Where do you start with YOUR mix?

[Sennheiser]

I start with the drums and get a good level on those and a nice balance.

Then the bass. I try to make it work well with the kick and get it balanced against it.

Lead vocal is next to make sure it is intelligable and and not too middy sounding. Also so it can be heard above the drums.

Next is usually either piano, synth, or guitar depending on how prominent one is in the overall song and which instrument is carrying more rythmn.

Backing vocal is next. And then whatever might be left.

If there is any percussion, string, organ, tamborine, wood block, stuff like that I usually save it for last.

How 'bout you?

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

depends on the song and my mood... sometimes I'll start with kick and bass, other times vocal, then kick/bass, the drums and the rhythm stuff....

There's really no set order.... it's all up to whatever works or ya........

 

[cwb123]

I always do drums first...... mostly probably becuase im a drummer, but they also take the longest for me. since there are 8 mics... and i always feel that along w/ vocals drums drums determine a lot about the clarity fo the songs. since they are open and acoustic..... of course if you have drum machines or samplers there wouldn't be as much of a problem......

then i do bass, then gitar...... then back up vocs, then i finish with lead vocals.......................................

 

[DigitMus]

Yeah, every song is different (and some of the stuff I record is REALLY different ) and the approach can vary - but there is a 'framework' that I use fairly often, specially when I need to start over because the approach I started with isn't yeilding good results. I put the 'core' instruments all up to nominal levels - by this I mean bass, drums, rythm guitar(s), keyboards (if they're consistant throughout the song) and anything else that isn't a solo instument or "special effect". Once nominal levels and basic panning is set for these I start EQing and compressing(if necessary/desirable) the bass and kick drum, then the overheads and remaining drums, followed by guitar, keys, etc. - all WITHOUT soloing anything. Once this 'static bed' is sounding as good as I can get it, I bring in the lead vox, then re-EQ anything that masks or conflicts with the vocals, and then I EQ/compress/process the vocal. Next up will be BG vocals, and finally lead guitar, sax solos, hand percussion, etc. - but with these, I don't re-EQ the 'core' tracks to get out of the way, but EQ or process the solo and sweetening tracks (sometimes pretty radically) to make them sit properly.

That's really an over-simplification (for instance the drums are usually bussed, and the busses treated, same with BG vox if there are several of them), but it kind of illustrates a "mix philosophy" I use a lot.

Scott

 

[tubedude]

Kick @ 0
snare @ -5
overheads @ -10
bring everything else up to taste and adjust snare and overheads around it. There are many reasons to do it this way, one being that it works quickly. YMMV, of course. Kick stays at 0 at all times, as it most likely should. Everything else works around it.

 

[Track Rat]

I start with drums, kick and snare in particular, and start building a drum mix and then I start adding in instruments. Bass is always next, then whatever. I listen after everything is up and then tweak to taste.

 

[TexRoadkill]

I push up all the faders and start cutting back whatever is too obtrusive.

 

[VOXVENDOR]

I start my mix in the recording stage. Track by track...

I end up having to do very little in the "mixing stage"..

Joe

 

[Son of Mixerman]

I start at UG on all faders. no eq, no pan, no efx. I then start moving faders down as required for frequency balance in a mono field. After that I chase my tail until the cows come home!

SoMm

 

[Aaron Cheney]

I start my mix in the recording stage. Track by track...

I end up having to do very little in the "mixing stage"..

Joe

Same here. DAWs have certainly changed me in that regard. Back in the reel-to-reel days I used to take all the faders down and start w/ drums and build the mix, but now I practically mix as I go, which is so much more intuitive.

It makes for better mixes too, because I find myself doing more to make a sound work at the recording stage, ( i.e. mic position, etc) since I'm already thinking in terms of the mix.

Doing it this way can get in the way of the songwriting process, though.


I wrote an article on this very subject, call "The Audio Sketch-Pad Principle" that is posted on my website.

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

 

[NoFO]

Digitmus has the key, listen to the whole thing before you add one bit of EQ, verb, compression, etc. I used to do the drums, bass, guitar, piano, vox thang, and it worked. For me, the best end result comes from listening to it several times totally unaffected and figuring out what it really needs, rather than what i feel like throwing on there. Ya know? you have all these cool verbs and choruses and mltiband compressers, but half the time, you don't even need them. Like a brilliant man once said, "let it be...."

than make a crazy super flanged, chorused, hall verbed, pumpin' version for internet release only....

 

[Sennheiser]

I agree. The last mix I did I used a touch of reverb on the vocal, acoustic guitar, and the snare and that was it.

Done. I watched the consistancy of the bass and drums, kept transient peaks down. No compression or any other tricks needed.

 

[Aaron Cheney]

I find that the bulk of my mixing time is spent EQing. IMO EQ is the single biggest factor in a good mix. After that would be compression. I almost always put a little compression on just about everything except distorted guitars, which are compressed naturally to begin with.

Those two effects are the cornerstones which will make or break a mix.

Aaron
http://www.voodoovibe.com

 

[dobro]

I start with the whole thing, getting the levels of the tracks about right in relation to each other, and the overall level right in relation to 0 dB. I pan stuff at the same time. It's just a rough start, but a good place to start.

Then I move on to EQ, one track at a time.

 

[mikeh]

Although my process may vary slightly, as a general rule:

I start with a rough mix of everything, just to make sure the "vibe" of the song is there. I then bring everything down and start with the snare/kick/bass guitar to get the foundation were I need it (all at 0 gain) I try to avoid the EQ but I will add comprssion to the kick and bass guitar (maybe to the snare, if needed) and I may add reverb to the snare at that point..

Then the lead vocals come up (first with the drums/bass for general balance) but once the basic balance is there I mute the drums/bass to focus on the vocals (bringing the drums/bass up peridoically for reference). Next are the background vocals. I do and processing and effects to the vocals at that time.

After I have what I want with the snare/kick/bass/ and vocals I bring up the guitars/keyboard (whatever is the primary melodic sound). Then the other melodic instruments. Often one of the last things I bring up are the toms/cymbals (I consider these more "colors to support the songs accents) - unless of course the song is very drum driven in which case the toms/cymbals come up at the same time as the primary melodic sounds.

Although I may tweak the EQ or effects a little when bringing up different sounds, I try to hold off on this (except as previously noted) until I have the overall mix very, very close to where I want it.

Naturally, I then bring all the faders down........ and start all over again. Now that I think about it, I've never completed a mix!!!!

 

[doulos]

i start at the recording stage but a general thought when you mix with drums shouldnt it depend on the type of drums cause in example when recording most studios that use electronic drums track them last wouldnt it be best to mix them last for the tightest fit and most play?

 

[doulos]

tex thats a good way to do it as well i think i do that to at times if i dont like the way i mixed in in the tracking stage

 

[knownuttin]

Owing to their recent catastrophe, Alabama needs your punctuation marks. Won't you please give generously?
-kent

 

[dobro]

LOL so whats punctuation punk

something interesting about this thread

people have talked about the way they approach a mix but almost nobody's commented on the various approaches

weird

its like living without punctuation

 

[crosstudio]

for the last 2 songs i've mixed i've done the following:

first i set the trim so that all of the tracks peak between -3 and 0db.

then i set the volumes for:
kick
bass
lead vocal
snare
hats
rhythm instruments
pad instruments
cymbals, toms, and other percussion

then i start panning stuff

then the sh*t hits the fan and i just start moving faders and stuff around until things sound right.