Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio (Sound On Sound Presents...)

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Warning: For those readers who get upset when we deviate a bit from matters strictly audio, you should skip ahead to the next microphone review that fits your budget.

Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio is a best-selling primer for small-studio enthusiasts who want chart-ready sonics in a hurry. Sound On Sound magazine’s mix specialist Mike Senior shows you how to achieve release-quality mixes even in the smallest studios, by applying power-user techniques from the world’s most successful producers. Great care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this article but neither Sound On Sound Limited nor the publishers can be held responsible for its contents. This book aims to demystify the mixdown stage by structuring it into a clear step-by-step progression.

Many good examples of current and popular CDs are given through this book to 'reference' each step in the mixing process. This is a very well written book covering many issues faced by someone who wants to take his/her audio mixing to the next level. If you're doing something closer to experimental electronic music without vocals, there's a bit to skim through, but overall the book is still worthwhile for mixing any style of music.

This is what they've learned--their sage advice to impart on the next generation of engineers/producers. After a few solid chapters on monitor selection and room treatment, the book deconstructs mixing into a linear process (acknowledging that in reality, no mix process is linear), that starts at a coarse level, then works its way to fine details: setting up sessions; getting basic balances; EQ and compression basics and advanced techniques; bus compression; automation and rides.Where an advanced technique is not included the fundamental knowledge to understand it has nonetheless been provided. The title is something of a misnomer because the advice and guidance contained are relevant to everyone involved in music engineering and production, at all levels and regardless of the size of the studio or its facilities. And all the while, what he's saying is presented in a way that invites you to try his methods, all of which are quite sound (no pun intended, but there it is). Recently, I felt like my mixing had hit a plateau, so I went looking for new ideas to consider at mix time.

So, how are we supposed to get a release quality mix done, if we don’t even know where to start with the two most important effects? As a student with a classical background in a class full of people with either experience playing electric instruments or experience in music technology, I found myself confused and dragging behind.

Mike Senior: Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio (book) | Tape Op Magazine | Longform candid interviews with music producers and audio engineers covering mixing, mastering, recording and music production. Then he says to add 10 to 20 ms of pre-delay to start, “aiming on the shorter side for a more intimate sounding space, and on the longer side for a more spacious virtual acoustic. Regular Sound On Sound readers will already be familiar with Mike Senior's contributions to the ever‑popular Mix Rescue series, as well as his occasional (and usually lengthy! Secondly, although he states the book is a “step by step primer” some information is so conspicuously absent, I was shocked. The book is structured in a progressive fashion, following a logical mixing workflow, and developing and building on ideas and techniques throughout.

Drawing on the back-room strategies of more than 100 famous names, this entertaining guide leads you step-by-step through the entire mixing process. Mike shares many of his own mixing tips, supplemented by tips and advice from some of the industry's top engineers that range from Chris and Tom Lord Alge to Andy Wallace. Having produced for around 8 years but never really getting a formal introduction to mixing, this book completely shifted my perspective. Vintage King co-founder Michael Nehra shares some of his love, knowledge, and practical advice for diving into the world of vintage audio gear, and then takes us behind the scenes for a walk through.This is specific to mixing and not the whole process of recording, but is incredible in both its practicality and its readability. The reader is expected to have a basic level of underpinning knowledge about the fundamentals of sound, audio equipment, signal levels, production workflows and so on, although there are excellent additional resources on the dedicated web site (see below) to help if some of these aspects are unfamiliar. If you’re brand new to the mixing side of things, then indeed this whole book could contain hundreds of secrets. Certainly I think this would be an excellent book for someone who does want to get seriously into mixing.