Getting creative

Mixing Techniques for Creativity

So, we've basically got a pretty good mix up and running. If you followed all these steps, your mix should sound pretty awesome by now.

Getting Creative

This is the point where you might think, "Oh, I'm pretty happy with this mix," but you can also get creative. Here are a few ideas:

• Filter Bits: Try bits of filtering, or filter whole sections.
• Reverb Effects: You can cut out a section and put it in a big reverb.
• Drum Cuts: Consider cutting out the drums a bar before the last chorus comes in.

At this stage, the sky's the limit as to what you can try!

If you don't like it, you can always revert back to what you had before. If the clients don't like it, the same thing applies. But they might love it! It's always worth giving it a try.

Adding Interesting Touches

The more creative you are and the more things you try, the more interesting your mix will become.

For example, in this mix here, I added:

• A bit of extra reverb.
• A backwards effect before the vocals come in.
• Phasing in the second verse.

Demonstration with a Synthetic Bass Track

Now, let's look at another example using a more synthetic bass track.

I'm going to play this section here:

• The chorus finishes.
• We have a little instrumental break.
• The second verse comes in.

Filtering for Interest

I thought this could be a little bit more interesting, so here's what I did:

1. Use a Filter: I took my Sound Toys filter.
2. Apply Resonance: I added a nice bit of resonance on the mix bus.
3. Write Automation: I wrote a little automation to see how that sounds.

After some adjustments, I decided to make it a bit more extreme:

• I switched to a four-pole filter.
• I automated the bypass.

Final Thoughts

This was a little demonstration of how to create a bit of extra interest in a section that could use a little help from the "nice mixer man."

And there we go!