The 3 Pillars of How To Mix Music
If you told me a few years ago that mixing music was straightforward, i would’ve laughed in your face. How could you say that getting a mix to sound lively, punchy, and defined was anything but a labyrinth of self doubt? Well, one of the main issues is that getting a good mix is not only a technical problem. It's also an artistic problem that may seem to have no clear solution. When we listen to the song, we’re hearing the final result of an accumulation of many processes. But every song starts with an idea. Or rather, an intention. I make the distinction because when we make music, we’re trying to communicate something. And that’s the first thing that hits the listener, whether we admit it or not. Mixing, as technical as it may be, can and should also be thought of this way. Ask yourself, what is this song trying to say? And then, how can we as mixing engineers present this idea in the most complimentary way possible? This may seem like a very open ended question, but i’d like to present you a solution. The solution is my three pillars. These pillars can solve both the technical issues in mixing and the artistic visions of any song.
PILLAR #1 - BALANCE
The first step in any mix is evaluating and adjusting the balance, or volume, of its elements. Usually there shouldn’t be any sudden volume peaks or weird filtering, unless its for a specific effect. The way you start this process is very personal. I like starting with the drums. Some people start with vocals, since they’re often the main elements a song. What matters is that you establish a good balance that you can develop into a killer mix. Your main tool in this initial balancing stage is the volume knob. With it, you should establish the sound of what’s referred to as a “Static Mix” before any Eq or compression.
PILLAR #2 - DYNAMICS
When we talk about dynamics, we’re talking about the changes in volume of a particular sound. But as with any story, it doesn’t end there. Yes, we mean to say the changes of volume of any instrument, but we’re also referring to the dynamics of a mix in general. Again, this is determined by what kind of song it is. If it’s a rock or metal song, you may very well want to squash the dynamics as much as possible. But, if it’s a classical piece you may very well want to not touch the dynamics at all. It’s very much a spectrum, and this is where it pays off to know what style you’re mixing and what people usually do when mixing it. Study similar recordings to yours to better gauge the details of whatever style you’re working on. Your main tools here are going to be compression and volume automation. These will help you automate and fine tune how you want volume changes to behave in your song, both on a micro and macro level.
PILLAR #3 - CLARITY
This one is a bit trickier because it’s related to the first pillar, balance. In spite of this, it’s actually quite different. Elements in your mix may be balanced, but they can still be tough to hear. The distinction here is that the listener shouldn’t have to try to be able to listen to the different elements of your mix. They should simply be there, like how you can see without having to squint after putting on your glasses. Hearing the different elements in your mix should be effortless. That’s the key difference between just having balance, and having clarity alongside it. Your main tool here will be the Eq, or equalization. This will help you carve out distinct spaces in the frequency spectrum where the different elements of your mix can live. At the end of the day, an Eq is nothing more than a very precise volume knob for specific frequencies.
In conclusion, each if these pillars represents a distinct aspect of your mix. Each pillar will help you communicate the feeling and emotion of a song through a recording. After years working on this craft, I can assure you that if you have these elements in mind your mix will flourish. As I mentioned before, it’s important that you always be listening to whatever style you’re working. This will help you get a sense of how the style you’re mixing works. You’ll hear how these three pillars will always be very present. This is what contributes to you being able to enjoy and absorb the song completely. If you see people bobbing their heads and vibing with your mix, then you’ve reached the goal. A killer mix should serve the song and should be as transparent of an experience to the listener as possible.