Mixing, Enlightenment, and Meaning
Continuing the discussion on mixing, and diving into some deeper topics!
Hey friend,
I hope you've been well!
Last week I went on a deep dive of mixing and mastering and some of you asked that I go a bit more into the strategy and big picture ideas around mixing, rather than get too in the weeds about technicalities. This makes more sense for a written format, so I will do the best I can!
Starting A Mix - Recap of Last Week
The first thing I will do when I start a mix, whether for a client or for my own music, is organize the project into groups, name every channel, colour code the groups, and organize them in the following order:
Kick, Drums, Basses, Harmony (Synths/Strings/Piano/etc.), Leads, Vocals, FX
The order that you organize your project in is subjective, so figure out what works best for you and stick with it from project to project!
Next I talked about the importance of balancing volumes within each group, and between the groups as a whole.
Then we went into panning and EQ.
If you want to read last weeks post you can find it here!
www.elazionmusic.com/blog/the-art-of-mixing-and-mastering
The Goals of the Mixing Process
So the goal of the mix is to balance each element in volume, place each element within the stereo field, and then deal with any issues left by EQing masking frequencies, and using compression to deal with dynamic issues like transients popping out of the mix, or to bring certain elements forward in the mix.
Sometimes when we are learning to mix we can OVERMIX, and honestly make our song so much worse.
We think that just because we know a technique, that means we need to use it on every element and in every song.
The truth is, a song that is really well produced will need very little mixing.
When you choose elements that don’t conflict with each other, a slight bit of EQ here and there, some saturation to add character, some volume balancing, and some panning will do the trick.
Busy Mixes
Often though we will feel like certain sounds are just buried in the mix and aren’t sticking out the way we would like them to.
This often can be because we have too many elements sharing the same space. We stack too many layers and then struggle to fit them all into the mix. The best thing to do in this scenario is look for elements that you can mute or remove that are unnecessarily clogging up the mix.
We often get carried away with layering and producing, adding more and more ideas. There has to be a balance between adding and subtracting things in your mix. If you mute a layer and don’t notice that it’s gone, delete the layer, it is probably just getting in the way.
Primary, Secondary, and Ornamental Sounds
When layering things in your productions it is important to understand the different purposes each element can serve. There are really only 3 different purposes, a Primary sound, Secondary sound or Ornamental sound.
Primary Sounds
These are the main elements of your song, your drums, your bass, your leads, your vocals, your main chords, etc.
Secondary Sounds
These are your supporting elements that help fill out the song, different layers, shakers, tambourines, tension strings, ambience, atmospheres, etc.
Ornamental Sounds
These are your bells and whistles, the cool fills and interesting production tricks you use to make things interesting.
When you are going through your productions, use this framework to understand where your elements should be focusing their purpose. Is this sound a primary, secondary, or ornamental sound? If it is a primary sound, it should be at the front of the mix. If it is a secondary sound then it should be supporting the primary sounds. If it is an ornamental sound, then it should be filling out the background and adding interest, but not taking the centre stage and not taking attention away from the primary and secondary sounds.
If you want to go deeper into mixing and mastering, you can check out my online course where I produce my single “Oh My Love” from start to finish. You can see every single move I make from the production and writing phase, all the way through to the final master!
1 Cool Insight on Creativity and Psychology
I am currently in the middle of writing a 10 song album for Sync music libraries and I have been pushing myself this week to create more music than I ever have.
In one week I wrote and finished 3 new songs for this album, and they are quite unique!
The idea of creating one song per week always seemed overwhelming as an artist, but I have found because I am writing these as instrumental songs that don’t need a vocal, I can just crank them out at a crazy pace.
I have learned that by changing the context, you can absolutely smash what you thought was possible beforehand!
1 Cool Thing I Learned This Week
I was watching this video with a Zen priest talking about the idea of Enlightenment, and that most people have a misunderstanding of this as a place we can get to, a state we can attain that will remain after we have reached it.
Zen teaches that this idea is a utopian dream that is unattainable, and anyone claiming they have reached some ultimate enlightenment should be met with extreme skepticism. He says that we should rather understand it as a balance between more enlightened moments of experience, and less enlightened moments.
Enlightened Moments
When we are present, compassionate, considering the needs of others, feeling the interconnectedness of all things, etc.
Unenlightened Moments
When we are frustrated in traffic, acting for our own selfish needs, when we put our self-importance before those of other beings, etc.
This insight helps me put experiences in perspective and realize that the thing most people strive for can be right in front of your face.
I find I am most in these enlightened states when I am in a flow state producing music, hiking in nature taking in the beauty of where I am lucky enough to live, walking with my wife and just feeling grateful to be where I am in life, etc.
We don’t have to have some lofty goal to attain to feel like we are connected to life and that our life has meaning. All it takes is a perspective shift to see that where you are at is already perfect.
Book Recommendation
Why I love this book
Frankl is a psychologist who survived a Nazi concentration camp during WW2. He watched as some prisoners seemed to not break through the struggle that broke so many. He wondered what it was about these people that kept them so strong. He quotes Frederick Nietzche “a man who has a why, can bear any how”. This quote has rung in my head for years since reading this book, and it is a quote I think about anytime I am really struggling with something.
Frankl says that you can take absolutely everything from a person, but what you can never take from them is their ability to choose how to react to a situation. You can either break or stay strong and keep moving. The choice is always up to you how to react to tough times. Do not complain, look for solutions.
This book explores how we find meaning in our lives, and the 3 main ways we find it.
Through work - our career, our craft, our hobbies, our duties, etc.
Through experiencing something or someone - family, relationships, traveling, meeting new people, etc.
Through surviving and overcoming hardships
Key Takeaways
Life does not have a specific meaning. Rather it is a question asked of you by life, what is it that provides your life with meaning? When you ask yourself this question, it is the answer you give it that is the meaning of your life.
Meaning can be found through your work, your craft, your family, your experiences, and even through tragedy and hardship like Frankl himself.
For me this is creating great works, traveling and exploring nature, being with my wife or family, finding states of flow and appreciating them for the beauty that they are.
You always have the choice of how to react to a situation.
Don’t complain about how hard life is, someone has it much worse.
If you have ever wondered what the meaning of life is, searched for it in books or pondered it late at night, this is the book for you! If you want to check it out, you can find it here!
Viktor Frankl - Man’s Search For Meaning
Take care my friend,
- Niko
PS - If you want to learn my in depth process for producing, mixing and mastering, I go into detail about it in my online course which you can find below!👇
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