Rock Star,

This is a very good spreadsheet, and I saved it when you first sent it out. Really good.

In the 900 page book I was speaking of, this might fall under a chapter on "arrangement."

I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments.

Narrowing things down to the "how do we take what we have arranged and make it sound (sonically) better" I think it is important to master the Eq-ing skills required of every instrument, because the skills (and tools) can be so vastly different.

There are so many things involved in mixing it is hard to answer the original question succinctly. It is kind of like asking: how do you build a house.

However, one common denominator of bad sounding mixes I have noticed is that the individual instruments are Eq-ed poorly. Attention may have been paid to the levels and panning and so forth, but not the SOUND of the instruments. Properly Eq-ed individual instruments = professional dynamic range specs for the final mix which makes it possible to master. If you do not take these steps your final mix cannot be mastered. There will be no hope.

A bad acoustic guitar EQ for example, will make me turn off a song in 2 seconds. I can't listen.

YMMV.

David Snyder
Songwriter/Renaissance Man
Studio + Fingers

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