Mixing Beats/Instrumentals For Music Producers

Here goes that topic again that music producers are very familiar with, mixing. There are so many videos, information,tutorials, PDFs and more across the web on this subject. There are great books out that tackle this subject as well. There tons of methods and ways to approach mixing a beat or song, but I'm going to give my approach on how I mix my beats. *Disclaimer* Even though I will mention that I mix in Reason, which is my main Daw for creating beats, I am going to discuss more of my techniques that are not Daw specific. I try to focus on principles that can carry over to any Daw as opposed to Daw specific approaches. With that being said, let's get into.

How I Prep My Tracks Before Mixing

Before I start to mix,I usually gain stage my tracks and route a side-chain from my kick to my bass,right from the beginning. I will admit,I didn't always do this, and I really don't have a pre-made template that I use all the time for this, but it is something I do.Considering I make beats where the bass is an important factor,I've found that for me side-chaining is one of the methods that cleans up the bass right from the start. It's less of a struggle to EQ when the bass is automatically ducking(volume decreases) every time the kick drum hits. Once I started using this method, it has become a regular part of my process in creating a mix. Gain staging is another method that I've become accustomed to using. I typically set my mix faders to -10 db, and I bring up all my tracks through individual gain staging to that level. What this does for me is, when its time to mix, I only have to use these faders for automation purposes, and for leveling adjustments in the mix. I used to move these faders all the,trying to level things before I really understood mixing. By pre-setting them to a given level, it gives me a home base to start from,and I do not really move them around as much.Again, I only move them to bring levels down, or to automate, I do not let any track go past the -10db I set, this way my mixes are more balanced. You can also do this with the master fader, you can set it let's say -8db, then use a control room knob or similar on your mixer to listen to the track and mix, while the master fader stays put. You are now mixing up to that -8db or whatever you set, without touching that master control. This guarantees you of having the headroom for mastering purposes. I would like to add, that I do also mix my drums in mono when I mix,and this is more of a habit than anything else. I t just seems to me that they are easier to put into a full mix in mono, especially if you decide to have multiple drum parts,or double drum sections.

 Adding EQ And Compression To The Mix

In the mixing process, adding EQ is a necessity. With that being said, I add a EQ to all of my tracks in the mix. There are times where you may have to freeze tracks if your computer can't handle too many VST's.You can bus tracks together and EQ them where that also saves you computer power.I go through every single track and EQ them to my taste using more subtractive EQ than anything else. This job is easier to do but the methods I mentioned in my paragraph about gain staging and using side-chain compression. This also the stage where I balance my tracks and pan everything after they are balanced. As you listen you can hear the mix starting to come together. As far as compression, I used to add it to my drums every single time as well, but not anymore. I only use compression when necessary in a mix. Remember. a compressor's main objective is to squash peaks in certain frequencies, so you do not want to over do this in your mix. This is the point where you should have a well-rounded,good sounded balanced mix going.

Delays, Reverb, Chorus 

You are now at the point in your mix where you can add extra effects to spice up the track. This is where I decide if reverb is needed, would adding delay to a track create more space or depth that I may need, or any of these types of mixing decisions. There are so many effects out there, so if you have a war chest full of them, you can really make your beat come alive. This is also were you might decide to add some automation to tracks in your mix, or some vocal effects,transition effects or anything that will make the beat stand out.If your computer system can handle it,try it. 

In conclusion, mixing is a very personal process. This is a short, basic explanation of how I mix my beats. When adding vocals there will be more steps, and more details you will need to create a good mix, but for mixing beats and posting them online,these basic steps will get you there. Some of the products I use to mix are from Audio Acoustic, Waves, and Sound toys. I will also mix with the effects I am given in whatever Daw I'm using at that time. There is nothing wrong with mixing with the basic plugins you are given. If you want to see how your mix sounds, compare it to a reference track of that same genres your beat. This will give you a good idea if you are headed in the right direction or if you have more work to do.I hoped this post can help someone, lets get to work !