Not a bad start, provided you actually listen to what they have to say. If that person is the singer, you might like to hear their thoughts on how they’d like their voice to sound: how loud they’d like to be in the mix, their overall tone and the sort of space they imagine their voice might inhabit. What you should probably do in that circumstance is have a quick conversation about how you both anticipate the day unfolding. What do you do first, sit at the console, turn your back on them and start fiddling with channel one? Of course you don’t. To illustrate this point, let’s say for instance, you’ve just walked into a studio to mix a solo artist and when you arrive they’re already sitting on the couch in anticipation of the day ahead. But it’s potentially disastrous when the method is replacing an open mind or a sensitivity to what’s coming out of the speakers. This is fine of course, if the results are always great mixes, happy clients and eager listeners. It’s usually an approach borne out of a desire to create method and order from the chaos, and is a direct spin-off from our basic cultural approach to learning, where everything works from left to right: reading, writing… you name it. What I don’t like about the ‘Sergeant Major’ approach is that it implies a certain methodology and ‘right way’ where none exists. And that’s the beauty of this whole caper – learning what works best for you, and more importantly, your mix. This approach works for some people, of course, but not for everyone. This is what I call the ‘Sergeant Major’ approach, where all the channels of audio sound off one at a time like a roll call of privates. Learning to mix is not like sitting in a classroom and being told that: ‘the kick drum must be compressed first… now let’s consider the snare… now let’s tune the hi-hat’. The point I’m trying to make here is that there is no ‘right way’. Whichever way you approach it, the important first step with any mix is to just simply begin.
Mixing live sound in stereo Patch#
You might want to push all the faders up and just ‘go for it’ or you might prefer to plan everything, label everything clearly, patch all the effects and push up one fader at a time. So how do you gather together a collection of audio channels and make them into a something worth listening to? What is a ‘problem’ in the first place, and how do you ‘solve’ it? Do you simply mix from left to right, or loudest sound to softest sound? Is it more important to address the most obvious things first or should the details of a mix be considered right at the beginning? Perhaps it’s all about throwing Tarot cards on the console and, with your eyes shut, attributing each card’s characteristic to a fader (you think I’m kidding?). The same principles apply to mixing audio. What he was inferring – at least in part – was that working on a painting was all about addressing problems as they presented themselves, and having the perception, skills and conviction to solve them. But above all else, it’s about doing it… WHAT IS MIXING?Ī very talented artist friend of mine recently said that painting pictures was ‘all about problem solving’.
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First of all you must get involved, and from there it’s all about working hard, listening and learning, and being prepared to get it wrong, while always striving to get it right. The way to learn to mix is basically like any apprenticeship.
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Then of course, there’s learning, failure, hard work and persistence, not to mention commitment and honesty, humility and knowledge… oh, and good material helps… and listening, let’s not forget listening.īut talking about mixing like it’s Greek philosophy is no good to anyone either. The main ingredients perhaps are passion and drive, imagination and skill. Mixing is no different from painting or writing. The fact is, there are no easy answers, no infallible methods. Well, if I could answer that question easily, I’d be running down to the local brewery right now and getting them to bottle it. If this is also true of mixing, how then do you learn it and what makes a particular combination of sounds something that others might consider a ‘great’ mix? NO SIMPLE ANSWERS In golf, no-one cares two hoots how you hit the ball, provided the result is always a perfectly straight 300-yard screamer.
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Being an artistic pursuit, I’d contend there are probably more ways to approach mixing than there are golf swings, and like a golf swing, in the end it’s the results that matter more than any particular method or style. Combining sounds into a single stereo computer file or two-track tape master is a fascinating and almost infinitely diverse art form.