▼Production: Mixing
Getting the Most out of your Mix
http://www.harmony-central.com/articles/tips/say_it_loud/
Equalisation is Very Important
Stereo Imaging
When you go see a band play, they are usually guitar on one or both sides, bass to one side, drums in the back, and the singer in the middle. So when you start panning things in your mix you want to try to simulate those positions with panning; it gives more of a three-dimensional quality.
Mixing the drums is the same, snare & hat a little to right, kick in the middle and toms across the stereo field, (so when they roll the toms it goes from right to left). You don't normally notices it, but the mix sounds somewhat static without it. Usually longer reverb times are used for drums because it gives it more depth, they are in the back on stage so the only way to simulate that is with reverb. A good trick is to output drums from a sequencer onto separate tracks in your DAW (possible with Hydrogen and Ardour) to control the stereo imaging better in the final mix, and also the reverbs on the drums.
Listening Fatigue
When mixing your ears are good for maybe 2 hours tops, then you start losing your definition. The human ear starts to shutdown, it's called listening fatigue. What you're hearing will sound very different once you have recovered.
Final Mix Volume
The ear isn't completely linear, it's frequency response is the most flat at 95db, so the best volume level to mix at is 95 dB (the final mix volume).
The Dynamic Range
You have to build up the mix, each instrument will have a chunk of the overall dynamic range (it's own frequency range).
Phase Cancellation
Phase cancellation can effect the channels of your mix, see the main article.