Prepping the Mix for Mastering
There are three distinct steps in music production: tracking, mixing, and mastering. Each requires special skill, tools, and attention. You shouldn’t try to accomplish all three in one swoop; each will suffer. Try to mix the best sounding tracks you can, but don’t worry about matching the volume level to that of a mastered release. Your mix should focus on eq relationships, dynamic/transient balances, and musicality. The focus of a mix should never be overall volume.
So wear one hat at a time. Make your mix the best possible. Keep frequency regions sorted and controlled, sculpt areas for tracks to sit, and keep or create dynamics to make the music groove, bounce, and keep moving. Please, do not limit or normalize the mix bus!
Compression is a tool that will most likely be used in your mix. Compressors can work wonders, but they can also wreck havoc on sound! Use compression on the mix bus only for color and glue, never for overall volume control! You may have a certain comp you love using, or love the tone of… great if you would like that tone as a part of your mix! But be aware that the compression can’t be undone at a later stage. All compression causes distortion, and there is only so much distortion music can take before it begins to suffer. Artefacts you may not be able to hear on your monitors may actually be more invasive that you might think.
A loud master is usually the result of a great dynamic mix with great balances. If you want volume later, mix for balance. If you are ever in doubt, please provide a compressed and uncompressed version of your material. Should I choose to use the uncompressed version, I will still have the tone of your compressor to reference.
Peak levels for mixes should never exceed -3dbfs. Peaks closer to 0dbfs begin to pose large problems when using analog gear. I prefer receiving mixes with peaks as low as -10dbfs. Please turn off any limiters you may be using, plugin or outboard. Lower the mix bus level as needed to keep final levels between -10 and -3dbfs.
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You can contact Charles Szczepanek at:
Charles@wrdstudios.com
Or call (480) 358-7637
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