Mixing with Impact

<p>In <em>Mixing with Impact: Learning to Make Musical Choices</em>, Wessel Oltheten discusses the creative and technical concepts behind making a mix. Whether you’re a dance producer in your home studio, a live mixer in a club, or an engineer in a big studio, the mindset is largely the same.</p><p>The same goes for the questions you run into: where do you start? How do you deal with a context in which all the different parts affect each other? How do you avoid getting lost in technique? How do you direct your audience’s attention? Why doesn’t your mix sound as good as someone else’s? How do you maintain your objectivity when you hear the same song a hundred times? How do your speakers affect your perception? What’s the difference between one compressor and another?</p><p>Following a clear structure, this book covers these and many other questions, bringing you closer and closer to answering the most important question of all: how do you tell a story with sound?</p> <p>Colophon</p><p>Preface </p><p>Travel guide for this book</p><p>Chapter 1: The world of mixing</p><p>1.1 Who is the mixer?</p><p>1.2 Why is mixing necessary?</p><p>1.3 What is the challenge?</p><p>1.4 On rules</p><p>Chapter 2: Listening</p><p>2.1 Perception</p><p>2.2 Your ear is a compressor</p><p>2.3 Your ear is an equalizer</p><p>2.4 Tuning in</p><p>2.5 A fixed reference</p><p>2.6 Taking professional care of your ears</p><p>Chapter 3: Laying the foundation </p><p>3.1 Before you start</p><p>3.2 Foundation</p><p>3.3 Balance</p><p>3.4 Panning</p><p>3.5 Mute is your friend</p><p>Chapter 4: The frequency spectrum</p><p>4.1 Association is key</p><p>4.2 Masking</p><p>4.3 The goal of EQ</p><p>4.4 EQ compass</p><p>Chapter 5: Dynamics</p><p>5.1 Dynamics versus time</p><p>5.2 Technical and musical dynamics</p><p>5.3 Using compressors</p><p>5.4 Reducing masking with compression</p><p>5.5 Dynamics and loudness</p><p>Chapter 6: Space</p><p>6.1 Hearing space and distance</p><p>6.2 Simulating space and distance</p><p>6.3 How reverb works</p><p>6.4 Using reverb</p><p>6.5 How delay works</p><p>6.6. Using delay</p><p>Chapter 7: Time and phase</p><p>7.1 Interaction</p><p>7.2 Combining microphones hierarchically</p><p>7.3 Combining microphones non-hierarchically</p><p>7.4 Phase manipulation</p><p>Chapter 8: Identity</p><p>8.1 Innovation, imitation and inspiration</p><p>8.2 Shaping identity</p><p>Chapter 9: Effects</p><p>9.1 Distortion - simulating intensity</p><p>9.1.1 How it works</p><p>9.1.2 Distortion in a mix</p><p>9.2 Re-amping - providing context</p><p>9.2.1 How it works</p><p>9.2.2 Re-amping in a mix</p><p>9.3 Modulation - putting things in motion</p><p>9.3.1 How it works</p><p>9.3.2 Modulation in a mix</p><p>9.4 Pitch manipulation - creating what wasn't there</p><p>9.4.1 How it works</p><p>9.4.2 Pitch shifting in a mix</p><p>9.5 Triggering - cause and effect</p><p>9.5.1 How it works</p><p>9.5.2 Triggering in a mix</p><p>9.6 Spectral editing - unreal reality</p><p>9.6.1 How it works</p><p>9.6.2 Spectral processing in a mix</p><p>Chapter 10: Automation</p><p>10.1 Faders for each function</p><p>10.2 Parallel constructions</p><p>10.3 Change and conquer</p><p>10.4 Expressivity</p><p>Chapter 11: Advanced techniques</p><p>11.1 The floor: keeping low frequencies in check</p><p>11.2 The ceiling: creating clear mixes</p><p>11.3 Securing the house: dynamic interventions</p><p>11.4 The exterior walls: stereo processing</p><p>11.5 Beyond the exterior walls: 3D panning</p><p>Chapter 12: Bus Compression</p><p>12.1 Influence</p><p>12.2 Choices and settings</p><p>12.3 Multibus setups: painting on a colored canvas</p><p>Chapter 13: Templates</p><p>13.1 Time is money</p><p>13.2 Building templates</p><p>13.3 Integrating equipment in the 21st century</p><p>Chapter 14: Preparing for mastering</p><p>14.1 Communication</p><p>14.2 What is a good mix?</p><p>14.3 Mixbus processing</p><p>14.4 Stems</p><p>14.5 Consequences of loudness normalization</p><p>Chapter 15: Mindset</p><p>15.1 Doubt is fatal for a mix</p><p>15.2 Imposed limitations - working in a context</p><p>15.3 A guide for your mix</p><p>15.4 Ways to stay fresh</p><p>Chapter 16: The outside world</p><p>16.1 Speaking the same language</p><p>16.2 Reference tracks</p><p>16.3 Feedback on the source material</p><p>16.4 Feedback on the mix: revisions</p><p>16.5 Working at a distance</p><p>16.6 Conclusion</p><p>Chapter 17: Tools</p><p>17.1 Basic acoustics</p><p>17.1.1 Space</p><p>17.1.2 Optimization</p><p>17.2 Monitoring</p><p>17.3 Subwoofers</p><p>17.3.1 Why use a subwoofer?</p><p>17.3.2 Choosing a subwoofer</p><p>17.3.3 Installing and adjusting</p><p>17.4 Headphones</p><p>17.5 How EQ works and its side-effects</p><p>17.6 How compressors work and their side-effects</p><p>Index</p>