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When it comes to distance placement (and the other two subtle effects in this article - creating mix room, and auto mix levelling) we are now getting into the realm of subtle equalisation that is rarely documented - but yet frequently used - by sound engineers.

You may have tried to create positioning and distance in a mix previously simply by the use of reverb and other room simulation effects. If you've tried this then you've no doubt also discovered that this doesn't really work very well, and your mix ends up a soggy mess.

I'm so sorry - I couldn't find a better title for this section - which is a great shame because it is actually critically important, so I'd better explain myself pretty quickly.

I should point out that the previous section regarding "sound enhancement" by EQ, is really discussing the subject from the point of view of an individual instrument.

But the sound of the individual instruments alone doesn't make a great mix.

It is the impact of the whole thing that matters.

Bong

EQ can also be used to 'boost' or 'cut' certain frequencies to enhance the sound.

Most musical instrument sounds can be described as containing the following (in order):

* Sub harmonics (low bass components)
* Fundamental note range
* Upper harmonics
* High harmonics

When using EQ for general "enhancement" of the sound, you are normally staying well away from the fundamental note range, and are either boosting (or cutting) frequencies in the other three frequency bands to create general effects such as these:

The characteristic sound of a snare drum going "doink" is enough to make any engineer feel queasy and go green. It is probably the most often encountered problem when recording or mixing a real drum kit. The real solution of course, is to make sure that you have a drum kit that doesn't go "doink!" - but it isn't always that easy.

The act of eliminating unwanted noise from a signal, is obviously one application where it is far better to get the sound right at source. Although this article is about mixing, it is worth mentioning here what the problems are, and how they are normally solved at the recording stage.

Finally, if certain tracks have more than one instrument part on them ("track-sharing" is a common practice if the number of tracks you have is limited), then it is extremely likely that the different parts will need different levels, EQ, and effects on them (although if you've read my article on setting recording levels, you will know that I am an advocate of recording multiple things on the same track at their correct relative levels, so that rough "monitor mixing" during production is much easier).

As a summary of the above, and using the above-mentioned techniques, I'll describe how you apply them to each track, along with other techniques such as compression.

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.
The Use of Equalisation

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.

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".