Making Magic Happen

Automation

	Crease's forthcoming Only Human CD.

When I begin the automation stage of a mix, I have many things I'm setting out to do.

My key goals are:

• Always keeping the audience connected to the musicians and artist by spotlighting their featured moments.
• Creating and reinforcing the dynamics of the song and performances.
• Giving each section its own feeling and sound.
• Focusing on the transitions between sections, propelling the listener forward.
• Making the listener feel like they are going somewhere by keeping the mix ever-evolving.

Let's look at each one of these individually.

This can be done in many ways: Simply by bringing a lick or part forward when it does something important, or by accenting it with effects or EQ, or considering a number of different plug-in possibilities. Many of the following goals are actually based on this main principle of making connections.

Creating and Reinforcing Dynamics
The song and the musicians all have their dynamics, but by the time all the tracks are processed and added together, the dynamics really begin to smooth over and disappear. Automation is used to put back into the song the dynamics that were originally intended.

There are three key places where I look for parts to create and reinforce their dynamics. They are the balances of the tracks in each of the song's various sections, the transitions between the various sections, and the creation of a dynamic build that makes each section feel like a progression from the previous.

Section Dynamics
The first step when automating a mix is to give each section its own sound and feel. If the faders are left static a mix can sometimes take on a rather "same-y" quality. That is, from top to bottom, each section can pretty much sound the same. Usually, this should be avoided and can be done easily by making rides in the tracks so that each section has a different balance of the instruments than the other sections.

Just like the conventions of song writing, there are similar conventions for mixing. The various sections often have a sound that is associated with them that I consider as I am making my decisions about how to blend them.

Intro
The first four bars of your mix are absolutely its most important. Do not forget these words. If you lose the listeners' attention here you may lose them for good. So, spend some time on making this all-important section sound great. Something I strive for is to have an element in the intro that is unique to the song, so someone can identify it by its first few notes.

"The first four bars of your mix are absolutely its most important. Do not forget these words. If you lose the listener's attention here you may lose them for good."

Also, the levels of many of the tracks usually need to be brought up in the intro to keep the energy high, so that when the vocal enters in the verse the intro can compete with the vocal's energy. Mastering engineers often turn up intros anyway, but by doing it during the mix you have more control over the inner dynamics of the tracks.

Verse
The verse is usually the low energy point of the song. It is also the most open. If this is my starting level point for many of the tracks, drums, bass, and so on, then I will normally not adjust them. But sometimes the basic blends of the tracks are based upon the choruses and in that case I may bring down the drums, bass, and guitars. Either way, I usually have to bring the vocal down a bit so it doesn't overpower the tracks. Verses are also sometimes drier effect-wise across the board than on other sections of the song.

Pre-Chorus/B Section
This section is usually slightly larger than the verse, so I will bring some of the tracks up to raise the energy, as well as adding some effects. Maybe a bit more reverb on the snare, and added delay on the vocal, or additional reverb on one of the instruments.

Chorus
This is usually the largest of these three sections. It may usually have more instruments playing than in the previous sections, as well as background vocals. Because of this the kick, snare, and possibly the bass may all be brought up to continue the drive of the track and to hold their own with the additional instruments and vocals. To reinforce its bigness I also will increase the effects on some of the tracks, like the snare and vocal.

Bridge/Middle Eight (U.K.)
This is my favorite section. Almost always the bridge of a song is a unique section that takes listeners somewhere they have not been in the song. The lyric usually explains a side of the story that is new as well. So, I try to do the same with the tracks. I try to make the bridge sound completely different than every other section.

Many of the possibilities are turning down the drums and turning up a loop (possibly with a distortion effect and/or a flange on it), adding a deep chorus effect to the guitars that appears nowhere else, or placing reverb on the keys in a different way. Others are placing a large delay (half note) and reverb on the vocal, or a flangie radio-effected sounding delay. Anything's possible. I just try to make the bridge sound different from all the other sections.

Solo
In many ways this section is similar to the bridge and I usually go for an exciting big loud sound to reinforce the energy of the solo.

Transitions
With each of the sections having their own sound, now it's time to inject a little excitement into the mix. The best places to do this are at the transitions between each of the sections, as well as at the turnarounds in the middle of each section.

I do this by bringing out the interesting fills played by the musicians and highlighting them in the mix. I call this creating a moment, a small place in the mix where the synchronicity of the musicians comes together in an almost magical way. By bringing their parts out it can create a lot of excitement. Usually the drummer will play a fill along with the bassist playing a cool lick, and maybe one of the other instruments enters, as well. By bringing them up with a good blend you can sustain the energy of the track into the next section.

Another important part of transitions is making the downbeat of the next section strong and for it to have impact. Usually this is done by boosting the kick, bass, and crash cymbal.

Listen to a Sample of a Transition
Before Automation | After Automation

Effects Splashing
A special element I like to use at the transitions is something I call effects splashing. This is when the effects I have on an instrument are raised at a special point, usually at the same time as the raising of the instrument itself.

This is probably best explained by giving some examples. One I use often is accented snare and tom fills. As I raise a snare or toms I will often turn up their reverb or add a larger one to make the fill even bigger. Some other examples: flange and/or reverb on cool high-register bass licks, and a bright plate (about 1.7 sec.) on bright, accented guitar chords.

The idea with effects splashing is to not only turn parts up to accent them, but to also make them pop out of the mix because the effect on them transforms at the same time the instrument plays something interesting. The end result is truly like placing a spotlight on it for that moment.

Listen to a Sample of Effects Splashing
Before Effects | After Effects

Making the Mix Feel Like a Journey
It's important that the mix feel like it is going somewhere, that it is building and growing — evolving. This is partly built into the song structure, as the chorus is larger than the verse and so on. But what about the second verse and chorus? They need to feel different than the previous sections.

There are many things that can be done to accomplish this. Parts can be added in on the second verse and chorus that are left out of the first. Certain harmonies can be left out of the background vocals until the second chorus. And parts can be turned up progressively louder from chorus to chorus and so on.

As well, effects can be turned up progressively from chorus to chorus, and sometimes I find that if a new effect is introduced on the bridge, usually the song's climax, that I may also keep it in for the last chorus to sustain the energy from the bridge. A large reverb on a snare is a good example.

Two other aspects of automation I try to keep in mind at this stage are that first, in a couple of places in the mix, I try to throw in things that are unexpected, it just keeps the audience on their toes and makes them wonder what is coming next.

Secondly, often while automating, we may find ourselves smoothing out all the rough edges in the mix, to the point where we could make the mix a little uninteresting. I have what I call the TOO LOUD rule: when possible at some point in the mix I try to have one instrument so that it pops out in a way that you might consider it to be too loud if you were going through the mix and turning down parts that seemed to be sticking out. This can create an exciting moment that would otherwise be lost if the part were tamed down.

Lead Vocal Rides
The final touch, when a mix really sounds like a record to me is when I do the lead vocal rides. I try to make sure that the listener can always hear the vocal. Riding up the end of notes, I make sure the first lines of sections can be heard and that the vocal is always riding just above the mix in a way that doesn't overpower the tracks, and that the lyric can be completely understood. Once the vocal rides are complete the singer's star quality really comes out because the audience is really connected with the emotion of their performance.

	Charles mixing Crease's Live to Be in Love.

The Unprocessed Tracks

The Processed Tracks—
No Automation

The Finished Mix

Check Out the Session
Here you may download just the session data and see the automation without the audio files. HDL12 Crease-Automation Mac | PC.

A Few Closing Thoughts about Mixing
Warning: Never Chase The Perfect Mix
A word to the perfectionists out there. It doesn't exist. A mix will never be perfect. And if it was perfect it may also be mixed into oblivion by its blandness. Great mixes are exciting. Excitement is created by the unexpected. Things need to be too loud, too quiet and hard to hear, unpredictable, which makes for an emotional mix, and one that will stand repeated listening.

Get your mix to a place where it moves you, it makes you feel good, but not where you have automated the life out of it, and put it to bed. There will always be one more thing you could tweak, and if there is that is a good thing. LET IT GO. Your mix is done.

The Mythical Silver Bullet
There is no silver bullet, no single missing ingredient. "If only I had the yadda yadda plug-in my mix would sound amazing." It's not like that. A mix is built from many great ingredients that, when interpreted by your personality, becomes a powerful creation.

This Is Not the Only Way
Remember, this has been a single song and only one approach. Much of what we have discussed here can be applied to other mixes, but there are many other approaches. With that in mind and so you can learn how another person approaches mixing, it is now time for me to turn over the reigns of Mixing Revealed. Rich Tozzoli a very talented engineer, mixer, producer, and writer will write the next series of columns starting in April and he will share with you his perspective on mixing.

Some Final Words to Leave You With
As you continue to grow in your career keep this in mind: The difference between "name" engineers and good engineers who don't have their pictures in magazines is luck and good fortune...maybe. There are many brilliant engineers in the world and whether they are in MIX magazine or not does not define their abilities.

A few words of advice you may find helpful on your journey:

• Never stop telling yourself that you will succeed and achieve your goals.
• Never give up. Persistence pays off more than anything.
• Always put yourself into situations with people who are better at what you do than you are so you can learn from them.
• If working on high-profile sessions is important to you, then put yourself into situations where you can work with successful engineers, producers, and artists, even if it means taking two steps backwards in your career.
• The most important ingredient to success is desire. If you want to succeed, you will succeed.

One day, if you do achieve your goals and become successful, be very careful with it. Nothing will kill success faster than losing the hunger that drove you towards it in the first place. Continue to stay in touch with that hunger, and feed it by always giving yourself new challenges.

And along the way always keep your ego in check. Especially immediately after reaching a new level of success. This is when the ego is feeling especially self-satisfied and when it will do the most damage to the support system you have built around yourself. I've seen countless successful people derailed by changing who they are after success, and they no longer possess the qualities that others were rewarding them for in the first place. Success can be a dangerous and delicate thing.

Many Thanks
This year went by so quickly and too fast for me. I had a fantastic time writing this column and I learned so much by dissecting my own process. I can't thank Paul Foeckler, Cynthia Smith, Dusty DiMercurio, Trey Sabatelli, Alex Steinhart and everyone at Digidesign and Rocket Network enough for making Hard Disk Life's online mixing column a reality. You've all been so patient with me and I appreciate all of your positive and encouraging words. A very big thank you to all of the members of Crease for their generous permission allowing us to let the world hear their multi-track masters. And most of all I would like to thank the readers who wrote the positive and encouraging emails.

When I started out three years ago sharing my experiences via the Master Classes at DigiWorld, my website, and then with this column I did it simply because I wanted to help others with what I had learned about working on Pro Tools. But I really had no idea of how rewarding it would also be. As many of you know, it feels good to help others get the results they are searching for with their music. I have felt a distant vicarious thrill in writing this column, almost as if I'm in the control room with you hearing the results of your hard work. But all of your kind emails of thanks and appreciation have been an even higher reward. They have confirmed to me that what I'm doing is really the right thing. Thanks.

Grammy-winning Engineer / Mixer / Producer Charles Dye (Jon Bon Jovi, Sammy Hagar, Lauryn Hill, Shakira, Ricky Martin, Julio Iglesias, Robi Draco Rosa, Ednita Nazario) is based out of Miami and Los Angeles.

www.charlesdye.com

email: charles@harddisklife.com


©2003 Charles Dye