Author: Daniel Quick

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Mix Essentials: Relationships in the Mix Part 2

Last week we talked about big global relationships that exist within all of our mixes.  Whether in a studio, an arena, or a church auditorium, these relationships can bring our mix to a new level or drag them down to the mud. Those big ones were where the vocals sit (artist driven), how the kick drum and bass blend (room acoustics driven/artist driven), and acoustic vs. amplified (technician controlled). But now as we continue on I’m going to dive a bit deeper into that first relationship. If you have a drum set on stage or in your studio, the energy from those drums can drive the energy for the room/recording so it’s incredibly important to be cognisant of what the drums are doing and how they fit into the overall mix you are creating.

I spent a fair amount of time talking about the kick and bass relationship last week so I won’t go over all that again but please, click this link, and go back to read it if you missed it. The key was just to make sure that they are blending together the way the artist wants. This usually lands with a strong bass guitar sound and a kick drum that punches through. The big thing here is that you’ve left, or are creating, room for kick to punch through. Personally I accomplish that with side-chained compression.  When the kick hits, the bass guitar is compressed so that while the bass guitar is still there it’s attack is attenuated allowing room for the kick to break through. This is best accomplished with multi-band compression but works well if multi-band is not available, just takes longer to dial in. Try it out this week!

Next is the kick and snare relationship. The easy part is that they don’t compete in the frequency range. However, if this relationship is heavy on one side things just don’t sound right. Since I started mixing in college I have been a huge fan of double micing both the snare and kick. Today, I’m about the same. If I have only one mic on the kick I’ll at least double patch it so that I have individual control over the hit and the punch of the kick, and the hit (top) and rattle (bottom) of the snare separately. This allows the ability to really tailor this relationship per song without the need to adjust EQ or anything like that. I know a lot of mixers that prefer to stick with one kick sound for the whole service but I think that locks you into a specific kind of sound. Where I mix, we sing a wide variety of songs and mix them up each service. This necessitates the need for ultimate flexibility. For one song I can have a really strong punchy kick but when we switch to that faster song I need to be able to change that kick sound to be less punchy and more clappy sounding because having a deep punch with fast kicks can be overwhelming on the bottom end of your mix. The same goes for the snare. If the drummer is hitting the snare on 2s and 4s than you want a huge sound but if he is hitting the snare more often, controlling the rattle can be a godsend. All of this matters when you want to balance the kick and snare. I’ve learned that you want the attack of the drum-set to go together, all leading back to the kick drum. We will get to the toms later but in regards to the snare, be sure to adjust the attack and tone so that it matches what you did with the kick drum for that song. For me, I’ve found that if I want a punchy kick sound, I’ll also want a balanced amount of that rattle on the bottom of the sound. But inversely, if I want a more clappy kick, I’ll usually want less of that bottom snare mic. This all goes back to the style of music your band is going for, this is why it’s important to listen to what the artists are doing and ask questions about what they are looking for.

Getting the toms to sound right is still a skill that I am mastering. It’s hard enough to get the right mics chosen for the toms to start with but then I need to dial them in so that they punch through a mix but not so much that it’s jarring and overpowers the snare or kick. Getting enough low end so they sound cool when they are hit and ring a bit but no so much that if they are getting whaled on for a song it’s not overpowering is something I’m constantly fighting. I’m starting to pick up that basing their sound on the kick at least helps bring some continuity and glue to most mixes. For me, what I do is that I design the top end sound to blend in with my kick in mic (the one micing the beater head of the kick) and the bottom sound to blend in with my kick out mic (the mic in the hole, or the input I’m using to shape the sub sound of the kick). Doing this helps them to sit well, than I can focus on getting the tones and attack right with compression if needed. Sending the toms to the subs has always been a debate in my experience. However, we have three toms on our kit (~12”, 16”, and a big ‘ole 18”) and I’ve loved having them in there. The rack tom is just barely there, the first floor tom is definitely there but at about half power, and the last floor tom is at -5db send level (so almost full volume), which gives it some real power. You do need to be careful here and be ready to change this per song as with some songs that open with tom runs, it can be overpowering. I will admit that this relationship wasn’t really a thought in my mind until around 5 years ago when I began my mixing career at my current role here at CCC. I think if I had been more conscious about this I would probably have been more successful in my previous years. Just make sure they are balanced with the rest of the kit, namely the kick drum.

So much of our mix relies on how we treat the drums. Hopefully this entry has given you some new ideas and cleared the water a bit. Coming up in one of the series I will be going through how I establish these relationship through my gear but setting this idea up in your mix is something that you can do today, tonight, or whenever you mix next. Everything comes back to the drumset if it’s playing (really to any heavily mic’d percussive instrument whether that’s a cajon, djembe, etc). Have you noticed these relationships when you are listening to concerts or other mixes? What do you hear? Let me know in the comments below. As always, if you are reading this for the first time and would like to know when more content is published, click this link to subscribe!

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Mix Essentials: Relationships in the Mix Part 1

Mixing audio is very much a social experience. Relationships within the mix are very present along with so many variables that come into play in order to create a balanced and vibrant audio mix.  From room size vs. PA Strength, to mix position vs. PA location, to the band location vs. PA location, there are a myriad of issues to work through before you even turn the sound system on. In this four part series I want to take a look at some of those relationships both globally at the room/studio and gear level, the micro relationships that happen within the mix.  This week we will be talking about those macro level relationships. All of these relationships should not only be present in any mix, but they should be in balance as well.

The first ‘global’ relationship that I wanted to highlight is where the vocals sit in the mix. So many people have different ideas but I think it comes down to philosophy and artist preference. In houses of worship for instance, vocal intelligibility is king. The lead vocalist needs to be on top and easy to understand whereas at a touring concert where the words aren’t as important, you’ll hear a lot of engineers mix the vocals down in the mix more. Finding out what your worship leader or recording artists wants is key here and it can be as easy as having a conversation and seeing what they are feeling for that particular song. Where I work, often the first situation is the way it needs to be. With that in mind, everything I mix needs to be vocal centric. With that in mind I find myself biasing all FX and processing towards making those vocals as clear and as unobstructed as possible. We even use sidechained multiband compressors on busses to help carve out space for the vocals to sit in which allows us to be able to push guitars and drums and still have the vocals ever present and on top in the mix. But, there have also been times where I have found myself in the studio realizing that this one guitar part for a recording I’m working on needs to be up there with the vocal because the artist is heavily guitar inspired. This relationship often drives your mix so be sure you’ve established what that looks like before you get to far into getting everything set.

The second big global relationship that is really important is the relationship between the kick and bass. Because the basis of your sound starts from the bottom, this relationship is often front and center and is the driving force for the energy in your mix. Once again, it’s important to ask your artist or worship leader what they prefer, but more often than not, having that bass front and center and then the kick drum nesting in right next to it is the way to go. When I first started mixing I had this the other way. I was more interested in the percussive force than a sustained and controlled bottom end to my mix. But, the longer I’ve been mixing, I’ve learned that it’s better to bring consistency. I learned that not having it this way can lead to an off balance mix because you are basing your mix on percussive forces rather than consistent tones. Having that consistency has also broadened acceptance of my mix amongst more people. Often times when someone doesn’t like something it wasn’t the whole thing they disliked, it’s that something just stood out and made them uncomfortable because it was out of proportion. Switching this relationship around brings things back into order and in doing so helped my mix translate better to different volumes and conditions. Ultimately, this is why we need to make sure the relationships within our mix are where they need to be so that our mix turns out to be balanced and appropriate.

Lastly, the relationship to acoustic sources and amplified ones. No matter what you do whether in the studio or on stage, there will be bleed. You need to decide whether you’ll use it or cover it up. Many times when I’m mixing in small rooms and/or clubs and I have a drumset to contend with, I find myself unable to run the PA loud enough to cover it up so I have just have to use it. Mic the stuff you need to have clarity on and mix those mics in with the real thing. The same goes for things like electric guitar amps, organs/B3s, etc. If you can’t beat it, use it. Don’t get me wrong, this is no simple task. It takes a lot of walking around to make sure you still getting a balanced mix but it is possible and can make your life easier if there aren’t other options. The flip side of this argument is making sure your mix is loud enough to drown out the acoustic sounds of the guitars themselves or even of the piano if it’s being heavily processed. Often the biggest and sometimes overlooked acoustic source is the room itself. If there are few textiles in the room you will find yourself swimming in reverb. Be careful not to overlook this relationship as too much verb can drown any mix.

Over the next few weeks we will be discussing relationships that bring balance to your mix. Did I miss a relationship you see everyday when you mix? Comment below and let me know! Also, if this is your first visit to studiostagelive.com please feel free to subscribe at this link and you’ll get an email whenever we post new content.

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Editorial: Fighting Against Mediocrity

Coming up on nearly 3 years of mixing FOH 4 out of every 6 weekends this issue has become something I have needed to keep on top of.  Whether or not you are in the studio, at FOH, mixing monitors, or doing whatever job you do, I feel like it will always be tempting to fall into a rut of just doing what it takes to get through the event, firmly planting yourself in mediocrity.

There has been more than one incidence in my time serving the church, now approaching 18 years, when I have been given more responsibility as I have improved and perhaps not carried that initial excitement and passion on throughout my time in that role.  For the first few weeks after each “promotion” I get excited again, improving constantly, fixing problems, paying super close attention through every part of the event, and just doing a great job. However, after some time, I could feel myself settling in, getting comfortable, and just resting on my momentum. I fall into a rut. I was still creating great balanced audio content, taking good care of my gear, and doing a good job, but I wasn’t pushing myself to grow and allowing myself to be challenged. I think there was a part of me that I was being content but I looking back on those times and realize that I wasn’t being content, I was being lazy.  I was created to do what I was doing and I wasn’t using all my gifts to their fullest capability.

Looking back on how I get out of that rut I can see a few habits that I think we as sound techs all need to be aware of so that we ourselves can stay ahead of the curve.

  1. Humility – This might be a little counter culture because of how most people see being humble but I truly think that we should always work with the mindset that we all have something to learn. Think about it, did you ever feel like you were standing on your heels when you were just learning your craft? Did you ever think that you are stagnant when you driving in to volunteer at that one event just so you can learn from that one sound guy? No, not at all. We all knew that we wanted to learn and absorb so maintaining that mindset is so important as we go about our careers. I put a lot of myself into what I do, both in team pride but also in personal investment. For that reason, I don’t see criticism like I should, I put on blinders sometimes and see it as an attack rather than a friend who is just trying to make sure I’ve taken something into account. It’s important for us all to take criticism well not only so we can grow but mostly so we can keep open lanes of discussion from the people we are working for or with. If we respond to every piece of advice with frustration or anger, people will simply stop talking to us thinking it will never matter. As audio technicians, we need to have the opposite attitude. People need to be able to come up to us and ask questions and see how things are without fear of frustrations. Plus, if we are approachable and take criticism, we allow ourselves to be pushed and grow, keeping us active and not stagnant.
  2. Keep a Log – I have just a simple text document that I put things in that I have noticed need to be fixed.  Than, when I have some spare time, I look to that list for how I can improve what goes on in my mixes.  If I’m really busy, I may not get to fixing too many problems but I try to make it a goal to just fix one problem every week. If I can do that, at the end of the year, I’ve solved 52 problems. Think about it, just one problem solved a week puts you 52 steps farther down the road if we can just do that one thing. I think this also prevents resentment from artists and fellow technicians over problems that just never get solved.
  3. Take Breaks – I think it’s important to take actual breaks where you hand off your responsibilities completely to someone else.  Whether in the studio, on the road, or on Sunday mornings, find someone on your team who can do what you do to give you a break every now and again. I mix FOH 4 of every 6 or so. Those other two weeks I am “supervising” and just making sure everything is sounding good. I usually take time this week to walk the room a bit during the service and walking around back stage, getting perspectives I wouldn’t get when I am limited to the console the rest of the time. That sixth or seventh week I try to schedule myself a break. Whether I just spend time with family, come in and just attend the service, or go somewhere else, I’m not doing what I usually do. This makes me want to mix again, and quite effectively. I come back from my one weekend off thirsty again which has been a healthy cycle for me to maintain.
  4. The Right Mindset – I recently was made aware of this article (go ahead and click on the link and read through it, it’s short). It talks about how we as technicians, regardless of what phase of production we are in, need to have as our mindset. The writer talks about his dream gig and how he tries to approach every event, whether big or small, with great gear or shoddy gear, every gig he walks into he shows up as if it was for Paul McCartney. Do do you this? Is every event or recording you make treated as if it was for your favorite A list artist? Is every service you do treated with the same importance as if it was Christmas or Easter?
  5. Push Your Team – Often we are influenced by those around us. If someone on the team acts a certain way and someone else starts acting that way it won’t be long until that potentially bad habit runs rampant. So there are two priorities here, the first is surrounding yourself with the people you’d like to be like. If you want to be an approachable person, surround yourself with people who you see as approachable. Secondly, don’t be afraid to call out mediocrity around you. Obviously, timing, relationships, and wording matters here, but if someone on your team is just sitting back and not pushing themselves, call them out on it, with respect and expect others to do this to you.
  6. Push Yourself – This one for me is easy. If I have a problem with a clear solution there is little to stop me from just fixing the issue. My fear of failure rarely holds me back. If I need to take my whole patch bay a part to fix a problem and get organized I will. I will plan well and make sure all my ducks in a row but when it’s time, you won’t find me thinking twice about getting started. While it’s important for us to not let fear keep us from improving it’s also important to not let laziness do this either. If you need to spend a few hours one week just playing around with an FX send you haven’t been happy with than make the time and do it don’t wait until you have nothing to do (trust me, in the audio world there is always something to do). If you need to setup a meeting with a co-worker to plan ahead on somethings so when the event or recording is happening you aren’t running around like a chicken with its’ head cut off than make it happen. If you have been using a plugin where a simpler tool would work better but you just use that preset because it’s easier, take the time during rehearsal to go about it the right way and get yourself started down a path of improvement not stagnancy.

Hopefully these six habits to start will help you as much as they have helped me. What do you do you do to keep growing to stay out of stagnancy? Let me know in the comments below. If you like what you are reading please feel free to subscribe at this link.