Critical Listening & Building a Mix

We asked Shure friend and veteran soundman John Mills for his approach to critical listening at the mixing board. Here's what he had to say: The biggest thing to keep in mind is: “Does it sound natural?” Does it sound like CDs you've heard, or more specifically does it sound the same coming through the system as it does if you were sitting in front of it? I constantly glance down the channels and think about each input. Kick - does the kick sound right? Snare - does the snare sound right? Bass - does the bass sound right? Lead vocal - does the lead vocal sound right? I think you get the picture.

There are many factors that effect when and why sound changes. The whole system will sound different from sound check (in an empty room) to a service (with a full room of people.) A mic gets moved from the spot where you placed it. A keyboardist changes something on his synth. Maybe the guitar player switched guitars.

I always tell new engineers never to be satisfied that it sounds good. But to always be looking for something. That doesn't necessarily mean turning a knob - but to pay attention to the mix and what's going on inside it.

When building a mix, think of the song as a flat line. Each instrument makes up part of that line. If we have too many instruments or frequencies trying to take up the same space, our line gets bumpy and the mix muddy.

Listen to each instrument and think of a space for it on the line. Keep other instruments' EQ away from it and you'll have an easier time hearing that one specific instrument.

You don't want to have an overly bassy electric guitar taking up a lot of the space for the actual bass guitar. Try to keep each instrument in its place. A really “full” sounding acoustic guitar may sound great all by itself, but finding a space for it in the mix is often very difficult. You might be surprised to hear how thin I EQ an acoustic guitar when it's in the mix. But if I know the player is going to do a number by himself, I will add a good deal of the warmth back in for that song.

Did you catch that? That last statement really means we don't just critically listen to sound check and then balance the faders for the even. We should be working on fitting it together from song to song - maybe even from verse to chorus.

If you find yourself saying “I can't hear the guitar as well as I did before”, don't just reach for the fader and turn it up. Ask yourself why you don't hear it as well. Maybe another instrument just got in the way. Possibly the bass player turned up or changed some settings on his bass. This probably is the reason behind your lack of electric since it is clogging the low section of the electric. Try taking some low mids out of the bass to make room for it.

Another good school of thought is to ask yourself not what you can do to the instrument you are focusing on, but what you can do to the instrument(s) that may be in the way of what you want to hear.

John is a 16-year veteran of live audio and touring. He has traveled full-time with Shane & Shane, Lincoln Brewster and Chris Tomlin, as well as worked with many other top Worship Leaders and Christian artists. Besides running sound, one of his main passions is teaching the next generations about audio. He has also been a featured seminar leader at multiple worship conferences throughout the US. You can contact him and/or find more at John's website: www.TechTraining101.com