Welcome to the second episode on how to make your music sound amazing: learn how to refine your mix, be introduced to mastering, and end up with golden mixing tips under your belt!
Hello Steemians!
I am Muphy and have been a musician for decades. Today, half of my professional activity is as a composer. I make a good fraction of my living selling licenses for using my music in various media.
I had to self-teach myself sound engineering to reach the required sound quality for a chance to compete in an arena of very talented people! I am sharing with you some of that knowledge via this mini-series about mixing.
In the first episode we have seen that mixing is a crucial step in regards to making a music piece sound professional. It comes in three flavors:
- volume mixing,
- pan mixing
- frequency mixing.
All mixes need to be performed diligently before the mastering phase. Out of the three, it is frequency mixing that is the most effective in making your music sound pro, but it can also be the most challenging! We went into the grand detail of that process in the first article.
For this post, I will assume that you have been though it or have watched the associated video. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to check it out in order to enjoy at best today’s lesson.
Link to Mixing Music Part 1
Link to Video related to Mixing Music Part 1
In this episode, we will continue presenting the mixing process: after preparing the mix (cleaning up), performing a rough volume mix to give the feel to the music, and finally spectral mixing in order to separate instruments in frequency, there are still a few steps before ending with a track ready to be published!
The first one is to refine the mix in order to prepare it for mastering, and then carry out the mastering phase. In this episode, I introduce mastering very lightly only: in itself, it would deserve a full course! So here, I will limit the discussion to giving you a few starting points, and to describing the useful mastering tools that can be inserted in the main bus of the Propellerhead Reason DAW (Digital Audio Workstation).
I will conclude this mini-series about mixing with a list of ultra useful tips. And actually, in my opinion, this is the best part: in that bonus section, I am truly laying for you gold on a platter!
Feel free to either watch the video, or continue reading the article (or both!)
STEP 4 - Refining the Mix
Readjust Volume: Once you did your best during the spectral mixing step, it is important that you readjust the volumes to your liking. Frequency mixing tends to modify the perceived volume of the individual instruments. While doing so, remember to keep an eye on the vu-meter of the main bus. Make sure you leave at least 3dB headroom (loudest peak at -3dB).
Carry out a pan mix: Panning corresponds to placing the instruments in the stereo space. It allows the listener to identify where the instruments are individually located. It can also broaden the width of your music if used well. Experiment, find what sounds good for your music, and don’t forget to revert to mono from time to time to check that everything works also in this mode.
A tip: make sure that bass and kick remain in the center unless you want to make a special effect. The lead instrument or lead vocal should also be around the middle.
STEP 5 - Master your track
Mastering is the process of preparing your track for distribution.
I find the mastering tools offered in Reason, the DAW I use, to be kind of limited, so I master outside of it using a small and excellent free wave editor that can host VSTs (Wavosaur). It also allows me to separate mixing and mastering phases, forcing me into some discipline ;-). Remember, your track should already sound amazing before entering the mastering phase.
If you never mastered music before, and wish to do it directly into your DAW, you can use the following process to get started (specifics are for Reason users). All modules should be insert effects in the main bus of your DAW.
- Insert an EQ to color your track to your liking. I sometimes carry out this first step in Reason using Softube’s Trident A-Range EQ strip. In the video, I used Reason’s Masterclass EQ.
- Add a light compression to glue your track together. Here I used the global compressor of the mixing table. I normally use a VST multiband compressor for this job. There is a rack extension that can play this role on Reason but I do not own it so cannot comment.
- Distill a light reverb for ambiance. Be careful that it doesn’t clash with the reverbs you might have on individual tracks. I actually do this sometimes in Reason with Softube's TSAR 1 Rack extension. In the video, I used the RV7000 MK2.
- The last stage, 'Limiting', allows your music to participate in the loudness wars. In Reason, you need a rack extension for that: Ozone’s Maximiser does a pretty good job, but be careful not to abuse from it as it can change the nature and feel of your sound…
BONUS - The golden tips
And now, the best part! These are the super tips I learned along the way of becoming a professional music producer.
TIP 1: Problems? Try spectral mixing in mono.
You are going crazy! You cannot manage to get the mix right. So after having rested your ears, try spectral mixing in mono first… And when you’re done, go back to stereo. You’ll be surprised…
TIP 2: Compare your mix with a reference.
Use a track you like in a similar style than your music as reference. Import it in your DAW on an audio track, solo that track from time to time and listen to your reference for comparison with your own mix.
TIP 3: Don’t be impatient.
A mix may take as long as producing the track itself in terms of time, not work. When I mix a track, I sometimes have to come back to it many times. Just 20 minutes sessions, you know, but separated by hours or even days. So finish your track, tomorrow…
TIP 4: Ask for some un-biased feedback.
You have been working on this song for hours and hours. You have lost objectivity. Ask for honest feedback from other musician friends, and truly listen to what they say.
TIP 5: Never, ever, use headphones to mix or master.
Headphones are much more flattering than speakers. On the other hand, when you get a good mix on speakers, it useally sounds amazing in headphones.
TIP 6: Use neutral speakers for your mix.
Make sure the speakers you use have quite a flat spectral response and are neutral… And also, test your mix, on multiple systems like your car stereo, a boombox, computer speakers and even an i-phone!
TIP 7: Take care of your ears.
This is the most crucial one: take care of your ears. They are your most precious friends but are also very fragile. Do not play, listen or mix music too loud and for long periods of time. When you go to discos or concerts, wear earplugs. Choose those that are made for musicians: they cost just a few Steems and are quite musical (US Amazon link, European Amazon link, Japanese Amazon link). Think about it, you are a musician, and you really do not want to break your ears.
Here closes this mini-series on mixing. Please feel free to write a comment if you have any questions, and please re-steem if you found it useful for you or your follower base!
Do you want to know more, and follow the full 5-hour course on how to produce music with Reason?
Check this link on Udemy for reviews, more preview videos and more info: https://www.udemy.com/producing-music-with-reason/
Then, come back.
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Image credit: Illustrations in this article and in the video were created by me using pictures and visual elements found on Pixabay.com.
Video and music on video produced by me.
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My life revolves around music production, teaching sciences, and discovery through travel.
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