MikeRoePhonics Mixing Services

INTRODUCTION

MikeRoePhonics Digital Audio offers high-quality mixing at competitive rates.

Mixing will shape your songs into a coherent whole by adjusting volume, pan, dynamics, tonal balance, spatial positioning, and more.

Proper mixing will create a sound appropriate for the mastering engineer to maximize the recording, allowing the music to reach it's highest sonic potential.

MIXING SESSION WORKFLOW

Although every session will be different from the next one, the following steps are usually made.

Initially, the music is played back unchanged from the source recordings. Nothing is altered in any way unless the music requires it. Automatically slapping a compressor, equalizer and limiter on the recording before listening to the source does no good. This would be much like adding loads of spices to chili without tasting it, or painting a masterpiece while wearing a blindfold! You have to start with a reference point.

If the music needs some "spices" a variety of effects processors will be used.

Compression is applied to add "punch" or "slam" to the music.
EQ may be added to enhance clarity, add warmth, or fatten up the bass.
Reverb can be added to create an incredible sense space to an otherwise "dead" recording.
Audible "clicks" and "pops" are listened for, and removed when possible.
Noise removal is applied to eliminate "hiss" and other unwanted sounds.
Effects such as echos, choruses, guitar amp modelling and phasors are also available to create a unique sonic palette to the music.

Aside from the usual effects processing, the following are also checked and corrected:

DC Offset
Channel Polarity (sometimes confused with "phase")
The mix will be checked in mono to listen for instrument drop-outs, such as vocals. This is an important check to make, in case the music will get airplay on an AM radio station, or "fringe" FM stations.