Mixing the individual musical tracks of a record can be one of the most difficult phases of the production process. But I managed to get a little bit more of a handle on it when I finished my current album, Saints and Sinners. I was stuck, I admit. But as the jazzbos sometimes say, “You just have to listen.” So, that’s what I did. I made a huge list of songs – all of them hits of some kind, and most of them favorites of mine – and I methodically listened and took notes. I used mainly headphones, a pair of Beyerdynamic DT770s, top flight cans, in conjunction with my respectable stereo system which includes Epos speakers, a Marantz CD player, a Rega turntable, plus my iPhone with its earbuds.
I listened in quick bursts of three or four songs, usually rotating from one medium to another, ie LP, CD, iPhone. Very infrequently, I listened with the earbuds on YouTube.
Many engineers and producers these days try to play it safe and do what I would call a kind of “modified mono” mix. There are some stereo effects and the drums will have a stereo image to an extent, but most of the music is coming up the middle. I didn't want that on my record. Another conservative trend is to use effects very sparingly. So, I paid attention to that in my listening, as well.
Unsurprisingly, some of my favorite records are on the “mono-ish” side and they’re not exactly spring chickens. One of the theories is that if one speaker is shot in a club or in a car, you don’t lose crucial parts of the song. Or, just think about those kids on the subway or a park bench with one headphone in one kid’s ear and another in their friend’s ear.
Well, as Frank Zappa once said, “I don’t make records to be played on cheesy stereos” or something to that effect. I wholeheartedly agree. Panning rocks! Stereo rocks! And many of the famous records of the ‘60s have highly adventurous panning.They took chances. Maybe the singles were mixed for mono AM Radio. I don’t care. I love to hear Jimi’s guitar whooshing all over the place, taking flight across the galaxy and beyond. And I love to hear a part that whispers to you from the far right or left. In any event, I highly recommend trying this exercise if you’re in the mixing phase or just a recording musician.
Get on with it!
Sex Pistols – Never Mind The Bullocks, “No Feelings,” LP. Guitars up the middle for the intro. Everything is up the middle to start. Some stuff a little to the left and right, accent guitars. A centered mix. Opens up in the choruses, but not far. The outer guitars are maybe 10:30/1:30. Guitar solo centered with some slashing stuff from the near left accenting. Bass and kick straight up. Snare, too. Some cymbals are in the outer sphere. Relatively dry sounding and monochromatic. Maybe some room sounds on the guitars and drums. Compressed? Invites you to turn it up.
Killing Joke – Brighter Than A Million Suns, original 1987 LP, “Adorations.” A big stereo mix. Lots of drums and keys up the middle with the vocals. More keys and distant guitar noises to the sides. During the big climbing riff, more stereo clarity is discernable. I don’t hear much to the left at 9 o’clock. More on the right all the way over and at 3 o’clock. Synths come in and out complementing the vocal during the chorus. Many stereo effects.
The good ol' days in L.A.
Steely Dan – “Show Biz Kids.” LP. 770s. Slide guitar starts it off, way off to the right. Some drums come in next but they are on the left, not typical drums. Back-up vocals are definitely not centered. The lead vocal is. The main part of the drum kit is off to the left. The bass is in the center. Main part of the girl’s vocals are on the right, way on the right. When the other Dan guy comes in with his “harmony,” (not really sure if there’s a harmony) it’s in the center. Rick’s slide guitar solo licks are still on the right, about 1:30. Some weird xylophone comes in way on the left. Hard to place the piano. Hand claps way on the left. Slide guitar dominates the right. Piano becomes clear eventually as being on the left. A complex and awesome mix and song. Big slide guitar solo never goes center. Piano moves over towards the center (but not in the center) as the song builds. A sick harmonica finally comes in as the song builds to a climax. It is well to the left and you can hardly tell it from the weird scream that comes in the center before it. But you still can tell if you listen closely, which may be hazardous to your health.
The Who – Tommy, 1969. Reissue LP. “Pinball Wizard” The opening acoustic chords (two guitars) are way right and the echoes are on the left. The electric power chords come in on the left, well left. Roger is in the middle. Moonie is in the center with The Ox. The huge power chords are left, the acoustic stays right, where you can hear it really nicely. Townshend’s backing vocals are a bit to the left. A very rhythmic, staccato lead guitar is also on the left. Roger’s vocals seem to echo off to the left with a beautiful reverb as well. The next track is totally different
Cream – “White Room” It says “STEREO” right on the label of the original 1968 LP, Wheels of Fire. The intro is full of interesting panning. The drums are definitely somewhat left, along with a weird falsetto vocal from Jack Bruce. The lead vocal when it comes in is in the center, bless his heart. The raunchy rhythm guitar is on the right. The bass is on the left. The burbling wah-wah guitar of the refrain is centered. The killer wah-wah guitar that will eventually become the solo is very much centered. The hi-hat is on the right! The timpani is on the… A very panoramic display of psychedelic colours… It almost lines up horizontally. No background vocals although you expect them. Yes, Jack Bruce is singing something during the “intro” that returns – it’s panned left. Eventually Clapton’s wah-wah guitar takes over, front and center. The bass still on the left, the drums start to kick up a little all over the place. Very creative! Felix! LSD!
Jimi Hendrix – “Red House” Smash Hits CD. The one guitar of the intro fills the whole stereo spectrum, tons of echo, whatever. But the focus is off at 1 o’clock. The vocal, bizarrely, is way off to the left, although there’s an echo to the right somewhere. The drums are centered. The guitar that is standing in for the bass is centered. Eventually, the lead guitar takes up stage right in direct opposition to the vocals which are well left, although they start to get bigger. When the huge lead comes in, it is still around 1 o’clock, 1:30. You could hear it from fifty miles away. It has a huge amount of echo. Who knew that Mitch could play such a killer blues? A few weird panning effects are thrown in towards the end, as expected… It should be noted that the guitar is so massive it could carry any song by itself. The vocal is pretty spirited, too. The mixing console in Electric Lady Studios is pictured at top. However, "Red House" was recorded at CBS Studios in London with addition work done at DeLane and Olympic.
A sea of dails and knobs confronts St. Vincent.
St. Vincent – Masseduction. CD 2017, “Hang On Me.” First song. Big electronic drum and whispering voice up the middle. EDM. Leans to the left like many mixes. I wish I could understand that strategy. Maybe a guitar solo comes in that sounds like a keyboard, Ebow or something like that. Whammy pedal. Lots of beautiful keyboards shimmering. It goes down easy in 2:44. A bit alien to my ears.
The Cure – Pornography, LP. “In The Hanging Garden” Guitars pan to the left and right. A tribal drum is in stereo. Smith’s vocals are mainly in the center but do move around quite a bit at times. The center is reserved mostly for the lead vocal and bass. Non-traditional drums. Various sounds will pop up far to the right or left at times. Keys are more or less centered but also move around, as does the crazed, tribal drum which eventually becomes more centered, yet less prominent. Phased, flanged lead guitars swirl ala Hendrix. Great stuff! The next song is completely different, instrumentally as well as the mix.
The Kinks Something Else, LP. “David Watts.” Piano all the way off to the right. Lead guitar way left. Lead vocal is middle. Background vocals are right. Drums are left. There is a second vocal or echo of the vocal on the right. There are lots of backgrounds and they move around. The lead vocal actually moves around and now it’s on the right. Nicky Hopkins moves and grooves – on the outro, the piano comes up and starts to move around. Couldn’t really hear the rhythm guitar. An incredible mix, and an incredible song.
Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit” The initial rhythm guitar is right in the middle and then the drums come in and then a bunch of other guitars, right and left. The bass is centered with the drums/snare and bass. The little e-b string lick is just a hair to the right. The back-up vocal “Hello, hello” etc is on the left. The lead vocal is centered. Very well recorded. The awesome guitar solo is on the left but has a partner that dances on the right a little bit. A boiling stew of anger and sonic aggression. There is a stereo guitar that just seems to accent the clicks or chunkas in the main riff.
Mark Ronson wrestles with some old school gear...
Amy Winehouse, “Back To Black.” Itunes purchased track. “Rehab.” Electric guitar or piano all the way to the left. Amy in the center, of course. Ray is somewhere nearby.. unfortunately. Huge bass drum and all drums centered. Bass is in the center. Bells and other stuff, strings off to the left. A complex mix. Right side a little less active. Horns are basically center. Some piano comes in at 1 o’clock halfway or more through. Punchy sounding to the extreme.
Alabama Shakes – “Sound and Color,” from Sound and Color, CD 2015. Keys up the middle make the intro. Some pedal-y stuff on the right. A Gospel vibe. Synth strings come in over the top. Drums up the middle. Bass, too. Vocals, too. A xylophone or something is on the left, well over. Maybe a stereo image on the right with some of these percussion/vibes things. A beautiful reverb on the voice. More keys come in to fill in the right hand side. Very full and loud. Backing/second vocal a touch to the left. Other than ‘sound and color,’ most of the words are unintelligible. A very Around the World in a Day vibe, on some level. -Christian Botta