The mix engineers toolset

introduction - 

• What are Cody's Top picks for plugins? NO! I'm not going to get into specific brands. To be honest, I use GNU/Linux and I have more plugins than i can ever possibly use. The price was steep in the learning curve of switching to a new operating system though. The Fab filter and anything from Native Instruments is probably worth a look-see. My philosophy is 'use the best you can get,' apply 'sound' principles, 'make it work.'  Most innovation in plugin technology is cosmetic anyways, If you know what the tool is for, you can figure out how to use it.  now lets begin.

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EQ

• An EQ is in my opinion, the most powerful tool for mixing. Make room certain instrument, frequencies of your tracks will compete for space and the EQ can solve that problem.
  
  now, we've got several types of Equalizers, Parametric, Graphic, Shelving, band-pass filters. If you're curious about which type to use and when? Let me google that for you...

So how do you apply the EQ anyways?
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• As i've said, or will say in the future, the answer is 'it depends,' but remember the principle behind an EQ. Use it to make space in your mix so that each track has room to breathe in it's correct frequency range. Here are some examples of common places I'll use EQ's

 

• • Hi-pass filter - On guitars, vocals, any track that does not need to be in the sub-frequencies.
  • Subtractive EQ - usually parametric- Clears out some space in an otherwise dense mix. Adds clarity to instruments, by removing competing frequencies. (ex an EQ cut at 300hz on a Keyboard track, to make room for a Vocal)
  • Hi-shelf - This can add some extra crispness (air) to a track to make it sound a little livlier
  • use your imagination. trust your ears. experiment and have fun with it.
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Dynamics

• Here, let me google that for you...
• every audio blogger and his dog has written an article or made a youtube video about compression/dynamics and how they work. so in order to keep it short, I'll refer you to this Article with video that explains compression it's entirety.
• To keep it short and sweet, dynamics (specifically compression) can make a track more consistant in it's loudness. It can bring up the quiet parts, or bring down the loud parts, depending on how it's used. 
• That's not to be confused with the dynamic range of a crescendo in an orchestra. If a song is meant to breathe, please don't treat it like a Pop Song. Seriously, Show some Respect for genres like classical and Jazz where musicians can actually care about the performance!

Colour

Yeah, I'm making this last part up as I go. essentially adding colour to a track, is to change it's sonic characteristics in a very broad, Undefined way. Imagine adding a layer of saturation to your overall mix to help blend it together. Imagine adding some reverb to your guitar and vocals to put them in the same 'space.' Using some amp-simulation, re-amping, using guitar plugins. are you duplicating that guitar or vocal track and adding some sonic characteristics?, If you're doing this you're changing the 'colour of your sound.'  

There are an unlimited number of things you can do with the concept of colour. It depends what you're trying to do with your song. 

Don't know what you're trying to do? Click here