Basic Mixing IMixing or Mix.

Mixing is not only an art by itself as music is, it is called mixing because the word means just what it isabout. Mixing or making a Mix is adjusting all different instruments or individual tracks to sound well

together, composition wise and mix wise. How to start mixing a mix is a simple task when you understandwhat to do and what not. Later on we will also discuss the static mix and dynamic mix. According to somecommon rules, the Basic Mixing chapters explain common mixing standards as well being informational

about sound subjects.

The Starter Mix, Static Mix and Dynamic Mix.

As of a process being broken down into parts, we can divide mixing into three basic steps. When starting amix, mostly you will have some previously recorded tracks you need to mix furthermore. We will explain tosetup all tracks fast, so you can have a default setup and progress to the static mix. Mostly the starter mixcan be setup in less than 1 hour of working time. The static mix takes a bit longer, about 4 hours or so. TheDynamic mix and finishing up a mix can take from 4 to 12 hours of working time. Finishing off the mix can

take 1 o2 two days or more depending on creativity, style and experience. It is good to know the totalworking time in hours finishing a mix, can be divided into three parts. First the Starter Mix. Then the Static

Mix. Then the Dynamic Mix. Starter, Static and Dynamic mix are the basic three standard parts. Thenfinishing off. At last part 4 should be just working until the mix is finished. Before we discuss these subjects,

we will start off with some more sound or audio details.

Overall Loudness while mixing.

The first mistake might be in thinking that how loud this mix will sound is important; a lot of beginners whostart with mixing will actually try to get their mix as loud as they can get it to be. They try to push-up all

faders until they get a desired overall loudness level, don't do that. The master vu-meter does look attractivewhen it is showing all green and red lights, you might get confused into thinking that louder is better. Louderis not meaning better when mixing, as we are in the mixing stage loudness is less important as this is part of

the mastering stage. In the mixing stage we try to have a balance in the three dimensions of mixing, thereforecreating seperation and togetherness (at the same time). Though separation and togetherness might seem

contradicting, every instrument needs to have a place on the stage, together they sound as a mix. So mixing ismore about balancing (adjusting) single tracks to sound well. By a general rule on digital systems we do not

like to pass 0 dB on the master track. Keeping a nice gap between 0 dB and -6 dB can help your mix wellwithout distortion going on. Some like to place a limiter on the master track and so try to mix louder, maybe

it works for them but we do not recommend doing this until you are experienced with a common dry mixunder 0 dB. Anyway if you need your mix to be louder, just raise the volume of your speakers instead. That

is a normal way of doing it. We will explain later on what to do with the master track of your mixer. Alsowhen mixing do not place anything other on the master fader, so no plugins, reverb, maximizers etc. Just

maybe a brikwall limiter on the master fader with a threhold -0.3 db, or reducing just 1 or 2 dB only whenpeaks occur. For real beginniner and not so experienced, we recommend nothing on the master fader and set

to 0 dB.

Volume or Level.

As the human ear can detect sounds with a very wide range of amplitudes, sound pressure is often measuredas a level on a logarithmic decibel scale in dB. Commonly used are faders from a mixer or a single volume

knob of any stereo audio system. Because volume is commonly known as level, beginning users mightoverlook the possibilities. The different volume faders of any mixer count up all levels towards the masterfader as a mix. Summing up levels of tracks towards the master bus. When talking about sound or a note

that has been played, the frequency and amplitude (level, volume) will allow our ears to record and ourbrains to understand it's information. You can guess playing at different frequencies and amplitudes, our

hearing will react differently, allowing loud or soft sound to be understood. Allowing to percieve loud or soft,left, center or right, distance and envoiroment. Our hearing is a wonderfull natural device.

The Fletcher Muson chart shows different hearing amplitudes for frequencies at certain loudness levels. Asyou can see, how loud a note is played is affecting the frequency a bit. As well as with Frequency and Volume

(amplitude, loudness), we can get a sense of direction and distance (depth). Our brains will always try tomake sense as if sounds are naturally reproduced. Music or mixing is mostly unnatural (or less natural), but

our brains understands music better when it is mixer for our natural hearing in a natural way. Mixing toaffect our natural hearing by perceiving natural elements correctly (dry signal, reverberation, effects,

summing towards the master bus). So as well for separating or togetherness, we can refer fist to the volumeof a sound, instrument, track or mix that is playing. As well as Balance or Pan, Volume is an easily

overlooked item of a mix. You might want to fiddle with effects more or keep it to more interesting things,volume is most important. Actually volume and pan (balance) are the first things that need to be set when

starting a mix and throughout the mixing process. Not only fader, level and panning is important for a mix,composition wise volume or level is a first tool when you are using the mute button for instance.

Balance or Pan.

On a single speaker system (mono) where Frequency and Volume is applied, we would not have to worryabout pan or balance, so all sound is coming from the center (mono). With a pair of speakers (stereo) it ispossible to pan or balance from left, centre to right. We call this left, centre and right of the Panorama. So

we are allowed to perceive some direction in the panorama from left to right. Just as effective to our hearing,the volume or level, panning or balance, is mostly overlooked by beginning users. What can be difficult

about setting two knobs, fader and balance? Easy it sounds, but planning what youre doing might avoid amuddy or fuzzy mix later on, keeping things natural to our hearing. Pan (Panorama) or Balance are both the

same. As to where instruments are placed, Panorama is important it is the first sense of direction. By acommon rule Volume Faders and Balance Knobs are the first things to do, and refer to, when setting up amix. Beginning users who just setup Volume and Panning without a plan or understanding dimensional

mixing are quite often lost and are struggling to finish off a completed mix.

Dimensional Mixing.

As a concept dimensional mixing has got something to do with 3D (three dimensional). You can understandthat Frequency, Amplitude and Direction, make the listener understand (by hearing with our ears andunderstanding by brains) the 3D Spatial Information. When mixing a dry-signal towards a naturally

understandable signal, we need some effects as well as some basic mixer settings to accomplish a naturalperception. Setting the Pan to the left makes the listener believe the sound is coming from the left. Setting the

Pan to centre makes the listener believe the sound is coming from the centre. Setting the Pan to the rightmakes the listener believe the sound is coming from the right. All very easy to understand. As we focus onfrequency we can also do something about the way the listener will perceive depth. As sounds with a lot of

trebles (higher frequencies) are perceived as close distance, and a more muddy sound (with lesser trebles) isperceived as more distanced (further backwards). Next our human brain can understand reverberation

when for instance we clap our hands inside a room. The dry clap sound (transients) from our hands is heardaccompanied by reverberation sound coming from the walls (early reflections). Reverberation, specially the

delay between the dry clap and the first reverberations (reflections), will make our brains believe there issome distance and depth, as we hear first the transient original signal information of the clap then the

reverberations. The more natural the more understandable. So there are quite some influences on what ourhearing believes as being 3D Spatial Information. Make the listener believe in the mix as being true. Our

hearing also likes natural and believable sounds, sometimes addressed as stage depth. With all controls of amixer you can influence the way the 3d spatial information is transmitted to the listener. You can assume

that Volume (Fader or Level), Panorama (Balance or Pan), Frequency (Fundamental Frequency Range) andReverberation (Reverb or Delay) are tools you can use to make the listener understand the mix youre tryingto transmit. We will discuss dimensional mixing later on; now let's head to the frequency or frequency range

of a sound. We perceive distance, direction, space ,etc, through clues such as volume, frequency, thedifference in time it takes a sound to enter both ears (if it hits the left ear louder and quicker than the right)

and reverberation.

The Frequency Spectrum.

A normal Frequency Spectrum is ranged from 0 Hz to 22000 Hz, actually all normal human hearing will fitin this range. Each of instruments will play in this frequency range, so the Spectrum will be filled with all

sounds from instruments or tracks the mix is filled with. On a normal two-way speaker system thesefrequencies will be presented as Stereo. A speaker for Left hearing and a speaker for Right Hearing. So, on a

stereo system there are two frequency spectrums played (Left Speaker and Right Speaker). Basically thesound coming from both Left and Right speakers together, makes up for the Stereo Frequency Spectrum as

is presented below. Combined Left and Right (stereo), makes Centre (mono).

This chart is showing a commercial recording, finished song or mix. The x-axis shows the frequency range ofthe spectrum 0 Hz to 22 KHz. The Y-Axis is showing level in dB. On digital systems nowdays we go from 0dB (loudest) downwards to about -100 db (soft or quit). In this chart (AAMS Analyzer Spectrum Display)

you can see that the lower frequency range 1 KHz. The loudest levels are at about 64 Hz and -35 dB, while the softest levels are about -65dB and range from 4 KHz to 22 KHz. The difference is 65 dB - 35 dB = 30 dB! As with every -10 dB of levelreduction the sound volume for human hearing will halve (times 0.5). Instruments like bass or base drum(that have more lower frequencies in their range) are generating way more power (level) than the hihat orhigher frequency instruments. Even though we might perceive a hihat clearly when listening, the hihat by

itself produces mainly higher frequencies and generates way less volume (amplitude, power, level) comparedto a basedrum or bass. This is the way our hearing is working naturally. But however a master Vu-meter of a

mix will only display loudness, youre actually watching the lower frequencies responding. The differencebetween lows and highs can be 3 times the sound level. From left to right mainly above > 120 Hz towards 22KHz are the levels of frequencies all going downwards. Speakers will show more movement when playing

lower frequencies and less movement when playing higher frequencies. This chart is taken from AAMS AutoAudio Mastering System, this software package is for mastering audio, but actually can show also spectrum

and can give suggestions based on source and reference calculations for mixing. This can be handy toinvestigate sound of finished mixes or tracks, showing frequencies and levels.

Human Hearing.

Human hearing is perceptive and difficult to explain, it is logarithmic. As lower frequency range sound levelsare measured louder. Higher frequencies measured as soft. They are both heard good (perceived naturally)

at their own levels independent. Not only is human hearing good at understanding frequencies and perceivesthem logarithmical, also acoustics from rooms and reverberations play a great deal in understanding

direction of sound. Generally a natural mix will be more understandable to the listener.

The Basic Frequency Rule.

The rule for mixing, that the bottom end or lower frequencies are important, because the bottom end orlower frequencies are taking so much headroom away and have the loudest effect on the Vu-Meters

(dymanic level). The lower frequencies will fill up a mix and are the main portion to be looked after. The Vu-Meter is mainly showing you a feel of how the lowest fundamental frequencies are behaving. The Vu-Meter

will respond more to lower frequencies and responds lesser to higher frequencies (3 times lesser). Mainly themix fundamentals of loudness are ranging from 0 Hz to about 1 KHz; these will show good on a Vu-Meter. A

range from 0 Hz to 4 KHz, will be shown by the VU-Meters as loudness, and is the range where you mustpay attention to detail. If you can see the difference in loudness of a basedrum and a hihat you will

understand that the hihat (though can heard good) brings way less power than the basedrum does. Abeginners mistake would be mixing the basedrum and bass loud and then try to add more instruments inside

the mix, thus will give you limited headroom inside your mix (dynamic level). Most common to adjustfrequency are EQ or Equalizers, but as we will learn later on, there are quite a bit more tools to adjust the

frequency spectrum. As we did explain before, Volume (Amplitude), Panorama (Pan or Balance) andFrequency Range (EQ or Compression, limiter, gate) are the main components of mixing (dimensions).

Before we add reverberation, we must get some mix that is dry and uses these components; we call this astarter mix.

Notes and Frequencies.

To make frequencies more understandable, you can imagine a single instrument playing all sorts of notes,melodies, in time on a timeline. To have some feeling where notes are placed in the frequency spectrum andhow to range them, the chart below is showing a keyboard and some instruments and their range of notes

(frequency range) they can normally play. All notes from C1 to C7 on a keyboard have their own mainfrequency. You can see Bass, Tuba, Piano, etc, in the lower range and Violin, Piccolo and again piano that

can play high notes.

It is important to know about every instruments range, but as you go mixing it is better to know to give aninstrument a place inside the available spectrum. The colored areas are the fundamental frequency ranges.

It is likely when we need to do something about the quality of each instrument we will look inside theirfundamental frequency range. It is likely when we boost or cut in these areas, we can do something about the

instruments quality of playing. More interesting are the black areas of the chart above, these will representthe frequencies that are not fundamental. These frequencies are unfundamental frequencies and thereforewhen saving the mix for some headroom and get some clearness (separation), we are likely to cut heavily inthese area's with EQ. Most of the hidden mix headroom is taken up in the first bass octave and the secondoctave (0 Hz - 120 Hz). Most notes played or sounds from instruments are notes that have a fundamental

frequency below < 4 KHz. And when you really look at the fundamentals of a mix the frequencies 50 Hz to500 Hz are really filling it, this is where almost any instrument will play its range and is much crowed

therefore. The misery area between 120 Hz to 350 Hz is really crowded and is the second frequency range tolook after (1st is 0 Hz - 120 Hz). The headroom required for the proper mixing of any frequency is inversedproportional to its audibility or overall level. The lower you go in frequency the more it costs hidden energy

of the mix or headroom (dynamic level). This is why the first two frequency ranges need to be the mostefficiently negotiated parts of any mix (the foundation of the house) and the part most often fiddled by theinexperienced. Decide what instruments will be inside this range and where they have their fundamentalnotes played. Keeping what is needed and deleting what is not needed (reduction) seems better than justmaking it all louder (boosting). To hear all instruments inside a mix, you need to separate, use Volume,

Panorama, and its Frequency Range. You can get more clearness by cutting the higher frequencies out of thebass and play a piano on top that has cutted lower frequencies. By this frequency rule, they do not affect

each other and the mix will sound less muddy and more clear (separation). Both bass and piano havetherefore funded their place inside the whole available frequency spectrum of a mix. You will hear them both

together and clean sounding following the fundamental frequency range rules. Anyway for most playinginstruments a nice frequency cut from 0 Hz upward to 120 Hz is not so uncommon, actually cutting lower

frequencies is most common. Apart from Basedrum and Base that really need their information to bepresent, we are likely to save some headroom on all other instruments or tracks, by cutting some of its lower

frequency range anywhere up to 120 Hz. The lower mid range misery area between 120 and 350 Hz is thesecond pillar for the warmth in a song, but potential to be unpleasant went distributed unevenly. You should

pay attention to this range, because almost all instruments will be present over here.

Fundamental Frequencies and their Harmonics.

Now as notes are played you expect their main frequency to sound each time. But also you will hear muchmore than just a main fundamental frequency. An instrument is sounding (playing notes), so there is a

fundamental frequency range to be expected to sound, the frequency range of this particular instrument.Also recorded instruments like vocals contain reverb and delay from the room that has been recorded in andalso quite a few instruments come with body, snare, string sounds as well (even those nasty popping sounds).The whole frequency range of an instrument is caused by its fundamental frequency and its harmonics andseveral other sounds. As we mix we like to talk in frequency ranges we can expect the instrument or track tobe playing inside the frequency range (fundamental frequencies). Therefore we can expect what is important(the frequency range of the instrument or track) and what is less important (the frequencies that fall outside

this range).

Harmonics.

The harmonic of a wave is a component frequency of the signal that is integer multiple of the fundamentalfrequency. For example f is the fundamental frequency; two times f is the first harmonic frequency. Three

times f is the third harmonic and so on. The harmonics are all periodic to its fundamental frequency and alsolower in level each time they progress.

.

Harmonics double in frequency, so the first harmonic range will be 440 times 2 = 880 Hz. Harmonicsmultiple very fast inside the whole frequency spectrum. You can expect the range 4 KHz to 8 KHz to be filled

with harmonics. If you are looking for some sparkle, the 4 KHz to 8 KHz range is the place to be. Over > 8KHz towards 16 KHz expect all fizzle and sizzle (air). The hihat will sound in the range 8 KHz to 16 KHz

and this is where the crispiness of your mix will reside. Also when the harmonics double in frequency, theiramplitude or volume goes softer. The main fundamental sound will play loud, as de harmonics will decrease

in amplitude each time.

Here are some instruments with their fundamental ranges and harmonic ranges.

In this chart you can see that the highest fundamental frequency (the violin) is 3136 Hz. So as a general ruleyou can say all fundamental frequencies somehow stop at < 4 KHz. For most instruments common notes areplayed in the lower frequency range < 1 KHz. You can also see that the lowest range of a bassdrum < 50 Hzor bass is at about < 30 Hz. This means we have an area of frequencies from 0 Hz to 30 Hz that is normally

not used by instruments playing; this area contains mostly rumble and pop noises, and therefore isunwanted. Cutting heavily with EQ in this area, can take the strain of unwanted power out of your mix,leaving more headroom and a clear mix as result (use the steepest cutoff filter you can find for cutting).

Anyway try to think in ranges when creating a mix inside the whole frequency spectrum. Expect where toplace instruments and what you can cut from them to make some headroom (space) for others. Need more

punch? Search in the lower range of the instrument up to 1 KHz (4 KHz max). Need more crispiness? Searchin the higher ranges of the instrument 4 KHz to 12 KHz, where the harmonics are situated. Expecting where

things can be done in the spectrum, you can now decide how to EQ a mix or use some compression, gate,limiter and effects to correct. By cutting out what is not needed and keeping what is needed is starting a mix.Starting a mix would be getting a clean mix a as whole, before adding more into it. Effects like adding reverb

or delay will be added later on (static mix), lets first focus on what is recorded and getting that clean andsounding good.

Recorded Sound.

First and foremost, composition wise and recording wise, all instruments and tracks need to be recordedclean and clear. Use the best equipment when recording tracks. Even when playing with midi and

instruments all recordings need to be clean, clear and crispy. The recorded sound is important, so recordingthe best as you can is a good thing. For mixing the recorded sound can be adjusted to what we like as

pleasant hearing. So knowing where an instrument or track will fit in, will give you an idea what you can doto adjust it. Also giving an idea to record it. Getting some kind of mix where you hear each instrument play

(separation) and still have some togetherness as a whole mix combines means also composition wise thinkingand recording.

Cutting / Removing is better than Adding / Gaining.

Often throwing in Reverb or Delay (too early) will taste up the sound of instruments and most beginners willstart with adding these kinds of effects. Trying to make more sound that they like. Well just don't! You wonthave to add effects at first; you will have to decide what will stay and what must go. As well as setting up forsome togetherness of all combined tracks, you will need some headroom for later freedom (creative things) toadd into the mix. It is quite easy to fill your mix with mud; this can be done with adding a reverb or two. It is

quite easy to make a booming sound by adding all kinds of effects or just pump up (boost) the EQ. To takeaway mud when you have already added it is a hell of a job. So starting with a nice clean mix that has all

important sounds left over (without adding), is way better and gives less change for muddiness. Rememberto do more cutting then boosting or gaining. Manual editting comes as a first task to decide what must be

removed and what can stay.

Leaving some headroom for furthermore mixing purposes. This is quite a task. In most cases EQ orEqualization can be used to do work with the frequency spectrum (range) as a whole. But on a DAW you can

also delete what is not needed or mute it. You can decide to cut all lower frequencies out of a hihat, justbecause you expect they are not useful. Leaving some frequency space (headroom) in the lower frequencies

for other instruments to play. This kind of cutting (the hihat) in the lower frequency range to leave somelower frequency space unaffected is the way to make every instrument have their own place inside the wholefrequency spectrum or mix. Using Level (Fader), Balance, EQ and Compression (limiter and gating), theseare good tools to start a basic mix setup. But a good start is meaning better results for later on, when youradding more to the mix to make it sound better and together. Starting with a clean mix is starting with aclean slate. With EQ for instance cutting/lowering can be done with a steep bell filter, raising can be done

with a wider bell filter.

The Master Fader.

What not to do while mixing is adjusting the master fader each time you need to correct the overall level ofyour track, keep the master fader always at 0 dB (Only when youre using the master fader to adjust the

main volume of your monitor speakers, headphones or output to you listening system, it is allowed to adjustonly that single master fader of your desk while mixing). This means that all other master faders (soundcard,recording program, sequencer, etc.) must be left in the same 0 dB position while mixing. Also this will go for

the direct Master Fader of summing up the mix and Balance (Mater Pan), keep this always centered. Themain reason is simple; the master fader is not for mixing, leave it alone. When you set the main master bus(summing) fader below 0 dB you are lowering the overall volume, this might seem plausible but especiallywith digital systems you will have problems not hearing distortion while you are pushing the instrument

faders upwards. Also by lowering the master fader you will have less dynamic range, This means thatinternal mixing can be going over 0 dB (creating internal distortion) but it will not be visible or show on theVU-meter, will not light up the Limit Led, it will give you no warning that youre going over 0 dB. When a

signal goes over 0 dB on a digital system, there will be distortion of the signal going on (set your DAW for 32bit float processing). But you will not notice any distortion going on when this happens internal. If you hear

this or not, this is (mostly) not allowed. Try to keep all master faders and master balance in the same positionwhen mixing, preferred at 0 dB. Also the human ear is hearing frequencies different at variable volume's(loudness). Listening while playing soft might reveal to your hearing in a certain way, when you raise the

volume it will be slightly different to your hearing. So listening loud or soft, it is close but differs, by this it isalways good when you like it loud, play your mix soft and see what happens to the sound (disappearing?). It

is a good check to see if your mix will stand out as well played loud or softly. How the human hearing isresponding is showed in this chart.

This chart shows different loudness levels, you can see that the frequency range between 250 Hz to 5 KHz isquite unaffected by playing loud or soft. But however the 20 Hz to 250 Hz is greatly different in loudness

when played loud or soft. Also the higher frequencies transfer different when played loud or soft. This is theway human hearing perceives loudness.

Instruments.

Everything that you record on a track is likely to be an instrument. Common instruments are Drums, Bass,Guitar, Keyboard, Percussion, Vocals, etc. So when talking about instruments we do mean the full range of

available instruments or sounds that are placed each on their own single track.

Instrument Faders.

When you mix, you only adjust the instrument faders to adjust the volumes (levels) of the differentinstruments or single recorded tracks (don't touch that master fader). Hopefully you have recorded every

instrument separately like Drums, Bass, Guitar, Keyboard, Vocals, etc. On single tracks and on your mixerthey are labeled from left to right. Each fader will adjust volume (or the level) of a single instrument or

track, as a total summed up by the master bus fader. It would be wise to start with Drums on the first faderand then Bass. The rest of the faders can be Guitar, Keyboard, Vocals, etc, whatever instruments you have

recorded.

Separation and Planning, Labeling and placement on a mixer.

Most likely you will start with the Base drum on fader 1 and working upwards with Snare, Claps, Hihat,Toms, Etc, each on their own fader 2,3,4,5,6,etc. So the whole Drums are sitting on the first faders. Then

place the Bass, Guitar, Piano, Keyboard, Organ, Brass, Strings, Background Vocals, Vocals, Etc. on the nextfaders. You can use any kind of system. If you have some Send Tracks, place them far right on the mixer, just

next to the master fader. Be sure to label all tracks and set the fader at 0 dB and Pan at Centre for eachmixer track. To Label names and tracks (instruments) of a mixer is keeping it visible. Most digital

sequencers allow this naming of a track on a mixer. Also it is good to work from the loudest instruments(Drums, Bass, Etc) towards softer instruments. Plan this on your mixer from left to right, faders

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,etc. Most likely the Basedrum will be the loudest peaking sound, place itfirst on the right. Maybe you have no drums on your tracks, just work out what sounds would be mixed and

heard the loudest and what would be softer heard.

Making things easier for you to understand, we use labeling the Drums as an example.

Keeping things separated when recording drums is a must. You can do more on drum mixing whenBasedrum, Snare, Claps, Hihats, Toms, etc are, each recorded on their own track (separately). This will

mean that you are using more tracks on the mixer, but are rewarded by flexibility in mixing. Nowdays withdigital recording, sequencing and sampling instruments, the drums often come from a sampling device,

drumsynth or recorded with multiple microphone setups. As long as your recording technique allows you toseparate tracks or instruments, you will profit from this while mixing. Also for sampled instruments or

synthesizers that can output at several multitracks, it can be rewarding to separate each sound, giving each asingle track on the mixer. Again, spreading and separation works best and is most common mixing

technique. Deep sounds spread all across the panorama is not a good thing, depending on fundamentalinstruments (bassdrum, snare, bass, main vocals) must have a center placement. Any variation off-center

will be noticeable. Follow the panning laws for fundamental and unfundamental instruments, fundamentallower frequencies are centered and higher frequencies more outwards, lower unfundamental instrumentsmore owards center, higher instruments more outwards. Use a goniometer, correlation meter. Working on

Daw's (digital audio workstations) keep goniometer, correlation meter, level meters and spectrum availableas constant checking tools. Maybe even place a second monitor or even another computer to do this job.

Sound Systems.

As with many questions about sound systems, there is no one right answer. A well designed mono system willsatisfy more people than a poorly designed or implemented two channel sound system. The important thingto keep in mind is that the best loudspeaker design for any facility is the one that will work effectively withinthe, programmatic, architectural and acoustical constraints of the room, and that means (to paraphrase the

Rolling Stones) "You can't always get the system that you want, but you find some times that you get thesystem that you need." If the facility design (or budget) won't support an effective stereo playback or

reinforcement system, then it is important that the sound system be designed to be as effective as possible.Preferred is a room with no acoustics for recording. For monitoring a room with some acoustics (room

reverberation). Quality is an assurance, but however when on a budget at least choose equipment with lessor no noise (background noise).

Mono or Stereo.

Well this question is asked and debated. But for me and many others I like all tracks to be stereo. So I do notlike to record in mono at al. But we can refer to fundamental instruments (Bassdrum, Snare and Vocals) as

panned straight in center and be upfront. So these can be rocerded or have converted original signal inmono, this will assure the left speaker and right speaker play both exactly equal and make them appearstraight in center where they should be. Most of times I will convert mono tracks to stereo (left right the

same) or just record in stereo even when it's a mono signal. So it's no mono for me, but this can be debated.Although offcource i respect the fundamental instruments are straight centered all the time. Specially using

a computer or digital systems and recording sequencing software, working in stereo all time will allow you tohave all effects in stereo and channels in stereo. Most digital mixer and effects like delay, reverb, phaser,flanger, etc are working in stereo and need to sound in stereo anyway. When playing a mono signal some

digital systems will not perform that well, so it is stereo that is creating lesser problems with digital systems.Offcource working in complete mono will reduce correlation problems, we mix in stereo with 2 speakers. It

is better to have all tracks in stereo even when a recorded bass or guitar is actually recorded in mono. Ialways convert from mono to stereo or start by recording in stereo, this is just an advice. As long as the

original signal is exactly the same left and right, you can work with mono signal in stereo mode. Knowingyour tracks are all in stereo, you would not have to worry anymore about mono or stereo tracks at all (and to

worry a effect or plugin is not outputting that well). You just know its Stereo all-time! This can help forsetting up and making things easy. A well-recorded mono sound source on the other hand (recorded mono or

stereo both channels), can be placed with relative ease onto the sound-stage allowing you to much betterhandle what and how any effects should be applied with regard to your other neighboring instruments, andtheir positions and frequencies in the mix. Stereo sounds that sway around the panorama alike synths, can

be hard to handle. Especially when you have a bunch of these swaying instruments inside your mix. Innatural world, it is likely that a dry signal is transmitted as mono, but with reverberation added and

perceived as stereo by both our ears. Also in steady mixing, mono signals work best, even when they arefilling up a stereo track both channels playing the same amount of sound gives a more steady and naturalmix. Remember you can always add an effect to make instruments sway around. So recording a dry and

clean signal is rewarded when later mixing purposes have to be free and creative. If two mono sound partsare sharing the same frequency range then just try and simply pan them slightly one to the right, other to the

left. A couple of notches either side is usually enough. You must record in stereo, use two mono channels tocapture right and left respectively as mono or as stereo. Test your mix in mono mode as well as in stereo

mode. Use the mono button on the mixing desk to sum the channels together into one mono channel. Thiswill put all the sounds into the centre. Listen for phasing or any sounds that might disappear, so you can

correct them. Use a correlation meter, goniometer, spectrum analyzer and level meter on the masterbus to

have checking tools available when needed.

Basic Mixing.

This is going to be hard to explain, but an example will help you get started mixing. For example you haverecorded a Pop, Rock, House or Ballad song. And now you have finished recording it (composition wise and

recordingwise in audio or midi), you will need to mix to make it sound better and more together. At firstseparation is needed, cleaning and clearing (single tracks). Second quality and togetherness of a mix is whatyour aiming for, mixing it up (groups towards the master bus, summing up). What youre not aiming for isloudness or level, how loud your mix is sounding is of lesser importance then having your mix sound welltogether. Togetherness is what youre aiming for. So watching the VU-meter go to maximal levels is not soimportant while mixing, pushing all faders upwards all the time will get you nowhere. So forget how loudyour mix is sounding, this is called Mastering and is a whole different subject. Mastering comes after you

have finished mixing. Mixing is what youre looking and that is why it is called mixing, for this means ,cleaning, cutting, separation as well as togetherness.

Mixing steps.

We have three sections to fulfill while mixing from beginning to end. First the Starter Mix, where we setup amix and start off working inside dimensions 1 and 2. Then the Static Mix, where we apply dimension 1, 2

and introduce dimension 3 as a final 3d dimensional mixing stage plan. Finishing of to this part Starter andStatic mix is giving a basic reference static mix for later use, and needs to be worked on until the static mix

stands as a house stands on its foundation. Then finally the Dynamic Mix, where we introduce automated ortime lined events. Make progress in mixing, plan on finishing your projects within a predetermined period oftime. This is the only way to see your development in time. Don't fiddlle around with DAWs function but be

concrete, improve your mixing skills and decision making capabilities, then learn to trust them . Giveyourself a limited amount of time per mix. A static mix should be 80% done after hours of work. The rest isfine tuning and takes the largest amount of time. Building confidence in rhythmic hearing. Trust your ears

for listening for rhythmic precision and keep it natural. A DAW and its graphic interface allow for seeing allyou need, but allow to trust your ears not the display. When rhythmic timing is needed, your ears will decidesomething is early or late, or spot on. Trust your ears. When you are not happy with results, make a copy ofyour project, remove all insert and send effects and put all panning to center. Start right from the beginning,redefine your stage plan with a clear mixing strategy. Re-setting levels, pans, EQ, to zero and start from thebeginning, removing all effect or plugins. Necessary to obtain a good mix lies in intelligently distributing all

events in the three spatial dimensions, width, height and depth.

The Starter Mix.

Basically as we are staying inside dimension 1 and 2. We will explain the dimensions later on, but for astarter mix we only use Fader, Level, Balance, Pan, EQ, Compression and sometimes some more tools alikeGate, Limiter. Our main goal is togetherness, but as a contradictive we will explain why we need to separate

first. As a starter mix will start off good, only when we first separate the bad from the good. Rushingtowards togetherness is never doing any good, so this comes second in line. To understand what we must do

(our goal for starter mixes) we need to explain the stage and the three dimensions now.

Panning Laws.

Crutial to understading the first dimension of mixing are the panning laws. Frequency ranges orinstruments/events with a low range, are more placed in center. High ranges are more placed outwards to theleft or right. This will mean that Bassdrum, Snare, Bass and Main Vocals (fundamentals) are allways in the

dead center, especially with their low frequency content. All other instruments or events are more placedoutwards (unfundamental), even if they contain lows, when they are not part of Bassdrum, Snare, Bass, orMain Vocals, they are placed outward to the left or right. Lows more centered and Highs more outwards.Also take in mind that send effects that are placed more in center, will draw outward instruments towards

the center. So placement of a delay or reverb must be considered for what instrument (fundamental orunfundamental) it is required. The Masking effect, the time and effort of using left/right effects is only

correct if the reverb part becomes too large to convey all the spatial information as a result of the maskingeffect. The more complex a mix, the more time and effort is required for placing all events accurately withinthe three dimensions. Starting off with panning in the first dimension. Before mixing start, make a sketch ofyour panning strategy (stage plan). Anything that is not bass, bass drum, snare or lead vocals, should not bein the center. Instruments present in the same or overlaying frequency sectors, should be placed at opposite

ends complimenting each other within the panorama. Well panned and carefully automated panning oftencreates greater clarity in the mix than the use of EQ and is much better then unnecessary EQing. If sounding

mush, your first step is panning then to resort to EQ. Be courageous, try extreme panorama settings, andmake the center free for the fundamental instruments. Never control panning trough groups, only by its

individual channel. Never control straight panning or expanding with automation, just small panning andexpanding settings for clearing a mix temporarily.

The Stage.

With an orchestra or a live band playing (we are going a little ancient here) there is a always stage to do so.Back in the old days people could only listen to music when played by real performing players or artists.

There was no means of electricity or even amplified sounds coming from speakers. And furthermore ahuman is always hearing natural sounds in life. Anyway listening to music just appeals most when the

instruments are staged and naturally arranged. We as human's are used to listen to music in this fashion forages and now we have the common pattern inside our DNA. Human ears like hearing naturally and dislike

unnatural hearing. When playing music we hear Volume, Panorama, Frequency, Distance and Depth.Therefore we talk about the musical stage. Mixing is the art of making a stage, this is called orchestral

placement and sets all players to a defined space of the stage they are expected to play. For any listener it ismore convenient to listen as natural as possible, so a stage is more appealing for the human brain to

recognize and understand. A live concert of an orchestra might reveal the stage better in this picture below.

No matter what stage is set, what you are trying to accomplish is stage depth. The next chart display's asetup plan for recording and mixing a whole orchestra. We cal this orchestral placement.

In this chart we present a whole orchestra of instruments. The x-axis is showing Panorama, Pan or Balance(left, centre and right). The y-axis is showing depth (stage depth). As listeners we do like to hear where

instruments are, some are upfront, some are more in the back of the stage. A mix would be quite boring andunappealing to the human ears when all sounds seem to come from one direction only (mono). Anyway we as

humans can perceive Volume (level), Direction (Panorama, Pan or Balance), Frequency Spectrum andDepth. These are the three dimensions of mixing. Taken in account we are using two (or more) speakers. It isquite common to think in stage depth when mixing. Even when your material is modern funky house music,still thinking in stage depth might help you mixing a good understandable mix and have some idea where to

go and what to accomplish.

Stage Planning.

So it is better to have some kind of system and planning, before starting a mix. Knowing where to placeinstruments or single tracks inside the three dimensions. Basically all parts of dimensions (we explain the

dimensions later on) are easily overcrowded. Therefore we must use a system to give all instruments a placeinside the dimensions, just to un-crowd. Making a rough sketch can simplify and visualize the mix.

Therefore you will have some pre-definition before you actually start mixing. You will know what youredoing and what you are after (your goal in mixing). We start with a basic approach. We start with the most

crucial or fundamental instruments first.

The Base drum is fundamental, keeps the rhythm and because it is mostly played in the lower frequencyrange. The base drum is most fundamental, because it keeps rhythm and second because it's fundamental

frequency range is mainly lower or bottom end based (dynamic high level). All main fundamentalinstruments are placed dead centre. The Snare is important for the rhythm, but however does not play asmuch lower frequencies as the base drum. The Bass is fundamental because almost all notes play in the

fundamental lower frequency range. Vocals must be understood, upfront and are therefore fundamental tothe whole mix. As you can see all important fundamental instruments are planned in the centre inside

Dimension 1 (Panorama).

All instruments that are fundamental and are playing lower frequencies must be centered, because twospeakers left and right, will at the same time give more loudness and therefore can play and represent lower

frequencies best (center is coming out evenly on left and right speaker).

The centre position is now a bit crowded by the fundamentals, Basedrum, Snare, Bass and Main Vocals. Togive some more space between each other (separation) dimension 1 (panning) and 2 (frequency spectrum orfrequency range) and dimension 3 (depth) are used to separate them and give some idea what is in front ofeach other. Most likely you would like the main vocals to be clear and upfront. Think of it as a stage setup.

The bass (or bass player) would stand behind the vocals, on a real stage the bass player might move around abit, for modern mixing still dead is centered (because of transmission problems in the lower frequency rangeor bottom end, only placed centre, and we ere still busy with the starter or static mix, no automation can beused). As the drums would be the furthest away backwards on the stage, we place them in the back but stilldead centre. Anyway placing these fundamental instruments in the centre gives definition and clearness to

them, without interfering instruments overlapping. Especially Base drum and Bass must be centered tomake the most out of your speakers. As the spectrum will fill up in the centre because already Base drum,

Snare, Bass and Vocals are filling it up (fundamentals), discard and leave this area alone (off limits) for anyother instruments (unfundamentals) . Other instruments can be placed in dimension 1 (panorama) andpanned or balanced more left or right. This is common in practice for many mixes, but a beginner will

hesitate to do this (Panning). Still think of it that guitars and keyboard on stage are always placed left andright. Simply because else the stage would be crowed in the centre if all players have their position taken. To

imagine where an instrument or player will be placed is also being a bit creative and then be experienced,adding to what a human perceives as natural keeping it all understandable for the listener (finding the clear

spots). Keep in mind that lower frequencies play better when played by both speakers (centered) andtherefore higher frequencies can be more panned left or right (outwards). Fundamental instruments withbottom end or lower frequency ranges mustbe more centered, while higher frequency range instruments

must be panned more outwards. Next we will place the other drum sounds.

As a decision we place the hihat next to the snare, by panning the hihat a bit to the right. Planning the stageor dimensions, this is a creative aspect; the hihats are placed right from the snare, but also could be placedleft. This depends on the natural position of the hihat, for setting the stage we could look at real life drumplacement and take this in account while planning the stage, so mostly the hihat is placed more right. Now

we have the right speaker playing more highs then the left because we placed the hihat more right. Tocounter act and give the left speaker some more highs we can place an existing shaker to the left. This

counteracting gives a nice balanced feel between left and right, because mostly we like to whole mix to playbalanced throughout. Then the toms are only played scarcely in time (toms are just suddenly played once ina while) so are less important in planning, still we place them to show where they are. For toms we place hi-tom far out and low-tom far out, in between the mid-toms. The overheads are placed behind and with some

stereo expanding or widening this will give some room and sounds more natural. The main vocals areupfront. The rear can be used for the background vocals (choirs) and strings, bongo's, conga's, etc. Next weplace some other instruments and we are looking at not so crowed places to place them in. Separating more

and more.

See that Guitar 1 and Guitar 2 are placed Right and Left (this could also be guitars and keyboards), so theyare compensating for each other and keep a nice balance. Also Synths and Strings are compensating and inbalance, tough with some more distance (we use the strings as counter weight over here). Strings can also beplaced back of the stage with a stereo expander to widen the sound at act as a single sound filler. Rememberwhen you place an instrument, it is likely to counteract with another instrument on the opposite side. Also

taken in mind instruments that play in the same frequency range can be used to counteract and balance thestereo field. For that we can say the Hihat and Shaker are complimenting each other (togetherness), as well

as Guitar 1 and Guitar 2 do. And the Synth with the Strings. So we keep a balance from left, centre andright. Don't be afraid to place unfundamental instruments more left or more right, keeping them from the

already crowded center. Unbalanced mixes will sound uneven, when the whole outcome of the mix iscentered we can hear the setup (stage plan) better and more naturally. When the left speaker plays louder

than the right speaker, it will give unpleasant (unbalanced) listening. The total balance of your stageplanning should be centered. Adjusting the master balance for this purpose is not recommended. Keep the

master balance centered as well as the master fader at 0 dB, as well as any effects on the master bus, weallways try to correct things inside the mix, not on the master bus fader. Whenever you have an unbalanced

panorama, go back to each instrument or single track and re-check your stage planning. As stage panning orbalancing in the first dimension is one of the first tools for setting anything else. With the help of dimension 2

(trebles, boosting for close sounds or cutting higher frequencies for further away sounds) and dimension 3(reverberation, room, ambience) we can create some kind of distance and depth. A final mix or mixing plan

should refer to all of this. Depending on the musical style and what you want to accomplish as a finalproduct. Also do not hesitate to use panorama, beginners will be resultant to do so.

Although this looks a bit crowed when you have all instruments playing at the same time together, it is likelyyou will not have all instruments inside the mix anyway or playing all-time together (composition, muting).It would be quite boring when all instruments where audible throughout the whole mix. We do fill in our

stage plan with all our instruments. We give an indication what is a general setup and a good starting point,planning where instruments play and giving them a place is defining your mix, a foundation to build yourmix on. This planning is called stage depth because almost any mix has some relations to what the humanear likes to visualize in our brains. Most likely natural placement is the way to go and is most common. Soyou can be creative and come up with any kind of planning or setup. Remember it is likely for instrumentsthat need a bottom end, to stay more centre (especially the fundamentals). All other instruments that do notneed a lower bottom end (unfundamentals) can be placed more to left or right (apart from the dead centeredand upfront main vocals). Decide what your fundamental instruments are, then setup panorama and depth

(distance) accordingly.

3D - Three Dimensional Mixing.

Strangely creating togetherness means separating more than overlapping each other, it means you will haveto separate first. What most beginners do not know about is the masking effect, where two instruments thatplay in the same range are masking each other. Try have two guitars in mono mode, then drop one guitars

level with -15 db or more. You cannot hear this guitar anymore do you ? Well now pan this guitar to the left,you can hear it again, even now its -15 db lower then the other guitar. Basically when playing every

instrument just leaving centered (no panorama) it is getting quite crowed in centre position and is quiteboring (and enhances the masking effect). Masking is so common in mixing, we are in a constant struggle toavoid it. With avoiding masking, we can have more dynamics, or to say it the other war "we have more room

for each intrument to play and be heared, with less volume level needed, therefore leaving more room forothers to be heard. Therefore every instrument will get its own place inside the three dimensions. Below is an

example of the three dimensions.

The Three dimensions.

1. Width (Lelf +Center+Right ), Panorama, Panning, Widening and Expanding.

2. Height, Frequency, Level, EQ, Compression (Gate,mrte,etc).

3. Depth (Front to Back Space), Reverb & Delay, EQing Reverb & Delay.

Dimension 1 - Panorama.

Panorama is mostly achieved by setting Pan or Balance for each instrument on each independent singletrack. Basically setting the panning to the left, the sound will play from the left speaker. Setting to the right

will play the sound from the right speaker. Setting it to center will play the sound from both speakers. Thinkof dimension 1 as Left, Center and Right. Three spectral places in dimension 1, Panorama. When its morecrucial to you, you can also use 5 places for naming panorama when mixing or planning stage depth, 9:00

(Nine O' clock), 10:30 (Ten Thirty), 12:00 (Twelve O'clock), 1:30 (One Thirty), 3:00 (three O' clock).Panorama is most a underestimated effect in mixing (masking effect). Just because turning a simple pan or

balance knob is easy to setup. Panorama in fact is a most important design tool (option) and the first start ofdefining a mix (apart from the fader level). Use Panning first before setting the fader level, apply the panninglaw and the relative volume of a signal changes when it is panned. Even when youre fully on your way witha mix, turning all effects off (bypass) and listening to the panorama is often used for checking a mix is placed

correctly.

There is a mixing solution for deciding what instruments stay centered and what instruments go outside ofcenter. Instruments that are crutial or fundamental to your mix, like Base drum, Snare, Bass and Vocals areall in the centre (fundamentals). Any other instruments (unfundamentals) will be more or less panned left orright. The most common place for Basedrum and Bass are center because two speakers playing at the same

time at centre position will play lower frequency signals better. Panning or balancing lower fundamentalinstruments left or right, is not recommended therefore at all. Even the effects alike delay or stereo delay can

move instruments more left or right in time, so watch out to use these kinds of effects on fundamentalinstruments. And as automation is not a part of the staic mix, we do not use it. The main pathway is deadcentre, so even when using a stereo delay, the main information should be dead centered for fundamentalinstruments. The Snare and Vocals are just as important, because the snare combines with the basedrumrhythmically and vocals must be heard clearly always (so we also place them all dead centre upfront). By

having the Basedrum, Snare, Bass and Vocals in the center (fundamentals), there is not much centrepanorama and spectral room (Dimension 1 and 2) left over for other instruments to play in the center. Ror

more widening the stereo sound (outside left and outside right) a Stereo Expander or Widening effect (delay,etc) make the stereo field more than 180 degrees and will widen the panorama even more, giving some more

space inside dimension 1 and more room to spread the unfundamentals around. Be couragous!

Do take into account that correlation (signals cancelling each other out in mono mode) will be more whenyou widen or pan more, so check for mono compatibility. Use a correlation meter to check or goniometer.Maybe you have to reduce the stereo field to prevent a mono mix from cancelling out instruments. Also

Bassdrum and Bass can have signals that need to be reduced that fill the spectrum left or right, cutting thiswill keep them centered more (in time) and keeps them from swaying around. As a general rule lower

frequency range instruments or tracks are placed at center, while higher frequency range instruments ortracks a panned more outwards. There are basically two ways op perceiving the dimensions. Fist panningfrom left to right in front of you, alike a stage. And second the ambient effect. This is to move any panning

sounds right around your body, rather than just from left-to-right in front of you. Meaning you are in centerof the sound, meaning ambient sound or surround sound. This is apart from the stage planning, the listenersposition. We like the listeners position to be mostly straight in the middle of two speakers, hearing an equal

divided sound on both speakes overall (RMS, Left+Center+Right, LCR spectrums).

Dimension 2 - Frequency Spectrum.

The frequency spectrum or frequency distribution of a single instrument or whole mix is the seconddimension. It is understood that a Bass is a low frequency instrument will sound most in the lower frequency

range 30 Hz to 120 Hz (bottom end). The frequency spectrum of a mix is specially crowded in the lower'misery' range 120 Hz to 350 Hz (500 Hz) or 2nd bottom end, where almost all instruments play somehow.

From 1 KHz to 4 KHz we find most nasal sounds and tend to find harmonics starting to build up. The 4 KHzto 8 KHz can contain some crispiness, can sound more clear when boosted, but also unnatural. A hihat willplay mostly in the higher frequency range 8 KHz to 16 KHz (trebles). So giving each instrument a place in

the second dimension where it belongs is important filling up a frequency spectrum. We tend to talk infrequency ranges, so words alike low, mids or highs are common in the mixing department. Also words alike,

bottom end, lows, misery area, trebles, mids are only indications where to find the main frequency range.The main tools for working with the frequency spectrum and making the sound of an instrument fit inside amix are EQ, Compression and Level. Also tools like gating and limiting can prevent unwanted events to pass.

There are two purposes for these tools. First to affect quality, thus boosting or cutting frequencies that lieinside the frequency range of the instrument. Second to reduce unwanted frequencies, mostly lie outside theinstrumental frequency range, thus cutting what is not needed to play. Most intruments alike Bassdrum forits bottom and skin, have two frequency ranges that are important. The bassdrum must convey its rythmicqualities for instance. A bass instrument plays a note it will have its own main frequency, its harmonics and

instrument sounds around it, alike body and string attack sounds. This is the frequency range the

instrument is playing in, it's main sound. For bass this does mean a lot, we expect that the range 0 Hz to 30Hz can be cut, while leaving 30 Hz to 120 Hz (180 Hz) intact (first fundamental range of the bass). Higher

frequencies can be cutout or shelved out. Because this will separate the bass and give it place (space,headroom) to leave dynamic sound to rest of instruments. By doing this using EQ on the bass to make the

sound more beautiful (quality) and to leave some room for other instruments to play by cutting out what isnot needed (reduction), is leaving headroom and will separate instruments. As you can see we basically boost

or cut when doing quality purposed mixing. And we mostly cut when we are reducing. As a result we arelikely to cut more and are likely to boost less. We tend to cut with a steep EQ filter and to bosst with a wideEQ filter. The bass has now got a clear pathway from 30 Hz to 120 Hz (180 Hz), maybe the basedrum is in

the bass range (60 - 100 Hz), but we try to keep all other instruments away from the bass range (0 - 120 Hz).The range 30 to 120 Hz (180 Hz) is mainly for Basedrum and Bass (especially in the center spectrum). As

this frequency spectrum is easily filled up, it is better to cut what is not needed on all other instruments. Youmight think it is not necessary to cut the lows out of the hihat, but it is best to know that the hihat will play in

the higher frequency range, to remove all lower range frequencies, you could use a low cut with EQ overhere also. So now you have separated the Bass and the Hihat from each other and have given each a place

inside the whole spectrum (tunneling, seperation). The same will apply for all other instruments thatcombine the mix, even effects used. Knowing where the ranges are of each instrument and having planned

the panorama and frequency spectrums will help to understand how separation works when mixing and thisis building the basis start of a mix, the fundation of a house (reference or static mix).

The Spectrum of a finished mix could look like the figure on the left (we have shown this before), you can seea good loud 30 Hz -120 Hz section, that is the range the Basedrum and Bass play with each other. And the

roll down to 22 KHz. Though sub bass 0 Hz to 30 Hz is still quite loud in this spectrum, still this is quite a bitlower than the 30-120 Hz range. On the figure on the left you can visualize the range of instruments and

their frequencies, refer to it whenever you need to decide the instrumental frequency range and what to cutout (reduction) and what to leave intact (quality). We have discussed these subjects before. Dimension 1 and2 are most important for creating a starting /static/rerence mix, so do not overlook these dimensions. Returnto these dimensions when your mix is not correctly placed, sounds muddy or fuzzy (masking). The Volume

Fader, Balance or Pan Knobs must be your best friend in mixing and first starting and refering points. Thenrefer to EQ or compression as a second measure (gate or limiter also allowed). Knowing where instrumentsmust be placed according to plan, works out best in dimensions 1 and 2. Dimension 2 frequency spectrum

can be also working a bit inside dimension 3, as we perceive depth when trebles (high frequencies) are loudand upfront, but perceived backward in depth when trebles are less loud. Use an enhancer to brighten dull

sounds to keep them upfront. Always when working with trebles > 8 Khz, be sure to usequality/oversampling EQ and effects.

Separating instruments in dimension 2, frequency range.

EQ can do a good job by cutting out the bottom end of all the instruments that are panned left or right(unfundamental) and instruments panned dead centre (fundamental). That is why we will discuss some

effects alike EQ now, even though we have an EQ section explained later on. Basically the low bottom cut forbasedrum is a decision you can make when you are combining basedrum and bass together. It is most likelya 0 Hz to 30 Hz cut can be applied to all instruments and tracks, even bassdrum and bass. You can start off

using a low bottom cut around 0 Hz to about 30 Hz, this is most common.

The cutoff figure shown above would be a good cut for the most fundamental instruments alike Base drumand Bass, but really applies for all fundamental or unfundamental instruments or tracks. Cutting from 0 Hz

to about 30 Hz (50 Hz) can remove some sub bass range as well as pops, low clicks and lower rumble forevery instrument. Anyway the range 0 Hz to 30 Hz is really sub bass levels, so you actually do not hear muchof them at all and is more of a feeling kind then hearing. If you need sub bass frequencies in you music, you

must know that most speakers do not even play them. When for instance a basdrum is believed by beginnersto make more power and raise the whole 30 - 120 Hz range with EQ, please do not. So you can't hear them inthe first place, even with a big bottom speaker this is not heard much (filling up your headroom without evenhearing it correctly). Even in a club or live event the bassdrum will have effect around 60 - 90 Hz. In general

most household stereo systems do not play bottom end frequencies < 50 Hz or even < 100 Hz at all(depending on the quality of the system en speakerset). Thinking sub bass (0 - 30 Hz) will enhance your mix

by boosting or leaving unaffected is a beginners mistake. Leaving it intact for instruments that areunfundamental is also mistake. Do not hesitate to cut the 0 Hz to 30 Hz range of frequencies out of all

fundamental or unfundamental instruments. We now have removed some really low frequencies out of allinstruments or tracks with a steep lowcut EQ filter and therefore removed some unwanted loudness, leavingsome precious headroom and will unmuddy your mix (masking), making your mix more clear (dynamical,

rythmical).

The above figure shows a bottom cut and a highs cut, for a more distantly placed instrument.

We need our Bass to play, and not be overcrowded. As well as we need the Basedrum to play, keeping 30 Hzto about 120 Hz (150 Hz) free for bass drum and bass only. This means we are creating a clear dead centreblast of lower frequencies (L + R = C power) free for playing only basedrum and bass. Even fundamentalinstruments alike snare and vocals will give problems with headroom and are playing somehow inside the

base drum and bass range, cut them all.

A low bottom cut for all other fundamental instruments (snare and main vocals) is shown in the above chart.The snare and main vocals are playing somehow in the lower end of the frequency spectrum, but do not

actually play in the bottom end range (where bass and base drum are already playing in). So maybe we cando some more cutting from 0 Hz to 120 Hz (180 Hz). Second, the bottom end 0 Hz to 30 Hz range is filled

with mostly rumble, pops and other unwanted events for the most part. So cutting with an EQ steep filter isquite understandable to be sure to remove these elements or events. To keep the lower fundamentals

bassdrum and bass free in their own 30 - 120 Hz range.

To avoid overcrowding we can cut out the bottom end of all other unfundamental instruments, leaving morespace (headroom) for the fundamental instruments to shine and separate, avoiding muddiness and

overcrowding (masking). Don't be afraid to cut more out of a Synth or Guitar, anywhere from 100 Hz toeven 250 Hz is quite understandable. This is where most beginners will hesitate. It is better to do a bottom

end cut on all other instruments, just to un-muddy the lower frequencies and make a clear path for the basedrum and bass to play unaffected. For unfundamental (all other) instruments, you can cut some more or less

lower frequencies with a steep low-cut filter or some good cutting EQ. We can avoid pops, low clicks orrumble out of our mix and keep the lower frequency range free. If there is any information at all over in thesub bass range, it would be Bass. Bass is the only instrument that can reach this low. So therefore we don't

cutoff the bass, we do cut-off the rest of all instruments playing. Well normally that is, sometimes a piano canreach this low but really still does not contain a relevant sub bass range. Do not hesitate to use quite a lot EQ

cutoff shelving on all instruments, better to do more cutting then less.

Apart from Bassdrum and Bass, a good roll off at 120 - 150 Hz is a good starting point, setting higher untilyou affect the main frequency range of the instrument. You can always adjust the cutoff frequency range

later on for better results once you have placed it. Unfundamental instruments can be cut anywhere from 0Hz to 180 Hz, basically they almost never play the C1 note range (octave). In order to find the lowest noteplayed by an instrument, listen solo throughout the whole mix. Find the lowest note and its frequency. Youcan decide where the cutoff frequency lies, but remember the Basedrum and Bass need room to shine, so

their main range is from 30 Hz up to about 120 Hz (180 Hz). Any other instruments that play in this rangewill crowd it and is better to avoid (muddyness and masking). So leaving the lower frequencies for Basedrum

and Bass will have you deciding to make cut-off's or roll-off's on all other interfering instruments.

The cutoff figure shown above would be a good cut for the unfundamental instruments like Keyboards,Synths, Guitars, Organ, Vocals, etc. Depending on the low cut by dynamical intent, depending distance bycontrolling highs. By listening to each instrument you can decide where the cutoff frequencies are exactly.This can only be done if you understand what the frequency range is of the playing instrument and decidewhat is needed and what is not needed to heard. Most drums (all drums that are in the drumset) have two

main frequency ranges, as well as most instruments. Remember in our stage planning, we now have todecide how our separation plans must work out in each different instrument or track. Use more cutoffs on

unfundamental instruments. Subs (0 Hz to 30 Hz) can mostly be removed. The lower frequency range (30 Hzto 120 Hz, 180Hz) is mainly for Base drum and Bass. The frequency range between 180 Hz to 500 Hz is

overcrowded anyway by most instruments playing over here, you can make a difference over here payingattention and spending time to get it correct sounding. The loudness that comes from the lower frequencyrange from 30 Hz to 500 Hz upwards 1000 Hz is basically generating the most loudness out of your whole

mix and will show up on the Vu-Meter. Especially the lower frequencies of the Basedrum and Bass arefundamental for rythmic content, power, clearness and are generating the most loudness, keeping them

separated by giving them a free frequency range 0 Hz to 120 Hz. Remember the lower the frequency to morepower, you can save headroom (power) by cutting out all unwanted frequency ranges.

Quality and Reduction.

Basically we for a good starter mix we will try to achieve quality as well as reduction of unwanted events.Quality involves boosting with EQ (wide) and cutting with EQ (small), likely inside the main range of

frequencies sounding from the instrument playing a range of notes or main frequencies. Quality can beboosted, but counteracting cuts can avoid boosting (better). Quality relies on how good an instrument is

sounding. Reduction means mostly cutting some lower frequencies (0 Hz to 250 Hz depending on theinstrument) and cutting high trebles for distance. Where the cutoff frequency is placed relies on the

instrument and mix decision (stage plan). But apart from this, it can mean also a cutoff in higher frequenciesfor instance on bass or base drum just to separete. By using reduction methods we try to separate

instruments and give them each headroom to play inside the frequency spectrum. Compression alike EQ hasquality and reduction features. Compression can raise transients (quality) or sustain (quality), but can

reduce peaks as well (reduction). For reduction a gate keeps out unwanted events or we can use manualmuting. Maybe a limiter can scrape off some peaks (or a peak compressor, reduction). Anyway these two

purposes (quality and reduction) are the main tools for a starter mix.

Separation.

Making separation and headroom. In dimension 1, as we explained panorama separates instruments andspreads them from left, center, right. In dimension 2, we can adjust the frequency spectrum. Both combinedare the basics of a good starter mix and can take up to four hours of time to accomplish a mix that is dry and

according to your planned stage and still have some headroom for furthermore mixing purposes. As ifyoure not fully trained and experienced, then spend a great deal of time inside dimension 1 and 2. Stepping

too fast into dimension 3 might set you up for some troubles you could not fix otherwise. Understandingwhat is going on inside each dimension and where to place instruments according to human natural hearing

(your stage plan), is the key to successful mixing. Swapping for instance left and right is off course ok. As

long as you understand that placing a high frequency range instrument (hihat) on the right will affect thetotal balance of the mix, to compensate we have added the another high frequency instrument (shaker) to the

left. This kind of thinking goes for the mids and lows also. As long as you counteract your actions, you aredoing fine. Counteracting is a most common many methods of mixing. Again how youre planning of thedimensions will unpack; the final mix will have to be balanced (meaning the combined sound of your mixmust be centered over two speakers). We as human's dislike when the left speaker plays louder than theright speaker or otherwise. It is artistic rights and being creative that defies the rules, but still can have a

good outcome. Generally fundamental instruments are centered, and lesser fundamentals are placed moreleft and more right.

Dimension 3 - Depth.

The Spatial Depth is a more perceptive sound, giving space and room to each instrument, single track ormix. The most common tools are Reverb and Delay. Reverberation is a common depth (dimension 3) tool.When a note or sound is played at the first time, the transients are an important factor (from the original

sound event). The transients make our brain understand what sound is played and for recognizing theinstrument. This we will call the dry signal. From the dry signal a room will present reverberation aftersome time in milliseconds, mostly the early reflections will make our hearing understand distance and

placement. The pre-delay of first reverberations/early refclection is making our brain understand depth ordistance. Mostly when pre-delay and reverberation is naturally understandable to our brains, we perceivedepth, because a Reverb (and Delay in a lesser fashion) will muddy up the mix (masking), careful attentionmust be applied over here. With Reverb or Delay it is common to cut the lower bottom frequencies becausethis will clear up the mix and wipe away some muddiness (separates the reverb from the fundamentals alike

Base drum and Bass). Also when you apply the rules of Dimension 1 and 2 correctly, the panorama andspectrum of each instrument will create a place or stage for each instrument. For that we can cutoff or raisethe trebles of the reverb to be closed upfront or more distanced. Now that reverberation is making our brain

believe there is some distance, dimension 3 is a fact. Separation is the key to successful mixing, balancingunfundamental instruments more left or right and not over pumping the frequency spectrum as a whole.

Basically the lower frequency range of a mix is the place where all instruments will play their main ranges,so filling this with Reverb or Delay will only add to muddiness or add unclear (fuzzy) sounds and enhancethe masking effect. Especially Base drum and Bass are instruments you want to hear straightforward, so

must be separated at all time from the rest by controlling all lower frequencies that play in their range (usean ambient, drum booth, small room). Instead depth can be interesting when applied on clear and dry

starter mixes, making them sound more natural and less fabricated. Also Reverb and Delay are not the onlyfactors for depth. Instruments will not play all the time; it would be boring to hear them all throughout thewhole mix. It is likely you have some kind of composition going on and the timed events of instruments cancreate more depth also. The level (volume or amplitude) of the played note will create depth by itself. As weperceive louder sounds as closer and softer sounds as further away. Also we perceive close sounds when thehigher frequencies are more present, the further away in the background the less high frequencies can be

heard (dimension 2). These are good starting points to address when mixing (in dimensions 1 and 2) beforeadding any delay or reverb (in dimension 3). Therefore when you need background vocals to be heard as if

they have some distance, you can roll off some higher frequencies in dimension two first, before you addsome delay or reverb to make some kind of depth or distance inside dimension 3. Even when adding delay orreverb, you can decide by rolling off (or cutting) some high frequencies from the effect output or input whatthe distance or depth they will be perceived as. A good parameter to set depth or distance is the pre-delay ofany delay or reverb (or any effect). Reverb can only do a good job when it's a really good quality and setupcorrectly. Mostly for fundamental instruments alike Bassdrum, Bass, Vocals we can use an ambient room ordrumbooth reverb type, these will have more early reflections and have less reverb tail, therefore less fuzzyand more upfront. On the vocals use no trebles cutoff for keeping upfront of the stage. Bassdrum and Bass

inheritly have lesser trebles so they automaticly faal behind the vocals with an ambient small roomdrumbooth reverb. For unfundamental instruments that are placed at the back of the stage we can use waymore reverb, alike a hall or large room, and cutoff their trebles more to set distance. For achieving our stageplan to be true, we can prepare the dry signal and/or adjust the reverb accordingly. Delay can do a good job,but with percussive instruments (Drums, Percussion) the rythmics can be influenced, timing the delay to thebeat or notes can be of importance. Especially a stereo delay with its movements can avoid masking. So for

drums and percussive elements we try to stay in tempo and setting almost no pre-delay. For Vocals delay cangive more depth and placement inside a mix, without moving backwards and keeping them upfront. Reverbis a good tool for creating depth, but can be processor hungry for digital systems. A good reverb does not getmuddy fast and stays inside the mix and does not have to be loud to be perceived as depth. Depth is the lastdimension, so working first our starter mix in dimension 1 (panorama) and dimension 2 (frequency range)

before working on dimension 3 (depth) is recommended. The static mix contains dimensions 1,2 and 3. Use abrighter reverb ambient small room or drum booth for upfront sounds and a duller larger reverb for

distanced sounds. A short pre-delay or no pre-delay can help prevent the reverb from pushing the soundback into the mix. Give the reverb a wide spread for upfront sounds. Use narrow panned or even mono

reverbs for distanced sounds with longer reverb times.

The three dimensions together make up any static reference mix.

For Stereo Mixing the three dimensions are Panorama (1), Frequency Spectrum (2) and Depth (3). BasicallyPanorama is controlled by Pan or Balance mostly and sometimes using a stereo expander or widener. The

Frequency Spectrum is controlled by amplitude, level, volume, EQ (Compression, limiter, gate) of the sound.Depth is perceptive and can be controlled by High Frequencies (trebles), delay (pre-delay), Reverberation orReverb. There are quite some other effects that generate some kind of reverberation or can be perceived as

depth or distance to human hearing, we will not discuss them all. A sense of direction for each individualinstrument can be found in all dimensions. Also the three dimensions can influence each other, by rolling ofsome highs for instance in the frequency spectrum (dimension 2) of a single instrument, track or group, you

can affect depth (dimension 3). Coexistence and placing instruments inside the three dimensions can be afiddly job and maybe you would like to rush this. Pre-planning is a better idea. Also we cannot use a lot of

reverbs on processor hungry systems, so we choose a few and use them on groups mostly. Offcourse mixing iscreative. Bypassing the dimensions without some thoughts and planning and throwing in effects and mixinguncared, will soon give muddy unclear fuzzy results (masking, correlation, etc). Maybe you have ended up in

this situation before? Then it is time to get some understanding about the three dimensions, quality,reduction, overcrowding, making headroom, masking, separation and togetherness. Re-start with a cleanslate setting all levels to 0 db and panning to center, remove all plugins, re-start with the dry mono mix.

The chart above shows how the three dimensions can be adjusted using common mixing tools. For summingup, dimension 1 is controlled by the Panorama (Pan or Balance and maybe some widening/expanding),

dimension 2 is controlled by the Frequency Spectrum (EQ, Compression, mutes, gates and limiters),dimension 3 is controlled by dimensions 1 and 2 as well as using reverberation/early reflection effects

(Reverb, Delay, Etc). Making use of the 3D visualization or 2D stage visualization can help improve yourmixing skills. Some like to write down a plan (stage plan) or some just like to remember and visualize in

their head (the experienced). The easiest dimension is dimension 1, setting pan and we hear left, center orright (but easily underestimated). Next dimension 2 is more complicated, because we are working inside thefrequency spectrum of each instrument to create a whole spectrum for the mix. Composition wise muting,

level, amplitude, transients and balance are good tools to start with then reverting to EQ. Compression canbe a hassle to master, mostly when we hear compression, we know we have gone too far. Rather use a more

even amout of compression, when compressing only peaks very hard we achieve pumping. Dimension 3 is allabout quality reverberation and needs skill and very good ears, as well as understanding how human

hearing reacts. As we can say the difficulty of mixing progresses with the dimensions in place, so we startwith dimension 1 and progress towards dimension 3. When we need to adjust an event, we first resort to

dimension 1 and progress towards dimension 2 and 3. Hunting for quality and reduction (boost wide, cutsmall). Changing an event or instrument in one dimension means a change in the other dimensions also. Socareful planning and preparation is a must, it is better to know what youre doing while mixing. Knowingwhat you want out of a mix beforehand can make mixing easy and keep you from struggling towards the

end. Understanding the three dimensions is crutial and do not hesitate to apply, it is a common way ofmixing and very much accepted generally. At least to our natural hearing ears, to keep it all acceptable to

our brains, we apply the natural rules and laws mostly.

3D Mixing.

Mixing, as if the listener is listening to a stage is common practice, it seems more natural. The more natural amix sounds, the more natural the human brain can receive the 3D Spatial Information. Unnatural placement

can make a listener feel unpleasant, so only use this when you need it. Most likely Basedrum, Snare, Bassand Main Vocals are more centered and fundamental. And all other instruments are placed more outward of

the centre field, more left or more right. Lower frequency unfundamental instruments are more or lesscentered, as unfundamental instruments playing a higher frequency range are more placed outwards. The

main vocals are up-front and drums more in the back. Sometimes a choir would stand behind the drummereven further backwards. Just experiment with a mix and play with the dimensions, make some different

plans to where you are placing the instruments.

Experimenting with 3D Mixing.

Do some mix setups and learn from the differences, learn from your mistakes and remember when havingprogression to keep notice of what you did correctly. A good start of a mix can take hours to accomplish

towards a completed static reference mix. Maybe your ears do not listen very well when mixing this long. Soreturning later or have some fresh ears can do wonders. Also visualizing things is better, especially whenworking on the whole frequency spectrum or planning your staged mix. So any metering you can do overhere with a spectrum analyzer is visualizing what you hear. Also use a correlation meter for avoiding the

masking effect and check for mono compatibility. Use a goniometer to keep unwanted events from the left orright side that correlate. For listening to a whole mix you can visualize mostly, but remember that listening

without all of these tools is of importance. After all listening/hearing a mix is the end result what youretrying to accomplish. So what you can see by your eyes is interfering with your hearing. Sit down and relaxand only listen (do not look at any metering). For the listening experience to be true for a normal listener ofyour music, maybe close your eyes. Do listen on multiple speakers, home audio sets, in your car, walkman,

almost anywhere possible to get a good view of what your mix is doing.

Stereo and Mono.

Mono is a single speaker system. Stereo is Left and Right Speakers only (still the most common way ofplaying music authentically). A mono speaker setup alike TVs and small Radio's is quite common still. As

we explain mixing in stereo, mono compatibility can still be an issue. Below we have a common stereospeaker setup. Even having the availability of surround sound with multiple speakers, humans nowdays are

quite known with the stereo sound. We have been listening for so long in stereo, it is kind of baked in ourDNA. It is so common that adding more speakers (directions) might influence the way it is been perceived.

The most direct sound is a single mono speaker and the more speakers you add, the more you can control thedimensions (3D Spatial Information). Adding more speakers can widen dimensions or separate frequencies

more, still stereo is closest to human hearing. With Stereo there is a lesser degree of dimensions (compared tosurround sound systems), still it listens close to what we will hear or perceive as natural. Our brain is not so

much confused with dimensions as with Surround Sound. Multiple speaker setups are more difficult toperceive straightforward, especially when an each room is filled differently with the placement of the

speakers. You can imagine a household surround system being placed differently each time. As each livingroom is setup differently. With only two speakers for stereo, many households know where to place them to

get a good sound. Depending on where a user can place the multiple speakers, is affecting the way yourmusic is perceived in the dimensions. Offcourse they all should be setup the same way theoretically and

according to the operation manauls instruction, in real life every user or listener will have their own setup'sfor speaker placement.

As we explain stereo mixing over here, surround sound does apply almost the same rules for mixing.Although with more speakers it will be giving more opportunities for 3D Spatial Placement, therefore moreroom for instruments to play and be clearly heard. Above is a figure containing surround with more than

two speakers. For this kind of mixing a different set of rules will apply to the amount of dimensions and wedo not explain this any further. We concentrate on conventional stereo mixing (and check mono

compatibility). When we are mixing in Stereo we try to accomplish a sound that compares to natural humanhearing, a try accomplisch our stage plan, so the mix will transmit 3D Spatial Information very well. As for

Stereo