STYLE
How do I approach a mix? What do I pay attention to? What am I referencing? What is my process? Having apprenticed with Sean Moffitt for over seven years, we share a lot of the same thoughts and processes. But even so, every music maker has their style and preferences. These are some things I hold fast to.
The song is king. My goal is never to impose my sound or to replicate others’ sound. If you want “that” sound, then be that artist, hire that producer, hire that mixer… I aim to be transparent and to make each song the best representation of itself and the artist. Of course, I have sonic preferences and tendencies and tastes, but I believe each artist has their own sound and each song has its own vibe. It’s my job to interpret what is there, and let the song speak for itself in the best way possible. Ultimately I seek to make the client happy with what they hear. I may interject my thoughts based on professional experience, but I always serve the song and serve the client.
Every song is different, so I can’t always attack them in the same way, but for the most part, here is my preferred process. I don’t approach things with a template, or just start slapping on my favorite plugins. The method of working through a song is the same to harness efficiency, but the subjective moves are different with each song and each unique problem to solve. Knowing how to use the tools to achieve the sound you want is the biggest benefit.
1) Listen to the rough mix and references, and analyze how things are put together… the producer and artist have probably spent weeks or more shaping the sound already, it would be foolish of me to just haphazardly strip everything down and think I can make it better in 1 day. I’ll take a few notes about what needs to change, what needs to be featured, etc.
2) Gain staging, fixing some broad balance issues or tonal issues that I hear along the way. I’ll then play around with 2Buss options and get the needles/meters moving at the right level. This is at the most energetic part of the song.
3) Once I’m happy with the broad feel and vibe of the song and 2buss, I’ll start being surgical: fixing glaring problems, eliminating distractions, and broadly shaping things. Honestly, less is more. Level, automation, and panning will take you farther than having a channel strip on EVERY TRACK. What’s important? What’s needed? What already sits nicely? I then harness each section of the song, getting a stable mix for each section. Then, each how does each section relate to the before / next section? I’ll work on automating those transitions.
4) Next, I turn my attention to the vocal, trying to get the right vocal chain and ride the level. Then, I’ll incorporate effects.
5) Then, I will fine-tune with automation to let things speak, take out misc frequencies, or do last-minute editing to clean up tracks. I’ll also do some fine-tuning to the 2buss again. During the mixing process, I go back and forth between Macro and Micro moves. I analyze the song over and over until each distraction is addressed, each moment emphasized, the flow of the song is solid, and the feel of it is right on target.
6) If I feel I can’t make any more moves, bounce that sucker
If you’re wondering what styles I work in, what inspires me, or what I reference, here are some carefully curated songs. Or if you are curious to hear my own work, listen to these playlists in STEREO and ATMOS. Dive deeper into some more specific questions in my Q&A post.