My #1 Trick for Mixing Music for Sync Licensing
March 4, 2021
Mixing Your Music for TV and Film – Tip #1
I thought I would share my #1 trick for mixing music for sync licensing. I’ve been using this trick for over 10 years. It has helped me get music on radio, win awards, and get sync placement music into TV & film over and over again.
It is simple but super powerful.
I just got an email from one of my sync licensing course students about a big sync placement they got, and it reminded me how important your mix is for getting a sync placement.
When it comes to mixing music to pitch to music supervisors, there is no magic button, some great settings, or the newest DAW. It has more to do with “inspiration.”
When you are mixing your music, think of it like a performance. The essence of a great mix is one that makes a song emote. I found this trick when I was recording a big artist in Canada.
When you are recording, first things first, it has to be recorded well. If it’s recorded well, you should be able to turn the mix up and it should sound like it’s 80% there – before the mixing engineer even touches it.
So, What’s the Last 20% of a Music Mix?
While working with this artist, I was messing with the levels and listening back to the track. The mix wasn’t there. It was fine and basic, but it wasn’t emoting. So, I went back to the board, and zeroed everything.
I played the song and started bringing up the tracks one by one. Within 45 minutes, I had a mix.
The bottom line is when you are mixing a song:
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First do a fast mix, no more than an hour, and then save it and put it away.
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Give your ears a rest and take a break.
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When you come back, sit down, take your time, and mix it how you usually would.
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After you’re done the second mix, compare it to the fast mix you did first.
What you’ll find is some of the tracks might sound better and emote more in the fast mix!
By using this trick, you will have options.
You can take the best parts of both mixes to make one great mix that is emotional and pops.
Mixing music for sync licensing is about inspiration. This will help you when you submit music for sync licensing.
Before you submit music for sync, be sure to check out our second post on this topic called Mixing Music for Sync – Tip#2.
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Interesting and understandable. I do it like that always. As an analogue guy though I make a CD of the ‘quick’ mix. Worth noting that sometimes all the panning (except the kit!) set at 12 o’clock is as good a sound as you get -especially will a small band. I can imagine gear freaks disputing this but hey!
That just means you record really well. I would say the number 1 tactic for a great mix. Great going!
Very good comment and very true. Thanks for your input.
Cool. Glad you liked it!
Hey, great video / advice. Just wanted to add the same approach works for almost everything. Harder to do with composition and writhing but arranging really benefits in my experience. With writhing “from scratch” it’s all about preparation so that it’s not from scratch at all lol .. hope that adds something useful to an already great post.
Kolbi
Nice! Yes, apply to whatever works in your case.
Video won’t play at all, guessing the advice isn’t about how to make your song available in multiple formats
Sounds like it was on your end. Maybe try again with a different browser?
Nice to hear this. Thanks for the idea Chris!
Glad you enjoyed it, Leo.
it is what it is that‘s a fact fr real
Cool!
Couldn’t have said it any better. Respect your authenticity. Btw, are you shooting in the cabin of an 80’s Hunter ‘20ft? Keep em comin, you speak truth with passion. Cheers
Thanks DEJ. Catalina 42 actually. 🙂
This is really inspiring! Thank you xx made me excited to get mixing xx
Love hearing that!
I love this!–thanks so much!
You are very welcome!
Love it! Thanks!
Cool!
Thanks, Chris – fascinating thoughts.
‘Mixing’ is such a loaded word, and can lead one towards thinking they ‘should’ be doing and thinking certain things; obsessing over details, behaving like a scientist, and aiming for perfection.
What helped me up my mixing game was actually to stop framing it as a ‘mix’. I stopped calling it ‘mixing’ and just started called it ‘make the song sound better’. The second I did that, I knocked out mixes way faster, they sounded better, and my mental health was in far better shape by the end of a mix!
Love that. That is so true and why I encourage people to record the tracks well, so they are just continuing the process by balancing everything. Great way to look at it!
Thanks for the tip. Actually like to get these tips along the way. Maybe some times about how to balance bottom end of the track? Particularly bass vs kick drum. Thanks in advance
Yes, I will keep that in mind for another one.
Thanks….
What you say is true…."Play The Song!" vs being a Vulcan or an Andriod.
Haha yup.
Great tip, thanks!
Glad you enjoyed that, Sean.
Thats some great advice thankyou for sharing
You bet!
i always like to do a quick mix with out any efx or plug ins i like to hear everything raw/flat like but eq’d . just so i can hear every instrument , then after a lot of playbacks , picture where i want everything to be placed , i find that i dont need a lot of plug ins when i keep it simple that way , thanks for the tips
I also think a great mix does not need a lot of plugins unless you are really trying top process things as a part of the art of it.
Thanks Chris, Love your work mate
Cool, thanks man.
great stuff chris! Makes me wish I were mixing a rock band! My music is very complex but I did use this technique with a violin/ Piano EP Ive been hired to mix/ Produce. Very simple reductive EQ, slight EQ boost, pan, verb and final sweetening. But two instruments is easy! (my usual is 40 tracks ha ha)
Cool!
Hi Chris, I have a instrumental mix without the vocal. Would it be
possible for me to let you hear it and get your opinion?
Sorry Edward, I just don’t have time to listen to all the music that gets sent to me. If you are in The Art Of The Song Pitch I can check it out in our private Facebook group if you point me the way.
Great stuff Chris and thanks for sharing. You can never overdo it with these kinds of tips and love the way you always bring it back to the feel and heart in your tracks and ours as well. Performing the song thru the mix is beautiful advice and not getting so hung up on all the plug in juju. They can help but it’s all about getting your sound! Thx again
Really glad you agree, Chad. That was one thing that brought me great results and still does.
Great point you make, Chris. Thanks, I’ve had a similar experience from my own mixes. Right on.
Great to hear, Lawrence.
It is an interesting idea … how about reversing this?
Do a quick mix …
Do a more thorough mix …
Then start over and do a complete quick mix …
Then compare all 3.
I’ve done a quick mix at the end before. I remember one song I just never liked how it sounded, no matter how much I played with it. So I did that … wiped it and started from scratch.
I did a quick mix then mostly because I was so irritated that I started over again … but I ended up liking and keeping that mix.
Either way works. As long a you try one from pure vibe and through technical out the window.
Spot on, Chris! I always do this, if only to re-familiarize myself with exactly what elements actually went into the recording. In some cases, it will be at this initial stage that I start taking things out if they seem superfluous. I actually view this quickie mix as part of the arranging process, not the mixing process. Often, those things you thought were SO cool and SO crucial to the song at the beginning become curiously expendable. And never apologize for sending us emails! There is no "frequency linitation" on quality information!
Haha, ok Jefferson, I’ll keep sending if I think the information is worthy. Yes, it is amazing with a little time away from a recording how your perspective changes. Usually in a good way as you pointed out.
Thanks, Chris! Always interested in hearing from your experience. Your descriptions are so simply stated, too. Much appreciated!
Thanks, Dan.
Hi Chris! This is excellent advice! I will certainly remember this when I do my own mix next time, though I maybe already doing it that way, whenever I do. I enjoyed your analogy towards the end about having to improvise a wedding speech when you have lost the written/prepared speech. I can relate to that myself as my prepared presentations did not work due to technology and I had to use my knowledge/mind and heart to accmplish the tasks at hand. Thanks for this video – it is inspiring! Miss listening to you live!
Hey thanks for the kind words, Ban. I hope you are doing well!
Chris this was so powerful! Thanks for the advice and inspiration!
You bet, Michael and thanks!
P.S.: And yes, recording well and keeping things aligned to begin with makes a huge difference in the mixing process – saves time if you do it yourself, and saves money when you have someone else do it and they charge you by the hour.
Exactly. 🙂
I think this is an approach that applies to writing too. By working quickly on something the less self conscious it will be. Took me along time to learn that…
Yes, less aware of you and more aware of the music… if that makes any sense. 🙂
…Are you reading my mind? …Excellent Timing. Yes, I have been working on this mix for this song for two days now, ummm, which is sucking the air out of the room, for me by now- and this gives me crystal clear ideology and how to navigate now upon after listening to you, as my intuition instinctively knows deeply what you say.. Soo true, yes, I agree. Alright- I am there, I am in sync with mixing technique –rad. I’m rollin’ on ouT and definitely doing this. I mix pretty well mixed now, but now, I will do it even better with this mindset and learning. I really dig this idea for SoNG by vibrance in sound and frequency, to follow the spirit of the song by emotive energy in pulsation and presence in volocity for mixing magic gaLoRE… this is really cool. #happy
Cool! But I would say don’t assume the fast one will be better, but you will at least have another data point if it isn’t. You’ll know what is good about your "fancy" mix.
I like the image of "playing the mixing board to the song" – perfect! Instinct is everything in creating art.
Nice!
I actually missed the emails. You are an important guy to so many people making any money with their vocation.
Thanks so much, Athena. I really appreciate that.
Interesting tip. Will definitely try to see how I can leverage it. Thanks!
Cool!
This is awesome Chris, thanks!
I love how you said to play the mix like a performance. Some really great perspective.
Glad that made sense, Brian.
I love Rupert Neve’s stuff I own a 5060/5059 and Just got a plugin Scheps 73 (Neve 1073).
Thanks Chris, It does help to not look beyond the ocean before treating the small pond with care.
Yes, Neve is great on most things. Well said.
This is a great video Chris and a great story. Funny that we forget that mixing is an art form too, and that mixing is something that we can (and should) approach as performance. Not simply as technicians. Cheers!
Cool!
Chris, what do you look for as a peak level for individual tracks and then at your master bus at the end of the mix?
I glance at -6 for digital, but in 24 bit it really doesn’t matter as long as you aren’t peaking. There is no need to get individual tracks as loud as possible. This really only matters in analog when you will hear big differences in how components respond to different gain levels.
Thank you, Chris.
I’m looking forward to trying this. I made an album and I have never been entirely happy with the final mix that the guy who did it for me created. I’m very new at the game, as is probably horribly apparent. It sounds a bit flat and none of the tracks really ´pop’. Is the order you mention bringing the tracks in (ie. drums first, then bass, guitar, keys, and vocals last) a kind of industry standard way of doing it ?
Many thanks
Mark
Hey I started out as new to the game to a one point… The sequence of mixing starting with the drums or beat first and so on is traditional and works well, but is not a rule. One thing I would suggest is bring in the vocal sooner than you think and get it sitting nicely even if you mute it for a bit while mixing.
Hi Chris. Thank you for this! I agree with bringing everything to unity is a great starting point. I also strongly agree with the idea that if you record clean and awesome tracks up front that greatly increases the chance of having an awesome track. Lastly giving the ears a rest when they are fatigued is a must. When you come back with fresh ears your mix will thank you.
I totally agree with all of that.
Thanks
Glad you liked it!
Thank you, good to hear you speak from your heart.
I think too many hours and too many plugins steal from the track vibe so much.
I love my simple Abbey Road plates
Abbey Road stuff is the bomb. Sometimes though you can have tons of plugins on a mix, but these would normally be used to process a lot of tracks for something more unorthodox. Overall though I agree, less is more.
I love listening to your ideas Chris! I need an opinion on my songs, Is I on the right track or do I need to do it differently.
I wish I had time to listen to everyone’s music Alli. If you are in The Art Of The Song Pitch, you can hit me up in our private Facebook group and I can give it a listen.
Thank you for the reminder. I needed the inspiration. Starting with a good recording is key. I always tune the piano first. I treat my mixing like playing the piano. It has to be a performance from the heart but technically correct and clean. I didn’t learn to play the piano overnight, I can’t learn to produce overnight but it’s shaping up.
Bang on!
Awesome advice, thanks Chris!
You bet, Heather.
Good to hear from you with this bit of advice. One can certainly get lost tweaking nuances that no one will hear and even worse tweaks that end up killing the song. A bit like editing and rewrites, theres a point of diminishing return. Knowing when to stop can be tricky. Thinking in terms of music and performance instead of mathematics and technique is great suggestion for getting your head in the right place to mix the song with that same creative energy that birthed the song in the first place. Hope that made sense
It sure did!
Thanks Chris! Great advice. Sometimes I obsess too much!
We all do, Cynthia. It is just a good exercise to remind us not to. 🙂
I found this interesting. I am learning music production and will definitely keep this in mind when I get to the point of mixing. Thank you for sharing!
Great to hear Ann-Marie.
Thanks for this insight, Chris! Actually, I enjoy receiving your emails and seeing a familiar face! Hope all’s well for you and your family 🙂
Thanks Mich! Hope you’re doing well.
Thanks to sharing this with us.
Of course, Jean-Miguel. Thank you!
Interesting thought. I’ve been mixing for a while and have never been satisfied with my own work. When I’ve done it for others and my work’s been well received for the most part but my own dissatisfaction just sits there. I hear what Chuck Ainlay does and my original inspiration, Phil Ramone and I’m just always reaching for THAT! I’ve done some online stuff with Bobby Owsinski (how I found about your program) and his information has helped quite a bit. Plus, I found that once I started mixing in the box I started getting lazy with other parts of the process. That’s clearly a mistake.
Without a doubt, getting a proper recording in the first place is critical.
I will definitely try the quick mix idea.
Come to think of it…it won’t be too unlike when I used to do live mixing and we were always pressed right up to that start time. Sound check? Well….sort of.
Thanks for the idea.
Great analogy with live mixing. I think that would be a great way to look at it.
Hey Chris! First off- I really appreciate you not slamming my inbox on repeat🎉😁✌️ And this was totally valuable to me. I’m fresh into this stuff, just finished my first produced track and have hit it with 2 rounds of mixing. The first intuitive and the second clinical… the first one sounds cohesive and easy to take in, but a bit hurried, and the second- so clear and roomy, but totally discombobulated🤓🤣…. Greatful I am to have come across you tip this early in the game. 🙂 thanks for sharing!
Great to hear! Sounds like it is working for you too.
Fantastic idea, thanks for sharing! Definitely going to apply it. I’ve been experimenting with "quick mixes" but never thought to do a slower one to compare it to.
Nice!
This was very helpful. After spending way to many hours mixing songs that weren’t recorded under ideal circumstances, I’m see how important it is to get the sound right when doing the initial recording so that mixing goes so much faster. My ears are still ringing from spending way too many hours mixing one loud punk rock song that could probably have been mixed in 1 or 2 hours instead of 7 if I’d had the mindset that you talked about ie. "playing the song in the mix." Of course, truly understanding EQ and compression also helps, but great advice. Thanks!
Cool!
Makes perfect sense, will try this on my new upcoming project thank you!
I hope it works for you too, Sally.
I enjoyed hearing this because, being basically a songwriter/musician first and NOT a sound engineer (I THINK I know what I’m doing on a soundboard, but if I’m honest, I really don’t have a clue), you affirmed what I pretty much do. I know nothing about the technical aspects of mixing or mastering, so I record and when I hit the mixer, I just do what feels good. After that I’ll send it out to a professional sound engineer for the "pro" mix and master and hopefully it doesn’t get changed too much, but they’re the pro so I bow to their experience. I haven’t had the success others have had, but it’s nice to know I’m more or less on the right track and may be able to skip paying the professional sound engineer at some point in the future, at least for the mixing part. 🙂
Good to know you are on the right track, John.
Good video. My biggest challenge in mixing is getting the vocals to sound professional and sitting right. I sing, write and produce all my tracks. Any tips?
Lots of tips, but I unfortunately don’t have the room to put them all here, Michele. Mixing vocals is the most important part of a mix and one of the biggest subjects. I do have an esteemed friend who will be doing a free masterclass on that soon, so I’ll let you know when I do.
Thank you Chris, great tip, I’m going to try this on my next mix.
Great to hear, Jeff!
Thanks Chris. Great advice.
You’re very welcome, Ray!
So, I’m new to recording my own songs and all that goes along with that. So, when you say in your video, do a "fast mix" first, does that mean, during your recording of your instruments, play from the heart, and not worry about levels of EQ, etc, or what exactly do you mean "fast mix?" Thanks, Kecia B
When recording you definitely need to pay attention to how you capture it technically, but in your performance it should be without thinking about it. What I really meant is when you mix, do it fast. You should still use processing, but don’t dwell on it. Get where it sounds cool and move on to the next thing. Don’t pay attention to how you think things should be done, just do them. I hope that makes sense.
Chris, your heart felt sincerity comes thru. Much appreciated! I’ll certainly use your suggestions now that the creation and recording, editing phases are pretty much out of the way. Thank you
You very welcome, Ernie. Thank you for the kind words.
I realized at about minute 6 that I’d been nodding my head the entire time. LOL. Very good philosophy here. I totally felt the wedding speech metaphor. I find this is how I approach nearly every mix. Great mindset tip, Chris. Thank you!
Great to hear, Rich!
Bang on the money Chris, this is exactly how I approach pretty much everything – mixing, hosting nights… funnily enough, the one time I wrote a speech and tried to stick to it was when I was a best man at a wedding… and it was pretty rubbish! Straight away afterwards, I thought ‘Ah, should’ve just winged it…’. Great video and philosophy mate, nice one.
Cool!
Cheers Chris. I guess it’s like playing each instrument as you progress with the mix.
Take care and good health.
Mian
Yup! And you too Mian.
You rock! I’m a performer and songwriter from Toronto. I also produce and truly appreciate your guidance and tips on mixing. I will definitely try that. Thank you for your support. Also, do you mix songs currently for other artists? I know if I had one of my songs mixed by you it would be a killer track! Thank you again for sharing such wonderful tips!
Great to hear from a fellow, Torontonian! Sorry, we only produce tracks from scratch now. We can’t control the quality of the recordings when we just mix. This is such an important part of the success of the track.
Thanks for this Chris. Sometimes it is the simple ideas that make the most impact and having an arsenal of options and choices adds value and quality to how we can always do our best for every unique project and situation.
👍
In the bonus material for this module you’ve include the Dan Brodbeck mix which included dozens of tracks. I noticed every track was preloaded with all the Fx he was likely to use, he didn’t have to spend any time looking for a plugin and loading it, it was already on the track, he just decided to turn on or leave it out. Same with reverbs, I think he had six of them already set up ranging from barely there to super swirly. You obviously did not have this at your disposal in the example you described, but in general do you recommend this approach?
P.S. It will be a long time, if ever that I find myself mixing a production as complicated as the one that Dan mixed.
I don’t recommend this until you are a seasoned mixer and know exactly what works and what doesn’t.
Nice share… it brings cool thoughts forward
Great to hear!
I respect your input, Chris.
I’ll be giving this idea a shot on my next project.
Thanks
Keep em coming
Cool!
Hi Chris. Love the notes. Lou Lollio
Really glad you find them helpful, Lou.
Thanks. I’m writing this down. The importance of vibe, performance, spotlighting to make a more compelling record. The lucid observations you share from experience are a godsend to us. Cheers
Excellent, Theo!
This is a great trick I’ll try for my next mix!
Cool!
Hi Chris, thanks for sharing, really great insightful stuff that we wouldn’t necessarily think of. Making it come alive is so critical, fresh ears help a lot. I am a guitarist, and I recorded quite a few albums in great studios back in the day, working on Pro Tools these days trying to find the keys to the sync industry. Rich C
Glad you enjoyed it, Rich!
Hi Chris,
Thank you for this great tip that you use! I really like the analogy you used of “playing your song on the console”. I’ve heard a few great mix engineers talk about mixing from the heart and sometimes turning off that technical/analytical side of the brain. The same could apply to songwriting! Thanks Chris!
For sure!
Hi Chris,
I came late to this talk, so thanks for not taking it down. As an independent singer songwriter with a very basic recording setup at home, I can honestly say that what you suggest about mixing is just about the best thing I’ve heard from anyone on this subject. It was joy to my ears to hear you say that it is all about the performance.. Thankyou.
Suzanna Marland
Instagram.com/suzannamarland
Glad I could help, Suzanna!
Thanks for all your help that you given us Chris. My question is: If you release a song on Soundcloud does this hurt future opportunities?
Not at all Bruce. Unless you are famous or close to, it won’t have any effect on getting sync placements.
This is great stuff … Performance !!!