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The Mixing Engineer’s
Handbook

by Bobby Owsinski

Edited by Malcolm O'Brien

MLCÉ
236 Georgia Street, Suite 100
Vallejo, CA 94590
 Artistpr

©1999 artistpro.com, LLC

All Rights Reserved. No portion of the book may be reproduced, copied, transmitted,
or stored in any mechanical or electronic form without the written permission of the publish.

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 99-62534

Cover Design: Linda Gough

Book Design and Layout: Linda Gough
Cover Photo: Susana Millman, Coverage Photography, San Francisco, CA
Back Cover Photo: Courtesy Marty Porter

Production Staff: Mike Lawson, publisher; Malcolm O’Bricn, editor;

Sally Engelfried, editorial assistance

236 Georgia Street, Suite 100

Vallejo, CA 94590
(707) 554-1935

Also from MixBooks:

The AudioPro Home Recording Course, Volumes I, II, and II
I Hate the Man Who Runs This Bar!
How to Mahe Money Scoring Soundtracks and fingles
The Art of Mixing: A Visual Guide to Recording, Engineering, and Production
Music Publishing: The Real Road to Music Business Success, Rev. and Exp. 5th Ed.
How to Run a Recording Session
Critical Listening and Auditory Perception
Modular Digital Multitracks: The Power User's Guide, Rev. and Exp. 2nd Fd.
The Dictionary of Music Business Terms
Professional Microphone Techniques
Sound for Picture, 2nd Ed.
Music Producers, 2nd Ed.
Live Sound Reinforcement

Also from EMBooks:

The Independent Working Musician
Making the Ultimate Demo, 2nd Ed.
Making Music with Your Computer, 2nd Ed.
The EM Guide to the Roland VS-880

MixBooks is a property of Intertec Publishing Corporation

Printed in Auburn Hills, MI
ISBN 0-87288-723-5
TTT {|

Contents

FOREWORD o o ix

PREFACE xi

Meet The Mixers

PART | — MIXING IN STEREO 1

Chapter l: The Evolution of Mixing... 2

Mixing Styles — LA vs. New York vs. London
Other Styles

Chapter 2: The Mechanics of Mixing... 7

Hearing the Final Product
The Overall Approach
Tall, Deep and Wide
The Six Elements of a Mix

Chapter 3: Element One: Balance —

The Mixing Part of Mixing... 11
The Arrangement — Where It All Begins
Arrangement Elements
Rules for Arrangements
Where to Build the Mix From
What Type of Program Material?
Level-Setting Methods
Chapter 4: Element Two: Panorama —
Placing the Sound in the Soundfield ............. 20
Phantom Center
The Big Three
Big Mono
Panning Outside the Speakers
Tricks and Tips

Chapter 5: Element Three: Frequency Range — Equalizing ..... 25

What Are You Trying to Do?
Magic Frequencies
EQ Methods
Fasy-to-Remember Golden Rules of EQ
Tricks and Tips

Chapter 6: Element Four: Dimension — Adding Effects ........ 35

EQing Reverbs
Sonic Layering of Effects
Calculating the Delay Time
Re-amping
True Tape Flanging
Tricks and Tips

Chapter 7: Element Five: Dynamics —

Compression and Gating ............ 0 47
Dynamics Controllers
Compression
Limiting
Gating
Why Add Compression?
Controlling Dynamics
Compression as an Effect
The New York Compression Trick
Compression on Individual Instruments
Compression on the Mix Buss
Setting the Compressor
Tricks and Tips
 Chapter 8: Element Six: Interest — The Key to Great Mixes .. . .58
The Direction of the Song
Develop the Groove and Build It Like a House
Find the Most Important Element and Emphasize It

Chapter 9: Monitoring... 61
Basic Monitor Sctup
How Loud (or Soft) Should It Be?
Listening in Mono
Monitors — Which One?
Listening Tricks and Tips

Chapter 10: The Master Mix... 71

Mix-Down Formats
Alternative Mixes
Stems

PART li — MIXING IN SURROUND 77

Chapter 11: Mixing in Surround...

A Bit of History
Types of Surround Sound
The LFE Channel
Bass Management
Other Types of Surround

Chapter 12: Why Is Surround Better Than Stereo? ............ 81

Surround Mixing
Surround Mixing Schools of Thought
What Do I Put in the Center Channel?
What Do I Send to the LFE (Sub-Woofer) Channel?
Surround to Stereo Compatibility
Surround Master Recorders
Master Tape Track Assignments
Dolby, SMPTE and ITU Standard
 Chapter 13: Data Compression... 87
High or Low Resolution
Dolby Digital (AC-3) or DTS Encoding
Surround Encoders
Surround Master Media Prep

PART HI — INTERVIEWS 93

Chapter 14: Joe Chiccarelli ............... 94

Chapter 15: Lee DeCarlo ............... 100

Chapter 16: Benny Faccone ........... 106

Chapter 17: Jerry Finn... 111

Chapter 18: Jon Gass_ .......... 119

Chapter 19: Don Hahn ......... LL 127

Chapter 20: Ken Hahn... 132

Chapter 21: Andy JONNS 138

Chapter 22: Kevin Killen LL. 143

Chapter 23: Bernie Kirsh ......... 0 147

Chapter 24: George Massenburg .............- 0 151

vii
 ns
Chapter 25: 158

Chapter 26: 164

Chapter 27: 174

Chapter 28: Don Smith .... 181

Chapter 29: Guy Snider .... 185

Chapter 30: Ed Stasium .... 189

Chapter 31: 193

Chapter 32: 198

Chapter 33: 206

GLOSSARY 210

DECAY TIMING CHART 216

INDEX 218

vili
Foreword

I wrote this book probably for the same reason that you’re
reading it; that is, to get better at what I do. I noticed over the
years that my mixes were somewhat hit or miss. Sometimes they
were great, sometimes OK, sometimes just plain off the mark. I
also noticed that much of the time my mixes didn’t have the
“big time” sound that I heard on the radio. I wanted this sound
badly and the only way I knew how to get it was to ask questions
of the engineers that already knew the secret.

While doing research for this book I found that a common

factor among most good mixers was that, for the most part, they
all had at least one mentor as a result of coming up through the
studio ranks. Most great mixers started as assistants and learned
by watching and listening to the greats that they helped and had
taken a little from all of them as a result.

I hadn't done that, however. Being a musician first and

foremost, I learned to engineer thanks to my early interests in
electronics in general and how the electrons got from my guitar
to the speakers of my amplifier specifically. As I became familiar
with the recording studio, I was quickly offered all sorts of
session work, from recording jingles to big band to Jazz to R&B
to Hard Rock. But, never wanting to give up being a musician
(which I knew T'd have to do), I never took a proper studio job
to really learn the trade at the hands of the masters. As a result,
my recording skills were always pretty good, but my mixing skills
were lacking.

Having taught recording for many years at Berklee College of

Music, Trebas Recording Institute, and Nova Institute Multi-
media Studies, I soon realized that there were many others like
me who were good, but not great. It wasn't that they weren
capable, but they didn't have the opportunity or access to the
methods of the masters. After all, how often does a George
Massenburg or Bruce Swedien record in Lincoln, Peoria or
Santa Fe?

Foreword ix
In almost all cases, the mixers that I talked to were extremely
forthcoming, answering just about any question and offering
explicit information as to why and how they work. Professional
jealousy just does not exist in this industry; at least, not in my
experience.

So the book started out very selfishly, as it was meant specifically

to meet my needs, but it ended up for you as well. I hope you
will benefit from it as much as I have.

And yes, my mixes have gotten much, much better.

The Mixing Engineer’ Handbook