In its purest form, mixing is the process of setting the volume of each track to create a balance between it and all of the other tracks in a song. The goals of mixing are to ensure that all of the vocals and instruments are audible, to give an overall pleasurable listening experience, and that the artist's vision and message for the song is communicated.
Mixing involves the use of equalization (EQ), dynamics processing (compressors, expanders, and gates), and the application of effects (reverb, delay, chorus, etc.) to improve the sound of each track and to create a cohesive overall mix for the song. Finally, mixing involves the rendering or "bouncing down" of all of the separate vocal and instrument tracks into a single stereo file that can be played back on a standard listening device (car stereo, cd boombox, mp3 player, tape deck, etc.).
Also included in the Mixing process is the Editing of the audio material. This involves removing any noises, cutting the silence out of tracks, compiling a single outstanding take by taking the best parts from other multiple takes ("comping"), correcting any timing irregularities, and using pitch correction ("autotune") for tuning vocal parts.
Surprisingly to some, the Mixing and Editing process can often take much longer than the recording of the raw tracks! Mixing is actually where much of the so-called “magic” of recording takes place, where the mix engineer takes plain, maybe even dull-sounding tracks, and crafts them into a completed song that is a joy to listen to.
For most material, Mixing (for one song) can be completed within 3 to 4 hours. More difficult material will obviously take longer. Prior to working on your project, we will evaluate your material to give you a firm quote in advance, and the price that you pay will NOT exceed our original quote. If it takes longer to complete the job, we will absorb the cost.
Yes, you can listen to some of the material that we've mixed on our Samples page.
For more helpful tips on preparing your tracks for mixing, check out this website.
For the best possible results, we need WAV or AIFF files in resolutions of at least 16-bit/44.1 kHz or better. 24-bit resolution is preferred. Please do NOT send any kind of data-compressed files like MP3, Real, or OGG-Vorbis. These are "lossy" audio formats which destroy harmonic content irreversibly, so they cannot be used as source files for mixing.
The format that we deliver depends upon your needs, but in most cases we will provide your mixes in 24-bit/44.1 kHz Wav files. If needed, we can send the files to you in other formats (data CD or DVD), or at higher sample rates.
You can upload your files to our secure FTP server, use an online service such as Yousendit, send a data CD or DVD in the mail, or deliver them to us in person (if you are a local customer). Contact us for more details.