the two stage mixing system
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Articles Making Better Recordings The Two Stage Mixing System
Busting your audio mixing up into two unique stages can
make a dramatic impact on the intensity of your mixes.
If there's any common muscle that never seems to need
more exercise in audio recording land, it has to be the left
brain / right brain switcher. Being able to switch from a
guy who can troubleshoot a video card or wire a patchbay
to a guy who create a melody that makes you imagine
you have three arms is not an easy task. In recording land
you MUST learn to use this left brain / right brain switcher
muscle.
In my
experience,
no one is
great at this.
I've never
really seen
anyone who
was equally
good at
equalizing a
vocal and
determining
how much
emotional
intensity was
in that take all at the same time. You can kinda teeter
The Two Stage Mixing System
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Published on 10-04-201112:11 AM Number of Views:
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20 Comments
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totter back and forth between the two brains, but if you're
under the gun of any time limitations, very few of us
consistently nail both.
Any time I get a chance to bust up the two types of task, I
do. When tracking electric guitars, for example, I always
reamp. It does take more time. I don't care. I'd rather
plug the Les Paul into a DI, run it through some emulator,
and not have to think about anything tonal. I can then
focus on making sure the guitar player plays t ightly,
in-tune, and grooves properly. I don't have to concernmyself with 6L6 vs EL34 vs EL84 or Vintage 30 vs
Greenback or dynamic mic vs ribbon. I just need to get
the guitars down. I like being luxury of focusing.
Most of all, I've really gotten into mixing in two main
stages.
Stage #1 MixingThe goal with a Stage #1 mix is to come out with a
full-blown mix, but do it with half the good brain. In other
words, I force myself to get a ll the tracks organized, color-
coded, and routed in ways that I like to work. I need to
cut out all the noise. I need to try to solve any and all
obvious problems I may have in individual tracks. Then Ineed to go ahead and force a real mix. I say force,
because this generally means I need to make the
left-brain/right-brain switch.
I think this may be the crucial cerebral mistake that many
new guys to mixing make. They believe mixing is a
technical process. In the preliminary stages of any mix it
probably most tecnica, but the purpose of mixing is to
excite the hel l out of the li stener. In order to do that, you
can ONLY do it within an emotional context yourself. The
rigid adherence to technical abil ity runs out of rope
several yards from the main goal. Technical-only mixers
simply don't have what it takes to pull this off and that's
why I'm not worried about robots taking our jobs in the
next 20 years. The irrational, emotional side of you isrequired.
Note: In all seriousness, the most crazed women should
have an extreme natural aptitude for mixing. It's rather
surprising to me that we don't have nearly as many
women at the upper echelons of the mixing world. Maybe
some of this Stage #1 business is more geared for guys.
Not sure.
Anyhow, I am going for a real-deal mix with Stage #1.
The only thing that separates it from a Stage #2 mix is
how seriously I take it the next morning. I realize that this
mix was contaminated with right-brain usage so I don't
take it too seriously. I can't. It's tainted.
It's absolutely essential that this mix holds up at
full-blown RMS level. This is technical junk. Using the TT
Dymamic Range Meter, I'm now mixing to hit -4dB RMS in
the loudest sections. That is as LOUD as what Britney
Spears or Avenged Sevenfold will be . Wedging 30 tracks
into -4dB RMS isn't easy. It takes twice as much work as
hitting -6dB RMS. Yuck! However, I look at this like a
basketball coach holding his players up to higher
standards in practice. If the mix can't squash to -4dB
without pumping, distorting, or sounding like something
went way wrong it's definitely not ready for stage #2. I
CAN NOT be dealing with these kind of issues in stage #2
as it's a sacred, emotional place. If I'm pulling out
frequency analyzers or questioning if I have the right kick
and bass sounds, I have a major problem. At Stage #2, I
can always hit the multi-band a little less or hit the
brickwall limiter a little less and come out at -6dB RMS.
The last thing I want to hear from the client is that -6dB
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RMS is not loud enough. I have heard this and i t's a HUGE
pain after Stage #2 as it generally breaks most of my
creative stuff.
I may as well get my mixes in shape early and let them
take it easy if just happen to stumble upon my first client
to ever NOT want it loud.
Stage #2: The Next MorningLike a strong hangover, you always view the world quite a
bit differently the next morning. I don't like to listen to myStage #1 mixes that night. I always like to wait until the
next morning. The new me is a lot tougher on a mix
than the guy who's all proud of whatever decisions he
made.
The overwhelming majority of the time, the mixes are
often good. I usually have one or two tiny little problems
that I knew I was pushing the limit and I need to back off
a bit. However, there's one gigantic flaw that I see almost
every time. The first mix is almost always
BOOOOOOORINNNNNG.
What makes a mix boring? The overwhelming thing I
hear in my Stage #1 mix is a lack of change. Everythingfeels really constant. The first verse always seems to
sound like the second verse. The last chorus, aside from
whatever additional tracks are used to pump it up, isn't
that far from the first chorus. This lack of contrast within
the song is kinda like eating only a piece of steak for
supper. It may even be one hell of a steak, but nothing
beats eating a piece of t-bone and then grabbing a bite of
corn, taters, or green beans. The next bite of steak seems
new again.
A major part of the Stage #2 mix is ensuring that I give
the listener those side pieces to chew on. Some of this is
a per-genre thing. In pop music mixing, my creat ive
freedom/responsibility is quite a bit higher. I have to sort
through numerous possible tracks and find ideal ways toescalate the song here and there. In rock music, the
performances should naturally do this quite a bit, but
nowadays we are often given more tracks than we'd ever
need and these can often be great tools to add contrast
within the mix. Even with a sparse arrangement,
automation can be used to brutally manipulate what the
listener feels.
Note: It's important to note that a boring mix of a great
song will still sound pretty badass. A person just listening
for fun who likes the song will l ike it in Boring Mode. They
won't even understand the mix sucks. Maybe this is
squint mode stuff. However, a great song with a great
mix should FEEL 30 zi llion times better. It's the differencebetween the song making you want to move or the song
sounding good.
A person who listens to your mix and says, Sounds good,
ust gave you the middle finger. That's a HUGE sign that
you've royally screwed up. A metalhead should be bangin'
his head. Dance music should inspire dancing from
everyone in the room. Any radio genre should require you
to ask the band to sing along softer so you can hear the
monitors. Exceptions to this are when the band is too
insecure to enjoy their music or the song wasn't that good
in the first place.
ConclusionWhen you do your first mix of a song, get a ll the technicalhurdles out of the way and do you damnedest to crank out
a mix that kills. Listen on another set of speakers with
completely fresh ears and see if the mix makes you move.
If not, go back and attack it with that goal specifically in
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mind. Rely on your emotions and toss logic out the
window.
I've found the 2-stage mixing system to be absolutely
crucial to my way of working. I avoid the problems
associated with switching the left-brain/right-brain muscle.
Hopefully in the end everyone is dancing.
Good luck!
Categories: Tactics And Concepts, Audio Mixing Tips
Tags: audio mixing, reamp, tt dymamic range meter
20 Comments
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waynepd, Chased, BenJaMan and 5 others like this.
moleunion - 10-04-2011, 12:42 AM
More good stuff! Keep it coming.
Reply
kredd - 10-04-2011, 08:55 AM
right on! good words to live by!
Reply
Chased - 10-04-2011, 09:06 AM
Ah, Brandon, I really like where you'regoing lately with this manic "excite the
listener" stuff - are you working on
another e-book treating just this juicy
topic, perhaps... Meaning, I wanna hear
more, this article is just so tantalising. I'd
love to read more detail and your
thoughts on just paragraph 4 of the
Stage#2:The Next Morning section, just
as a starter. All most enjoyable in the
usual finest quality wool for the thinking
cap, cheers.
Reply
Bo Polatty - 10-04-2011, 09:09 AM
A few lines into this article and I'm
already mumbling "Absolutely!"
Reply
Mike Upchurch - 10-04-2011, 09:10 AM
Good piece, but other than mentioning
"automation" (which? Volume, EQ,Effects?) this lacks much explanation of
the specifics of Phase 2. Got any specific
advice, of better yet- another piece on
the specifics of the creative mix?
Originally Posted bymoleunion
More good stuff! Keep it
coming.
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Reply
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Canadian Guy - 10-04-2011, 09:14 AM
Brandon, as usual you are totally on. I
never considered it as a right brain, left
brain thing but I used to finish a mix late
on a Sunday night (I have to work
weekdays) and I'd swear it was the best
thing I'd ever done. A couple of day
slater, I'd listen again go, "This is really
s*****". What was happening is exactlywhat you've described - I was EQing,
fading and fiddling. Doing all technical
stuff with no emotional focus. I now leave
my mixes for a whole week and this
"space" definitely helps. When I go back,
I'm listening with fresh ears, I'm more
critical and more objective.
Reply
dvorme - 10-04-2011, 09:26 AM
Yes. And if I push myself to Just Get It
Done, I'm guaranteed to hate the mix
later.
Reply
racherry - 10-04-2011, 09:34 AM
No doubt. If you are a guitar player, rest
assured the guitar will be on top in the
mix, same same piano, sax, etc. Every
audio and speaker system has a slant on
the mix, be aware. Get away and come
back to it for a fresh percpective.
Reply
redworks - 10-04-2011, 10:43 AM
yeah man, this is where it is at. take the
mix and mix it up and then you can start
to get excited. i hear too many people
trying to get a song to sound nice and
forgetting that we want it to sound great
not nice.
Reply
DanTheMan - 10-04-2011, 11:01 AM
This article is another great one. I hate
doing all the technical crap while I'm
trying to record myself. It's like I'm
straddling a fence. Perhaps that's why I
have trouble staying in key? Anytime
something is up close and personal with
the boys, my vocal cords are in primal
mode. They're good a grunts and
screams, but not much else. Anyway,
getting a dedicated friend that you can
help and will help you make home
recordings seems to be an ideal way of
separating duties and allowing the brain
to do what it wants to do--focus on
something! Of course these means you
have to trust that your partners skills are
up to snuff. I find that hard to do.Dan
Reply
mofo pro - 10-04-2011, 12:30 PM
I've got to admit, I get spammed with
tons of email new letters from people
just talking Sh#t about audio... Seems
like everyone with an opinion feels
Reply
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compelled to be an expert... a lot of time
trying to package and sell this "wisdom"
as brilliance. Then I read Brandon's
articles and honestly, even after being
involved in music production for 40 plus
years, I always come away with
something valuable, if only a refresher in
something I've not thought about for
years... or a fresh perspective on
something I have...Thanks Brandon...
well done... damn near every time
brandondrury - 10-04-2011, 02:03 PM
Hmmm. I'm not sure if CAN be taught in
general terms. On top of that, it's
subjective as hell. Hmmm.Much as I
discuss towards the end of the little
article, if the mix "sound good" (or evengreat), you screwed up. That's NOT the
point (not that we want it to sound bad).
The point is the head bobbing, the mom
crying, or the foot tapping depending on
what you are up to. If none of those
things occur, something is broken.You
should wrecklessly and chaotically pursue
that emotional response from people. If
you aren't dancing in your seat or
banging in your feet I has to ask, "WHY
NOT?". When a song is awesome and my
body is moving to the music I know I've
got the mix right. There may be details
that need to work out, but the mission isaccomplished.When a production isn't
exciting, I usually scruntch up my
eyebrows and get fairly radical with our
options. For real bands this needs to be
done in preproduction. If I'm feeling an
emotion that the song isn't supposed to
convey (boredom, the not-dance feeling,
etc) it's time to start trying stuff. What
stuff? Hell, I don't know. I guess this
needs to be another article or maybe
even a video. To hammer out all the
possibilities may take a full blown
product. Not sure. I hate to even start
with generic stuff. I could te ll you, "Why
not double time the hi-hat?" but that 's
the kind of crap we all know. Maybe the
point is to put yourself in a position
where you use that side of your brain
while mixing (in Phase #2). Did you ask
if a hi-hat needed to be doubled? Did you
ask what would happen if you killed the
bass in the verse? the chorus? Maybe this
"learn to ask" thing is part of it. By trying
things types of things, it's crazy how
much a song can change in 10 minutes.Of
course, everything affects everything.
Sometimes half-timing the verse, causes
the transition to the pre-chorus to sound
screwy which changes the way the chorushits. It's all complex and getting all the
pieces to fit perfectly is a challenge.
. Got any specific advice, of
better yet- another piece on
the specifics of the creative
mix?
No doubt. If you are a
guitar player, rest assured
Reply
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Agreed. Then when you over compensate
you end up with them way too low in the
mix. WE CAN'T WIN!!!
DEFINITELY! In the old days we referred
to this person as a "producer" or
"engineer" even if it's just you and the
bass player switching off. I'm HUGE on
this concept. I love to be in the room
with a band writing. People are
HORRIBLE at realizing when they dosomething AMAZING. Maybe they are
self-conscious. I like just sitting there and
when something is great saying, "YES
YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!". THAT THING is
it!! Then if I'm not excited, that's a sign,
too.
Thanks a ton for the praise! Now that I'm
a defeated husband being beat on by a
dominating wife, I could use the little
pick-me-up. (Okay, she's not turned
into a monster YET, but it's only been 3
days.)
the guitar will be on top in
the mix, same same piano,
sax, etc
Anyway, getting a
dedicated friend that you
can help and will help youmake home recordings
seems to be an ideal way of
separating duties and
allowing the brain to do
what it wants to do--focus
on something!
I've got to admit, I get
spammed with tons of
email new letters from
people just talking Sh#t
about audio... Seems like
everyone with an opinion
feels compelled to be anexpert... a lot of time trying
to package and sell this
"wisdom" as brilliance.
Then I read Brandon's
articles and honestly, even
after being involved in
music production for 40 plus
years, I always come away
with something valuable, if
only a refresher in
something I've not thought
about for years... or a fresh
perspective on something I
have...Thanks Brandon...
well done
Burny - 10-04-2011, 05:53 PM
Congratulations then!
Originally Posted by
brandondrury...but it's only been 3 days.
Reply
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For keeping her in check THAT long, of
course :-)
chacka - 10-05-2011, 03:04 AM
What? You married just a few days ago?
Congrats, man! All the best.
On your article, that is just what I needed
right now! I've gotta train that switch
muscle more.
Originally Posted bybrandondrury
Now that I'm a defeated
husband being beat on by adominating wife, I could
use the litt le pick-me-up.
(Okay, she's not turned
into a monster YET, but it's
only been 3 days.)
Reply
andresix - 10-08-2011, 11:17 AM
Great one Brandon! I feel that every and
each time i read one of your articles i'm
getting inspired. Often it's things i didn't
even though about so it's forcing me to
use brain (yeah, sometimes i do... not
too often^^). Thx ! I'll try and get that
feel to my next mix!
Reply
bilkin - 10-09-2011, 04:40 PM
Good luck on the whole marriage thingthere Brandon.
Reply
ZanetheVocalist - 10-18-2011, 10:51 PM
Great way to approach this. Of course the
easiest way to add the contrast is via
automation, but good automation take
up a great dea l of time to set up properly.
If you have the time then by all means
do it. I have a bad habit of mixing
technically. Staring at the meters,
worrying if the guitars should be half a db
louder or the vocal reverb a little wetter...
I should just go with how I feel and stopcomparing new songs to old. Its one
thing to use an old mix as a reference,
than to try and copy what you did before
again. Doing something different and
making each song unique is my goal for
all my future mixes.
Reply
widnikprod - 10-20-2011, 11:15 AM
Great article, especially as I go into day 2
on a mix and find that I apply most of
what you're saying a lready. I'll be
rethinking the things I don't do now.
Reply
Audio~Geek- 10-23-2011, 01:37 PM
I wish I could get a mix done in two days.
Reply
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The stuff I've been working on late ly,
after each mix the songwriter sends me 5
new tracks to add. His rough mixes are
just a mess, there's no room for anything
else. I mix, clear up a ton of space,
spectrally and spatially and fix the timing.
Magically the songs don't sound as full.
The mixes take weeks.
Austin4 - 11-15-2011, 10:55 AM
Fantastic article. Will be sharing with my
Audio Engineering instructors.
Reply
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