Can some of you engineers share a few of your mixing ideas and practices?

I'd love to, but all I have done are four channel mixes ala-Beatles style, meaning I had to do sub-stereo mixes and blend them all together later.

 

Sure thing Steve. One of things I tend to do is think of music that is similar in style to what I am going to be working on and then listen to a few CD's of music in that style as advanced preparation for ideas that I might want to 'steal' .

As far as the actual mixing is concerned, basically I try to keep similarly toned sounds apart from each other, and make a constant effort to determine that everything is audible at low volumes as well as high by monitoring briefly at a whisper level then going to a normal level and then very briefly to a loud level. As you probably know already, hard panning and a little Parametric EQ'ing can go a long way to really making like sounds stand out from each other. Of course, outside of the course I took 12 years ago, I have never mixed anything that I wasn't involved in the actual recording process with, so I may already have had a head start in that regard.

One thing I like to do is get a quick rough mix in, using ideas that I was either thinking of ahead of time or thought up on the fly, and then take it from there. Re-working things as I go along until it all just clicks. I would start with what you know are going to be the main instruments first (for example, Drums, Bass, Guitar, Vocals) and get them to the point where they sound 'right', then start working in all of the other parts a little at a time.

That really is all I can offer. We all know, the whole mixing technique is so personal it's hard to lay down 'ground rules'. If there was something more specific you were thinking of, I'd be glad to offer my opinion.

 

Um, Steve, this is the advice you gave ME on how to do a big ol' mix the easy way:


Steve Hoffman's simple mix tips:

"Start with the drums but spend no more than one hour futzing with them, bring in the bass, gradually bring in the other instruments. Take a break.

Do not mix loud, just a nice level.

Listen to your music mix only and memorize it. Take a break.

Bring in the vocals, readjust the music, print a mix. Take a break.

Print a mix with limiting. Take a break.

Compare the two. Live with it overnight. Come back in and start over for a smooth mix that nails it!"



That is about the best advice that any engineer has ever given me!

 

Steve, when I mixed "The Wet Set", I played a few Belairs records and Ventures records and THEN played my roughs. I made notes about what was different, started to mix, made those corrections, and fine tuned from there. I got a lot of comments about the retro sound of the Cd, so it must have worked. hope that helps in some small way.

 

By the way, that's how I do it, so back to you!