BY: KATIE MORGAN.

The improvements that I have made are in purple (go to the first diagram)!
Mixing Analysis:
As part of my portfolio I mixed two tracks. One was my own track, which is called: Timpani & Bass
and the other was given to us. This track is called: Africa.
On every day that I was at collage I would always work on both mixes the same day. (In the
mornings I would work on Timpani & Bass and in the afternoons I would work on Africa).
Timpani & Bass:
This tracks name came from the instruments that I used to create the track. I used the timpani for
the rhythm and the bass for the melody. When making this track I was out of my normal zone
because I normally make my music out of time. However in this case I had to make this track in
time so someone could play to it. Despite this change I knew how make something in time. I
listened to the metronome and placed each note on the same beat of the bar, like all of the other
notes that I have composed. This didnt take me long to do. The metronome is used to keep the
musicians in time when they are practising or being recorded. To set the metronome right we have
to consider the volume and the tonality and weather or not it suits the musician. I had to record
midi instruments before recording live instruments. Also somethings were recorded after the live
recordings just so there is something a little bit extra in this mix. (The recording equipment is talked
about in my pervious analysis; Recording Analysis). For the mixes I had multitrack and single track!
I also did the following mixing tasks for both of my mixes:
Eq, distortion, lyric editing, buses and effects, tuning, delays, compression, reverb, echo,
automation and mastering the sound (volume).
I did change the eq of Timpani & Bass with the instruments being of different frequencies. However
I do not have any screen shots for this. I used the different eq s to create tension and affect. Some
of the frequencies are high and some are low. This makes the track more interesting and complex.
Sometimes finding the right eq can be hard because sometimes the instruments that you use
might not go to a frequency that is out of their frequency response spectrum. However if you put
the analyser on you can find some of the unfound frequencies. Plus if you change the frequencies
so they are out of the frequency response spectrum you might find that the hidden frequencies
have changed to suit the mix better.
It was the same for Africa. In Africa there are a lot of different frequency spectrums, for example
some are narrow and some are wide. (I did this to make my mix sound different in volume and
frequency).

Narrow:

Wide:

You can also create eq s that

are not even narrow or wide.
Like these two above:

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

I found the eq s by listening to each instrument/audio region and picking out the right frequencies
and tones. Each instrument has their own frequency, so when mixing we have to make sure that
no interference happens. To prevent this dont make the different regions have the same
frequencies; vary them! This can be very difficult. Despite this I have learnt a lot about eq and I
have used this knowledge in my work.
Here is some useful information about eq:
There are three variables in a fully parametric eq, which are: frequency, bandwidth (this is weather
or not it is narrow or wide), Q Factor and DB Boost/cut.
Parametric eq are multi-band variable equalisers that allow us to control the three primary
parameters above.
Q Factor is a parameter that is dimensionless. This parameter describes
how under-damped the oscillator/resonator is. The characterises of a
resonators bandwidth is relative to its centre frequency.

I considered this
when I was
changing the eq.

DB Boost/cut:
If the shelf is high then it boosts or cuts the frequencies at the cutoff and all of the other higher
frequencies are set at that cutoff point. The only two parameters that is has are: the cutoff and the
gain. This is usually used at the mid-high and high parts of the spectrum. It uses a positive gain of
3 or 4 dB. Also a cutoff frequency of 10 kHz and higher. This is used to reduce the noise/sound of
the mix by reducing the 3 or 4 dB frequencies that are around 15 kHz and higher.
If the shelf is low then it boosts or cuts the frequencies at the cutoff and all of the other lower
frequencies are set at that cutoff point. The only two parameters that is has are: the cutoff and the
gain. This is usually used at the low-mid and low range of the spectrum. However this spectrum is
audible! This is also used to reduce some of the rumble noise/sound. The rumble noise/sound is
caused by the microphone stand that is used. Also the other low end sources that you use.
If the shelf is high pass then all of the frequencies that are below the cutoff point are cut off. The
only one parameter it has is: frequency. This is known as a very drastic filter! This filter is used to
cut the very low rumble noises/sounds that are below 60 Hz.
If the shelf is low pass then all of the frequencies that are above the cutoff point are cut off. The
only one parameter it has is: frequency. This is known as a very drastic filter! This filter is used to
cut very high hiss noises/sounds that are above 18 kHz. When using this
we should be careful because sometimes you can cut too much high end of
I also edited the
the mix.
frequencies, so
More frequency information:

Frequencies:

they sound right

for the mixes.

Applications:

20-60 Hz

Cut these frequencies to reduce the rumble nosies/

sounds that are related to the electric interfaces.

60-80 Hz

Boost these frequencies to add more life to the

instruments that play low frequencies, for example,
bass drums and bass.

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

Frequencies:

Applications:

100-200 Hz

Boost these frequencies to add more life to the

instruments, like snares, piano, trombones, French
horns and guitars.
If you cut these frequencies you can reduce the
boomy effects on the instruments that play the midrange frequencies, like drums and string bass.

200-300 Hz

Cut these frequencies to reduce and unwanted

resonances on certain instruments, such as
cymbals.
Boost these frequencies to add life to the vocal
tracks of the mix.

400-600 Hz

Cut these frequencies to reduce the not normal

boxy nosies/sounds on instruments, such as,
drums.
Boost these frequencies to add clarity and presence
to the bass.

1.4-1.5 kHz

Boost these frequencies for a clear bass and piano

sounds.

2.8-3 kHz

Boost these frequencies to add clarity to the bass.

Also boost these frequencies to add punch and
attack to instruments, such as, guitars.

5-6 kHz

Boost these frequencies to boost the vocals

presence and also adds attack on drums, guitars
and piano.

7.5-9 kHz

Cut these frequencies to avoid the sibilance on the

voices/vocals.
Boost these frequencies to add attack on
percussion instruments and you should also add
sharpness, breath and clarity to the following
instruments: guitars, piano and synthesisers.

10-11 kHz

Boost these frequencies to increase the sharpness

on instruments, such as, cymbals.
These frequencies also add sharpness to guitars
and piano.
Cut these frequencies to darken the following
instruments: percussions, drums, guitars and piano.

14-15 kHz

Cut these frequencies to reduce sharpness on

guitars, piano and cymbals.
Boost these frequencies to add more life to the
vocals.
Furthermore these frequencies to add ambience to
sampled and synthesised patches.

18 kHz

Cut these frequencies to reduce hiss nosies.

Boost these frequencies to add clarity the whole
mix.

This table shows us that instruments have different frequencies. By knowing these frequencies we
can cut and reduce the inactive frequencies. If you do this you will reduce the volume of the overall
mix.

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

When mixing tracks I consider these different frequencies. To eq successfully I look at each
frequency range and see which one is best to use.
I try to use as many different frequencies as I can. This is known as shelling EQ and this ranges
from 20 Hz - 20 kHz.
Here are the different frequency ranges that you can get:
Sub-bass frequencies
Bass frequencies
Mid range frequencies
High mids frequencies
High frequencies

The eq is different in each mix. So I

created a wide range of different
frequencies to mix up the sounds a little
bit. This was successful because of the
analyzer. The analyzer helped me to
find and delete unwanted frequencies. It
also allowed me to keep the frequencies
that I wanted to have in my mixes.

Frequency links to compression!

Compression Parameters:
The audio compression is the reduction of an audio file in order to
increase the overall volume of the mix. (This reduction is in the dynamic
range).
Compression evens out the audio levels and reduces spikes in mixes.

I used this technique to

manage the volume in my
mixes. Also I was able to
remove the spikes and the
clicks in my work.

Threshold, Gain and Compressing:

The threshold affects the gain. So to prevent this the threshold should be turned down and the gain
can then be turned up. However sometimes it can work the other way around!
Compression sounds better if the threshold is at zero and if the
gain is higher than the threshold.
The Compression Ratio:
The compression ratio indicates how severely the audio file is
compressed.

I also used the threshold and

gain in my work. This made the
mixes sound better and
professional. This is because it
allows the sound to absorbed
and managed. It went very well!

Here is an example of a compression ratio:

Ratio = 3:1 3 DBS = 1 DB (2 DB)
In my mix Timpani & Bass I have used
compression, like this:
This screen shot shows that I have put compression
on the Heavy Drums in my mix. I did this so they
stand out. I wanted them to stand out because they
only happened a few times and you wouldnt really
notice them if you was to listen to the whole mix
once.
However adding in the compressor has made the

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

Heavy Drums noticeable. You can hear them very clearly! They are clear because I turned the
threshold to zero and then measured each effect carefully. This made the mix evenly balanced!
Reverb:
Reverb is the direct sound is a room, its like an echo. It is also the persistence or echo of a
sound after it has been produced. (In studios most sources produce little or no reverb).
In Africa I used reverb, like this:

This screen shot shows that I have added some

decay and sustain to the track. (The decay is at
300ms and the sustain is at 52%).

Also the following:

Dry single delay= 50ms
Destiny= 100%
Spread= 100%

Adding in reverb made

my work sound
atmospheric because
works sounds a
soundscape.

High cut= 5000Hz

Crossover= 500Hz
Low freq level= 0.0dB
Mix= 25%
When adding in reverb sometimes you can add in too much, so I always do a little bit of reverb.
However in my music I like to add reverb rather than echo. Reverb is more fun to add in because
of the different controls. Like the compressor I balanced all of the different controls so they fit
together nicely. Despite the amount of reverb on the finished product, I had too much when I
first added it on to my mix. So I reduced the amount to a normal balanced amount. This made
the reverb go well with the other effects that I have used in my mix. (Adding in reverb was good
edit to make in this mix).
The Delay Designer:
This effect allows you to delay interments and audio files, for example, in Timpani & Bass I used
this effect, like this:

I added delay onto the kick. The kick plays through

most of the mix. So I added in delay to make the
kick last longer. This made a good impact on the
mix. It made it more amusing because it was
something that is different.
Delay is like reverb because if you add too much
the mix will not sound right.
I put the delay only on the kick drum because it

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

needed a little thing else added to it. I made sure that the delay matched the reverb. Despite
this both effects each had something different about them because if they are the same then
they would clash with each other. The delay is quite low!
Tape Delay:

I used Tape Delay on the timpani. I did this because

the timpani is the instrument that keeps mix in
time. (There is a lot of Tape Delay at the end of the
mix). By me adding this Tape Delay the end was
successful and effective. It ended the mix well and
made the track different from all of my other
tracks/mixes.
Again this effect is balanced and it is heard clearly.
Tape delay is great way to start and end your
mixes. Plus you could even use it in breaks and riffs.
I used this effect because it is an effective technique to use. I know how to use tape delay
because I have used it in pervious works because you can never have too much tape delay!
Distortion:
I used distortion twice in Africa! This is an add on from the delay.
I did it like this:

This distortion is for the dynamic microphones.

I used bitcrusher distortion.
The drive is on 6.0dB
The resolution is on 18bit
The downsampling is on 5x
The mode is in the middle
The clip level is at 0.0dB (This means that it will
not clip)!
I dont normally use distortion however this time is different. I used tis effect by mixing the
settings around. If was worth it in the end because it sounds great with the rest of the mix. The
same goes with the distortion below!
Which is like this:

And this distortion is for the condenser microphones.

And for this one I used clip distortion.
The drive is on 35.0dB
The tone is on 13300Hz
The symmetry is on +18%
The clip filter is on 2900Hz

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

The mix is at 80%
This distortion made the
mix sound different . This
made the mix interesting.

The LP filter is at 920Hz

The high shelving frequency is at 4200Hz
The gain is at +30.0dB

I wanted the distortions to sound different. I did this by choosing different types of distortions.
By doing this it made each the microphones stand out and thats what I wanted to do. Also I one
stronger than the other to make them stand out even more.
Echo:
I added echo in Africa, like this:

In most of my tracks and mix I have used echo. It is

one of my favourite effects. As you can see:
The time is 1/16
The repeat is set at 68%
The colour is set at 52
Dry is at 70% and wet is at 68%

I added the echo on too instrument 8, which is called Rock Kit (they are drums). This instrument
is played all throughout the mix. So to make it more interesting I added in an effect that would
have a great affect on the mix. Echo can create many emotions in just one mix!
As I said before I like to use reverb more then echo. However in this case it is the other way
around because in the screen shot above it shows that I have added more than half of echo. This
effective that it is not too much. (It is just enough)!
Automation:
In Timpani & Bass I originally had automation. However when I mixed it I turned it off and I have
decided to not to turn it on again. So this mix has no automation!
But in Africa I have used automation on the guitars, like this:
For this part of Africa I did the
automation like this because I
wanted peaks in the mix. So on
each note there is a little peak
so that each time a note plays it
goes high in volume. (It can be
unexpected)!
I made high and low to make it
different and exciting. As you
can see the peaks are high, but
not too high. I made it not too
high because it would have been
really loud if I didnt. Also below
is another example of rising the
volume.

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

Which looks like this:

In this part of Africa I made

volume change with the mix.
This part starts of low and slowly
goes high and then low again.
This goes with the vocals. I also
did some automation on the
vocals to make them with the
rest of the mix. I did this to
make some of the notes stand
out from each other!

The Lyrics In Africa:

These two screen shots above shows that I have edited the vocals. If I am honest it was quite
difficult because if you cut it wrong the lyrics will not follow after each other. I edited the
vocals because I edited the other audio and midi tracks. I did this by listening for the important
parts of the song, which are the intro,the middle,the riffs and the end. This is a normal song
structure. It is simple too!
Despite these problems I managed to edit the vocals to go with the whole mix. This is because I
have kept the four most important parts of the song, which are key in a mix like this one.
I feel confident after practising this skill. So next time when it comes to editing vocals I know
what to do.
The Tuner:
I used the tuner for the recording of the bass in Timpani & Bass. Here is the tuner:
We should allow musicians to tune their instruments before they
play/record. This is because when you dont tune an instrument it
can sound too flat or too sharp. (Tuning the instruments will make
the recordings sound a lot better). The tuner is very clever
because it can recognise all of the notes perfectly. So the
recording will sound professional because the instruments do! The
tuner is on Logic, so I clicked on it and allowed the musician to

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

tuner their bass. It didnt take long to tune the interment. (There is also a smart phone app to
tune your instrument)!
Mixing the Volume:
Mixing the volume in Timpani & Bass looks, like this:

Timpani & Bass has varied volume. The timpani is up high and the drums are at different
volumes to make them varied a little bit. Also the bass is is in the middle because it is just
background music to help the mix flow.
I listened to each instrument and only changed the volume of them, they need to be of course.
Some instruments lacked some clarity so the one that did turned them up and ones that did not I
turned them down a little bit. This mastered very well, like the mix below did:
In Africa it is like this:

Africa also has varied volume. Instrument 8 is up high and the drums are at different volumes to
make the drums unlike each other. Also the guitars are roughly at the same volume. This is so
they sound the same. Lastly the other instruments are either low, in the middle or high. (The
master in the middle because when I took the screen shot I had my headphones in and it was too
loud). But when I took out my headphones I put my mix onto speakers it was quiet so I tuned it
up. This means that headphones and speakers sound different. So thats why it is best to mix on
both sources so you can get the best results. Also the effects will stand out on the speakers
more!

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

I mixed the volume by listening to all of the mix and then seeing if the instruments lack clarity,
which they didnt. This is because they were all at the same volume to start off with. But I
changed them to make the mix sound stimulating and exhilarating.

Buses and effects:

The buses and effects in Timpani & Bass looks, like this:
This screen shot shows
you the effects and buses
that I used in Timpani &
Bass.
Plus it also shows you how
I used them. There maybe
buses one this screen
shot, but I didnt actually
use them because Id rather put the same thing on the different tracks individually. However I
did use quite a few effects in my mixes and here they are below:
The effects are:
Delay Designer
Channel EQ x 6
Compressor
Space D x 5
Tape Delay
The buses are:
Bus 6
Bus 5
Timpani & Bass from start to finish:

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

Africa from start to finish:

Conclusion:
I have learnt a few things while mixing these tracks, for example, I learnt how to record and mix
the tracks competently. I have been able to practise using the different effects and because I
have practiced I have memorised what each of the effects do and how you use them properly.
Timpani & Bass was harder to mix than Africa because it was tough to cut and edit parts as there
was a lot of clipping and loud booming sounds from the drums. However I managed to get rid off
these unimportant parts that effected the mixs effects and automation.
Africa on the other hand was easier to edit because their was no clipping and booming sounds. I
made Africa different by duplicating certain parts of the song, for example,
I added more Marimba and
Xylophone sounds at the start
of the mix.
Each mix was different and had
different parts that needed editing. Timpani & Bass and Africa are mixes where you can do
almost anything and it will sound good. I found these mixes entertaining, especially Africa. This
is because Africa is a song that everyone knows and loves. However Timpani & Bass is a track
that I created so people might not find it pleasurable like Africa. But some people will like my
work because it is unique. All of my mixes are dissimilar because some have effects and some

BY: KATIE MORGAN.

dont. Also I dont always use automation and audio files. Most of my tracks or mixes are midi
instruments!
I am update with my work and I cant wait for the next project. Finally the written work has
helped my with my practical work because I have researched during this project and I have
picked up a lot of information that I never knew about. (I will use this information for my next
project and other projects to come).