How to Prepare A Song to Send to a Mix Engineer

Home recording studios have become common place among independent artists, musicians, producers, and record labels. These studios offer the independent many great benefits including the ability to be creative in an environment they desire, an endless amount of time to capture the perfect recording without worrying about the clock ticking (bill soaring), and the ability to take the time to find the perfect sound, voice, or instrument to complement the song. As more and more songs are produced in home studios, one negative is becoming painfully obvious - the sound quality achieved of a mixed song does not match or even come close to what has been mixed in a commercial studio by a seasoned engineer and can be heard on top twenty radio.

Mixing a song is not something a new recording engineer is going to master in the first few years of learning the art of recording. The ear for mixing comes from years of hearing all types of sounds, frequencies, variations of applying filters/effects, and trial and error mistakes. Another issue is the fact that new engineers get excited about their creations and actually stop listening to what is coming from the speakers and start to rely on what they hear in their head - the perception of what they want the music to sound like.

In addition to the learning curve and phycological training a new engineer faces when first learning the art of recording, most home recording studios are not properly equipped or acoustically treated to achieve the mix excellence required to compete with commercial studios and engineers. Unlike training and phycology, this barrier is often too expensive for the home recordist to overcome and get beyond. Simply put, the independent artist, musician, producer, or record label owner cannot afford to buy the equipment needed or acoustically treat their studio to the level demanded to match the quality mixes that are produced in commercial recording studios.

This should not discourage, rather, inform the home recording studio owner as to the limitations faced - if you know your limitations you can over come anything. The solution is to use a home studio for creation, creativity, and recording. Once all tracks are recorded, a commercial studio or mix engineer should be sought to complete the mixing duties needed for viability. This does not have to be the case forever. It is highly suggested that the home recording engineer still mix their own music, then as the commercial mix engineer delivers the final mix, both mixes should be compared and the home studio engineer can start to learn what is needed in their own mixes to compete. Equipment can be purchased over time, acoustic treatments can be applied as budget permits, and as the home studio engineer learns new techniques they can become commercially viable and successful mixes can be produced.

When using an outside mix engineer, several things must be considered:

Detailed Notes - When recording tracks it is important to label all tracks as detailed as possible. A lot of money is wasted when a mix engineer has to sort through individual tracks labeled “audio 1, audio 2, audio 3, etc.” to figure out what tracks contain music, voice, or effects. Most digital audio software offer the ability to name each track used as well as an area for detailed notes about the track. use the notes section to detail parts of a song like intro, verse, bridge, chorus, hook, etc. as well as detail special instructions like panning, special effect requests, or volume needs.

Recording Techniques - As tracks are recorded, special attention must be given to the levels recorded. Do not “Clip” or “Distort” recordings with too high input volume. Low recording levels are just as dangerous and need to be monitored. Do not use compression or eq when possible during the record phase unless you are very familiar what effects these types of dynamics truly have on the sound being recorded. It is best to leave dynamic changes to a qualified mix engineer. Do not use any special effects when recording like reverb, delay, modulation, etc. If you want to hear these effects on your final version apply them as an insert rather than committing to them as recorded tracks.

Song Structure, Tempo, and Key - Take note of the song structure i.e. - intro-verse-chorus-verse 2-chorus-bridge-verse 3-chorus-vamp out. Mix engineers use tempo to set delays, reverb, and special effect used in the mix process so be sure to include this information when sending recordings to be mixed. A song’s key is very important when mixing as it is used for vocal correction, modulation effects, and harmonizing parts added during the mix process and should be included in the notes when delivering your music to be mixed.

Example Mix - Always perform your own mix that can be delivered with the individual tracks to be mixed. This will give the mix engineer something to listen to giving them an understanding of what you are looking for in a final mix. Most mix engineers will not listen to this mix until they have finished their own mix as they want to do what they feel the song needs first. Once they listen to your mix they will listen for special effects, panning, or drops/mutes in the music so they can deliver the desired finished mix.

Individual Tracks - In pop, hip hop, R&B, and some other genres of music it is customary to receive music tracks from outside producers/beat makers that have already been “premixed” by the producer and simply record individual tracks of voice to a stereo track of music. When you prepare for mixing your song it is important to get each individual track in the music a separate files. The mix engineer will require this as it is impossible to properly mix a song with only a stereo track and individual vocal tracks. This is because mixing involves applying filters, dynamics, and volume changes as well as effects to each individual track to balance all sounds/tracks to work together. When stereo music tracks are used, without the ability to mix individual instruments within the music, the only outcome can be vocals always either too loud - sitting on top of the stereo music track, or too low - sitting under the stereo music track.

Recommended Studio:
The Mix Studio - Mixing, Mastering, & Duplication

Peace,
Jai
“Love the Music in Yourself, Not Yourself in the Music!”
©2009 Jai Hutcherson. All Rights Reserved.