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basic mixing techniques

so a couple of questions regarding the term "mixing" that I'm seeing on this forum a lot. I'm a production noob but have been DJing for a while, so "mixing" to me means something completely different. hence, I would like to know what this actually means? I'm guessing it entails ensuring that the levels of all your channels and sounds is appropriate for the sound you want to get?

second, if this indeed is what mixing is, I wanted to know what methods you guys use. I was once told in an introductory music production class that you should never automate your levels - just leave them at a fixed level, and instead use lo pass and hi pass filters to fade in and fade out sounds. what are the thoughts on this?

thanks!

First question: Yes - that's what mixing pertaining to production means.

Second question: complimentary EQ, compression, trim adjustment, fader automation, bus processing, phase cancellation and modulation, spatial... Okay - this question isn't just something which can or should be answered in a single post and even the stuff I've put down, which I actually do use, is going to be Greek to you until you get your hands dirty with the process of actually mixing a track.

quote:

Originally posted by EddieZilker First question: Yes - that's what mixing pertaining to production means. Second question: complimentary EQ, compression, trim adjustment, fader automation, bus processing, phase cancellation and modulation, spatial... Okay - this question isn't just something which can or should be answered in a single post and even the stuff I've put down, which I actually do use, is going to be Greek to you until you get your hands dirty with the process of actually mixing a track.

hmmm most of that makes sense - what is phase cancellation?

Re: basic mixing techniques

quote:

Originally posted by Imu I was once told in an introductory music production class that you should never automate your levels - just leave them at a fixed level, and instead use lo pass and hi pass filters to fade in and fade out sounds. what are the thoughts on this?

My thoughts are, that if you paid for this course then get a refund.


Here are the basics :-


http://www.scribd.com/doc/11995844/Guide-to-Mixing

Re: Re: basic mixing techniques

quote:

Originally posted by tehlord My thoughts are, that if you paid for this course then get a refund. Here are the basics :- http://www.scribd.com/doc/11995844/Guide-to-Mixing

thank you! that's very helpful!

and no haha, it was offered at an elective when i was in college in the US!

quote:

Originally posted by Imu hmmm most of that makes sense - what is phase cancellation?

It's when you have two channels (or sources) of the same signal, which are out of phase with one another to such a degree that they essentially cancel each other out. The quickest reference you might be familiar with has to do with noise canceling head-phones.

How I've used it can be found, here:

http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...3&forumid=74&s=

There's one channel, I inverted the phase of, which plays a regularly timed telephone ring through a simple delay. I placed the same ring on a second channel with a multi-tapped delay but no phase inversion, for every other ring. The result is a kind of squashed first ring which sounds a little like it bounces out, back into the mix after the initially canceled signal.

That part of the song starts at 1:01.

i guees in simple terms its making sure all of the sounds you make or use in a track works well and sounds good to hear.

you will learn in time to train your ears and start to figure out how to use plugins best to their effect.

pratice and show paticance it's taken me 3 years to get to a half steady stage in sound cerlection and mixing

Mixing in production isn't just about setting the levels for your different sounds. It's really all the things you do to help the different elements sit in the mix properly and not conflict with each other. So

Setting the levels of each sound is part of mixing

EQ-ing each sound is part of mixing - eg - removing the low end from your lead so it doesn't conflict with your bass line.

Panning sounds is part of mixing. - eg - two sounds that fight for the same space in the mix, you might pan one left, the other right.

There's more but this is the general idea of what people mean by mixing.

Read the stickies.

Re: basic mixing techniques

quote:

Originally posted by Imu so a couple of questions regarding the term "mixing" that I'm seeing on this forum a lot. I'm a production noob but have been DJing for a while, so "mixing" to me means something completely different. hence, I would like to know what this actually means? I'm guessing it entails ensuring that the levels of all your channels and sounds is appropriate for the sound you want to get? second, if this indeed is what mixing is, I wanted to know what methods you guys use. I was once told in an introductory music production class that you should never automate your levels - just leave them at a fixed level, and instead use lo pass and hi pass filters to fade in and fade out sounds. what are the thoughts on this? thanks!

Should just get this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Audio-...90962363&sr=8-1

It's a really really good book. It's essentially a textbook for the price of a regular non fiction paperback.

Never automate levels? Bullshit. There's no one right way to mix.
If you think of mixing like an art, its much more useful as you think of what you learn as techniques, rather than rules.

What one generation of engineers think sounds good, the other will think is boring, flat, etc.

Re: Re: basic mixing techniques

quote:

Originally posted by Beatflux Should just get this book: http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Audio-...90962363&sr=8-1 It's a really really good book. It's essentially a textbook for the price of a regular non fiction paperback. Never automate levels? Bullshit. There's no one right way to mix. If you think of mixing like an art, its much more useful as you think of what you learn as techniques, rather than rules. What one generation of engineers think sounds good, the other will think is boring, flat, etc.

thanks for the link!

Re: Re: basic mixing techniques

quote:

Originally posted by tehlord My thoughts are, that if you paid for this course then get a refund. Here are the basics :- http://www.scribd.com/doc/11995844/Guide-to-Mixing

HOLY FUCKING SHIT!

That was written by my old director when I worked at Turnkey

Wasn't going to bother but I think I'll read it now!

THANKS

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