Independent musicians spend countless hours perfecting their music in an effort to compete with releases from major labels. In order to reach a professional level of quality, there are numerous factors an artist and audio engineer must consider. In this article I will take you through my typical process when preparing a final mix for mastering.
First, let’s look at the effects (FX) on each instrument track, specifically the equalizers (EQs). Every EQ should be checked and adjusted to help give each instrument its own range of frequencies. Inevitably there will be some areas of overlap but using this technique will help each instrument have its own space while avoiding unnecessary distortion, or mud, caused by phase cancellation. Phase cancellation is an audio phenomenon where the waves of multiple tracks work against each other to eliminate certain frequencies, which results in a sound that is often flat or dull. Find the ideal frequency area of each instrument by raising an EQ node and slowly moving it from high to low, and back again. Listen for the sweet spot when the instrument sounds the best and boost the EQ a few decibels (db). It’s also important to listen for any other frequencies that offend your ears. Sometimes there will be an unwanted hum, or a high pitched irritant that may need a little subtractive EQ. Using the same sweeping technique, find the offending area and lower the EQ node a couple of decibels, then narrow the area of the EQ node by adjusting the bell curve so it specifically targets the frequency you are looking for. It’s also a good idea to cut everything below 30 Hz on most instrument tracks, unless it is something with a lower range like as a bass guitar. But if the instrument has a higher frequency range and no EQ activity below 100 Hz, cut everything below 100 Hz. This will remove unwanted frequencies and help the kick and bass guitar punch through the mix. After boosting or removing frequencies, adjust the EQ gain so the volume output is equal to the volume input before the EQ was applied (gain staging).
Maintaining a pan and volume balance in your mix is also very important, but the comparative loudness between the instruments and where they are panned is up to the artist and engineer. In the majority of mixes the kick, snare, and hi-hat are all at zero pan; much of the rest is a personal preference. I will usually pan my bass guitar 10 left, guitars opposite one another at 20 or 30 left and right, and everything else wherever it sounds good. Try to give each instrument its own space while keeping the volume of the overall mix balanced. Pay attention to where each instrument is peaking as well. I set my kick and snare levels first because I like them to be the foundation of my mix. With all effects on, my kick drum is set to peak at roughly -12.0 db and my snare drum peaks at roughly -17.5 db. I like my bass guitar to punch through a bit and I set it to peak around -20.0 db.
Now it’s time to focus on the overall mix. The number one rule in preparing a song for mastering is that the final mix needs to have 6.0 db of space. This is very important. If you’ve ever wondered why your incredible mix sounds quiet when compared to a major label release, this is probably why. Part of the mastering process is using a limiter to raise the overall volume of a mix, and this cannot be done if there isn’t room for it. The limiter helps maximize the sound and will cause unnecessary distortion and compression if it doesn’t have space. The closer a mix is to perfect, the easier it will be for mastering, and the better the song will sound in the end. When it comes time to render/export/bounce the final mix, the waveform of the song should look compact and fairly consistent throughout. An occasional peak slightly above -6.0 db shouldn’t be an issue in most cases, but hunt it down and take a look to be sure. An easy way to do this is to pull a freshly exported mix into a new project, find the peak, take note of the time, and listen to what instruments are there. If the peak is caused by a combination of instruments that happen to hit at the exact same time, it will probably be unnoticeable. But sometimes it’s a snare or tom that’s a bit too loud, and this will need a correction. Go back into the original project, fix the issue, and render again. Often times getting a proper final mix is a tedious process of making minute corrections and rendering repeatedly until the mix is as good as it can be.
In summary, be detail-oriented and consider FX, panning, and volume levels when preparing a final mix. Most importantly, always leave 6.0 db of headroom for the mastering process. Strive for the perfect mix so your song is ready for the mastering process.
Thank you for taking the time to read about preparing your final mix for mastering. I hope this article helps simplify the process and removes some of the mystique around creating the perfect mix. This is the first in a series of articles I will be writing in the near future. The topic for article number two will be Track Routing.