The Art of Mixing

[Tommy Kost]

Mixing 101
Written by: Tommy Kost

Mixing is an art. It requires an open mind, creativity, and a well-trained ear. I've read countless articles, tutorials and books regarding the art of mixing and I've learned quite a bit. In fact, I'm still learning to this day how to properly mix and that's what I'm here for; not only to share my current knowledge with you, but to also hopefully teach myself things that I've blatently disregarded during my time as an amateur engineer.

So, let's get started on the basic part of this tutorial.

I. Software of Preference
- Adobe Audition: (DOWNLOAD) This is my recommended program. I use Adobe Audition 1.5, however there are later versions avaliable.

- Waves Diamond Bundle: (DOWNLOAD) This is a plugin for Adobe Audition that I use for my compression method. It is highly recommended.

II. Basic Vocabulary
- Compression (Comp): Compression is a process that reduces the dynamic range of an audio signal, that is, narrows the difference between high and low audio levels or volumes.

- Equalization (EQ): An audio equalizer is a component used to adjust the tone or frequency response of an audio system to achieve the desired sound quality.

- Reverberation (Reverb): Reverberation is the acoustic environment that surrounds a sound. Natural reverb exists everywhere. Whether the space being described is a bathroom or a gymnasium, the essential characteristics remain the same.

Now that we've got a basic understanding of compression, equalization, and reverberation let's get to the more complicated stuff.

Step 1: Creating a "Bus"
Wouldn't it be amazing if you could send multiple tracks to the same effect plug-in? Busses are commonly used to preserve the raw quality of your vocal(s) and they can also be used to improve routing efficiency and deliver audio sub-mixes to multiple outputs. In Adobe Audition, creating a bus is extremely simple and this first step will show you exactly just how to do it!

Now, let's assume you've just recorded all of your vocals and you're ready to start mixing. That's great! However, we don't apply the effect(s) directly to your vocals, therefore we must create a bus.

In the "multi-track" view, click on "Out 1" under the Volume tab. From there, you will see a window entitled "Playback devices" and in this window, you will see a list of devices (your soundcard/interface) and under that you will see "Busses [No Busses Created]". From here, click on "New Bus..." and you will be directed to a window entitled "Bus "A" Properties".

Now you must pick and choose which effect(s) are going to be on this bus...

Step 2: Compression
Assuming you've downloaded the Waves Diamond Bundle, we need to add compression. To do this, click on "Direct X" under "Installed Real-Time Effects" in your Bus "A" Properties. From there you should see "Waves", click on that and select "C1", then select "comp" and click "Add ->". Congratulations, you have now successfully added an effect to your bus!

Now it's time to learn how to play with your new and improved compressor!

Under the "Current Effects Rack" click on "comp" and then select "Properties". You will see a list of settings which, at first sight, may appear to be overwhelming. This is why I am here! :-)

First and foremost, we must determine what your goal is with compression. Take some time and listen to your raw vocals in the mix. What exactly is it missing? What does it need? Be aware that raw vocals are never perfect, so don't be discouraged if you feel your vocals aren't how you want them to sound right now.

Firstly, CONTROLLING THE PEAKS.

Are you rapping at a consistent level or are you all over the place? Well, if you find that you're very inconsistent with your levels, then use these settings as a guideline.

- Set the threshold just below where the louder portions happen.
- Use a relatively high ratio, 4:1 is a great place to start.
- Keep the attack under 10 ms.

If you find yourself consistent with the levels you've recorded in, try these settings as guideline.

- Set the threshold well below the average level of your vocals. The compressor should be compressing whenever the you start rapping.
- At this point your vocals may sound overly compressed at first. To combat this, turn the ratio down considerably, perhaps 1.5:1 or 2:1.
- Use a longer attack (15-30 ms)

With these settings, the vocal is always being compressed. But since the ratio is so low, it’s a softer compression. On the quiet parts, the vocal will still have a little bit of a “compressed” sound. As the vocal gets louder, the amount of compression will increase.

Most rap vocals sound great with a very low attack (6-8 ms) and a pretty fast release (100 ms). Experiment with all of the compressor's settings to find the sound that you like.

Note: When I want to turn my vocals up or down, I use the "Output" on the compressor, not the Volume tab in the multi-track.

Alright, so now we should have "Bus A" completed. We just added compression, now it's time to see how it sounds on our vocals. To do this, go into the multi-track view and, ON THE VOCAL TRACKS ONLY (not the instrumental), click on "Out 1" and left click on "Bus A" and click "OK". Repeat this process until you've covered all of your vocal tracks.

* LIVE MONITORING: This is really sweet. You can adjust your compression settings while you're playing your track back with the instrumental. To do this, at the top of Adobe Audition, click on "Window", then "Mixer", then "Bus Mixer", then under "Bus A" click on "Config". You will see now that you can play your vocals back while you adjust your compression settings, which give you a better idea on how things will sound while your song is playing.

Step 3: EQ
Besides Compression, EQ'ing your vocals is one of the most important parts of mixing. Here are some quick tips that can really help when EQ'ing your vocals.

1. Get rid of excess low end.
... Roll off them low frequencies! It can make your vocals sound muddy and unprofessional!
2. Remove before boosting.
... If you're having an issue with your vocals being muddy, instead of boosting the hi's, try cutting the low's.
--> Here are some starting points:
* Roll off everything below 150 Hz.
* If the vocal is still boomy, try cutting somewhere between 250 and 350 Hz.
* If the vocal sounds “boxy” but not boomy, try cutting a little bit around 400-500 Hz.
* If the vocal sounds a bit “honky” or “nasal,” try cutting somewhere between 1kHz and 4kHz
3. Don't over EQ.
... EQ can make or break your vocals, it can make them sound divine and crisp or muddy and terrible. Use your best judgement in this type of scenario, but over EQ'ing is something a lot of amateurs get wrong. In many online tutorials, people add dozens of effects to their vocals and it really just hurts the sound in the long run.

Now that we've got those out of the way, let's get to the actual method I use to EQ my vocals.

In the multi-track view, click on the "EQ" tab at the top. Under a track with your vocals in it (start with your main vocals), right click on the "H" "M" or "L" box. The track EQ window will appear. Before we start to EQ, let's set our frequencies first.

Under "Lo", you should see a default value of "160". This can vary depending on your voice, but I have mine set on "120".
Under "Mid", you should see a default value of "2500". Set this to "3000".
Under "Hi", you should see a default value of "7000". Set this to "12000".

Now we're ready to actually EQ our vocals.

Like Compression, EQ varies by the song. My standard settings are:
Lo: "-3.3"
Mid: "1.2"
Hi: "4.2"

These settings change drastically depending on the type of song. The more you boost the hi's and mid's, the brighter your vocals will sound. The more you cut those frequencies, the more muddier and darker your vocals will sound. It all depends on the type of song and, of course, your voice. Everybody's voice is different, so it takes a lot of time trying to EQ your vocals so they sound just right on the beat.

Tip: If you want to save your settings so you don't have to re-input your values every time you create a new project, click on the "P" on the top right corner of the Track EQ box, and click "Add New" then type in the name for your new preset. When you want to load your settings, click on the "P" and simple double click on the name of your preset and it will change the default values to your custom values!

Step 4: Reverb
Reverb is effin' great! There's so much to love about it. It adds that "in the room" type feeling to your vocals. When your vocals are dry, they sound... well, dry! Reverb gives it just enough detail to make your vocals sound much better. However, if you have a natural reverb (as in if you don't record in a booth), then adding reverb in Adobe Auditon may be an overkill. Again, it comes down to preference and a good ear!

Now, when I add reverb I don't add it to the bus. I use the Track FX button on the multi-track view. So, under a track with your vocals on it, click on the "FX" tab. From here you'll see a window pop open that's similiar to your "Bus A" window. Go to "Delay Effects", then "Reverb". From here, click on "Properties".

So how do you know how much reverb to add? Well, that's simple my fellow engineer! You should add just enough reverb so that you can barely hear it. Don't add too much 'cause it can be distracting and it can add hiss and unwanted "essing". A great preset to start with would be "Vocal - Natural Reverb". However, I've altered it quite a bit. My particular reverb is as follows:

Total Reverb Length: 500 ms
Attack Time: 60 ms
High Frequency Absorption Time: 2500 ms
Smooth - Perception - Echoey: 40
Original Signal: 100%
Reverb: 10%

Combine Source Left and Right (Checked)

Like Compression and EQ, you may have to change the settings in order to achieve the results you want. Not everybody is happy with a simple preset, so your best bet would be to make your own! Experiment with different settings until you're happy. It may take awhile, but hey, trial and experimentation is the best way to learn!

To sum this tutorial up, mixing is an art. It requires an open mind, creativity, and a well-trained ear. Just like anything worth learning, it doesn't come easy. It takes days, weeks, months, even years of practice. I myself have been mixing for a little over a year and a half and I'm still learning the in's and out's of mixing. I guarantee there's flaws in my methods but hey, I'm still a student myself. I'm just trying to share my current knowledge with all of you so hopefully you guys can catch on to the beauty of mixing. I'm telling ya, when you've mixed a track and you know it sounds good, it's a beautiful, beautiful feeling. I've mixed many tracks for many different emcees and every one of them is happy with the end result. I've spent countless hours working on my craft and most of what I learned wasn't through reading, it was from trial and experimentation. Mixing can be discouraging, but at the same time motivating. It's definitely something every emcee should eventually learn, 'cause if you truly want to be an artist, and not just a rapper, I believe you should learn all the elements of making music... and mixing is definitely a huge part of it.

Anyway, thanks for reading. This tutorial took me roughly 3 hours to write, and I hope you all have learned something from it. If there's anything you'd like to add, or any comments/questions you have, please let me know and I'll respond ASAP.

Thanks,
Tommy Kost. :-)

[Nietzsche]

Good post. I'll try some of this stuff.

[P H A X]

Holy Bjesus

[BeNeFiCiAl]

great post man this shit should help a lot of people on here. think this one deserves to be stickied so nobody misses this shit.

[Tommy Kost]

Appreciate it, man. Took me awhile to write and years to learn. :-P

[Nietzsche]

Pinned

[Tommy Kost]

Appreciate it, J-Oh. I'd appreciate if you can delete my old thread that's pinned, as it's extremely mediocre and irrelevant.

[P H A X]

When you faggots record on Adobe Audition, do you lower the "Instrumental" track that you're rapping over, or do you keep at 0. My shit is sounding REAL loud, and I dont want the Instrumental to over ride the Vocals, digg me? Holler at me Tommy.

I STILL SAY CUBASE > ADOBE AUDITION, bitches ;-)

[Tommy Kost]

Originally Posted by KRAFT

When you faggots record on Adobe Audition, do you lower the "Instrumental" track that you're rapping over, or do you keep at 0. My shit is sounding REAL loud, and I dont want the Instrumental to over ride the Vocals, digg me? Holler at me Tommy.

I STILL SAY CUBASE > ADOBE AUDITION, bitches ;-)

Well, it really depends on what type of instrumental it is. If it's a soundclick instrumental (made by amateur poducers), most of the time it's mixed poorly and turning it down may be your best bet in some cases. If it's a studio instrumental or if it's compressed/eq'd well, then I wouldn't suggest turning it down.

Typically I never lower my beat's volume. When I mix, I mix through my mixer/interface so there's no distortion what so ever. However when I used to mix on my old soundcard (internal laptop soundcard, it SUCKED) I used to hear madddd distortion... but that was cuz of the soundcard.

anyway it all boils down to preference and a good ear. If you think it's too loud, compare your shit to mainstream songs and see how it matches up. Mute your vocals, play the instrumental and if you think the levels match up to the mainstream instrumental then you know you need to raise your vocals.

lowering the instrumental is usually a last resort for me though.

[Spektrum]

GREAT POST