how to improve my mixing

alan kelly

Hi guys.. Wondering how to improve my mixing of my tracks.. Using logic and have some pretty good hardware/software.. Not looking to be a huge producer or huge rock star but i love writing and recording my tunes.. At the moment i am just mixing to what i think sounds ok but i know i am not doing my equipment justice.. Not really educated enough on eq, compression, panning ect.. Would love to do a music production course for a year at night, not for the cert or diploma but just to understand what im doing.. Unfortunately or maybe fortunately i have a job and have exams relating to it so for the next couple of years my hands are tied. Wondering if there is any good tutorial books or dvds that might get me clued in.. Any ideas are welcome.. Cheers

Rockshamrover

Hi alan,

Macprovideo.com have some very good instructional videos on everything to do with Logic. Well worth a look.

Soundman

Practice.

Listen to tracks from other engineers that you like the mixing style of and listen to what they have done. Try and emulate certain aspects in your own style.

Aridstarling

Try "Mixing with your Mind", its a good book. Not everything will work for you but some of it might help. Try finding it in a library or something though, its expensive.

Fstudios

Hi Alan,


Just to let you know about the MacproVideo site, it's a great resource for learning individual program features and the best way to navigate a program (I bought the Logic series) but I didn't learn anything about mixing from those videos.

I do learn a lot from gearslutz.com, in their forum and 'listen' section.

Other than that trying to emulate your favourite records is good but remember it's quite likely that they had a better recording space and chain so don't beat yourself up if you can't get it right on.

I have also read books on the topic and found that nothing replaced actually sitting in front of the computer and trying out all the different methods to get different sounds.

Keep reading, keep your head about you and remember you should have a good time doing it.

Enjoy.....

Ronan Murphy

Yes, listening to other mixes you love and trying to emulate them is a great learning tool. Another thing that I would recommend while you learn is to try to spend a lot of time mixing without using any fx or plug-ins at all. Then work with some EQ.

Reverbs, delays and other fancy plug-ins can often mask problems with the tracks, so try to do a lot of work with out them.

Neurojazz

The Bob Katz book is pretty fine - http://www.digido.com/

shayleon

subscribe to sound on sound. their mix fix article is written by truly inspiring, knowledgeable guy.

madtheory

+1 on mixing with your mind. It's really quite brilliant and insightful.

Get your room acoustics sorted out also. At the very least, do a sine sweep with a measurement mic, and you'll be aware of where the peaks and troughs are.

It's amazing how easy it is to mix in a treated room with decent speakers. Here's a beginner's guide to acoustics.

I don't think the Bob Katz book would be that great for mixing (specifically), but it's one of those books every engineer should read, just like the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement Handbook.

PMI

dont get into automatic mixing... ie: thats gonna need a compressor (or so i read) so I will stick one on it etc... you will find mixes sounding dead real quick !

A good practice is to practice your first mixes over a period of a few days (ear rests) with mainly volume automation and touches of eq, try and get away with as little compression as possible or none (shock horror) I found this to be a big help in the beginning, the mixes have alot more life.....

PMI

Also think about mixing in the recording stage... ie: maybe we should use a mono vocal for the verse and a stereo tracked for the chorus with spot harmonies here and there, so you are working with the mix and end product in mind right from the get go

splitrmx

madtheory wrote: »

I don't think the Bob Katz book would be that great for mixing (specifically), but it's one of those books every engineer should read.

Yes I agree, the Bob Katz book is a must read for producers, but it doesn't really concentrate on mixing. He's more concerned with the mastering process, some info on compression (the Fairchild kind, not the mp3 kind!), jitter etc.

old gregg

madtheory wrote: »

+1 on mixing with your mind. It's really quite brilliant and insightful.

+2. a wonderful book - http://www.mixingwithyourmind.com worked out at around EUR45 when I got mine last year.

PaulBrewer

One doesn't learn how to mix from a book .... no matter how good it is.

madtheory

True, but I think the OP is aware of that. He's already doing the practice. Books help.

You won't learn how to mix by asking questions on the internet either!

alan kelly

Great answers guys.. Gonna take a bit from all d answers.. IE stay on the fence.. I kinda like the book idea for my lunchtime to understand the basics but i suppose nothing beats practice

old gregg

PaulBrewer wrote: »

One doesn't learn how to mix from a book .... no matter how good it is.

the voice of Mr. Miyagi

madtheory

old gregg wrote: »

the voice of Mr. Miyagi

The voice of Mr. Miyagi recorded as an 8k mp3, more like