~ Mixing Music
What's mixing music?
Mixing music is done by a audio professional, where he adjusts the music technically, emotionally and creativitely in order to enhance it's original production. The mixing process involves a array of techniques and tools, where experience plays a role. The listening environment is also very important, otherwise a mix might not translate well when heard in other situations.
~ The importance of mixing music
Why is mixing music important?
The goal of mixing music is to deliver a final product that sounds clear and emotionally impactful.
The mixer helps the artist bring his vision, turning into a immersive sounding experience that connects with the listener.
It has a significant impact on the overall sound quality and makes a huge difference when it's perceived by the listener.
~ Process of mixing music
What's the process behind mixing music?
Mixing music is both technical and emotional.
In order to fullfil this goal, the mixer, when needed, uses tools / techniques such as: balancing levels,
equalization, dynamic range, reverberation, delays, phase adjustment...
Every step during across the mix will accumulate into the final product, that's why a great mix is the
sum of all the small changes, that will have a big impact in the end.
~ Mixing music for film
Mixing music for film acts as supportive role.
When mixing music for film, there's a crucial difference. The music acts as a supportive role alongside the film's narrative and can be played simultaneously with dialogue and sound effects. Initially, it's mixed by the Music Mixer, prioritizing how the music sounds without the picture. Later, the re-recording mixer finalizes the film's mix. Stems are usually provided for more flexibility when mixing the film. This allows the re-recording mixer to lower a section of the music to clear space for dialogue / sound effects while keeping the rest of the music intact.
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Is the gear relevant for mixing in post?
Not exactly. In terms of audio processing, the gear itself is usually high quality, even for the digital tools included with a DAW. It’s more about knowing how to use the gear properly. A great piece of gear can sound bad in the hands of an amateur, while a less ideal piece of gear can sound good in the hands of a professional.
In mixing, experience and skill are far more important than the gear itself, although good, reliable equipment and a properly treated acoustic space are essential for accurate listening. -
Is Analog gear better than Digital gear?
Not really, although sound exists in the physical domain and we do need analog gear to capture and reproduce it. The advantage of digital sound lies in fidelity, precision and data storage. In those areas analog can't compete with digital. However, there are some disadvantages to the digital domain, such as "aliasing," which can create unwanted distortions when using non-linear processes. Analog does not suffer from this issue. Today, most top mixers work primarily in-the-box (ITB), using digital gear.
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Is there any secret for getting professional quality audio?
There are no secrets, but a lot of experience and skill are involved. Obviously, the quality of the recordings will also determine the quality of the final product. How do you identify each problem to solve and know when they’re resolved? How do you achieve the sound you want? How do you handle different types of noise? What's the emotion the artist desires? How can that feeling be enhanced?
Many of these questions are answered through experience. While some solutions may seem straightforward in theory, in practice, they can take a lot of time to implement.
The "secret" is to learn the craft or hire someone with the skills and experience to do so. -
What's the difference between a Music Mixer and a Re-recording Mixer?
The music mixer is in charge of mixing the music while the re-recording mixer is in charge of mixing the whole film.