What do mix engineers do

A typical mastering workflow goes something like this:. The creative changes that happen during the mastering stage are subtler than those at the mixing stage. Most EQ changes are around 1 dB up or down. Since changes are made to a stereo file, there will be unexpected consequences that need to be listened for. Has a cut in the low-end somehow added an edge in the presence range? Plus access six more industry-standard plug-ins, production courses, custom presets, and royalty-free sample packs.

Depending on how a production sounds when it reaches the mixer, a full song mix can take anywhere from a day to a week. This time investment requires mixing engineers to develop a routine that enables focus and avoids ear fatigue. It also requires discipline in the face of external issues, from computer malfunctions to sinus infections.

Mastering, however, traditionally takes much less time. An album can be addressed in half a day. The quickness in time is tied to perspective. The mixing engineer takes a deep dive into your music, shaping it over the course of days or weeks. This is by design and necessity: you want the engineer to pay close attention to every little thing in every track that contributes to the vibe. Mastering engineers, however, aim to provide a balanced and objective perspective, so they try not to get lost in the weeds.

EQ, Compression, and Limiting can be found in both disciplines. However, the quality of these devices is different in mixing and in mastering. By default, Neutron Pro offers a broad gain range for its equalizer: with a mouse, you can boost up to 15 dB in Neutron Pro, and cut down to dB. This is more suitable for mixing. Not so in Ozone Pro. In Ozone, the gain range is sized with mastering in mind: the mousable range is decreased, made subtler for the practice of mastering—you can only drag up to 6 dB and down to dB.

Ozone Pro also offers linear-phase filtering which is arguably more suited to mastering than the mix. EQ is but one tool that both engineers use which can differ in application and features. Compressors also differ : Nectar Pro offers an Optical mode, which emulates the subtle harmonic coloration and non-linear attack and release characteristics of classic hardware optical compressors, while Ozone does not.

Ozone offers expansion, to breathe life into overly-compressed tracks, typically in a mastering session. Neutron Pro does not. Mastering engineers often use brickwall limiters to hit these targets without causing too much distortion. For those who are new to the world of audio, mixing and mastering can feel a lot less accessible than production or playing instruments.

I hope the points listed in this article have allowed you to achieve a higher understanding of what happens during these important post-production steps, so that perhaps you too will get in on the secret. Here are ten mastering tips to get a great master on your own, no matter your expertise. Want to know which mistakes to avoid when mixing? De-essing is useful for reducing harshness in vocals and other instruments.

Get top stories of the week and special discount offers right in your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time. Learn how to identify mixing and mastering processes in music production. Get the highest quality sound every time. Music Production Suite Pro. Try for Free. Never Miss an Article! What is mixing?

Whenever a song is enjoyed for either its quality or clarity, a substantial amount of praise goes to the effort of the mix engineer. The mix engineer is a true specialist in sound systems and audio recording equipment involved in balancing sounds from different sources according to their frequency, pitch and dynamic volume.

Mix engineers or mixing professionals must have several years of experience in handling a variety of sound equipment. They serve as a link between the musician or artist and the scientific use that the mixing equipment was design for.

Using their expertise to assess the consonance of sound sources and integrate them together, they can bring out at times unlimited amounts of interesting and potentially fashionable results. Most engineers these days have a degree in sound audio engineering, while some have been lucky enough to receive formal training in the field from their circumstance being intertwined with a nearby studio or contact in a favourable position.

Handling the complex variety of sound equipment can expand the knowledge of a mix engineer much more than just the degree paper. This is because of several years of keen observation and participation in recording and mixing or online mixing sessions of various kinds of sounds and music will give the engineering insight into what would work well with the tools he or she may have in the future circumstance.

Most mix engineers depend on their own senses and perception when balancing audio sounds, though there some formats and actions often set out as standard in each mix session.

These include:. The mixing console or DAW containing fader channels is the most important tool of an audio engineer. This enables the engineer to isolate and blend instruments within a track, which is made possible due to all the individual sounds being laid out. This enables the engineer to hear what and if a specific mixing process needs to be performed on a particular instrument or sound. The different components that constitute a song are often not recorded at the same time, therefore the mix engineer will have a role to play in harmonising all these separate elements of the song into one perfect flow after the track has been arranged.

Search for: Search. My account My Cart. Need mix engineers? Our mix engineers. Mix engineers with years of experience Stunning mixing equipment to use your tracks.

Keep reading. What can our mix engineers do? Personalise your order options to start. Upload your files. We deliver your track. What do our previous clients say? A Terrific Experience! See these reviews on TrustPilot. Lastly , further equalization could be used to amplify and accentuate the 2kHz area, which would make the vocal stand out from the other instrumentation. It shows the aforementioned forms of processing, as well as some that are not mentioned in the above example.

This is just one example of how multiple forms of processing come together during the mixing process to achieve the desired effect. Step 1: Use subtractive equalization to attenuate any frequencies that make the lead vocal sound unintelligible, or clash with the other instrumentation. Step 2: Use compression to both control dynamics and amplify quieter aspects of the recording.

A low-level compressor would be a great option for this step. Step 3: Introduce harmonic distortion. This can be accomplished with distortion plugins or analog emulation plugins. Be sure not to do so excessively, unless a distorted sound is desired. Step 4: Use a delay shorter than ms to create a perceivable thicker vocal, without the perception of two separate signals.

A delay time of greater than ms will result in two perceivable signals. Once the mixing process is complete, either the mixing engineer or the client will submit the mix or mixes for audio mastering. Considering audio mastering results in affecting the stereo file of a mix, a mixing engineer should not do any processing that affects the entirety of the mix. The processing that a mixing engineer should avoid, is any processing that affects the entirety of the mix at once.

Or any other form of processing in which the entire mix is processed collectively. The reason for this is that much of this processing will be and should be handled by a mastering engineer. Regardless of this, many mixing engineers make the mistake of adding this type of processing to their entire mix. Any mixing engineer that does this is simply making the job of a mastering engineer more difficult, and possibly exacerbating any flaws or issues with their mix that could have otherwise been properly addressed during a proper mastering session.

With that said, a mixing engineer understands that there is more processing that will occur after their job is finished. Part of mixing a mix correctly is ensuring that this further processing can occur, and can be used to remedy or accentuate any aspects of the mix that need addressing.

Furthermore, a mixing engineer should not export the mix at a loud level that closely mimics the final loudness the track will be mastered too. Leaving enough headroom for a mastering engineer to work is crucial to providing a good mix. If your mix is ready for mastering, send it to us here:. This way you can hear how your track would sound mastered, and in turn, truly know if your mix is finished.

Mixing techniques can be used to closely mimic the emotional content or the context of a song, by introducing forms of processing that evoke or augment that emotional content. One example of mixing for a creative effect is using reverb to create a larger than life, or ethereal feeling. Of course, this example is a pretty broad one but does demonstrate how processing can evoke a feeling nonetheless. In the song, Eilish sings about being in a confusing dreamscape, in which where she truly is, is a mystery.

Fittingly, the instrumentation is muted tonally speaking, with the high end being almost none existent, creating a lack of definition — similar to how a blur would be used in film or photography.

This clever trick, although perhaps a common and known technique amongst mixing engineers, creates a greater emersion for the listener. These are the types of decisions a mixing engineer can make that takes the vocation of mixing from a purely technical one, to a creative and artistic endeavor. Ultimately, these types of techniques bring depth and complexity to a mix, as they serve to augment the listening experience both sonically and emotionally.