Where's the Passion preset?

[HapiCmpur]

I'm recording and mixing a ballad. The song starts off soft and quiet, just a voice and a piano. By the end it's got drums, harmonies, faux strings, and, of course, bucketloads of passion. Well, that's the idea, anyway. I've got some questions about how one deals with passion in the studio. And I'm not talking about nailing your girlfriend on the console here guys; I'm talking about working with songs that start out softly but that gradually ramp up to full blown tear-your-heart-out emotion by the end.

In regard to tracking, for instance, do engineers try to help performers feel the changing mood of the song by slowly increasing the volume of the headphone mix?

And in regard to mixing, is there a rule of thumb or a general guidline of some kind about the difference in volume between the beginning and the ending of the song? Is there a "golden ratio," for instance, that engineers have discovered really hits the mark?

And if there is such a ratio, is that the kind of thing that would added during mixing, mastering, or both?

Please don't limit responses to just these questions. I'm interested in anything anyone has to say about working with songs that start out quiet but have big finishes.

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Layered intros and crescendo-building ballads as you describe are some of my absolute favorite mixing situations and ones which - because of the type of projects I often get - I find myself working with rather often.

As far as your questions of volume, the short answer is to let the volume take care of itself and don't try pushing it artifically. Not only will the envelope naturally expand as you add instruments, but the structure of the mix itself is what will ultimately drive the passion of the song.

What's very important in this kind of mixing is automation of the levels of the individual tracks. When building emotion and crescendo throughout a song, you need to choreograph the mix. Things like accenting by a few dB that two-beat arpeggiated mini-riff that the guitarist threw in between the second chorus and the start of the bridge, but then immediately pulling the guitar back again to make room for the piano showcase during the bridge, which istelf is bought up in the mix a couple of dB from the level it was at during the last chorus. Or dropping the level of the doubled rhythm by a few dB at the end just to make room for the strings that are coming in as part of the emotional creschendo but not so much as to make thee rhythm less present. Stuff like that. It takes some time, but it's really fun work. Plus you'll find that by the time you're done, volume tricks will not only be unnecessary, the'll make it sound artificial.

I would also strongly recommend against playing with the levels in the performer's 'phones for several reasons. First, it's main effect will be to make them want to play louder, but not necessarily with more passion. Ever see a guitar player in a live situation trying to compete with volume? He'll constantly be going back to his amp to turn it up to 11 but he won't change his actual playing style unless the "vibe" on the stage itself changes. "Vibe" and volume are not inextricably related. It's no different in the studio.

Second, if the volume change in the phone mix is not handled discreetly, the musician will consciously notice it and find it an annoyance to have to tolerate or deal with instead of the helpful cue that you intended it to be.

Third, if the musician is worth recording and ready to record, they'll not only understand the material, but you'll (hopefully) have breifed them on what you wish to accomplish; they will apply emotion to their part based upon what the music and the arrangement call for.

And one more little trick in the mix, but one to use only when called for; if you over-do it it loses its glamor: If the song length and arrangement allow it, don't be afraid to don't be afraid to climax early (no matter what your girlfriend says ) and in the last couple of bars return to the beginning of the mix.

G.

[bennychico11]

Originally Posted by HapiCmpur

In regard to tracking, for instance, do engineers try to help performers feel the changing mood of the song by slowly increasing the volume of the headphone mix?

Glen's got some good advice, as usual.
But even more important...is the musician HAS to have the passion. Otherwise you'll just never capture it. It's really that simple. All the cool tricks you can do as an engineer can help push that passion, but if there is nothing there to work with....you won't get a good result. There are great musicians and then there are great musicians who really put some feeling into the song. Usually it's the musician that has written the song, because that performance and that note and that crescendo means something close to their heart. I remember a song I wrote for orchestra got performed once for me and the musicians just couldn't capture what I felt in the song. The beginning has intense emotion, but the musicians reading it just couldn't understand what I was writing.
You need to help the musicians get in the mood. A lot of people (musicians and engineers alike) will set the mood in the studio. Turn the lights down, light candles and incense, etc. Push the musicians to get in the mood. Get involved in the mood of the song yourself. If they see you diggin' what they wrote and understanding the emotion, it'll make them happy and in turn they'll want to perform the best they can.

[reshp1]

Originally Posted by HapiCmpur

And I'm not talking about nailing your girlfriend on the console here guys;

Try nailing the singer's girlfriend on the console, that'll the his "passion" going.

[HapiCmpur]

Thanks for your very thoughtful response, SouthSIDE. I've printed it out for future reference. I also thank you for making the process sound like fun. Now I'm actually looking forward to taking a crack at that ballad. Until now I was kind of dreading it.

Originally Posted by bennychico11

But even more important...is the musician HAS to have the passion. Otherwise you'll just never capture it.get in the mood

I couldn't agree more, benny. The good news is that I'm both the songwriter and the performer in this case, so there's no doubt that the musician understands the song. The bad news is that I'm also the sound engineer...and I suck.

Wish me luck. And if anybody else has more related advice, please lay it on me.