#mix tutorial

Got a question from AJ Steel about mixing guitars... First of all, when you're recording guitars, get it right from the start(like with everything else). If you can live and die by the sound you're getting from your monitors while tracking you're almost there. Now when it comes to mixing guitars I'm an easy guy or maybe I've just been fortunate to work with great engineers. EQ wise it's all SSL EQ on the console and the Digi EQIII inside Pro Tools or sometimes the MDW EQ plugin. With plugins often I'll just take away stuff I don't want to hear and boost with the SSL EQ. Maybe some air, some mids(a dangerous area), occasionally some bottom. Rythm guitars will have some HPF around 50 to 90 Hz and lead guitars even more. If the guitars are too bright or harsh I will probably use a LPF and notch out something in the high mids, boost alot with a small Q to find the problem and then bring that down. The low-mids can also be a problem area, too much can muddy the whole mix. But very often I'll have to do very little with guitars. When boosting with EQ, don't solo the guitars, EQ while you're listening to the whole mix. It will be much easier to find the spots and how much you want to boost. The only time I solo a guitar track is when I'm pulling away stuff with the EQ. When it comes to compressing guitars... Sometimes I don't, but very often I'll do. The SSL channel compressors can work great, they'll bring the guitars a little more up front. For rythm guitars I like the Fairchild, and for lead guitars La-3a or the 1176. For clean and acoustic guitars Fairchild, La-3a or a Distressor. There's no rule, I'll just try different compressors... an example the old DBX 160 worked great on a guitar track last week. You can also try some old guitars tricks. The old PCM42 trick where you used a very short delay and used the input to overdrive the processed signal and then panned it to the opposite side. You can also try some chorus(lightly) on the rythm guitars. If you want them wider, you can try the S1 plugin by Waves or that plugin by Brainworx(don't remember the name), I think even behringer made a great unit for stereo widening. We also have this blue little box that Randy Staub uses, good luck finding that one. Depending on the style of music, song etc. Don't be afraid to use reverbs and delays on guitars to create some depth. For example on rythm guitars, send the left guitar to a mono reverb(short room) and pan the reverb right and do the same but opposite with the right guitar.

Parallel Compression/New York Compression This is the funny part. I have so many favorite compressors for this duty… API 2500, Valley Dyna~Mite, SSL G384, ADR Compex, Urei 1178. But since we’re doing it the Lord-Alge way try a Neve 2264 compressor with the release at 100mS with a 2:1 Ratio or even 6:1. Usually I will blend in the compressed drum bus later on. But sometimes it's the opposite, depends on my mood that day. That was everything for today and don’t forget have fun mixing!

02. Deeser Comment: A deeser is a great way to get rid of any sibilance of a vocal track. I really can’t tell you how to set your deeser, cause every voice is different. And off course the mic and preamp choice will also effect the vocal sound. My favorite deesers are the DBX 902(HW) or the Massey Deeser plugin. Even though I will do most of my “Deesing” with the Pencil Tool. :) 03. EQ Comments: And once again every voice is different so it’s really hard to give any specific settings. But something I always tend to do is to add some air to the vocals maybe around 15-16 kHz and some bottom end roll of at 75 Hz. For eq’ing the vocals I’m only using the console eq(SSL 4k). Sometimes it’s together with a pulteq but 99% of the times it’s only the console eq. 04. Compressor/Limiter Comments: I really like to compress the vocals a lot… Well to get the vocals really intimate(in your face) and to get some more personality from the vocals. My favorite (colouring) compressor for vocals are either the ADR Vocal Stresser or the Retro 176. 05. “Stereo w i d e n i n g”(Pitch Shifter/Harmonizer) Comments: This is a trick I learned years ago from a famous mixing engineer in LA, the trick itself is pretty standard, old and simple but very useful to make the vocals wider. Basically just put a send on your vocal track to a stereo track, pitch the left side down some cents and pitch the right side up some cents. You can also play with the delay on each side. Now what you get is a wider vocal sound. Early days I used my SPX90 for doing this but lately I’ve been using the AMS DMX with a 25ms delay right and a 35ms delay left and it sounds great! 06. Delay/Reverb Comments:  My starting point is to have a slap tape mono delay on the verses and a maybe a stereo delay on the chorus. And a third "throw" delay for specific words. But in the end of the mixing process it might look differently. I play a lot with the delays to create a feeling for the song. I’m also not a big fan of using reverbs on vocals but sometimes feeding a reverb with the delays can sound pretty sweet too. I have an old tape delay(no brand) from the 70’s which I love and a pair of PCM 42’s which are my go-to delays for vocals. If I’m mixing all ITB the echoboy plugin from soundtoys or Echo Farm will do the job for me. I will also do a lot of  automation/vocal rides to make the vocals sit in the mix. Which is very important in a modern rock mix with walls of guitars and slammin’ drums. Remember this is NOT a how-to-do. This is my way and how I like and usually process vocals, but still every mix is different for me. Sometimes I’ll use another compressor, maybe a distressor, maybe a 1176 or maybe a LA-3A. Sometimes I’ll eq in the box but most of the times I will not… Sometimes I’ll post eq and sometimes I will not. But that’s the beauty of mixing! :) And don’t forget have fun mixing!