Equalization

The equalizer is one of the most used tools in the mix engineers toolkit. In the first part of the Mixing Essentials Course, Gabe will help you understand how the tool works and some best practices for how to integrate equalization into your mix practice. Some topics covered include (but aren’t limited to):

• Review of what EQ can and cannot do - what is it made for and why engineers use it?
• What is masking and how do you understand when it is happening?
• Is it better to boost or to cut when using EQ, and why does it matter?
• Should we use an EQ before or after compression?
• Techniques for using EQ to generate character in a recording; “the bad stuff on purpose…”
• How to tell when an EQ is successful at getting you results and when it's making things worse.

You will walk away with techniques you can put into practice immediately to sweeten and punch up your mixes.

Compression & Limiting

In the audio animal kingdom, the compressor is (perhaps) the most used and least understood species. In the hands of an experienced engineer, they can bring life and power to a mix. The path towards learning how to use compressors is tricky. One must learn not just how they mechanically work, but also how to think critically about how they are applied. Compress too much or at the wrong time and you might just end up causing more harm than good.

In part two of The Mixing Essentials Course, you will learn to think of compressors as harmonic saturation devices that use time-based controls (attack/release) to change the dynamic qualities of instruments in a mix. We will also cover how compression can be applied to a fully mixed track to knock back errant transients and “glue” the mix together. Comparative listening exercises will illuminate what happens when a compressor is pushed too far, and you’ll lean strategies for how to apply just the right amount of compression to any single instrument, sub-group, or mix.

This mix clinic builds on techniques presented in part 1 “EQ”, but can be useful to anyone interested in improving their mix abilities.

Reverb & Delay

There is nothing more satisfying than a big plate reverb or a trippy delay at the right moment on a track. When tracking, it can turbo-boost a performers abilities and bring out daring stunts that would be unthinkable in a dry vacuum. It gives tracks the big feels, turns snare drums to thunder, and can make guitars surf!

You’ve probably already started using time-based effects in your mixes, but have you ever wondered how to use reverb and delay to break through the creative wall? Presets will get you started, but there are an infinite number of possibilities available to any engineer willing to learn the basics of time-based effects processing and get experimental. Part III of The Mixing Essentials Course explores some of the ways you can use reverb and delay to add dimension to snare drums, vocals, and other instruments, as well as some best practices for managing session routing and preserving valuable system resources. Practical demonstrations will illustrate how to build depth throughout a mix using multiple processors, each with their own time window.

Building on techniques covered in parts one and two, this third series will add new polish to your mixes and give you the courage to break free of presets.

Mix Walkthrough

The first three parts of the course include both theory and practical demonstrations. The final module of the course is where Gabe opens up a session from the beginning and walks you through each step in his mixing workflow. 

Throughout the process of mixing the song, Prof. Herman uses the essential tools and techniques you will have learned so far in the course and applies them one-by-one to each track of the song. Along the way he explains his approach, he helps you find what to listen for in a mix, and he demonstrates techniques to achieve the desired sound with the essential mixing tools. 

You can then download the tracks that Gabe uses in the mix walkthrough and try it out in your own DAW session! This gives you the opportunity to put what you learn into action and THAT is what will lead you to the results you're looking for! At this point, you'll be amazed how much closer you are to making your mixes sound the way you hear them in your head.