Mixing Strategies aka "How do you start a mix?"
Friday, June 5th, 2009How do you start a mix? There is no definite answer to this question other than, whatever works for the song.
Mixing a song is like taking a trip. Before you go, you need to know where you’re going. Figure out the direction of the song and then take any route you think will work best.
So how do you figure out the direction of the song? Listen to it a few times with all the faders up. Take mental notes. Try to imagine what the song will sound like when the mix is finished.
Now that you know your destination, plan your route. You can keep the faders up and take away what you don’t need, or you pull everything down.
If you can mix on a console or with a control surface, keeping the faders up might be a good option. You can turn off your computer screen and just use the faders to get the balances right.
This method doesn’t really work with a mouse, if you don’t have a console or control surface you’re better off sticking to some kind of strategy.
You can start with the Bass guitar first, or start with the drum overheads, or with the kick drum, or with the vocals. Then build up the song piece by piece.
Later on during the mix you may find that you’ve gone the wrong direction. At this point it’s best to take a break for a few minutes, when you come back reset the balances and move on with a fresh perspective.
Sometimes you don’t end up where you thought you’d be going. That doesn’t really matter as long as it still sounds good.
There’s a couple recent threads on The Womb to check out if you’re more interested in mixing strategies.
Which brings me to the big question:
