MIXING

The Art and Science of Mixing: An attempt at explaining my process

I have mixed a lot of music – both at concerts and in the studio. I have in relation to another project tried to define my process and through that I have developed a dedicated process for doing so. This process typically unfolds in several stages:

1. 1. Setup and preliminary structure: This involves organizing the session, establishing a preliminary structure, and color-coding tracks for better overview.
   2. Material refinement: In this phase, I roughly allocate weight and emphasis to different elements, often by muting certain parts to highlight others.
   3. Vibe exploration: Here, I seek to find the essence of the track among all its elements. This is also where the fundamental meaning of the song starts to emerge.
   4. Transition refinement: Iteratively, I sharpen the transitions between sections to ensure that each new part feels like a natural progression from the previous one, maintaining a sense of dramaturgy.
   5. Correction and fine-tuning: Multiple rounds of listening and correction follow, focusing on parameters like weight, depth, essence, transitions, and overall balance.

The goal of my mixing process is to find a balance on the razor’s edge, where the mix never feels "too much" (overly intentional) or "too little" (underwhelming given the material’s potential). Listening for quality parameters and the inherent potential of the raw material is a constant endeavor. The mix should elevate the material, presenting it with a unique artistic expression that makes it sound like a finished record. 

(The term could be defined through experience with process of producing music based on industry standards, professional benchmarks, aesthetic judgment, and market expectations, indicating a track – or the process from artistic idea to a commercially ready product).

I do believe that mixing music is a task that demands a certain ruthlessness, a willingness to dismantle and reassemble, while still also serving the song.

The aim is for the overall expression to remain cohesive, ensuring that nothing stands out as foreign to the rest of the mix. The music should "speak the same language" and be consistent throughout. When the music “sounds like a record” to me,  it means it has reached a point where further changes would require radical, nearly destructive actions. At this stage, the music has transcended its initial possibilities and now exists as a cohesive, artistic whole – a product.

MIXING THIS PROJECT

When mixing this project, I initially removed certain elements to make the music unified, which allowed me to focus on the overall "landscaping of things." 

Mixing the recordings in this project is related to the challenge of merging, but it's also about creating a unique blend of the two styles. This duality captures the tension of condensing the essence of something. It's delicate work that requires a deep, intuitive understanding of what aesthetics the music is part of or trying to be part of whilst at the same time it has to translate into something a listener can enjoy and tap into.

For this project, getting the vocal to sit right was crucial. I spent a significant amount of time experimenting with different methods. Ultimately, I developed a concept for the vocal that involved using two small reverbs (each under one second) with a decent amount of pre-delay. This approach aimed to create a sense of intimacy with the voice while still providing an ambient space where the voice felt like its own instrument. This meticulous attention to the vocal track was essential in achieving a balanced and immersive listening experience. By carefully adjusting the reverbs and pre-delay, I was able to craft a vocal sound that was both close and enveloping, enhancing the overall texture and depth of the music.

I won't delve too deeply into the mixing process here, as technical details are not crucial for the research project. However, it is important to discuss the decisions and internal negotiations regarding transitions between different A-B sections or when one instrument from Nashville is replaced by another from Rio. This process became an exercise in artistic assimilation, allowing me to achieve a form of integration that created a new, third element.

My approach to mixing the music in this project is a microcosm of the foundational idea of creating something entirely new from the fusion of two distinct elements. It’s not just about layering sounds but synthesizing them into a new, integrated sound that transcends the individual components. 

This "new third element" is the ultimate goal—a complex feat involving not just mixing tracks but looking for or inventing a new musical synthesis from the recordings.

The mixing process was challenging, forcing me to navigate the chaos of two bands playing simultaneously and decide what to use and what to discard. This often left me feeling disconnected from the material when selecting what to use. I settled on a mixing method I describe as "almost closing my eyes"—focusing on the shapes rather than the details, as constant attention to detail would distract me.

It's not that I lack the ability to discuss how I use instruments like EQ, compression, levels, and effects when mixing. Rather, I've built an artistic practice and career around working quickly, intuitively, and fluidly.

This approach allows me to maintain a creative flow and respond to the music in real-time when I mix, shaping the sound in a way that feels natural and authentic.

This often left me feeling disconnected from the material when selecting what to use.

I settled on a mixing method I describe as "almost closing my eyes"—focusing on the shapes rather than the details, as constant attention to detail would distract me.

While I am satisfied with the results, this process showed me that there are many ways to achieve something new – all of them good but different. The final product is the result of my choices, and it's almost impossible to backtrack and justify why something was chosen over something else. I mix based on intuition, using rational thoughts only for objective facts such as dynamic range and frequency response etc.

Therefore, I work intuitively and react impulsively to what comes to me, without following a plan or checklist. This requires me to stay in touch with my emotions, navigating with them as I did when writing the songs. The key difference is that in mixing, I have something to relate to, unlike in the songwriting phase where I had a blank canvas.