MIXING YOUR MUSIC: 5 WAYS TO MAKE SPACE IN YOUR MIX

Mixing Lessons
Written By Jeremy Chua

No one likes a muddy mix!

Us mix engineers can often get caught up with advanced techniques while trying to create this seemingly elusive thing of “space” in a mix; from sidechain compression to dynamic reverbs to smart EQs, does it really need to be this complicated all the time?

Here’s 5 simple tips that should be considered before the advanced tricks.

Tip #1: Choose the right instruments and sounds

Let’s begin with the step that’s most often overlooked – choosing the right instruments and sounds is the biggest determinant for how everything will come together in the mix. Understand what each instrument or sound is doing to serve the song and consider the conflicting overlaps. Do you really need to play the lower octaves? (yes, I’m looking at you keyboard player.)

Tip #2: Take a subtractive approach to EQ

This is where I always begin with my mixes. Before getting into the saucy bits like saturating or manipulating a sound, I find it much more effective to first remove the frequencies from a source that I do not want. This could be a resonant frequency from a snare, or sub-harmonics from a guitar, etc.

Tip #3: Watch your low end

This ties in with what we have already discussed above but cannot be overstated as low frequencies can easily creep into your mix and often take up valuable space.

Consider two things: Firstly, are you monitoring your low-end accurately? If you aren’t using a decent sub in a treated room, you probably aren’t hearing what’s actually happening below a certain threshold. Use a frequency analyser for an indication of how balanced your mix is. Secondly, consumer playback systems will boost your low end after the fact anyway.

Tip #4: Use multi-band compression

This might sound like an intimidating advanced idea but really, it’s just allowing the flexibility for different bands to be hit by compression differently. This is often the most effective way to deal with problematic frequencies without taking away too much energy or character from a sound. Again, it embraces a subtractive approach.

Tip #5: Use panning to your advantage

Perhaps the most obvious of the tips – panning is arguably the most effective way to quickly create space between elements of a mix. Think about it, you wouldn’t have a band arrange themselves in a straight line to perform would you, so take full advantage of the pan pots and push that guitarist to the side! Once you add reverbs and delays into the equation, panning also helps create depth beyond the “width” dimension of the mix.

Conclusion

While none of these are rules to live by, they are a good checklist of things to consider if you find yourself deep in a muddy mix.