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Ready Mix

31. Listen in the studio to CD's you're used to hearing on your home stereo to get an ideal of how the studio's system sounds.

32. If mixing somewhere other than the recording studio you recording in, try and make sure you use the same type of speakers and set-up. If you don't, the mix will sound completely different.

33. Once you have selected an engineer (or a producer) to mix your recording, have them do the first mix. Their ears are better trained than yours. Try to keep an open mind and try to learn from the person you're paying.

34. Think about the songs as a whole and don't signal out instruments, otherwise everyone will want their instrument louder in the mix.

35. Determine a band spokesperson ahead of time. An engineer getting five different opinions on how to mix will grow tired and might cause him/her to rush through the job.

36. Decide which format you want the finished mixes to be on: high resolution .wav or .aiff files on CD-R, DVD-R, or flash drive are the preffered formast, however an audio CD or DAT are viable options as well.

37. Budget and account for unforeseen delays.

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Monitoring the Mix

27.  Listen to your music at moderate levels in your car or on a boom box. This is how most of your fans will listen to it, and mixing at loud levels will fatigue your ears and distort the "true" sound.

28. Sometime it's good to take a day off and come back to listen. The same applies for mix-down. Ears don't last very long in the studio.

29. As you review each mix, make sure you can comfortably hear all of the instruments. Tweak the mix on a small pair of speakers at an extremely low volume. Headphones are also very valuable at this stage. You should be able to pick up each instrument even at this level.

30. Learn to recognize ear fatigue. You're better off quitting a session early when you're tired than wasting time making a bad mix that will have be redone anyway. 

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The Recording Process

14. Remember, it's emotion and feeling that make the best song, not necessarily the best technical rendition.

15. If you mess up a part while recording, don't stop and start over. That can easily cause you to burn out. Instead, check to see if the engineer can punch in the correction.

16. You don't have to fill all the tracks on the tape - don't try to force something that won't fit.

17. Always keep in mind the focus of your music. If it's the vocals, plan to spend the most time on them. Don't waste time on things that don't highlight the focal point.

18. Get the sound you want while recording, never assume you can fix it in the mix.

19. Unless you have unique effects, record individual tracks clean and add effects later.

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Preparing to Record

7. Be early! At some studios, the clock starts running whether you're their or not. Find out about their cancellation policy.

8. Make the studio a comfortable relaxed place. If it's not, it will show in your finished product. Most studios will have your basic essentials, but if you need something special or special accommodation, it's up to you to make those arrangements.

9. Make sure you and your engineer have the same vision - go over your songs with him/her before recording. Before booking your studio time, ask to hear other material the engineer recorded. If artist/band and engineer are on different pages, it can be costly for who ever is paying for the studio.

10. Depending on whether the/you studio has 8, 16, 24, or 48 track capability, plan out how you will leave room for all of the essential parts. This should simplify the mix and eliminate the need for bouncing tracks later.

11. Use new strings, chords, drums sticks and heads - and bring spares.

12. Find out the hours of the local music store just in case. Most studios might be able to hook you up with some spare equipment, but you will want to use your style and brand for the perfect outcome.

13. Don't use new gear or different equipment that you haven't used before, "even if it's better than what you have." Surprises can cause problems and just because it's better does not me it will make you play better.

Rule of thumb - if you wait till the studio clock is running to tie up loose-ends it's like throwing money in the garbage. And one more misconception: hangovers and efficiency do not mix.

The Best Way to Record and Mix Drums and Base in to a Song

Many professional will tell you many different ways to go about this. There tips and tricks of all kinds when it comes to what kind of music you are mixing. But through the years I found my self reverting back to one process that I have enjoyed and think that it helps me get the best results in the least amount of time.

First I mix all of my highs or non- base and drum tracks together. Then I mute those and I mix all of the drum tracks, once I am happy with the way the drums are mixed I then bring the rest of the tracks in except for the base and I mix them according to volume and do what ever small frequency changes that are needed. Next I turn off all tracks except the base and drums and mix accordingly.


The last step is to mix them all together. I find at this point, with all of my previous mixing there is not much mixing that has to be done. You should be pretty close to the sound you are looking for without the need to do to much more frequencies changes and what not.

I think this works the best because it's usually the baseline that needs the least amount of work in terms of eq and effects. In-fact, most of the time the only thing I make changes for is the clash between the kick and the base. As long as the volume is where it's supposed to be, I find that the base needs very little work, thus making it easier to work with all of the other tracks first and then smooth in the base.

Microphone Placement for Best Performance

Have you ever come across the problem of mixing a band that you know sounds great but during the mixing process you find yourself pulling your hair out trying to find that perfect sound? Of course, all recording engineers have, but what is the problem? The problem could be a couple of different things, but most likely the problem lies in the way the music was recorded.

Recording correctly

The reason why where you record and where you place microphones is so important is it can be the difference between having an easy time mixing a recording, or having a hell of a time; it can also be the difference between a great final product or having something that sounds like poop. If you have tracks that need a lot of work to make them sound right, as the engineer you will have to use so much eq and so many different effects that the end result would be an unnatural sound. You would be better off just going back and starting all over by rerecording them again.





Here is an example

When I was just finishing school at the Recording Institute of Detroit (RID), I had a buddy who recorded a couple of songs with his band in his garage for me to mix at a later time. The band sounded awesome at the local bar but when they recorded a couple tracks in their garage the tracks were not even worthy of me taking the time to mix them. This is because a lot of people think that the mixing process is some type of magical process that can fix anything, but that is far from the truth. Eventually, we all got together, I recorded them in a more suitable place for music with correct microphone placement and before you knew it, with just a tiny bit of mixing work they had new tracks that sounded awesome.

How to Avoid This Problem All Together

If you are going to be the engineer recording a project or you are simply just recording your own band, here is the best way to get the best recordings: always make sure each instrument and all vocals coming through the microphones sound just the way you want it before you record. There is no room for error here, for the best results make it right from the beginning. Before recording, each track should not only sound good individually at the stereo-track but also while the band is all playing together.

While you're listening to them practice and you're checking and adjusting levels, take notes on what mics need to be adjusted and in which way. When you're done with the sound check, go back and make the proper adjustments. But don't make the mistake that a lot of other engineers make, don't assume its right just because you moved them; go through the sound check process again. Even if it takes you five or six times and the musicians or your band buddies are getting aggravated, trust me when it comes time to mix the tracks the outcome will make everyone happier.

Mix Your Music With No Set of Rules.

When I was attending school at the Recording Institute of Detroit, I was taught when mixing that you should start with the kick drum first then move to the bass and so on. After working on mixes and conversing with other veteran recording engineers I found out that although it might be the easiest way it is not the best way.

TIP: Never assume the way you were taught or the way you taught yourself to mix is always the best way. Each project should be mixed according to it's individual needs. 


What a recording engineer should do is think about what the vocal point of the song is and start with that. If the vocal point of the song is the vocals then you should start with that. If the song is more geared around the lead guitar then you should start with that.

Now a lot of people may say that if that is the case then you would probably start with the vocals all the time, but this is not necessarily always the truth. A perfect example of this would be rap or hip hop music in the last five or ten years. The cleverness of the lyrics from song to song have really diminished. In fact, in some cases fresh new lyrics have almost disappeared all together. If the lyrics in a song are just not that explosive, there not going to be the main thing that is going to make the song sell. There could be cases where the courses or the hook of the song along with the baseline is what sells, and the verses, well, just aren't that much to talk about. Mix the explosive hook and baseline line out front, it's what you want the people to hear, then when the verses come along focus on maybe making the groove something that is more of the focus point. It's can be difficult but it's possible.

If you know the artist well enough, you might be able to make some suggestion like shortening up the verses or changing them. But, in any event the ideal hear is to make it sound good all the way through the song, especially if your name will go on it as the engineer. 

Other cases like mixing progressive rock/metal or techno, you might find yourself in the same situation. You might have to listen to the whole song and throughout the song you may need to mix differently depending on what you want the audience to be focused on the most.