Six Pitfalls To Avoid When Mixing

David Kershenbaum

Put simply, good mixing is all about making your song work and turning your "static" tracks into a vision. I have identified six common mistakes that an inexperienced artist or producer can make when setting out to mix their work

1. THEY LOSE THE "BIG PICTURE"
Sure it's fun to play with the latest plug-in, and now that many mixes happen from one's laptop, time in the saddle and cost are no longer a factor. But great mixing is more than tweaking compressors, equalizers, effects, and hosts of other plug-ins to make cool sounds. It takes vision. It's like setting a stage. You have to have the props, the lighting, and the sound, which you need to combine in an optimal manner at just the right moment, in order for the performances of the actors on the stage to come to life. Stay focused on the end run?the "big picture." Don't get lost in the process.

2. THEY WORK BACKWARDS FROM THE BOTTOM UP
One of the big hurdles facing the inexperienced mixer is to understand exactly how to balance the track around the vocal and how to get it working optimally with the rest of the instruments. I am continually surprised by the fact that the vocal is the most important element of a record, yet many times it's the last thing added to the mix, making it have the feel of a "late guest" who arrives at the end of the night after the party's just about over. This to me is working backwards. Rather than addressing the vocal at the end of the mix process, I think you should start with it. By building your mix from the vocal down, instead of from the bottom up, you will be shaping your production around your most important asset. Isn't it what you're selling the artist?

3. THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND BALANCE
Although mixing seems quite easy, it's not. It's a process that takes years to learn. But remember, just like getting proper sounds is more than playing with plug-ins, mixing is also a lot more than merely pushing up faders.

Once you have the vocal right (EQ and effects), the next step is to add in your basic track (drums, bass, guitar and or keys). At this point, the track and the vocal must work together in unity before anything else is added. In fact, if your basic track and vocal aren't working together now, I don't think anything else you can add can ever change the fact that your foundation is weak and could collapse at any moment. Fashioned correctly, you create what I refer to as a "shell," which becomes fixed within itself. Remember, your record may not have all of its final colors at this point, but it should play out by hearing only the vocal and basic track with nothing else needed to get your point across.

Then and only then is it possible to drop and place your other instruments and vocals into that shell and know what their proper balance, EQ, stereo positioning, and optimal front wall to back wall effects should be. Hint: If you get a strong shell that moves properly within itself, the rest of the instrument placement and balance is like painting by numbers. It has to work within the confines of your shell or it's out of the mix.

4. THEY DON'T HAVE A WORKING KNOWLEDGE OF EQ AND HOW IT CAN MAKE OR BREAK THE ELEMENTS OF THE MIX.
As well as balance and positioning, EQ is another important element that many times is misunderstood and not fully maximized. Certain instruments by nature have similar problem frequencies that can compound quickly, tearing away at the clarity of your mix. Case in point could be an overly boomy bass and guitar track that build up similar frequencies in the low to mid bottom range and virtually "cover up" many of the other elements of the track.

The temptation here is to merely turn up the volume on the tracks that are being compromised, but that's not the answer. Learning how to carve out the problem frequencies will allow everything to have its perfect place in the picture. It will add greatly to the clarity of your mix, allowing for more detail and transparency. Remember, elements that are too bright can be annoying and hard to blend together; those that are too dull are hard to hear and feel in relation to other elements in the track.

5. THEY TEND TO "OVERUSE" COMPRESSION
Without question a great compressor is a wonderful tool. However, used incorrectly in the recording of a track (or more importantly on a stereo mix buss) can create massive destruction, which is virtually impossible to correct later. That is where plug-ins do come in very handy.

The fact is that as you continue to add instruments and vocals to your production, the demand for (and kind of) compression needed will change as you add each element. So, always leave your options open. Only monitor your compression and never commit to it until you have to. (The same is true with EQ).

No doubt, using a compressor on your 2-track buss can add detail, transparency and dynamic excitement. But, if you're lucky enough to have your record professionally mastered, resist the temptation to premaster yourself in the mix stage; leave it to the mastering engineer, who will have much better and more sophisticated equipment to get the job done. He will also have a fresh perspective on how to use it. If you can swing the costs -- let the "masters" do the mastering. It's worth it.

6. THEY DON'T LISTEN ON ACCURATE MONITORING SYSTEMS
Many times, people depend on monitors that are not reflective of the true sound that is being captured. Even worse are "hyped" speakers, which can be really fun to listen to. It's critical that you are reproducing what you're actually hearing in your stereo mix. Speakers don't have to cost an arm and a leg to be adequate. I've heard really expensive speakers sound horrible. Expensive or not, they all have their own idiosyncrasies anyway.

The trick here is to know your monitors well and know what a good balanced mix should sound like on them. It is extremely important to continually compare and "A" "B" your work to other great sounding records both in your room and on your speakers. Besides, most people today will listen to your records on inexpensive iPod headphones or car stereos. Be sure that you check your work on those systems in order to see if it still stands up.

Artists that David Kershenbaum has worked with or signed have sold in excess of $1 billion. His credits include Supertramp, Cat Stevens, Tracy Chapman and Joe Jackso, but he is especially known for developing and breaking new artists. Kershenbaum has had senior exec roles at three major labels, and is considered by many to be one of the top, and most respected producers in the world. Visit him at www.musicproshollywood.com, www.davidkersenbaumproductions.com.