Mixing Techniques for Pop Music Part 2

Interested in producing the next chart-topping pop song? Multiplatinum producer, engineer, and mixer Brian Malouf demonstrates more of his hit-making song mixing techniques.

Introduction

• Welcome
• What you should know before watching

1. Effects and Ambience

• Choosing the right reverb
• Applying reverbs to different instruments
• Adding digital delay to your mix
• Delay vs. echo vs. reverb: Aren't they the same?
• How to tune your mix
• The magic dust of pitch shifting
• Phase shifting and flanging
• The most overused device in pop music today
• Using panning as an effect
• Working miracles with special enhancement processors

2. Auxiliary and Master Bussing

• Creating Individual group auxiliaries for overall processing
• Increasing drum power and presence with drum replacement
• How to make sure your drums are phase coherent
• Achieving clarity in the bass
• Making a place for the electric guitars
• Driving home the groove with the acoustic guitars
• How to achieve a perfect balance within the keyboards bus
• Adding punch and clarity to the stereo mix (master bus)
• How to add sheer volume to your mix

3. Variables: Finding Your Own Way

• Separating the elements of your drum kit
• Mixing with speakers vs. headphones
• Adding true dimension to your mix: The details
• Affecting the effects
• Making the chorus "pop"
• How to bring out the emotion of the song in your mix
• Knowing when your mix is done

Conclusion

• Next steps