Got You Covered

Nov 1, 2001 12:00 PM, By Kevin Smith

Once isn't always enough. Consider the following scenario: you do everything by the book — mix on reliable monitors, reference your mix to those in a similar style on major-label CDs, and check the mix on a variety of playback systems. A trusted second pair of ears helps with the mix, and you get positive feedback from several audio-savvy friends. By any account, your mix sounds great. Yet when you take the song to be mastered, the engineer says, “Hey, these vocals sound kind of buried. Do you have another mix with the vocals a bit hotter?” Your heart sinks. It had crossed your mind that the vocals could have been mixed hotter, but you were so excited about completing the project that you decided against it, even though doing a second mix would have taken a mere five minutes.

Sound familiar? If so, you perhaps learned the hard way what every experienced mixer knows: multiple mixes can save the day. Multiple mixes are alternate versions of an initial “final” mix. Typically, they incorporate modest level changes on critical elements — vocals, bass, effects, and so on. That provides options at the mastering stage and increases your odds of getting the best mix for the project. You may also need multiple mixes for situations such as mono playback (television), music beds, live performance, and remixes (by outside remixers). In addition to saving you hours of work and your client the expense of recalling a previous mix, multiple mixes can help you appear better organized and more professional to clients and industry executives.

How many alternate mixes are enough? There's no rule, but professional mix engineers routinely make six to ten mixes of a song and sometimes more than twice that. In other words, multiple mixes have become a mainstay of the modern mixer's duties. So do yourself (and your clients) a favor by planning in advance for multiple mixes and figure the extra time required into the job estimate. Not only are you more likely to end up with the perfect mix for the project, but the time required for preparing and printing the alternate mixes will also be perceived from the start, whether by you or your client, as part of the project rather than as an unnecessary last-minute hassle and expense.

THINKIN' IT THROUGH

For the purposes of this article, I'll assume you're working from a good mix. Multiple mixes are not intended to fix an existing mix, but to give you the advantage of having other versions of the mix already in the can. The extra mixes may or may not end up getting used; making them, however, is a smart move and a good safeguard.

How many and what types of alternate mixes are appropriate for a song or project is generally determined by the style of the music and the likely uses of the song or songs. I'll separate projects into three categories: vocal-based, non-vocal-based, and instrumental. Vocal-based can be in any style — folk, rock, pop, country, jazz, blues, R&B, rap, hip-hop, you name it. (I'll also assume you know how vocals are conventionally mixed in the style you work in.) The instrumental category covers a range of styles, too — think of the Ventures, Kenny G, and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. The non-vocal-based category, though a bit harder to define, basically includes anything in between, from a TV spot in which sound effects are the main course to a jazz track that has vocals but for which an instrument carries the hook or main melody.

After categorizing the song, think of how it is going to be used. Is it by a group or a solo act? Will it be released as a single or an album track? Will it be performed live? Is it likely the song will get remixed? Those considerations will help you determine how many mix variations to plan for.

Once I determine the category and how the track will be used, the list of extra mixes begins to take shape. I have a number of base mixes I tend to do for any song, but depending on the project or band, I frequently end up creating additional mixes beyond those. For example, for a recent single, I did 16 mixes in addition to the main mix — hopefully enough permutations to cover the song's trajectory (see the table, “Bases Loaded”).

Following are theories behind some common mix variations. Although some variations may seem redundant or unnecessary, I can attest to having used, at one time or another, each one described.

Finally, remember that there are no rules. The point is to make mixes you know will be useful to those who will be playing, performing, and pitching the song. It's likely you will need to come up with mix variations not addressed here, so don't hesitate to adapt them however you see fit.

Main mix

The main mix is the one agreed upon by those whose opinions count — the mix engineer, the producer, the singer, the songwriter, the band, or whomever. All variations are based upon the main mix. It gives you a reference point when comparing mixes.

Main-mix variations

These mixes give you (or the mastering engineer) valuable options when it comes to deciding which mix gets used on the CD or other release. That is, the initially designated main mix may be supplanted by a variation, which then becomes the main mix.

In a vocal-based song, the lead vocal is typically the key element and thus is a good starting point for variations. Adjusting its level 2 dB up or down really changes the mix's feel, so I always do at least those two variations. For a featured vocal — say, on a jazz ballad or a songwriter's demo — the vocal typically needs to sit a bit on top of the other instruments; for a dance track or heavy-rock song, it may need to be somewhat buried in the mix. Having multiple mixes with the vocals approximately 2 dB up and 2 dB down gives you the flexibility to go either way.

Another thing that can really change the feel of a mix is the level of the kick drum and bass guitar (which, for these purposes, I think of as a single element). Thus, I also do variations with both the kick and the bass 2 dB up and 2 dB down.

If you extend that strategy to cover all possible permutations resulting from changes in just vocals and kick/bass, the number of mix variations grows exponentially to eight: the four already described, plus vocal 2 dB up and kick/bass 2 dB down, vocal 2 dB down and kick/bass 2 dB up, vocal and kick/bass 2 dB up, and vocal and kick/bass 2 dB down. That can soon lead to overkill, so you may need to limit yourself at some point, making sure that each mix variation contributes a truly different, and usable, perspective of the mix.

Another element you may want to mix variations for is effects, especially those on the main vocal and any ambience or similar unifying effects gracing the whole mix. In that case, the 2 dB up and down variations result in one mix that's slightly wetter (with more effects) than the main mix and another that's slightly drier (with less effects).

Instrumental mix

It's always a good idea to make an instrumental mix. I have found them invaluable, whether for background music for a TV show or Web site, for dance-club play, or even as a mix that a new singer can use to practice his or her parts.

Making an instrumental mix is simple: just mute the vocals. To really cover the bases, do the same up/down, kick/bass mixes you did on the main-mix variations. The instrumental is especially useful if you know the song will be released as a single (DJs love instrumentals). That way, too, your mastered instrumentals will sound identical to your mastered final mixes, sans vocals.

Performance mixes

I typically reserve these mixes for solo, rap, and hip-hop artists or for situations in which a performance will accompany the prerecorded tracks. Most rock and jazz bands don't play along with prerecorded tracks unless they are doing a song with special sound effects, and even then the keyboardist or drummer often triggers the sound effects. However, track performances are frequently the life of dance, rap, hip-hop, and solo artists who don't have bands or perform at venues that can't host a live band.

That's when things can get tricky. You have to think of every situation that the performer might encounter and then create the appropriate mix for each. For example, consider a solo vocalist who has a featured artist on his or her record. First, I would do a mix without the main artist's lead vocal, but with the guest vocal in. Next, I would do one without the artist's vocal and without the featured artist's vocal, just in case the two ever perform the song together live, but keep in any ad-libs and vocal doubling. If the song has background vocals, I might also want a mix with the main and guest artists' vocals, but no backgrounds otherwise. I might also need a mix with the main artist's vocals out, the guest artist's vocals out, and no backgrounds — but that would be the same as the instrumental, so I'm covered there.

When trying to predict all possible situations for a song, it helps to discuss the scenarios with the artist, producer, manager, or whomever. Ask what performance situations the artist typically encounters and what type of promotion was done on his or her last project. Although it's not possible to foresee all uses of a song, with careful thought and mix planning, you should be able to provide a lot of flexibility for the artist.

A cappella mix

This is simply a mix of only vocals — not, as the name suggests, a mix of an actual a cappella performance. The a cappella mix is most useful to remixers and DJs who want to build new music tracks around an original vocal or mix the vocal over a different track. For maximum remixability, make wet and dry versions (that is, one mix with the original effects on the vocal and another without). Also, document all tempos and any tempo changes to take guesswork out of the equation.

Drum mix

Another helpful mix for remixers and DJs is one of only the drum tracks. If the song has percussion, leave that in too. For variations, make wet and dry versions and possibly even a mix with radical pan settings.

Click-track mix

Consider making a mix featuring a click track. A click-track mix is useful in situations in which a live band can play the song, but certain parts on the recording cannot be reproduced live — for example, a church choir or the sound of a jet taking off. In this case, mix a click track to one channel and the unreproducible parts to the other. The live-sound engineer can send the click track to the drummer (and to whomever else may want it) and route the other channel to the main speakers (and monitors, if necessary). If you have an Alesis ADAT, Tascam DA-88, or portable digital audio workstation (DAW), you could also make a 2-track stereo mix of the unreproducible material (to cover dramatic pan effects) and use a third track for the drummer's click.

KEEPING TRACK

Organization is highly important when doing multiple mixes. For one thing, during a mix, your ear acclimates to hear even the most subtle change — but fast-forward to six months from now, and it's likely your mix variations will sound surprisingly similar, making it hard to correctly identify what's what if you didn't keep good records.

Develop a simple, consistent method of documenting mix variations. I emphasize simple because someone other than you may end up recalling the mixes at the mastering lab, and cryptic documentation will not only slow the process down, possibly raising the cost of the mastering, but could also make the producer, bandleader, or whomever leery about working with you again.

I suggest a simple shorthand that is consistent across all media. The logs of your mixes, your DAT or CD cover, and your saved DAW file all should be labeled identically. Use your DAW's Save As function to rename each mix. That way, if there is any reason to revisit a mix later, you have instant access and don't have to load the main mix and then manually re-create the alternate mix.

You can document your settings in other ways if you don't have the ability to digitally recall them. Prior to my digital-mixing days, I used to videotape my analog mixer and its settings, save the recording as a QuickTime movie, and then save the movie in my sequencer file. I could then replay the video and pause on a particular parameter as I reset the mixer.

HABIT FORMING

Making multiple mixes is not a glamorous job; on the contrary, it can be tedious, time consuming, and even boring. But if you don't make them, you leave yourself open to having to spend hours recalling a mix you did months or even years ago, only to arrive at something that would have taken a few extra minutes to do at the time. In other words, spending the time now will save time later.

Start now and get in the habit of making multiple mixes. That way, if a mix must be recalled, it is truly for a remix and not simply a re-edit.

---

When not mixing, Kevin Smith writes songs and produces artists signed to his company, Family Tree Productions. When not in the studio, he updates the Family Tree Web site at www.familytreeproductions.com.

BASES LOADED

This table shows documentation of multiple mixes made to cover all the bases for a single's release. The left column shows the mix type; in the right column is a suggested form of shorthand for labeling the mix variations. Always write out the full name of the song to avoid any confusion. Be simple and consistent with naming and keep multiple copies of your mix list.

Song Title: “The Bomb”
Song Type: Solo artist with featured guest
Category: Vocal based
Uses: CD track; single; music bed; live performance with tracks or partial band; possible remix

MIX TYPE	LABEL
Main mix	The Bomb
Main mix with +2 dB vocals	The Bomb +2 dB vox
Main mix with -2 dB vocals	The Bomb -2 dB vox
Main mix with +2 dB bass/kick	The Bomb +2 dB bs/kik
Main mix with -2 dB bass/kick	The Bomb -2 dB bs/kik
Instrumental mix	The Bomb instr
Instrumental mix +2 dB bass/kick	The Bomb instr +2 dB bs/kik
Instrumental mix -2 dB bass/kick	The Bomb instr -2 dB bs/kik
Mono mix	The Bomb mono
Mono instrumental	The Bomb mono instr
Vocal-only mix	The Bomb, vox only, w/fx
Vocal-only mix with no effects	The Bomb, vox only, no fx
Click-track split stereo	The Bomb, click (R click/L mono mix)
Multitrack click with stereo mix and separate click track	The Bomb, stereo mix, trk 3 click
Main mix with no lead or guest vocals but with background vocals	The Bomb, no ld or guest vox, w/bkgrnds
Main mix with no lead vocals but with guest background and vocals	The Bomb, no ld vox, w/guest & bkgrnds
Main mix with no lead background or vocals but with guest vocals	The Bomb, no ld or bkgrnd, vox, w/guest