Monday, May 19, 2014

The Foundation of a Great Mix

If you've ever googled or researched mixing and recording tips, you probably come up with some crazy and cool techniques. I know I've seen my fair share of really neat EQ trics, compressor stacking, crazy mic placement,and just all kinds of cool and fancy ideas to get better sounding mixes and recordings. I'll be the first one to say, these tricks are awesome! There is nothing wrong with implementing these and using these sort of ideas to better enhance your mixes or recordings. However, there is a problem that sometimes arises from this.

Don't Forget the Basics


When we get so knee deep in fancy tips and tricks, we sometimes forget how important the basics are. You know those things that you had to learn when you were first starting out? I'm talking about things like subtractive EQ, basic compression techniques, LCR panning, basic mic placement, and most importantly, balance. These different aspects are pretty much the foundation of a great sounding song.

You have to build on top of these, not start from the top down. 


I think we far too often just get bored with the simple aspects of recording and mixing. We want to believe that a great sounding mix comes from using a super secret technique or an awesome plugin. We don't want to believe that it just takes years of learning how to master the basics.

I guarantee if you if you gave Dave Pensado or Chris Lord Alge a song to mix and only let me them use stock plugins and no fancy mixing techniques other than the basics, they could get a phenomenal sounding mix. This is because they have spent years and years mastering the basics and things like balance. They understand the most important aspects of mixing and they build using those foundations. 

Next time sit down to mix and record, don't forget the basics. Remember what the foundation of a great sounding mix or recording is and master those first. Then use whatever fun and creative techniques you want to bring out uniqueness and individuality in a song. Work from the ground up! Your mixes and recordings will thank you for it. 



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