10. Practice Mix

10. Practice Mix
Practice the mix, learn to play the console/mix like an instrument. When you are confident with your mix start recording it to your
mixdown deck.
(It is usually good to perform a few mixes, like any performance each will be different and one will usually be preferable.)
(It is common at this point for you to realize that you have not determined how the song should start or end, map these moves out as
above. Be sure to allow for some pre-roll & post roll time)
(Performing a mix should be similar to performing on an instrument where moves and other events happen on the beats of the song,
your mixing moves should have rhythm to them.)

9. Map Moves

9. Map Moves
Map out any move that maybe necessary, such as:
• level changes
• muting of tracks
• panning
• effect changes
(map the move to a tape counter and/or a smpte time readout, keep a written list of these moves)
(learn to perform the moves on-the-beat, tap your foot and count)

8. Balance Mix

8. Balance Mix
Listen to the mix and ensure you can hear each sound and the over-all balance between each sound is correctly portioned.
(This is a good point to perform a rough mix to tape and playing it on a secondary monitoring system to help gain a second
prospective and ensure the main monitoring system is not leading you down the wrong path. Studio monitors can reduce the perceived
impact of various settings and the amount of such things as reverb.)

7. Effects

7. Effects
Setup the reverb and other effects. When applying reverb, keep your sonic landscape in mind. You are setting the outer-boundaries of
your sonic landscape at this point.
(It is easy to over use reverb and other effects, generally turn-up the effect to a point where they become dominate then back them off
to they just meld into the background)
(Be sure to keep a written record of which effects are used where and the programs of the effect units, with any special settings and/or
signal routings that have been employed)

6. Pan

6. Pan
Pan tracks/sounds to complete the setting of your sound stage.
(This step is done in conjunction with re-EQ, step 5. The overlapping frequencies maybe less offending after panning)
(Periodically monitor your constructed sonic landscape in mono to ensure that phase cancellation and sound masking are not going to
cause you any problems, your mix should stand-up in mono as well as stereo, with only the basic imaging shifting.)