The Debut Album Studio Recording Experience, Part III: Mixing and Mastering

Post-production, i.e. editing, mixing and mastering, is just as important as playing the music. This is the process when the music is transferred from your recorded performance into the final product heard by the listener via the many kinds of speakers. In order to make good decisions in the process, fresh ears are precious. While the sound engineer of the tracking session may get good results as a mixing engineer, a dedicated and experienced mixing engineer may hear the music from a new angle. A mixing engineer has most likely mixed several similar-sounding projects before, and usually doesn't tire his ears in long tracking sessions.

Before getting into mixing, make sure you know what material will be mixed. Choose the best takes, and if there are problems in the playing, write it down on a to-do list. If editing is necessary, write down all edit points. However, as a general rule, avoid editing since it easily interrupts a natural flow of the music, and often isn't noticeable until much later. Instead, use one complete take and hear the feel of the entirety.

The mixing job is about making all instruments sound in balance. If you have a guest vocalist make sure the lyrics can be heard. An experienced engineer knows how to equalize (or "E.Q.") instruments in order to bring them more forward using an array of methods. Traditionally – vocals, bass and single instrument soloists are kept in the center and drums span throughout the stereo image. However, these are all broad generalizations only meant to be broken.

This is also where the usage of reverb comes in. Traditional types of reverbs are divided between Room/Hall and Plate, and although today's gear include a massive variety, these are the two most basic options and take you far, and they enhance the music quite differently. Room/Hall creates a more concert-like sound, and Plate a typical "pop" recording sound. Quantity of reverb is not to be confused with the length of the decay. Quantity simply means how loud the reverb is compared to the original "dry" track, and the length means how long the delayed sound lasts. When you feel there's "too much" reverb, think again. It may simply mean the chosen reverb is too long, and vice versa. A final mix is a two-track stereo version of the music, where everything sounds good and balanced, including reverbs and other effects. Sometimes a sound unachievable in a concert setting may be your thing, or you may want to imitate a live recording, or anything else. It's all up to you.

Many choose to work with a dedicated mastering engineer to achieve an optimal final sound. The mastering engineer's job is basically to do two things: Balancing the volume level of all tracks with compression and a final limiter, and to sequence, i.e. put the songs in the right order before burning onto a Master CD. An experienced mastering engineer additionally listens to the overall feel of the music and possibly works on other subtle details. A mastering engineer is always supposed to work as the final transparent enhancer of your music, and not work according to his own ideals. There are many myths about radio compatibility in terms of loudness, but its importance is often far overrated. Loudness, the overall level of the music, should merely be one where you don't need to turn the volume up and down, and especially in the headphone and music on-the-go age, it may mean a slightly narrower dynamic range than back in the day.

After your Master CD is done, listen to it in several environments; in your home stereo, on 2.1 computer speakers, internal computer speakers, various headphones and car stereo. If it sounds good to you, it is good. Every album should sound unique, and there's not an ultimate factory solution to the truth of your music. Similarly to choosing your favorite music collection, think about what suits your ideals, not what's common or a standard thing to do. The most important thing is that your music shines and comes through in the final version.

Mika Pohjola has recorded over thirty albums as a leader, in studios of all sizes.