Make it sound like an album?

I’ve been asked many times “how do you start a mix?”  A lot of times I answer with “make it sound like an album”. Recently I’ve been rethinking the album part.

Here’s why… a lot of albums don’t sound very good.

Yep. Squashed. Kick heavy. No band definition. Vocals buried. I’ve heard it all.  A lot of modern music has no dynamics or limited impact.

That’s the beauty of mixing live, we don’t have to make every song the same volume. Intimate ballad…..turn it down a couple db to draw the listener in. Breakdown chorus into full band… push the faders. Move some air! Let the drivers do some heavy lifting for you.

Now this also brings up the question “what sounds good?”

I realize this isn’t an easy thing to answer and can vary greatly from engineer to engineer. I would suggest starting with research. Go back and listen to some of your favorite songs. Really listen. Can you hear what the rhythm guitar is playing on the 2nd chorus? How about vocals? Can you understand what they are saying?

Ask friends and family what songs they like. Listen to those. Google it. What songs were winning awards prior to the loudness wars of the late 90s and early 2000’s? Listen.

Now listen to your mix.

How does it hold up?  Is there definition between instruments? Clarity in the vocals?

These are just some of the questions I ask myself when approaching a mix. What I know is that the process of building a great sounding environment is all in the details.