My #2 Trick for Mixing Music for Sync
March 11, 2021
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.
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Maybe I’ll throw some parallel compression to the drums.
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I might run the snare through a little bit of distortion or put an interesting space on the kit.
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For the bass, I might try out a different amp simulator.
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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.
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Good brother
Nice!
Great Tip Chris! I’m such a visual person Im hearing what that is doing to the track I’m working on, as I’m working on a mix at this very moment. Thanks
Good to hear, Ernie!
Love it Chris. Very helpful as I’m just starting to attempt to mix my own stuff. A much better alternative than scrapping and starting over. I’ll be trying it !
Cool! Great to hear, Chad.
I use side-chain compression almost always on my drums and add a slight bit of the same verb on every track to help glue it all together
That’s cool, Brent. I would also think about color of besides the glue if that makes sense. 🙂
Thanks for this trick Chris 😊
I side chain compress my synths a lot triggered by the kick to give those synths and pads a little movement. Make them a little more interesting. Depends on the genre of course.
Sometimes if it’s a really dense arrangement and acoustic guitar is present but not a focus instrument I’ll filter out of all the low need and just have them adding that gangling shine. Separates my tracks and make them have a purpose in sections like choruses.
Loving the chorus Chris
You get it, Nyssa.
Contrast, glue, fit togetherness, and keeping the song going, not much to disagree with. My contribution to that would be: Take broad strokes to begin with, make it happen, then go back and see if you can improve on certain elements. Then go back and forth, till it’s done. (and remember, done is better than perfect)
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I use a use a whole smorgasbord of delays with different delay timings in sync with the time signature of the song. I also use a new plugin called TrackSpacer. It creates space in a mix by carving the frequencies that a track needs. It applies an inverse EQ curve after analysing the sidechain signal. I can get cleaner mixes with the turn of a knob.
Cool. Thanks for the tip,,Kip
Thanks Chris. Both mix tricks are useful tools for our mixing toolbox.
Great to hear, Doug.
Excellent tip! In my mixing it helps me to think of each instrument, or even each track line, as a separate and individual character sharing the same stage with all the other actors in a play. They all have to work together to create a unified production but each character needs his or her own space and time to shine.
Perfect!
Hi, I would like to thank you for sharing, that is great…
You bet, Chula.
Thx. I understand what your saying. In studio typically there is not enough time to experiment with such ideas. I think I need to partner with a sound engineer as well in studio to add or enhance certain things. It’s a different approach than standard mixing for sure. need to find that knowledgable help on this.
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Amazing. I use Channel bus on every track.
Make sure you change the settings so you are getting good contrast.
This is a great reminder. Thank You Chris!
Great to hear, Martin.
Thanks! awesome tip.
Very helpful video! What are your thoughts on using distortion on the snare or kick vs. saturation? Is saturation more effective than distortion? Thanks:)
Cool trick! I realize I’ve been doing this sorta unconsciously. One of the tricks I do to be a better editor of my music is to come back to it once I’m not so attached after time has passed and add or remove parts as well as change patches, amps, and sounds. Getting some time apart gives me a new perspective and feel like I can listen with fresh ears.
Interesting! I can totally see how that would work, thank you
Merci beaucoup Chris, Thanks!
Thanks Chris,
Another great tip! I like the idea of creating more contrast in the mix by running one or two instruments through another amp or re-amping them. I’m sure many of us guitarist get “married to the track” we’ve recorded (I know I have) and this could really add another dimension to the overall vibe!
Thanks again!
HAY Chris just a question about adding Reverb what would you h suggest is the the best way to make the voice smoother and softer in a track
Hi Kerry,
I would start by making sure the vocal sounds warm without losing clarity. Try cutting some upper mids out or adding low mids if it could use it. Then make sure you are gently compressing it. An opto compressor plug-in would work great. Finally experiment with soft or warm reverbs. You might want to add a pre-delay to the reverb of around 14 ms to 80ms or even more if it sounds too far away.
These will warm and smooth the vocal. Just make sure it doesn’t get muddy.
Chris
Chris, can you ever tell if a mix, track, or instrument of yours ever sounds bland or dry to you before/without vetting that piece?
Yes, but that is mainly because I’ve been mixing for over 20 years. This is why I suggest vetting your mixes if you haven’t had a lot of experience yet.