How to Mix a Pop Song from Scratch

I am writing this article because it appears to me that there are an awful lot of enthusiastic people out there, who've bought all the right toys, but yet can't get hold of enough RELEVANT information as to how to use them properly. There's a lot of information out there for sure, but it can get very confusing with all the contradictory opinions out there.

This article is written with the assumption that this isn't just a mix you'll throw together, but something you are going to spend serious time over - i.e. several hours - and the intention is to get a world-class result by intention, rather than by accident.

Familiarise yourself with your setup and the tools needed to start mixing.

Record that basic sound so that you can tell where you want to make improvements.

Now we start the actual process of mixing. Some people will have enthusiastically jumped straight to this point, thinking this is the real starting point. They are likely to be in big trouble if that's the case...

A "Noise Gate" - as many of you will know already - is a device that only lets sound through if it is louder than a set amount.

Not all songs have a "pad" sound. Some songs work by placing all the responsibility on the lead instruments. However, a good "pad" sound adds body to the track and can also hide a multitude of sins in the playing of the other musical parts - it's a simple and convenient way of making a track sound "full".

Personally this is my favourite point in the mix, as it is pure and unsullied by the rest of the twiddly bits coming up later, and you shouldn't feel particularly tired at this point. You should make a note of this mix - either by storing it in software or by simply making chinagraph marks to the side of real faders to mark their positions.

Probably the first thing we need to get out of the way right now, is a more detailed examination of the role of EQ in mixing.