patibility, human perception changes under dif-to keep a handle on this is to set the L/R master
ferent listening conditions, matching similarfader a few dB above unity, and to set your initial
product in your market, not to mention tonalmonitor levels pretty high. As you get closer and
and level balance between songs, and meetingcloser to your final, you can ease the monitor levels
the criteria for tape and disc mastering.down and easeup the master fader to unity, which is
where it should be.
MIXING SETUP
If your multitrack tape machine will do it, put it in
Clean and align your mixing machine accord-the loop mode so it will just play the song over and
ing to the manufacturerOs instructions. If itOs aover. Start mixing a group of tracks that run through-
digital machine, sacrifice a full floppy disk in itsout the song, maybe drums or the rhythm section.
presence to ensure smooth operation duringSet the panning, level, EQ, reverb and delay,
mixdown.and bring in more tracks as the mix begins to
Group all your inputs in some sensible way, keep-jell. DonOt make any level marks on your fader
ing drums, vocals and synths next to each other.tapes yet, but as the mix comes together, try to
YouOll probably have to repatch some of yournote which sections work without a lot of fader
tape returns to do this. Lay a strip of 1/2" whitemoves. Look for what appears to be the loudest
tape across all the console input channels for label-part. Sometimes turning the Control Room LevelRECORDING
ing. Put 1/4" strips of tape vertically along eachway down, so the mix is very quiet, will reveal
fader to mark levels.what sounds are clearly louder than others.
Now take a listen to your model on CD or DAT.
Pick a ModelMake some adjustments in your mix to put it
Get copies of music youOd like to approximate incloser. When you think itOs getting reasonable, find
your mix, and patch the CD or DAT machine into thethat loudest section that you located, and pull the
external jacks on the console. Then you can A-B yourmaster fader back to get the levels close to normal
mix against your model at the flick of a switch to seeon the main meters. Then go to the section that
if youOre really getting that snare sound or not.works by itself and start making little marks on
Consider Compressionthe fader strips. YouOre getting close.
Listen to the model again. Start making more
You can mix an entire project without a lick ofmarks for the moves. Repeat until it sounds like
compression; many engineers do. The dynamica hit. Serves four adults.
range of a CD can certainly handle it. But con-
sider: most people listen to what you mix underUsing External Processing
less than ideal conditions. There is backgroundCompressors, gates and equalizers are gener-
noise and road noise, and most people donOtally inserted into the signal path. They are
listen as loud as you mix. A little gentle compres-referred to as Oserial devices,� used in series
sion, whether on individual tracks or on thewith the signal path. All the signal goes into the
entire mix, can reduce the dynamic range a bitdevice, then out and back to the mixerOs signal path.
and pull your mix together. Also, if you want toReverb, echo, delay, aural excitement and
simulate what your mix will sound like over thespatial enhancement are usually set up as send/
airwaves, you can compresss the heck out of it,return devices. These are referred to as Oparallel
like they do. They use very fancy compressors,devices.� Some amount of signal is Oborrowed�
but any compressor will give you an idea of whatfrom a channel via an AUX Send, sent to the de-
will happen. This is good for checking things out,vice, processed and returned to the mixer as a
but not for your final mix.new, wet signal via the AUX Returns, to be mixed
with the original, dry signal.
DOING THE MIX
Assuming the console has been normalled, allInsert Devices
you have to do to get ready to mix is to engageA compressor/limiter after EQ will compress
the FLIP and L/R MIX switches (unless you aredifferently than one inserted before the EQ. A
using the submasters to group channels) oncompressor/limiter inserted before a master fader
each of the input channels and select L/R MIXwill limit consistently, but one after the same
as your Monitor Source. Pull all the channel in-fader will effectively have its threshold moved by
put faders down.the fader level. None of these choices are right or
There is a tendency for levels to creep upwards aswrong, they just have different effects.
you add more and more tracks to your mix. One way
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