I’ll try to put some things here that a few of you starting out might find useful if you’re mixing. Adding compression in with the source signal. Mult off the signal (or buss it) and try hitting it hard with a compressor whose sound would compliment the source. i.e.- a hard compressor like a dbx 160 or a Compex for a snare or kick. For kicks and snares, you can also gate that compressed signal to give you just a hard attack so when you mix that in, you’re adding in just the "smack". You can also add in a compressed signal to a vocal or bass that adds character but doesn’t mess up the transients and squish the dynamics too much. For vocals, something like an LA2A or Tubetech compressor is nice ( or any tube compressor you might have). Try sub-grouping things. I find that treating things like all the drums or all the vocals or all the guitars as a stereo pair helps pull things together quickly. It makes it easy to compress and EQ things this way ( kinda like the old days). Also try treating subgroups other ways, like with distortion ,filters or unique programs like in the Fireworx or Eventide DSP 4000 or Orville. Balance is pretty much the most important thing to me in a mix. Try to look at what needs to be the focus in each section. Most of the time it’s the vocal but what’s next. And what should you really be listening to when the vocal is out. Volume says " you should be listening to me now". Little things that are more decoration and subtle accents should either be just that and not take your attention away from the important stuff , maybe popping through the spaces of a vocal, or it probably shouldn’t be there at all. Don’t really try to add fx and stuff just cause you think they’re cool. If you’re adding a more than subtle effect, make sure it’s general personality suits that instrument for this song. I often think lyrically in this instance. If the verse is a little mean and viby maybe distortion and delays (like reverse ones) are in order. If the lyric is all about feeling good and uppy, maybe a bright slapback or live room. I know it probably sounds corny and obvious or whatever but I find that looking to the lyrics and interpreting what the song and singer are trying to get across will usually not steer you wrong. If you’re not paying attention to them, you could easily get off track indulging in all these cool tricks you’ve heard about or thought about. Often, you have a lot of things competing for the same area. Like in a B sect. there will be a guitar, an electric piano, a piano and a BG vocal all doing basically the same thing or are all in the same frequency range. Just pick what you think is the most appropriate for either the artist’s tastes and basic style or what helps get the lyrics across better. Then maybe the next B sect you can use something else or blend two things in order to build the density of the track. If you’re blending things, then try to carve out something different EQ wise for each one or try to make them different in terms of distance with echo. Add some delay or verb to one. (a suitable one of course). I guess what you think is suitable can lend to your "style" but I think it’s better to look to the song for these stylings than to the mixer’s bag of tricks. In other words, don’t think you always have to treat things the same way. There are a million ways you can make a kick sound. What’s best for this song, this artist, this kick drum. Take breaks often. It clears your head and allows you to operate more on instinct. It allows you to listen more like somebody hearing this song for the first time. If you can do that and you have good instincts (or develop them), breaks can save you hours of needless noodling. NEW STUFF FOR STUDENTS Recently, I’ve had a few new graduates email me for some advice on what they should do / where they should go. There's been a significant change in the studio business since I was at Berklee years ago. Recently, with the proliferation of Protools there are SO MANY small private or home studios. There are also a lot of recording schools with lots of students. But the number of REAL studios is going down and the nature of the music industry is changing quickly. I honestly don't know if there will still be the kind of opportunites to become "a huge mixer" over the next decade. But there's probably lots more opportunities to BE an engineer or even a "pretty big" mixer and do what you love. Regardless of where you might ultimately end up, there's a few things to think about as you're getting started....Number one... geography. Where do you see yourself living? You can go to where the action is or try to make the action come to you. Now if you want to have the best chance for success, you're gonna have to go to where the action is...NYC, LA, Nashville or London. Atlanta ‘s pretty busy too.That's not to say that you can't make it anywhere else, but if you want to work on major label records, your chances of getting noticed anywhere else is a lot smaller. Think about where you'd be happiest because chances are, wherever you move to at this transitional point is going to greatly influence your life and career. I can't stress this enough. Also, think about what kind of music you'd like to be involved in. If you hate country music, don't move to Nashville obviously. The geographics will definitely play a big role in your development. Also, the type of studio you work at will probably play as big or bigger of a role. Many studios have a certain genre of music or specific clientele that they cater too. It may ba a tracking room with an old Neve that does a lot of rock records, or one that deals more with mixing and has 3 or 4 clients who work there all the time. It may be a one room studio with an older SSL that does a lot of hip hop records or a smaller, midi/protools studio that does alot of remixes and electronic stuff. If you work at one of these facilities, these are the type of projects you’ll be working on so go to where your interests lie. There is usually more for an assistant to do and learn at a tracking room or one that does both tracking and mixing. Assisting on a mix can be boring if you’re not someone who’s really trying to pick up on things. But getting a chance to watch more than a few great mixers work is a priveledge. I leaned alot from some of the guys I assisted for. I still wish I could sit in the back of the room and watch some of the best. You most likely will start at the bottom at a recording studio, in what's called a "runner" capacity. You probably know a bit about this already, but a runner basically does whatever needs to be done, ranging from getting food orders to cleaning the bathroom. You can expect to be a runner for at least 6 months to 1 1/2 years before being promoted to an assistant.Big studios have many runners and assistants. Small studios only 2 or 3. Working at a big studio means meeting more people, working on a wider range of music styles and most importantly, putting you right in the middle of the major label, record making machine. If you get a break here, it'll more likely be for a bigger artist or producer. At a small studio, this can happen too if they have major labels as clients. But basically, the kind of music done at the studio you work at, will most likely be the kind of music that you will break into. You may think since you’ve just graduated from a respected recording program that you know alot. Be forewarned... YOU DON’T! There is much to be learned in the recording studio. And most of it has nothing to do with equipment and sounds. Alot of it has to do with dealing and getting along with the people around you. Not rubbing them the wrong way, knowing what your place in the food chain is and keeping your focus on what you’re there to do. Don’t expect to be mixing for Dr. Dre in 6 months. Most of the studio’s clients have worked hard in the music business for a long time and hate nothing more than a smart ass kid out of school who thinks he knows everything. As for approaching studios... just drop off a resume at the front desk and tell them you're looking for work as a runner. Do this at any studio you might possibly be interested in. Then, in a month, if no one has contacted you, call the studio and tell the receptionist your name and that you had dropped off your resume and are looking for a runner position. Just be polite and say that you wanted to make sure that if a postion opens, they have your resume. Studios usually have at least 5 - 10 resumes on file and a vague idea of who seemed nice when they dropped it off. If you are polite and seem normal, they may put yours on top. When they are looking for someone, they'll call. But it's ok to check in every month or so. It shows you're ambitious but not buggy. If you don't get a call back from the studio you really want to work at, look at working somewhere else in the meantime for the experience, and continue calling your dream studio every month or so. These things, and having a good helpful attitude, and getting along with people are what I think are most important. And remember, you may have learned a lot in school, but believe me, you don't know a quarter of what you'll know 5 years from now. I hope this sheds some light. Good luck. If you have talent, you have a better chance at getting lucky.
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