Although the music production game has become increasingly digital and allowed individuals to feel that mixing and mastering is an easy concept, some people believe it’s actually harder than ever to properly mix and master. I’m not one of those – I think computers have totally changed the game to make it MUCH easier. But it CAN be overwhelming now with so many options.
Anyway, it’s still true that understanding the roles that each instrument or sound plays in a song, and creating space between these sounds to amplify their existence, is one of the most crucial components in ensuring the song you produce is going to take off.
Key Takeaways:
- Typically, instruments and vocals have classic roles that can lead to engineering assumptions that may prove detrimental to a recording.
- While it’s normal for vocals to serve as the overriding centerpiece, it might be a good idea to try burying the song in order to elevate the mood of the recording.
- This ‘outside the box’ thinking led one engineer to pan the drums to one side, in a particular mix, balancing it with a lone and heavily strummed acoustic guitar.
“If you’ve tried to understand the feeling of the song you’re mixing, you may realize that the instruments before you would best support that song if they were doing different things than usual.”
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