Adding Sub Bass
Try adding a sub base along with the kick in the chorus, bridge, or in the second half of a verse, to give it more depth.
Promote the Hook
When you notice a hook in a song, try to identify the frequency range where the hook primarily resides and make some space for it. Possibly use it as a sidechain input on percussive parts so they duck out of the way of the hook.
Compare Frequency Ranges in Songs of the Same Genre
Be sure to compare the mix that you’re working on to mixes of the same genre as different genres of music tend to be stronger and weaker in certain frequency ranges. Hip hop tends to have low-middle frequencies to lows, whereas rock tends to have strong middle frequencies to low middle frequencies.
Guitars
Never double hard panned guitars, or never hard pan doubled guitars.
Panning
Usually pan high parts wider and low parts move more towards the center, but be willing to experiment. Pushing guitars to the center and removing reverb will give them more of a punk feel.
Vocal Mixing Tips
Increase the volume of the vocals for each chorus by one decibel, so the vocals gain more energy as the song progresses. Try using minimal harmonic enhancement on vocals at the beginning of a song and add more enhancement and distortion as the song goes on. Sometimes chopped vocals with lots of reverb act as a sort of foreshadowing for the lead vocals. Be sure to use a single consonant and vowel for your chopped vocal bits such as: ba, da, fa, ga, la, na, etc. Foreshadowing the melody with vocal chopping makes for an interesting intro.
Vocal Effects
Don’t use fancy vocal acrobatics at the beginning of the song, use them to add excitement towards the end of the song.
Dance Music Vocals
Create an auxiliary track and run the lead vocals into it. Pitch shift the vocals up an octave and add a short delay and distortion.
Vocals versus Hi-Hats
Match female vocals to the hi-hat, but then uses vocals as a sidechain to compress the hi-hat.
Signal Generators
Mixing in notes from signal generators in parts such as when guitar solos end to create the impression of feedback or other sound effects can make a mix feel more out of control. Use a signal generator plugin to create a steady signal, but keep the volume at zero. Use automation to bring the volume up on the signal generator as a guitar note, piano, or whatever instrument fades out.
C 33 65 131 262 523 1047 2093 4186
C# 35 69 139 278 554 1109 2218 4435
D 37 73 147 294 587 1175 2349 4699
D# 39 78 156 311 622 1245 2489 4978
E 41 82 165 330 659 1319 2637 5274
F 44 87 175 349 699 1397 2794 5588
F# 46 93 185 370 740 1475 2960 5920
G 49 98 196 392 784 1568 3136 6272
G# 52 104 208 415 831 1661 3322 6645
A 55 110 220 440 880 1760 3520 7040
A# 58 117 233 466 932 1865 3729 7459
B 62 124 247 494 988 1976 3951 7902
Volume Drop and Pump
Fade the volume down on some of the mix elements by about six decibels over about a measure and then bring them back to their normal volume levels once the chorus begins.
Volume in Steps
Increasing the volume of a part in steps can create a sort of crescendo effect. One way to do this is to set the DAW in grid mode and create a 2-4 decibel bumps in volume every eighth note or quarter note until the final volume is achieved. Less than six steps should be used.
Left Center Right (LCR)
Left Center Right refers to a style of mixing where everything is put either hard-panned or in the center. The benefit of using LCR mixing is that it helps to prevent phase issues in instruments. Other techniques are generally used to help bring the hard panned instruments back towards the center such as adding reverb to the hard panned track and putting it in the center.
By Jack Johnston
Jack Johnston has a Master’s of Arts in Applied Linguistics from the New School University, a Master’s in Business Administration from Western Governors University, and a Master’s in Management and Leadership from Western Governors University.