Welcome to Phantom City Studio Recording Studios in Orlando, Florida

                     Mixing



Fact:
Many recording studios do not specialize in mixing, in effect they do not posses the proper mixing
environment, mixing gear, or monitoring signal path, which also creates a need for a proper mixing
studio or mixing engineer.

What is Mixing?
Mixing is the second step in the recording process.  
Mixing is where all the individual tracks are combined and blended to create a stereo
mix.  During the mixing process audio is edited, effects are added, and sound levels are
corrected.  Mixing allows the engineer to remove unwanted noise, and delete, copy, or
move recorded audio to other places on the track. Mixing is extremely important
because it brings harmony and balance to the entire track.

Make sure you allow enough time in your budget to do a good job -- at least 30 minutes
per song just for mixing depending on the complexity and length of each project.  Ask
the engineer questions about what he's doing so you can communicate what you want.  
Don't be afraid to assert yourself. If you want something done, you have to make it
happen. Don't step on toes, but at the same time, it is your record, not the engineer's
record.

You or the producer really have to assert your ideas, but the engineer is the person
who is actually going to make it happen. He or she has good ideas. A good cooperative
way to mix your songs is to let the engineer set up a rough mix that he thinks sounds
good, and then let everyone comment on that.

If you have liked the work the engineer has done before, don't even say anything when
you're listening to the playback. In fact, you might not even want to be there during the
mixing. Just tell the engineer what you want and maybe he can do three different mixes.

Leaving the mixing entirely up to an engineer you like contains some real wisdom: "A lot
of times you'll be in the studio with a band doesn't know anything about it, and they'll be
putting their hands all over the board, and saying 'I think this sounds really good.' Then
afterwards they are really unhappy with the Cd." Do not let this happen to you.

An audio mixing console, or mixing desk, or mixing board, has numerous rotating
controls and sliding controls faders that are used to manipulate the volume, the
addition of effects such as reverb, and frequency content (equalization) of audio
signals. On most consoles, all the controls that apply to a single channel of audio are
arranged in a vertical column called a channel strip. Larger and more complex consoles
such as those used in film and television production can contain hundreds of channel
strips. Many consoles today, regardless of cost, have automation capabilities so the
movement of their controls can be recorded, and then played back automatically. A
recent trend isto use a "control surface" connected to a computer. This eliminates much
of the electronics in a conventional console as the actual automation work is done
digitally by the computer.


So what's it going to sound like?
When a song is mixed, everything sounds balanced. The sound levels from each
individual track are digitally controlled to ensure that no sound louder or lower than
what it needs to be. Naturally there is only so much one can do in a mixing session, but
as long as tracks aren't digitally clipping and everything has been edited and arranged
to its right intentions, the mix engineer will be able to bring it to the next level.

At Phantom City Studio we use Pro Tools to create a perfectly balanced mix.  
We can filter out background hum, white noise and unwanted breaths.

Your mix will sound perfectly balanced and ready to be mastered professionally.


What happens during a mixing session?
During your mixing session, once the tracks are converted and uploaded into pro tools,
the engineer will be able to take note of any reference material you have, and begin
working on eq, panning, compression and overall leveling. Additional effects and
production ideas can be added, however enough time must be given in order to do this.

How Long Does it Take?
Although there is no limit to the time or money that can be spent on mixing, a good rule
of thumb would be an average of at least one hour for each song. Can it be done in
less time?  Yes, but the more time the engineer has to mix a song, the better the mix will
sound.  Remember that mixing is the final step right before mastering.  

Master Mix
A master mix is not the same as getting a song mastered.  A master mix means getting
a "mix" mastered.  This is the best thing besides mastering that can be done to a song.  
Believe it or not, many people cannot tell the difference between a master mix and a
song that has been mastered.  
The master mix is included in your recording session FREE of charge!

Experience
Phantom City Studio Recording Studios in Orlando, Florida has over 15 years of
experience in audio mixing and mastering. We use Pro Tools systems with just about
every
plugin available. Pro Tools provides Phantom City Studio engineers the editing
capabilities to sculpt sound digitally in a way that analog never provided. Not only are
there dozens of powerful new digital audio tools that analog never provided, but the
precision with which you can manipulate audio is unrivaled. Perhaps Digital's best
quality is its instant recall capability. We can mix a song today, come back to that
project over the course of months, and it sounds exactly like it was left. Analog never
did that. This feature makes revising mixes simple, fast, and predictable. If a client
wants to add changes to a mix, it's easy for Phantom City Studio to quickly pull up the
mix and make the changes.

                                   Thank you for choosing Phantom City Studio Recording Studios in Orlando, Florida
Tracking:

Instruments, Vocals
are recorded.

This is done on
individual tracks.
Mixing:

Individual tracks are
combined and blended.
Effects are added.

Stereo Mix is created.
Mastering:

Stereo Mix is processed
with EQ, Compression,
and other effects.

Master Copy is ready.
Phantom City Studio Recording Studios in Orlando, Florida.
Copyright © 2008 Phantom City Studio
Thank you for choosing Phantom City Studio Recording Studios in Orlando Florida.
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