Music Mixing for TV and Film - Tip #2
Wow! So many comments on my last video with My #1 Tip for Mixing Music for Sync Licensing.
So, I decided to share my #2 best trick for creating award-winning mixes that get on radio and into TV & film.
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When recording your music, you might have tracks that are a little bland. Something I do in mixing is when I’m working on a song and I feel as though it needs a little more contrast, some more saturation - I’ll work with the individual tracks to give them more character.
Maybe I’ll throw some parallel compression to the drums.
I might run the snare through a little bit of distortion or put an interesting space on the kit.
For the bass, I might try out a different amp simulator.
For the guitar, I’ll change up the compression, and try different panning.
The goal is to increase the contrast between all the different components of the mix. This adds an enormous amount of punch and gives the song more character.
To understand this better, here’s an analogy that will make sense if you like taking photos with your smartphone.
When you take a photo on your phone, the photo might look a little bland. So, you start to edit it - take up the saturation, mess with the contrast, and try different filters to make the image pop. This is a similar trick I use in mixing music for sync placement.
Mixing is not just about balance and making things sound pretty. You also want the music to evoke and bring your song to life.
Mixing music for sync like this will vastly increase the emotions of the song - helping when you pitch your songs to music supervisors.
Be sure to check out my earlier post, My #1 Tip for Mixing Music for Sync Licensing.