✍ Scribed by Bobby Owsinski
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
Mixing music—the process of combining and shaping the component parts of a song into a polished, completed recording—was once considered an unteachable art. The first edition of Bobby Owsinski’s The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook destroyed that myth forever, breaking the craft of mixing down into discrete, understandable steps and showing musicians, audio engineers, and producers exactly how to get great results in the studio. The book has since become the go-to text on mixing for recording programs in colleges and universities around the world. Now available in a completely revised fourth edition, The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook remains the best, most up-to-date source for mastering the art and science of creating pro-quality mixes
Among the many topics covered in the book include:
The six main elements of a mix that every engineer must know
The secrets of equalization and the “magic frequencies” that make vocals and instruments come to life
The rules of arrangement and how they impact your mix in a big way
Advanced techniques expected of today’s mixer, like track cleanup, adjusting track timing, pitch correction, sound replacement, and automation tricks
Tips and tricks for adding effects, sonic layering, calculating delay, and much more
The book also features interviews with 25 of the music industry’s most successful and celebrated engineers, who share their expertise, insights, and philosophies about mixing the many hits they’ve worked on. Learn the art of mixing from start to finish, and pick up tips and techniques from the pros, with The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook, Fourth Edition.
Introduction
Meet The Mixers
Some Background
The Evolution of Mixing
Different Mixing Styles
The New York Style
The LA Style
The London Style
The Nashville Style
Other Styles
12 Reasons Why Studio Mixing Is Different From Live Mixing
Learning How to Mix
Monitoring
The Listening Environment
Overcoming Potential Acoustic Problems
Monitors: Which Ones?
Basic Monitor Setup
Check the Distance Between The Monitors
Check The Angle Of The Monitors
Check How The Monitors Are Mounted
Check How The Monitor Parameters Are Set
Check The Position Of The Tweeters
Check The Desk Or Console Itself
Three Steps To Adding A Subwoofer
Mixing On Headphones
How Loud (Or Soft) Should I Listen?
Listening Techniques
Listening On Multiple Monitors
Listening In Mono
Phase Coherency
Balances
Panning
Mix Preparation
Prepping Your Session
Make a Session File Copy
Tweak The Track Timing
Check The Fades
Eliminate Noises
Comp Your Tracks
Tune Your Tracks
Consolidate Your Tracks
Arrange Your Tracks
Delete Empty Tracks
Deactivate And Hide Unused Tracks
Reorder Your Tracks
Color-Code The Tracks
Correctly Label the Tracks
Make Your Decisions
Insert Section Markers
Create Groups And Subgroups
Create Effects Channels
Assign The Channels
Insert Compressors And Limiters
Personal Preparation
Calibrate Your Hearing
Get Your Listening Reference Point
Prepare For Note-Taking
Make Yourself Comfortable
Take Frequent Breaks
Stay Focused On The Mix
The Mechanics Of Mixing
Conceptualizing The Mix
The Overall Approach
Tall, Deep, And Wide
The Signs Of An Amateur Mix
The Six Elements Of A Mix
The Intangibles Of A Mix
The Arrangement
The Performances
The Point Of Interest
The Balance Element: The Mixing Part Of Mixing
The Arrangement: Where It All Begins
Tension And Release
Conflicting Instruments
Arrangement Elements
The Foundation
The Pad
The Rhythm
The Lead
The Fills
Arrangement Examples
“Born This Way” by Lady Gaga
“Rolling in the Deep” by Adele
“Grenade” by Bruno Mars
“Refugee” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
“What Hurts the Most” by Rascal Flatts
Rules For Arrangements
Where To Build The Mix From
What’s The Genre?
Level Setting Methods
Reference Mixes
The Panorama Element: Placing the Audio In The Soundfield
The Stereo Picture
The Phantom Center
The Big Three
Big Mono
Panning Outside The Speakers
Beyond Panning For Placement
Panning In Surround Sound
A Bit Of History
The LFE Channel
Bass Management
Surround Sound Formats
Three Channel (3.0)
LCRS Four Channel (4.0)
Quadraphonic Four Channel (4.0)
Five Channel (5.0)
5.1
6.1
7.1 SDDS
7.1
10.2
11.1
Dolby Atmos
Differences Between Surround For Picture And For Music
Surround Mixing Schools Of Thought
What Do I Put In The Center Channel?
No Center Channel
Isolated Elements In The Center Channel
The Center As Part Of The Whole
What Do I Send To The LFE Channel?
Mixing Immersive Audio For Virtual Reality
The Frequency Element: Using The Equalizer
The Goals Of Equalization
The Frequency Bands and What They Do
EQ Methods
Method One: Equalize For Definition
Alternate Method
Method 2: Equalize For Size
Method 3: Juggling Frequencies
Finding An Offending Frequency
The Magic High-Pass Filter
The Magic Frequencies
6 Trouble Frequency Areas
The Relationship Between Bass And Drums
EQ Techniques
General Tips
For Snare
For Drums
For Kick
For Bass
For Guitars
For Vocals
The Dimension Element: Adding Effects
The Six Principles For Adding Effects
Using Delays
Types Of Delays
Timing Delays To The Track
Determining The Song’s Tempo
Calculating The Delay Time
Setting The Repeats
Typical Delay Setups
Delay Techniques
For Vocals:
For Guitars:
For Keyboards:
Using Reverb
Types Of Reverb
Timing Reverbs To The Track
Timing The Decay
Timing The Predelay
Typical Reverb Setups
Reverb Techniques
Using Modulation
Types Of Modulation
Flangers And Phasers
Chorus
Tremolo And Vibrato
Typical Modulation Setups
Modulation Techniques
EQing Effects
On Vocals
On Instruments
On Drums
Layering Effects
Layering Tips For Reverbs And Delays
Reamping
The Dynamics Element: Compression, Limiting, Gating, And De-Essing
Types Of Dynamics Control
Compression
Compressor Differences
Multi-Band Compression
Limiting
De-Essing
Gating
Transient Shapers
Using Compression
Controlling Dynamics
Compression As An Effect
Placement In The Signal Chain
Setting The Compressor
What’s The Right Amount Of Compression?
Parallel Compression
The New York Compression Trick
Compression On Individual Instruments
A Drum Compression Primer
Compressing The Kick And Snare
Compressing The Room Mics
Compressing Vocals
Compressing Loops
Compression On The Mix Buss
The SSL Mix Buss Compressor
Compression Techniques
For Snare
For Kick
For Room Mics
For Bass
For Vocal
For Piano
For Guitar
Using A De-Esser
Using A Gate
Gating Techniques
For Snare
For Drums
The Interest Element: The Key To Great (As Opposed To Merely Good) Mixes
The Direction Of The Song
Develop The Groove
Finding The Groove
Building The Groove
Find The Most Important Element And Emphasize It
Fifteen Steps To A Better Mix
Advanced Techniques
Cleanup
Removing Noise
Removing Clicks And Pops
Removing Count-Offs
Fixing Bad Fades
Eliminating Unwanted Distortion
Replacement
Clip Level Adjustment
Automation
Elimination
Deleting Extra MIDI Notes
Adjust The Timing
Pitch Correction
Pitch Correction Techniques
Sound Replacement
Keeping The Sound Natural
Sound Replacement Techniques
Automation
Fader Automation
Drawing The Automation
Using Automation To Add Dynamics
Automation Techniques
Gain Staging
Subgroups
Headroom
The Master Mix
Eight Indicators That Your Mix Is Finished
Competitive Level
Hypercompression
Using LUFS For Mixing
Tips For Hot Levels
Competitive Level Isn’t What It Used To Be
Mastering
Why Do I Have to Master, Anyway?
Things To Remember Before Mastering
Online Mastering
Mixing For Internet Distribution
MP3 Encoding
The Source File
The Encode
Mastered For iTunes
Alternative Mixes
Different Types Of Alternate Mixes
Stems
Bob Brockman
Bob Bullock
Joe Chiccarelli
Richard Chycki
Lee DeCarlo
Jimmy Douglass
Benny Faccone
Jerry Finn
Jon Gass
Don Hahn
Andy Johns
Bernie Kirsh
Nathaniel Kunkel
George Massenburg
Robert Orton
Greg Penny
Dave Pensado
Elliot Scheiner
Andrew Scheps
Ken Scott
Ed Seay
Allen Sides
Don Smith
Ed Stasium
Bruce Swedien
Glossary
Delay Chart
About Bobby Owsinski
Bobby Owsinski Bibliography
Bobby Owsinski Lynda.com Video Courses
Bobby Owsinski’s Online Connections
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