Mixing! - Posted on 2015-03-31 by Kayli Mills

In my third week I helped my mentor pack up for a remote recording of the Grand Rapids Symphony. I learned a lot about placement of room mics as well as spot mics, and how much of a difference they make in the recording, The most important thing with recording an orchestra is making the recording sound as real and unprocessed as possible. The room mics are very important, but the spot mics also add a lot of detail and really make the recording shine. 

I was also in the studio when the remote recording was being mixed. Because the mics are placed different distances from the audio source, it's of course important to line up the tracks (usually made easier by clapping in front of each mic and lining them up). It's also very improtant not to overcompress any audio, as this can take away the rawness of the recording which is very important, especially with classical music. The spot mics make the mix much livlier, but it's also really important to get everything sounding nice and blended. 

I also got to witness the final mixing for the band that had started recording my first week. It was great to see how far the mix had come since the initial recording session, particularly with how the electric guitar ended up being mixed. The vocals were also not pitched too drastically which kept the recording sounding more natural and "real" and really fit the image the band was going for. I think being able to understand a client and deliver a product based on perception is one of the most important things an engineer can do, and it was great to see it first hand!