Canadian Musician - March/April 2017 | Page 59

RECORDING

Dajaun Martineau is a producer / engineer / writer based out of Toronto , ON , who spent the better part of a decade as a Senior Staff Engineer at Phase One Studios before going freelance . For his full discography and more information , visit Dajaun . com .
By Dajaun Martineau

How to Limit Yourself in a Mix

Traditionally , when a mix engineer sat down in a studio to start balancing a mix , their palette was limited to whatever console and outboard gear the studio owned . The limitations established by the work environment would greatly influence the tone of the project . That ’ s why you have classic rooms like Abbey Road or Motown that have very distinctive sounds .

Over time , engineers began collecting their own favourite pieces and started bringing equipment to mix sessions so they could augment the sound or add their signature touch .
Modern engineers don ’ t have the same limitations thrust upon them . Now that we are settling into the digital age , every engineer can have an infinite number of routing options and choose from a selection of virtual outboard equipment . The average hobbyist has access to technology that would put even the greatest studios of old to shame .
One might imagine that having a limitless number of every piece of equipment would be the dream , but infinity has a tone all of its own . The tone of unrestricted mixing is not entirely familiar to the ears of our listeners yet . Music fans still love the tones of distortion from vintage microphones , tube guitar amps , and the colour of vintage consoles and tape .
As modern mix engineers , we have to learn how to limit ourselves stylistically . Just as analog engineers would have their choice units , you too have to select yours in the digital realm . Here are a few things you can do in your mixes to impose limitations upon yourself when mixing digitally .
Build Your Dream Studio & Stick to It Before I start a digital mix , I like to sit back and picture the perfect studio to mix that song in . What kind of desk does it have ? How much outboard gear is in the studio ? Is there a tape machine in the corner ? Once you have your dream studio in mind , stick to it ! If you run out of your favourite vocal compressors because you only pictured four of them in the producer ’ s desk , then start bussing the backup vocals together . If you have trouble visualizing your dream studio then you can start by looking up some pictures of studios where your favourite records were done and see what kind of gear they have .
Bus Your Reverbs By far the largest mistake I see with beginner mix engineers is dropping in a reverb as an insert on the channel strip they want to be affected . Traditionally , studios would have two or three reverb units max . Some just had one plate reverb or a resonation chamber . Usually the few reverbs the studio had were normalled to the effects sends on the console and returned on effects return channels . It might seem like a disappointment that you can ’ t create different spaces for each element but it has a happy side effect of forcing you to establish one room sound for the song . The way that sounds interact in a reverb unit adds a unifying element to the song that you would never get even if you were to insert the exact same reverb on every track .
Route First , EQ Later Another common mistake I see when people start a mix is to start treating each channel as they pull it up . Spending 20 minutes getting the EQ curve and compression settings just right on the kick drum is going to be completely useless the second you pull up any other track . Focus on that dream studio and the perfect routing layout for your mix before you grab any EQ . Get all of your drum tracks up and routed appropriately . Prepare any tracks you may want to use for parallel compression and set up your mix bus . You may want to even go as far as setting up your reverb sends and various effects that you may want to use . The other great part about preparing this way is that once you ’ re deep in your creative flow , you won ’ t have to spend time setting things up ; they should already be set and in place , ready for you to grab on a whim .
Beginners Work Backwards If you are newer to mixing , you may want to consider a simple beginner ’ s trick . When you are starting out , your ears haven ’ t had as long to develop and are just yearning for the satisfaction of the final mixes you have been hearing on the radio your whole life . So try satisfying your ears by working backwards . EQ your mix bus first to get that big “ mastered ” happy face EQ curve you are used to hearing . You can even throw on some bus compression and limiting if you are feeling adventurous . Starting at the end of your chain and working backwards will prevent you from making the mistake of over-equalizing individual elements in your mix . With your whole mix bright and loud , you won ’ t be tempted to boost that 10K shelf on the vocals that you think you hear in all the songs you are referencing . Working backwards like this won ’ t work forever and you can definitely end up making some dangerous levelling moves , but it will prevent you from making a lot of equalization mistakes at the early stages .
Once you start establishing parameters and limitations for your mixes , you ’ ll start focusing on doing the job with the tools you have in front of you . You don ’ t want to end up like we all have at one point or another , endlessly scrolling through plug-in lists looking for that perfect sound .
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