What is Sound Mixing?
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Well, if you want the boffin's definition then here it is...
Sound mixing is the balancing of the relative volume, frequency and dynamic content of a number of sound sources. Typically,
these sound sources are the different musical instruments in a band or a collection of vocalists, the sections of an orchestra,
or a variety of announcers at a live broadcast location...
The Sound Engineer
Imagine a live band, with all of their instruments close miked or directly injected into a large multi-channeled mixing desk so
that absolutely ALL sound sources are coming through the mixing desk. Then the objective of the guy operating the mixer, known as
the sound engineer, is to balance the sound so that all instruments and vocals are clearly audible and dynamically balanced with
each other, as well as being processed or equalised to enhance the natural tones of the instrument or voice.
At a much simpler level this can be done with even the most basic type of PA system. Important factors to consider are as
follows.
- The Venue – This is often the hardest issue to overcome as it is extremely unlikely that you will be able to alter the
physical structure of the room. On arriving at the venue it is probably a good idea to have a walk about and perhaps clap
your hands loudly a few times to see how the acoustics react to noise. From this you can normally tell if the room is
"dead" – with little or no acoustic response, or if it is "live" – if it has a slight echo or
reverberation. Hard walls and windows will usually produce a "live" sound, whilst heavy curtains and carpets tend
to deaden the sound.
- Keep it simple – If you find yourself in a small room, amplifiers and drums are naturally going to be very easy to hear.
Channelling them through the PA system is just going to make it sound untidy which is why the best advice is to keep it
simple!
- Mixing Vocals - Vocals are key to any small room mix. Ensuring that they are loud and clearly heard throughout the room
is a must. The biggest factor you are going to have to compete with is monitor feedback. One technique commonly used with
vocals is sub-grouping. On some sound mixers, you have the option to group channels together on one fader, with the ability
to insert a compressor across the whole group. This way you can compress the vocals all at once.
- Drums - Drums are a difficult instrument to mix live. In order to deliver the best sounding mix, you need to take stock of what you
can actually hear in the room naturally, without amplification. Most drum kits in a small room won't need any amplification past
the kick drum.
For a good small room, you may wish to mic the kick drum, as well as the snare. Toms generally don't require any amplification,
as they're generally not played enough to warrant dedicated channels.
- Bass & Guitars - Quite simply, in most small rooms, you won't need to close mic the guitar amps and bass cabinets. In
fact, you may have to ask the players to turn down because their amplified sound is too loud in comparison with the rest of the
PA. Acoustic guitars are a different matter. Sometimes, you will find players with an acoustic amp, however those generally
don't always cut through the mix very well. Feeding the acoustic directly into the PA usually achieves the best sound although
it will need to be carefully equalised in order to avoid feedback.