Quote:

David. I also appreciate your mixing tips and would be interested to know, generally, what order you would go in if, say, you had vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, rhythm piano, bass and drums (in a very simple case)


I'm really not an expert at this, in any sense. I have read quite a bit (and played around with it), so I guess I can pretend to be one on the internet!

The suggestion that I gave came from one of the last books I'd read on mixing. A "pro" can wing it a lot more, but for a beginner, the author (sorry, I forget the book title) suggested this as a good approach that gives consistent results. I tried it myself, and was pleased with the results.

One thing I'm not sure I communicated well is that you mix in sections, so each section may get a different treatment. The author suggested was starting with the loudest section, because most of the sections of that type (verse, chorus) will be mixed similarly. To achieve contrast, you follow the general plan of the "loud" section, but remove tracks to make that section quieter. It's an easy way to get continuity and contrast.

As for the order you do the tracks, it really depends on the style, and what you're trying to achieve. I'd suggest that vocals should always be most important, because that's what most songs are about. The author (of the book that I still can't remember the title of) said there isn't any set order of instruments, because each song is different.

However... Most pros suggest using reference tracks - advice I need to start follow myself! Critical listening to other people's mixes will bring a lot more awareness to what you're doing.

But when in doubt, always trust your ears. That's the key to anything musical.

Sorry I can't be more helpful, but if anyone else has good suggestions about what's worked for them, feel free to chime in!

-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?