acting on the width of a sound, from left to right.

On top of the EQing described above, we can also part instruments from one another by placing them in different spaces. If two guitars play simultaneously in your song, you may want to place one on the left and the other one on the right. This will help to distinguish them and it will also balance the sound.

COMPRESSION

Compression affects the dynamic range of a sound signal.

It reduces the amplitude modulations of the sound, that is to say the gap between the lowest and the highest levels.

I will use the above compressor as an example. All compressors have more or less the same basic functions, so it will be easy to reproduce the manipulations on alternative models.

Let's see how this works:

- Threshold: this defines the minimum level from which the compressor will start affecting the sound. 0 is the highest sound level.
- Ratio: this is the level of compression you are going to apply. A 1:1 ratio has no effect, whereas an infinite ratio will limit the sound to the threshold level. In this case, the compressor acts like a limiter and nothing will go higher than the threshold. The higher the ratio, the more compressed the sound will be, and the volume level will be reduced in proportion, until we use the output button.
- Knee: this knob sets how much the compression will affect the sound right before and after the threshold. The softer it is, the softer the transition will be. A hard knee will result in a more abrupt transition. It is rather difficult to hear the effect of this function.
- Attack: this knob indicates the time it takes for the compression to start acting once the threshold is reached. Set it short (0 ms) to compress the sound as soon as the threshold is reached, and set it longer to avoid compressing the attack of an instrument. For example, with a solo guitar, you may want to preserve the string attack and thus set the attack knob on 10 or 20 ms. It all depends on what you wish to do.
- Release: this knob indicates the time it takes for the compression to stop acting once the volume level goes back lower than the threshold. A long release allows for a less brutal change of gain.
- Output: it can also be called "Gain". This knob sets the output volume level after compression of the sound. It compensates for the loss of volume due to the compression.

So basically, compression takes all the sound energy there is between the threshold and the highest level of the original signal and crushes it in a smaller gap. Then you raise the whole signal with the output button, which eventually renders a denser, richer sound compared to the uncompressed signal. This can be subtle or obvious, depending on your settings and the original sound.

REVERB

Reverberation brings a little air to a recording that would otherwise sound hollow or confined. It is not necessary to add much of it, or it could drown the sound and give the impression that the recording took place in a cathedral, unless this is what you are looking to obtain. A lot of reverb can be nice at some specific moments in a song, on one specific instrument, but I doubt anyone would apply this effect at a high level on a whole song.

It is recommended to put some on vocals. This will add depth. The more you add, the more the sound will seem to move away and get drowned in the mix. On the contrary, the less there is, the more vocals will seem to be close to the listener. A nice little touch of reverb makes vocals sound richer, deeper and more beautiful. Just find the right level.

DELAY

Delay is a sound effect that allows to... delay an audio signal and have it repeated. It's very much like an echo: shout and you will hear your voice first, then the echo of your voice repeated one or several times.

This effect is somewhat related to the reverb effect, with one major difference: delay repeats at regular intervals without generating a continuous surrounding sound. You can use it instead of the reverb to avoid overcrowding the mix.

As a general rule, set this effect by basing it on the song tempo. Choose whichever interval you wish to hear the echoes. Here is a chart to help you:

Click on the chart to download the corresponding Excel file ("Delay by Tempo & Instrument Frequencies.xls" - 64 KB)

DEPTH

By changing not only the volume, but also the frequencies or some effects like reverb, you can give the impression that a sound is more or less near the listener. This adds depth to a recording.

In everyday life, how do you recognize a distant sound?

Its volume is low. At least relatively. A motorbike engine roaring in the distance will be much less loud than if it were 2 metres away from you. Thus, the first thing to do is to lower the volume of the instrument you want to place in the background.

Distant sounds don't have much bass frequencies. Bass frequencies require a lot of energy to move. Unless you hear a very powerful sound (like an explosion), the bass tone won't get to you. So you may cut low frequencies with a high-pass filter or an EQ.

On the other end of the sound spectrum, high frequencies of a distant sound are also fainted because they are absorbed by obstacles as they're moving. So you also need to lower these high frequencies.

Distant sounds are indistinct, unintelligible. Human voice, for example: if you hear someone speaking in the distance, you will of course recognize that this is a human voice (yes, your brain is that smart), you will probably know whether it belongs to a man or a woman, but you will not understand a word. You are going to have to reproduce this lack of clarity to simulate distance. A little reverb, a little chorus or some phaser touch will do. Give it a try and see what suits your music best.

You can't always tell exactly where the faint sound you're hearing is coming from. So pan the background instruments in the middle position and leave the sides to foreground instruments.

When listening to a music, a listener will mainly focus on changing elements. The use of a repeating, short musical pattern, treated as described above, will be easily forgotten and place itself in the background. The purpose of a background instrument is to add some fullness to the song, without being so interesting that it draws attention. It should be kept simple to have it blend into the song without being noticed too much.
And of course, on the contrary, foreground instruments will be the ones bringing volume, lowest and highest frequencies, melodies, and elements of surprise.

Example of a voice that gradually goes away from the listener
(full screen for a better view)

CONCLUSION

When adding effects, check the result by activating and deactivating them as the song (or the instrument) plays. It will help you to see whether an effect is too present, or not enough, whether it is necessary, whether it is too agressive, etc. You may like heavy reverb, but too much of it just drowns it all and makes the song inaudible. Control is essential. Too little is useless, you might as well remove the effect completely, whereas too much will make everything weighty and will surely waste the whole piece.

An effect often turns out to be... effective if you miss it when it's gone, even though you were not certain to hear it when it was on.

Recording - Previous | Next - Mixing in practice

MESSAGES

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aissa
le 27/01/2013 à 14h24

Bonjour,

Je suis chanteur de reggae et rappeur, j'aurais voulu connaître vos tarifs pour l'enregistrement de quelques titres à moi.

Je souhaiterais faire la prise de voix plus le mix.

Je suis habitué au studio. Faites-vous des tarifs à la journée ?

Cordialement.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bonjour Aissa,

Merci de votre confiance, mais je ne suis pas un professionnel. Je n'ai pas de studio, simplement un home studio dans une pièce de mon appartement.
Je me contente de faire mes propres enregistrements, à l'occasion je bosse avec quelques potes pour leur filer un coup de main, mais ce n'est pas mon métier !
Et puis je n'ai jamais mixé de reggae ou de rap, alors je m'en voudrais de faire mal les choses dans un style que je ne maîtrise pas. Je vous conseille de vous tourner vers un studio pro spécialisé dans votre style, il doit être possible d'en trouver des pas trop chers.

Grebz

Veji
le 22/01/2013 à 02h42

Which particular Redwirez impulses
1)which mic(sm57/r121/421 etc)
2)distance(0''/0.5''/1''/2'')
3)cap/cone capedge etc
are your favorites for distortion and clean?

Also do you use the bass with shb-1 w/impulses or without?

Thanks

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Hello again Veji,

Concerning the SHB-1 bass amp sim, I find it very usable with and without impulses. Depends on the sound you want to get. The sound is brighter without impulses, deeper with impulses. It also depends on the tone you select on your bass when recording, on the settings you have in SHB-1 and on the impulse you pick.

I also sometimes don't use any amp sim for the bass track, leaving only the direct sound if it fits the song.

Or you can have one bass track with direct sound only, and a second bass track (a copy of the direct track) with an amp sim. Mixing the 2 can bring you the qualities of each, but it could also blur your bass sound. You need to try various possibilities and see (or hear) for yourself. Each song is different, so don't think you got it set once and for all. You probably need to make adjustments and try different combinations every time.

Now about the Redwirez impulses:
It's pretty damn difficult to tell you which impulses sound best. You probably won't use the same impulses if you play Metal songs or Rock'n Rollish songs. I am pretty sure that ACDC, Marilyn Manson, the Beatles, Oasis, Nirvana, Opeth, Metallica, Muse and Radiohead don't use the same gear.

It might be a good idea to try and find out what gear your favorite bands use and pick something similar, if that's their music genre you want to play.

As for me, I often use Vox AC30, because I love the Vox sound. That's my favorite.
But I also use Orange impulses, Engl Pro, Marshall 1960 as second choices.
Soldano, Bogner Uberkab and Mesa Rectifier from time to time.

For bass cabs, I try them all and change frequently. I don't have one favorite in particular. I have 4 impulse collections from Redwirez for bass: 2 Ampegs, Aquilar and Hartke cabs. They all have different qualities.

About the microphones and their positionning: most of the time, I use 2 impulses per guitar track.
My starting point is one R121 mic, CapEdge, 4'', and one SM57 mic, Cap, 0''. I found this combination to be pretty complementary, and it gives me a sound I'm immediately satisfied with. But it's not perfect every single time.
From that starting point, I will try to change the distances a bit until I find THE perfect combination (to my ears). Could be R121 at 2'' instead of 4, or CapOffAxis instead of Cap, etc.
It can be very time-consuming, it takes a bit of trials and errors, but if you want to reach your goal, that is to get THE sound you like, you have to go through this.

I also use my own impulses, particularly the Vox AC4 impulses, which sound pretty good, I'm proud :-)

Also note that the guitar you use will make a difference. My main guitar is a Fender Stratocaster, but a friend of mine lent me his Tokai Les Paul, and so my impulse settings need to be different, because these guitars sound different.

I also use Neumann U87 impulses, 421 or 414 mics... Really, I try a lot of things and it takes time.
Oh... and you have to try it in context. I mean, if you try various impulses while listening to your soloed guitar track, you will find a great sounding impulse combination, but when you play all the tracks together with all instruments, you will find that your combination doesn't sound so great anymore.

Have fun,

Grebz

Chochel
le 20/01/2013 à 07h40

J'ai tenté L'UCG 102 Behringer + AC Box Combo soi-disant facile, résultat : pas un son... Énervé, j'ai découvert Studio de Grebz.

Ma question :
Est-ce que j'oublie l'UCG102 ?
Quel montage serait le plus aisé et le plus simple pour un premier essai ? Le combo Marshall ?

Par la suite, je tenterai des montages plus sophistiqués.

Cordialement,
JP

Veji
le 19/01/2013 à 15h50

Hi,
What are your top 5 best amp plugins and top 5 best cab impulses?
Also can you send me the recabinet 2... I can't find it anymore.
Thanks

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Hi,

My favorite amp plugins for guitar are:
- Ignite Amps' NRR1 (free product).
- TSE's X50 (free product).
- Kuassa's Amplifikation Creme (retail product), US$ 34. Only emulates one amp, but the sound you get is fantastic.
- Overloud's TH2 (retail product), much more expensive - US$ 197 - but it emulates several real amps.

And for bass :
- Ignite Amps' SHB1
- Helian's 1st Bass or 2nd Bass (free products), which sound the same to me.

As for impulses, I use only Redwirez' impulses (retail products) which in my opinion are the ones that sound best of all the impulses I've tested so far. They're not free, but they're really unexpensive. The first cab impulses you buy will cost you US$9, then the more you buy, the more discount you get for the next impulses. And you can pick only the impulses you are interested in.

I cannot send you Recabinet's impulses, they are a discontinued retail product. They have been replaced by Recabinet 3, which cost only US$ 19.99 at the moment. That's quite a bargain, even though I think that Recabinet's impulses are not as good as Redwirez'. Your choice.

Finally, I am not sending any retail product to anyone. On my site, I make a large collection of free products available (amp sims, impulse loaders and impulses) for anyone to download, but I am not giving away any commercial products.

Cheers,
Grebz

Jak2112
le 08/01/2013 à 18h38

Salut !
Tout d'abord, félicitations et merci pour ce super site que je viens de découvrir et qui est très utile, notamment pour ceux qui débutent comme moi dans la MAO.
Donc en ce moment j'explore et je teste, mais j'ai un petit problème : je n'arrive pas à lire les extraits que vous proposez pour illustrer les différents plugins et logiciels ; le petit lecteur indique : Liste vide ! Peut-être ai-je oublié une manip en route ou autre ? Si vous pouviez m'aider ce serait super.
Merci d'avance et encore bravo !
Cordialement.
Jak2112

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bonjour, et merci !

En ce qui concerne le problème de lecture des extraits... il s'agit de lecteurs Flash, il peut donc y avoir des problèmes de compatibilité avec certains navigateurs.

De plus, si vous utilisez un système Apple, sachez qu'Apple a décidé (unilatéralement) de bannir Flash de ses machines, donc impossible de lire quoi que ce soit en Flash avec un iPad par exemple ou un iPhone. Pour les ordinateurs Mac, je ne sais pas trop, je n'ai pas eu l'occasion d'essayer, mais je crois avoir lu que c'était possible en téléchargeant le plugin Flash Player, comme sur PC. En ce qui concerne Linux, j'ai lu que seul le navigateur Chrome proposait la compatibilité Flash.

Entre parenthèses, il vaut mieux que vous soyez sur PC si vous comptez télécharger des choses sur mon site, parce que je ne propose que des plugins pour PC. Je suis moi-même utilisateur PC, donc je ne connais pas l'univers Mac ou Linux. Rien de sectaire, mais je suis un simple particulier, je ne peux pas m'occuper de tout, donc je m'occupe de ce que je connais uniquement ! Mais utiliser un Mac pour faire de la MAO est une excellente chose, aucun doute là-dessus. Après, tout est question de préférence et d'affinités. Fin de la parenthèse.

Si vous êtes sur PC avec Windows, il n'y a pas de raison que vous ne puissiez pas lire les extraits, à moins que votre navigateur Internet soit trop ancien, donc pas à jour ou incompatible, mais tous ceux que je connais fonctionnent bien. J'ai testé avec Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Opera et Safari, et mon site fonctionne bien avec chacun d'entre eux.

Ce que je vais faire, c'est essayer de proposer systématiquement de télécharger les extraits sonores en version mp3, ce qui permettra à tout le monde de pouvoir quand même les écouter même lorsque le lecteur Flash ne fonctionne pas. Il va me falloir un peu de temps pour mettre tout ça en place, mais je vais le faire rapidement, promis.

Grebz