Becoming a Music Producer: Getting the Perfect Mix

Since all the recording takes have been accomplished you're now ready to perfect the mix. Mixing is a key element in producing, matter of fact it's the most important element in producing. Having a good or bad mix can determine how good the song sounds to others or the number of plays it gets. Vocals that are out of level or that are all over the place on the song are horrible to listen to. If the music is up to high or to low the song will be horrible to listen to. Sure the mix doesn't have to be perfect but it has to be presentable.

My uncle, who is involved in the music industry, always told me that to never put you're name on something that isn't good. Meaning if you're mixing a track down and expect to put your name on the credits, let the mix be a representation of you. Don't half mix the song otherwise that will show artists and producers alike that you don't take pride in you're work. I'm sure you don't want a negative rumor like that going around when you're trying to get yourself established as a producer and businessman/woman.

Start with the music part of the song first when it comes to mixing. Make sure all the instruments are in tune with each other and nothing over powers the next, unless that's what you're aiming for. It's best to listen to songs in headphones while you mix just as a recommendation because everything sounds so much more in detail. Remember to keep the headphones low, meaning not too loud because if you do, it will throw you're hearing off and the mix may come out wrong.

When doing vocals, you should evaluate all the takes and pick the ones that sound the best. Now is the time to experiment with all those effects you have either on your generator or your audio program. Try testing out different plug-ins and manipulating the vocals with them, this will make for an interesting experiment. Once you have the vocals lined in place, set the volumes on each track. Make the song blend together by not over using effects and by not making vocals too loud or low. Note that a great feature to use when mixing down vocals is Compression. Compression makes everything come together and brings out the clarity in the vocals even if they weren't recorded that way. Another add-on feature to utilize is the Chorus feature on hooks. If you use this feature right the song with swing when the verses end and go into hooks.

Peep Next Installment: Finishing Touches