Category: Mixing and Mastering

Basics of Mixing – 4.2 Panning and Stereo Imaging

Hello, this is Jooyoung Kim, engineer and music producer.

Today, I want to talk about panning, which controls the left and right placement of instruments. To explain panning, let’s first discuss how to create a stereo image.

  • Creating a Stereo Image

Stereo imaging starts with microphone recording techniques. On the left, we have AB stereo miking, and on the right, we have XY stereo miking.

AB stereo miking forms a stereo image by utilizing the time difference between sounds arriving from the left and right. In contrast, XY stereo miking relies on the volume difference between sounds arriving from the left and right.

Inspired by this, panning moves the audio source left and right by manipulating volume differences, much like the XY stereo miking method.

A question may arise: How do we create these volume differences to achieve panning? This is defined by the Pan Law.

  • Pan Law

Pan Law settings in DAWs typically include 0dB, -3dB, -4.5dB, and -6dB.

The reason for these settings is that if you move an instrument to the left or right by simply lowering the volume of one side, the overall volume decreases as the instrument moves. This scenario occurs when the Pan Law is set to 0dB.

In the case of -3dB, the center volume is reduced by 3dB, ensuring the volume remains consistent when moving stereo sources left or right.

For -4.5dB and -6dB, the center volume is reduced by the respective amounts, making the sound appear louder as it is panned left or right.

This might sound complicated, but there’s no need to overthink it. Just be aware that there are various panning settings.

In practice, adjusting the volume balance while panning is common, so you don’t need to worry too much about it.

  • Haas Effect

I also want to discuss the Haas Effect. As mentioned earlier, AB stereo miking creates a stereo image by the time difference in sounds arriving at two microphones.

Similarly, what happens if the same sound is played with a time delay between the left and right speakers? The answer is that it will sound biased towards the side that plays first.

This technique can make mono sources sound like stereo. However, from my experience, recording a double take sounds more natural and fuller than creating a stereo image with the Haas Effect.

While it’s useful to know, it’s generally better to use this technique only when necessary.

There are various ways to express panning.

For example, Logic uses a scale from -64 to +63, while Cubase and Pro Tools use -100 to +100. Some DAWs use clock-face representations.

There’s also Balanced Panning, which allows free adjustment of left and right panning.

When sending signals externally using Send from a panned source, the panning settings do not apply. Therefore, each DAW provides a Send Panning function to send the signal with the applied panning.

That’s all for today. See you in the next post!

Basics of Mixing – 4.1 Volume Balance

Hello! I’m Jooyoung Kim, an engineer and music producer.

In my previous post, we discussed organizing tracks. Today, we’ll delve into volume.

  • Why Volume is Crucial

Volume is the beginning and end of mixing. Higher volumes bring elements closer to the listener, while lower volumes push them further away. This simple principle helps place instruments within the stereo image created by your speakers.

  • How to Set Volume

First, listen to some reference tracks. Songwriters often get so absorbed in their own work that they miss when certain instruments are too loud or too quiet. Reset your ears by listening to professionally mixed songs.

Next, return to your DAW and mute all the tracks. Unmute a key track, such as the kick, snare, or vocal, and set its volume appropriately. Use this as a reference to balance the volumes of the other tracks.

While adjusting volumes, align the phase of multi-track recordings like drums and start some basic panning of instruments.

(Note: For more on phase alignment, refer to my previous post: 2.2 Phase and Interference. Details on panning will be covered in a future post.)

Once you move into more detailed processing, you’ll use volume automation, but this initial balance setup is crucial.

Avoiding Digital Clipping

One key point is to avoid digital clipping. If signals in your DAW are too high, the DAC can’t process them, resulting in distorted sound. This is digital clipping, and it prevents proper mixing.

Clipping occurs when the meter exceeds 0dBFS. Some DAWs can handle signals beyond this without clipping, but if your bit depth isn’t in a float format, clipping can happen when you export, causing damage.

Ensure your final master doesn’t exceed the 0dBFS peak meter mark to avoid clipping.

That’s it for today. Keep these tips in mind, and I’ll see you in the next post!

Basics of Mixing – 3.2 Types and Organization of Tracks

Hello! I’m Jooyoung Kim, a mixing engineer and music producer.

In the previous post, we looked at the functions of DAWs along with analog consoles.

Today, I will revisit the types of tracks within a DAW and share some tips on how to organize them.

There are about seven types of tracks that can be classified in a DAW:

  1. Audio Track
  2. MIDI Track
  3. Instrument Track
  4. FX Track
  5. Group Track
  6. Aux Track
  7. Folder Track

Other tracks such as tempo, video, markers, etc., exist, but I’ll skip those as they are more intuitive. Let’s take a look at each type.

  • Audio Track

Audio tracks are used for audio. You can set them to mono, stereo, or even multichannel as shown in the photo below.

Since I’m only using a laptop with limited inputs, only 2 out of 13 channels are recorded.

You can record at the sample rate and bit depth you’ve set and import external audio samples into these tracks.

  • MIDI Track

    MIDI tracks are a bit different from instrument tracks. They can record MIDI signals and send these signals externally.

    For those new to DAWs, this might seem unnecessary.

    These MIDI signals are primarily used with external synthesizers. The MIDI signals are received through the MIDI IN port on the synthesizer, which then plays according to the recorded signals.

    Synthesizers with keyboards can be played and recorded directly,

    but those without keyboards must be played via MIDI signals. Nowadays, MIDI signals can also be transmitted via USB instead of MIDI ports.

    • Instrument Track

      Instrument tracks are used to load virtual instruments and send MIDI signals to them. Like MIDI tracks, you can see the MIDI signals on the track, but they are played back directly.

      Each instrument has its own MIDI CC (Control Change) settings, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with the manual of the instrument you’re using.

      *MIDI CC

      MIDI CC is a transmission standard that allows you to control parameters on MIDI-supported instruments/devices.

      Each CC can be adjusted from 0 to 127. Commonly used CCs include:

      – 1: Modulation
      – 11: Expression
      – 64: Sustain Pedal
      – 66: Sostenuto Pedal

      • FX Track

      FX tracks receive signals sent from audio and instrument tracks. In DAWs like Pro Tools and Logic, these tracks don’t exist separately and are found only in Cubase among the DAWs I use.

      These tracks are used for parallel processing or adding reverb, delay, and other effects.

      • Group Track

      Group tracks bundle multiple tracks together, allowing you to process them collectively.

      • Aux Track

      Aux tracks are found in Logic and Pro Tools, used to create FX and group tracks.

      To use Aux tracks, you need to understand the concept of buses.

      * What is Bus?

      Black Ghost Audio

      As shown in a previous post, a bus is a ‘path’ that other tracks go through before reaching the Aux track via the ‘Send’ or Output designation.

      In Aux tracks, you need to specify the channel input to a specific bus for the signal to flow.

      Therefore, Aux tracks used via Send can function as FX tracks, and those used via Output can serve as group/stack tracks.

      This process is sometimes referred to as OOBus when grouping tracks.

      • Folder Track

      Folder tracks are used solely for organizational purposes and do not affect routing. They can mute/solo entire sections or consolidate unnecessary tracks.

      • Organizing Tracks

      Here’s a simple project I mixed.

      Organizing tracks can be done in any way, but I usually categorize them as follows:

      1. Drums and Percussion
      2. FX sources like risers and bells
      3. Bass
      4. Piano/Pad
      5. Other synthesizer instruments
      6. Acoustic/Electric Guitar
      7. Orchestral Instruments
      8. Vocals

      I tend to place lower frequencies at the top and higher frequencies at the bottom. Orchestral instruments are arranged in score order.

      FX tracks sent via Send are placed directly below the corresponding instrument/group track. I prefer designing and fine-tuning FX for each instrument individually, so this method works best for me.

      As you work on multiple projects, you’ll develop your own track organization method, tailored to your convenience.

      However, organizing tracks can significantly speed up your workflow, so having a consistent routine is beneficial.

      That’s all for today. See you in the next post!

      Basics of Mixing – 3.1 Console and DAW

      Hello! This is Jooyoung Kim, a mixing engineer and music producer.

      Today, I will finally talk about the functionalities.

      Shall we begin?

      In the days when all recording processes were done analog, mixing was performed using analog mixers and tape.

      Here is a video I found related to this topic. If you are interested in analog recording, you might find it interesting to watch.

      The transition from analog to digital began with the release of Digidesign’s (now AVID) Sound Tools.

      Sound Tools included a DAW program called Sound Designer, various chipsets, and devices that acted as audio interfaces, all designed exclusively for Mac.

      Later, this program evolved into Pro Tools, a representative DAW.

      Such systems, integrated with DAWs, show why Pro Tools has become the industry standard and why Macs are commonly used in studios today.

      As we moved from analog to digital, DAWs developed by incorporating analog functionalities into computers. Therefore, understanding the functions of an analog mixer can make it easier to approach mixing with a DAW.

      The DAW mixer window that you need to get familiar with if you’re into mixing

      The interface of the mixer window is also designed similarly to an analog mixer. Let’s take a closer look at a mixer.

      • Analog Mixer and Signal Flow

      I wanted to bring a larger one, but it was difficult to see clearly.

      Let’s start from the left.

      Each channel has a series of stages: Pre section with mic preamp and input gain, Insert section with compressor and EQ, Send/Return section for external effects, and Post section with panning and output gain.

      This configuration of a single channel is called a channel strip, and a mixer consists of multiple channel strips. The DAW mixer window is organized in a similar sequence.

      The signal usually flows from top to bottom, and this path is called the ‘signal flow.’ Each DAW has a different signal flow, so you need to learn the signal flow of your specific DAW.

      I usually prefer Cubase for mixing, but the current project is in Logic, so I brought the Logic mixer window. Here, you can see that each channel strip is quite similar to an analog mixer.

      Let’s check the Send section in the DAW mixer window and then return to the analog mixer.

      • Send Section

      The analog mixer I brought doesn’t specifically say Send but is labeled FX. This Send function allows you to send the signal from each channel strip to a separate Send channel to apply effects independently.

      Some might wonder why not just apply effects in the Insert section.

      In the past, studio reverb and delay units were large and expensive. Applying such effects to each channel individually was nearly impossible. Additionally, sending the sound separately through the Send section provided the advantage of processing it independently.

      This feature remains in modern DAWs.

      In mixing, the Send section is primarily used for applying delay, reverb, and sometimes modulation effects like phaser or chorus, as well as saturation effects like distortion.

      Next, we need to look at the group/send section and bus.

      • Group and Aux Channels, and Bus

      Group/Aux channels are mostly seen in large analog mixers. They are used to bundle similar instrument groups for collective control.

      In Cubase, the concept of a bus isn’t used, making it more intuitive. However, in Logic and Pro Tools, the bus concept can be a bit confusing.

      A bus is a signal path that combines audio signals from multiple tracks. This explanation might sound complex, but think of it as an additional step before the Aux track.

      In Logic and Pro Tools, the bus function is used to create groups or apply effects like reverb or delay through Send.

      • Master Channel

      All tracks ultimately converge at the master channel, which is usually the Stereo Out channel in standard mixing.

      It is crucial to ensure that the digital peak does not exceed 0dB in the master channel.

      Although the 32-bit float format prevents audio quality destruction even if peaking occurs, it’s good practice to manage digital peaks for industry standard compliance and effective communication.

      This should provide a basic understanding of the tracks and their functionalities.

      See you in the next post!