Mixing Steps Interview
In Part 2 we looked at how to "isolate" sounds when mixing drums so we can pick out instruments like the snare and hi-hats for EQ'ing.
In this final part of the mixing music interview series, Rick goes on to explain in more detail how he'd mix the kick drum, snare drum, hi-hat and vocals within an hip-hop track.
Mixing Music - Hip-Hop style!
This Step-by-Step Mixing Guide is part 3 of our Mixing Audio Tutorial and interview with Rick Snoman, Pro Sound Engineer to to the stars.
Let's Mix! - Step-by-Step
TopSnoman says:
EQ is all about creative distortion
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
hmmm, lols
Snoman says:
hehe
Snoman says:
for example
Snoman says:
I have a track containing a bass, kick, snare, lead, vocal, and hi hats
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
ok
Snoman says:
I'd start with the kick drum, first its vital that you listen to the track, too many users just jump straight to EQ without actually listening to it first
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
So would you suggest actually FINISHIN the track first?
Snoman says:
Hehe most definately
Snoman says:
you need to know what other sounds are in the mix before you start to cut or boost
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
ok
Kick Drum
Snoman says:
lets say that the kick drum has a 'wooly' sound to it
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
right
Snoman says:
I have two options, I could either set a thin bandwidth and 'scan' around the 60-300 area to pull out the higher frequencies and make it more solid or I could apply cut either side to just leave the 'middle/selected' frequencies which make the sound
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
ok
Snoman says:
either way is a viable way of working, but you have to remember that EQ will affect the volume of the track, so if the kick is at full volume I would be more tempted to apply cut
Snoman says:
so we'll say that i found the area for the kick - the frequency 100-120
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
right
Snoman says:
I have the bandwidth set to medium so i could boost just these 20
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
ok
Snoman says:
the kick can also occupy around 3,000Hz
Snoman says:
boosting with a thin bandwidth in this area may help to pull the kick forward in the mix
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
soz, back up a sec
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
ya said 20?
Snoman says:
yeah the 100-120 range of the kick
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
ok soz
Snoman says:
lets assume that the kick is now sounding 'correct' for the style and genre of the track (I would have worked around 70Hz if it was Hip Hop etc)
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
ok
Snoman says:
I'm just covering EQ here, not panning/volumes/compression etc....as its unquantifiable and relative
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
ok
Snare Drum
Snoman says:
next the snare sound
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
right
Snoman says:
if it sounds a bit wimpy, i'll apply a small amount of boost around 60-100Hz by scanning the area to find which thickens it out a little
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
right
Snoman says:
But the problem with snare's is they can produce a lot of middle frequencies, especially around 200-800 which can be the cause of a muddy mix
Snoman says:
so i set a wide bandwidth and apply a small amount of cut around here to start with
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
riiiiight
Snoman says:
If the snares need a little presence, especially on small speakers I'll also apply a small boost around 1000-5000 by scanning the area for the right sound
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
ok
Snoman says:
now i've forgot which instruments i'm using
Snoman says:
just a sec
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
lols
Snoman says:
(pans up the converstaion looking for instruments)
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
ha ha ha
Hi-Hats
Snoman says:
Hi hats !
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
yeah
Snoman says:
For the genre i'm mixing, the hi hats need to be prominent, so i'll scan around the 8,000 - 12,000 area to find the right frequency which makes them sparkle in the mix
Snoman says:
doing this may make them sound a bit thin, if this is the case then i'll move lower - around 6,000-8,000 to add some body - this is rare but sometimes its needed
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Right, i'm gettin permission, lols
Snoman says:
:)
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Ya see, I've been obssessed with gettin isolation, and feared goin down that far
Snoman says:
Hi hats will also take up frequencies from 200 all the way up to 5,000 as well
Snoman says:
its a case of what sounds right to your ears
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
So there is some sacrifice to made?...thats anathema to a musician
Snoman says:
at first you should scan area's of the mix to find what makes the right sound for the mix
Snoman says:
yeah
Snoman says:
by boosting somewhere in the 8-12Khz with a small boost in the 6-8Khz, i have a hi hat sound which fits but.......
Snoman says:
Hi hats also use the 200-5,000Khz and these don't neccesarily contribute the sound
Snoman says:
the 1,000 to 5,000 area is a nightmare for hi hats to be in- they can quickly become irritating if theyre in this area
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
I bet this is where ya have the tug of war with muso's isn't it - "me bass doesn't sound right", type of thing?
Snoman says:
musicians are a nightmare for it, I usually have a discussion with them for a couple of hours before recording but after that I don't let them into the control room, otherwise ya get turn that bit up, why is his bit louder than mine etc etc
Snoman says:
guitarists are the worst for it
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
lols. well I s'pose they have a greater dynamic range, so they'd notice it when compared to playin in their bedroom - I can sympathise
Snoman says:
hehe round 'em up, put 'em in a field and bomb the bstards
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
roflmao
Mixing Vocals
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
So what about vocals?....
Snoman says:
recording or mixing ?
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Mixin - Say you've got some backin vox, that ya want to sit in the background "at the sides" of the stereo fields...Would ya thin those out?
Snoman says:
again, it depends on how they sound, if they fit into the mix without adjustments etc. It usual to apply small amounts of reverb to backing vocals and then use EQ to cut some of the reverb effect away
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Ahh, use eq to cut the reverb away!
Snoman says:
aye
Snoman says:
you have to look at a mix as an empty pallette, which you want to fill up, this is what you use EQ, Pan, Volume, and effects for. Eq will move a sound higher in frame, delay will widen it across the pallette, pan will move it around etc etc
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
back
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
well put
Snoman says:
the more mixes you accomplish the more you'll be able to 'zero' in on specific frequencies until you no longer need to sweep a range, you can just jump to it. Our ears quickly grow used to changes in EQ so its important that you find the setting as quickly as possible
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Yeah, i guess so - What about spectrum analysis, d'ya have any use for them?
Snoman says:
yeah, definately, you'll get some tossers who say that they just use their ears to find frequencies, but to do that you need to 'know' the monitors your working with, I sometimes use them when I have to work on normal speakers
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Riiight. I dunno whether you'll be able to answer this then here, but what d'ya look for in them?
Snoman says:
in a spectral anayliser ?
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
yeh
Snoman says:
it depends on the sound, on a good pair of monitors that you 'know' its easy to pinpoint which frequencies are being used by a sound, on home speakers they tend to colour an image so you can't rely on your ears as much. A bass sound is usually mixed around the 90-200, and the 800 to 5000
Snoman says:
so by using a spectral anayliser while cutting you can see the effect your having on the sound
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Yeh, I KNOW I have un-balanced speakers, thats why I ask
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
right
Snoman says:
I don't recommend relying entirely on a spectral anayliser to mix, if you want a good sounding mix then really you should be using a good set of monitors
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Yeh I appreciate that - at the end of the day though, it's more than likely that most of my muzak will only be played on my speakers anyway, LOLS!
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
But I like to know these things, so I can improve what I'm hearin!
Snoman says:
Thats a common argument but it doesn't quite work that way
Snoman says:
home speakers all colour sound differently, much more than different monitors, some home speakers will pronounce the bass more than others, so what may sound 'right' on one set won't neccesarily sound correct on a different set, with monitors you've a chance of mixing for all speakers because of the flat response
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Yeh, that's why I want to learn this stuff, and practise it, but as far as my music goes, I'm realistic to know that it'll definitely only be mostly played on my system
Snoman says:
you never know, eventually you might want to start mixing for other systems
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Well this is it - thats why I'd like to learn. I'm gonna practise what you've taught cos i'm after the production that I can hear on me cd's WHEN PLAYED thru these same speakers, I aint gettin it yet - nor will I, I daresay, until I've got half a mil to spend!
Snoman says:
hehe
Snoman says:
do you own any outboard gear or do you do everything in the PC ?
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
A bass guitar?
Snoman says:
do you use the POD to record it ?
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
ha, lols. never heard of it
Snoman says:
hehe its a DI box to record directly into ya PC, it emulates a range of amps
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Oh right. No, I've rarely actually used it to record to pc - If I do, then I'll nip into soundforge and mess with it there - I actually don't mind the sound of it recorded direct thru the line-in - but then again, I'm a muso!
Snoman says:
do you feed it directly into the PC or do you use a mixing desk ?
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Stright in m8, striaght in - but again, I rarely bother these days. I could never put the thing down a few years ago, but since discoverin that I could make ENTIRE songs on the pc, rather than just bein a component, as in a band, I have hardly picked it up of late....which is sad really, cos I was Mark King re-incarnated ;>)
Music Oppinions - Muso v Sound Engineer!
Top Snoman says:
hehe you'll have to come to my home studio for a jam
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Love to - what d'ya play?
Snoman says:
hehe nothing
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
rofl
Snoman says:
but i could write a wicked track around your bass
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
go for it m8 - Thats the sad thing with modern sequencin music...the art of actually playin
Snoman says:
yeah, but writing a track in just a sequencer is like a modern way of playing multiple instruments
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
I know, and thats why I love it......
Snoman says:
hehe same here
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
I was fed up with bein in bands where the other muso's couldn't understand a d7 chord, or even where A was
Snoman says:
LOL
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
And I had ideas meself, but couldn't communicate 'em to everyone else, cos they couldn't understand
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Thats why, even though I don't know how to play the piano, I can do so now, and make me own musak - I don't honestly think I could be in a band again!
Snoman says:
i know what ya mean, sequencers give a sense of expressionist freedom
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
I guess thats why Noel Gallagher went solo eh!
Snoman says:
LOL
Snoman says:
innit
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Hmm, they give you/me an artistic outlet for sure - but it does miss that emotional expression that only comes when ya playin it live
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
In a sequencer, it's very much more a sort'a logical calculation
Snoman says:
yeah, you have to work in a sequencer to make it sound more real life
Snoman says:
but its no substitute for a real player at times
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
for sure - and thats how it'll always sound on evry play
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
No variation
Snoman says:
yeah, but the record buying public don't seem to care anymore
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
I know, and to be honest, nor do I now, unless I'm listenin to some jazz where I'd expect to hear "active" creativity, I tend to be more interested in sounds now
Snoman says:
brb
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
Then again, there does seem to be a re-surgence of guitar based music now
Mike@TheWhippinpost says:
ok
Snoman says:
got kicked off again .......
........and so the conversation drifted off into inane late-night waffle!
BIG-UP to Rick for sharing those nuggets with us - A true pro, dude and gentleman who certainly knows his stuff... as he should!
A year or two after this interview, guess what he did? Aye, he only went and wrote a massive bleedin book didn't he!
The Dance Music Manual - Tools Toys and Techniques
by Rick Snoman is available now!
Rick reveals ALL of his tips and tricks in this 510 page mega book!
Check it out over at Amazon: The Dance Music Manual
It's a monster I'm tellin ya! If you've learnt sommat today from this interview, that's nothing, trust!
You won't need another book again - Just read what others have said about it, then grab yourself a copy before it goes out of print
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