What does it mean to mix music?

What is mixing? Mixing is the process of using tools like volume faders, compressors, EQs, and reverbs to make the individual tracks of a song sound balanced and emotional.

Needless to say, to achieve studio-quality mixing, a pro is needed. Although music mixing can be done by amateurs, using topnotch equipment, to achieve a truly quality sound, again, a pro is needed, a pro like Kip Allen!

About Kip Allen

Kip Allen is a studio drummer. He is a session drummer. He is a touring musician, a songwriter, and a music producer, a go-to solution in Nashville for musicians who want the best.  Call 817-995-8093 for more information.

The Art of Mixing and Mastering Music

A professional music producer not only mixes music but they also master the music. Let’s look at both of these components.

Mixing

Mixing refers to the process of stacking multiple layers of audio together to produce one final track or to musically enhance an existing track.

You’re tinkering with basically everything you recorded when you mix a song. You’ll do things like drop in effects, adjust faders, and EQ your tracks. Think of mixing as working with a giant jigsaw puzzle. You’re combining the parts of what you’ve recorded, making sure everything hangs together, then you’ll add some finishing touches to achieve a finished product which dazzles.

Mastering

Think of mastering as adding sparkle and luster to your music. The term refers to the process of optimizing each individual track by compressing, equalizing, making stereo enhancements, or adjusting the reverberation (echo) effect.

In a very basic sense, when you master your album, you’re making sure that song one doesn’t blow out the speakers while the next song is barely audible. The mixing process extends to this, but mastering takes a broader view—you’re focusing more on each individual track when you’re mixing.

Mastering focuses on idiosyncrasies in each track with an eye and an ear toward their progression. It takes in all the tracks as a whole. You want the levels of the songs to be similar throughout and a general sense of cohesiveness to your recording. You want to flow from start to finish.

Put it all together

Well, putting it all together means a smooth-flowing production. It means a recording which sounds like it was meant to sound. It means the combination of talent and technical wizardry.  It means a music producer and touring musician like Kip Allen.

Can you mix music yourself?

Yes, you can.  An amateur, with the right mixing equipment, can mix a song. That does not mean, however, that the amateur can mix properly or do a good job.  For a finished product one can be proud of, for a finished product which is ready to face the scrutiny of talented musicians and the buying public, a pro is needed.

Kip Allen has been mixing music since 2008.  He has professional standing among some of the best musicians, songwriter’s, and vocalists in the music industry and the Nashville community. That kind of reputation can only be attained by delivering the goods time and time again.

Call Kip Allen, a Drum Workshop Artist, the next time you need someone to mix your music.  Why settle for second-best when the best is available?