Go-to mixer and engineer for Young Thug and Gunna breaks down his process in the final 10% of getting a mix ready for mastering.
It’s a perennial problem: How do you know when your mix is done? We caught up with Bainz, in his room at Crosby Recording Studios to discover his answer to this question.
“When I’m done at the end, and I think I’m at a good place, I’ll still go through and listen to the song. I’ll make minor vocal automations within a dB up and down, I’ll add small minute throws here and there. Small finishing things that like take that one step forward.”
Once the mix is sounding good in his room, he then begins to test the mix across multiple devices. This is where LISTENTO enters the picture.
“When I’m actually making those EQ decisions, it sounds really good in my room. But I don’t know if anyone’s going to hear that on a small speaker. That’s what I check on on different sources. The way I do it is I just have Audiomovers app running on my phone and I swap between Airpods and the car really quick. I have the session playing over here. While I’m walking, I’m checking on my Airpods. By the time I get into the car, without me even thinking about it, I’ve heard three different playback methods that are outside of my studio with Pro Tools still being open and I haven’t even bounced it yet.”
WatchBainz episode of #AllStarMixTricks
Stem mastering engineer at Abbey Road Studios Oli Morgan shares the secret final test he uses to ensure his mixes are release ready, whilst also helping to keep his hearing in check.
Protecting your hearing long-term is essential for longevity in your career. Having made a name for himself working on projects for the likes of Bastille, Elton John and FKJ, this is something Oli Morgan knows all too well.
“Don’t listen to stuff too loud” he begins when asked to reveal his mix tricks:
“As you turn stuff up, the way that your ears respond changes, so you actually get more inaccurate as you turn stuff up.”
Revealing his process for signing off his mixes, he continues:
“When I’ve finished working on everything, my last test is to put it really quiet and if it gives you the same feeling as it does when you’ve got it cranked, but you haven’t got it cranked, then you know it’s finished. Because it feels like it’s loud. It feels it feels right. But you’re not killing your ears.”
Watch the full #AllStarMixTricks episode:
With only a few days to go until our live panel discussion in New York for the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention, it’s time to meet our final panelist!
Our panel, titledIs Remote Collaboration the Future of Music Production? , will take place at Jacob Javits Center on Wednesday 19 October and will be moderated by Abbey Road Studios’ head of audio products, Mirek Stiles. We’ve been introducing you to each of our panelists in the lead up to the event and we complete proceedings off with emerging solo artist and ½ of songwriting duo LYREMUSIC, Elli Moore.
About Elli
One half of songwriting duo LYRE Music, and an emerging solo artist in her own right. Elli is a songwriter, artist & producer for Red Velvet, ITZY, SUNMI, Class:y, Lightsum, Chanmina, specializing in K-Pop, building educational content of K-Pop production tips and tricks on Instagram as part of LYRE music.
Elli will also be joined by Berklee Professor and Prince’s sound engineer Susan Rogers, Grammy-winning/multi-platinum engineer Ariel Borujow, Audiomovers co-founder Igor Maxymenko and head of audio products, Mirek Stiles.
What will we be discussing?
As part of the panel, we’ll be exploring the long-lasting effects that remote collaboration will have on our creative habits and working style, our panel will discuss topics such as:What does this new remote way of working mean for our human relationships?
How can you create a ‘vibe in a room’ if the participants are never in the same physical space?
Can you build an intimate connection between an artist and a songwriter if they never meet?
Is creativity affected or enabled through remote technology?
What does this new remote way of working mean for our human relationships?
Head to the link here to register your place and be a part of the conversation.
As audio professionals, it’s always tempting to stick to what you know. However, remaining in comfort can often come at a price.
Head of Audio Products at Abbey Road Studios Mirek Stiles expresses the paramount importance of experimentation in this instalment of #AllStarMixTricks.
Touching upon his experience diving into spatial audio in game engines, he shares how free resources found on platforms such as YouTube allowed him to grasp concepts that initially felt alien to him.
Full transcript:
“Hi, my name is Mirek Stiles. I’m the head of audio products at Abbey Road Studios.
My mix trick, even though it isn’t really a trick, I suppose, is to get outside of your comfort zone. From an audio point of view, it’s tempting to stay in the arena of what you know. I was put into a situation a few years ago where I started to explore spatial audio in game engines. It was completely out of my comfort zone. And it took a while to get my head around it all. But there’s great resources out there on platforms like YouTube.”
Yeah, I just think that’s the best tip I can give is just get out of your comfort zone.”
#AllStarMixTricks is where the very best mixers, engineers, producers and musicians share some of the best tips and tricks they’ve picked up on their way to the top.
The series kicked off with mixer and engineer Teezio. With a number one record and two GRAMMY nominations under his belt, his credits include world-renowned artists such as Chris Brown, Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow, Paulo Londra and Ed Sheeran.
Speaking from his home studio, Teezio shares his trick for keeping his ears on top during mixing sessions. Only mixing for 10-20 minutes at a time, he revealed that taking regular breaks is key to making the best decisions, allowing him to frequently approach the track with fresh ears and avoid dampening his hearing.
For those who prefer to stay locked into their sessions for longer, he advises keeping an eye on volume levels, only listening at higher volume for short bursts of time. In his example, Teezio shares how he uses a higher dB to work on the low-end of his mixes, bringing it down for the rest of his session.
Watch Teezio’s full #AllStarMixTrick and subscribe to the Audiomovers YouTube channel for more insights from the best in the game:
Full transcript:
“Hey, I’m Teezio, and here’s my mix trick. I take a lot of breaks, when I’m mixing. I mix, like 15 to 10 minutes at a time. And then I take a 10 minute break or 20 minutes and then take a break. Your hearing over time, especially sitting in front of these big speakers will start to sort of dampen and you’ll start to make decisions based on how fried your hearing is. And I think taking breaks and allowing your ears to sort of open back up will allow you to make better decisions. A good way of doing it sometimes if you don’t want to take breaks is just sort of watching where your volume is. A lot of times when I’m mixing, I like to listen to things loud. And when you listen to things loud, obviously, that’s not good for your hearing. So I try to listen to things loud for the smallest amount of time at a time. So I might blast it just to kind of get a feeling of the low end and then kind of bring it back down.
That sort of can also be a way of doing it and try to stay in a lower dB range just because once you start listening to things too loud, you’ll literally start to fry your hearing. And you’ll notice over time, your high end double down and you’ll start adding more high into your mixes. Not that take breaks. We got to take breaks.”
Your voice is the only instrument that is completely unique to you. Whether you’re a gifted vocalist or not, using vocals as instruments and textures in your tracks can be a great way to help it stand out, as well as filling out the mix or adding some ambience.
As part of our #AllStarMixTricks, Alina Smith, ½ of the production and songwriting duo LYRE MUSIC GROUP explains how she layers up her airy vocals to create unique pad sounds and melodies.
“What I mean by this is specifically using your voice, because it is the only instrument that you have that no one else will have, to create melodies and pads.”
Opening up the project for ‘Bathing Suit’, a track she produced for her LYRE MUSIC GROUP counterpart, Elli Moore, Alina shares:
“This is a technique I use on every single song I produce. I have a pretty airy voice and I use it as a pad quite a bit, to add a bit of oomph to this post-chorus.”
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO
TRANSCRIPT
“What’s up my name is Alina Smith and my mix trick is using vocals as instruments in your session.
It’s really more of a production trick but what I mean by this is specifically using your voice because it is the only instrument that you have that no one else will have to create melodies and pads.
This is a technique I use an every single song I produce.
I have a pretty airy voice, and I use it as a pad quite a bit so you can hear this here, to kind of add a little bit of oomph to this post course.“
We are thrilled to announce we will be heading to this year’s Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention in New York to host our very first live panel discussion, Is Remote Collaboration the Future of Music Production?
Our panel will take place at Jacob Javits Center on Wednesday 19 October and will be moderated by Abbey Road Studios’ head of audio products, Mirek Stiles. We are introducing you to each of our panelists in the lead-up to the event and we continue proceedings with Grammy-winning mix/recording engineer Ariel Borjuow.
About Ariel
Since 1998, Ariel Borujow has pretty much been sitting behind an audio console. The passion he had for sound the day he walked into his first session has grown naturally throughout his career. He credits his early studio experiences with many lessons. Creating the right dynamic between the engineer and the client along with their art is something he understood very early on in his career. Luckily for him his early days allowed him to work on some of the best music of its time.
His career has led him down many different paths. He has both won and been nominated for Grammy Awards, as well as worked with some of the best musicians, artists and music producers on the planet. His involvement with the audio extends well beyond the studio. Currently, he is co-chair for the Producers and Engineer wing at The Recording Academy New York as well as an official advisor for the Department of Sound in Sacramento California (https://www.deptofsound.org).
If he is not spending his time mixing, he enjoys discussing his work at speaking engagements both home and abroad. He has spoken on panels at SXSW, The Recording Academy, offered master classes throughout France and works with upcoming producers and engineers offering private mentoring. Outside of the recording studio he has spent many years mixing live music for national live television broadcasting. Working closely with clients to achieve the balance they are looking for on their music is his art. He understands the delicate relationship between production and mixing and always focuses on bringing out the most complementary dynamic.
Select credits include: T.I., Imagine Dragons, Justin Martin, Puffy, Lucius, Chromeo. The Chainsmokers, Bebe Rexha, Chiddy Bang, CID, Madonna, Mac Miller & Andrea Bocelli.
We recently spoke to Ariel and songwriter/producer Nick Zinnanti (Patent Pending, Ryan Clarke) to delve into their process for remotely collaborating on the mix for STOMP YOUR BOOTS, the debut single from the genre-defying duo YA’BOYZ.
What will we be discussing?
As part of the panel, we’ll be exploring the long-lasting effects that remote collaboration will have on our creative habits and working style, our panel will discuss topics such as:
What does this new remote way of working mean for our human relationships?
How can you create a ‘vibe in a room’ if the participants are never in the same physical space?
Can you build an intimate connection between an artist and a songwriter if they never meet?
Is creativity affected or enabled through remote technology?
Founded in the USA in 1948, the Audio Engineering Society is the only professional society devoted exclusively to audio technology, bringing together audio engineers, creative artists, scientists and students from around the world.
Head to the link here to register your place and be a part of the conversation.
In just over a week, we’re heading to New York for the Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention, the only professional society devoted exclusively to audio technology, bringing together audio engineers, creative artists, scientists and students from around the world. We’ll be hosting our very first live panel discussion, ‘Is Remote Collaboration the Future of Music Production?’, with some esteemed guests.
We’re introducing you to each of our panelists in the lead up to the event and we continue this with an introduction to our moderator, Abbey Road Studios’ head of audio products, Mirek Stiles.
About Mirek
Mirek Stiles started working at Abbey Road Studios as a recording engineer in 1998, working on a diverse range of projects including The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Beatles Anthology, Muse, Kanye West, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Paul McCartney. Mirek also worked as a Digital Producer in the Abbey Road Interactive department on a range of Blu-ray titles including Roxy Music, Ringo Starr and Reservoir Dogs.
Today, Mirek runs the studio’s Audio Products department leading the development of a range of software and hardware releases based on Abbey Road’s historic recording IP, acoustics, and engineering expertise with partners Spitfire Audio, Waves Audio and Chandler Limited. Mirek also sits on the board and acts as an advisor on the Abbey Road Red incubation programme and is currently exploring and experimenting with Spatial Audio over headphones, ambisonics, spatial microphone arrays and game engine workflow. Recent projects include collaborations with film and video game composer Stephen Barton (Jedi: Fallen Order), joint research with the University of York and University of Huddersfield and chairing the Abbey Road Spatial Audio Forum, bringing together members from gaming, broadcast, VR, music production and film.
Mirek’s expertise spans over 20 years within the studios, from analogue and vintage recording workflows through to the latest immersive medias including 6 Degrees of Freedom Virtual Reality and Dolby ATMOS capturing and rendering option
What will we be discussing?
As part of the panel, we’ll be exploring the long-lasting effects that remote collaboration will have on our creative habits and working style, our panel will discuss topics such as:
What does this new remote way of working mean for our human relationships?
How can you create a ‘vibe in a room’ if the participants are never in the same physical space?
Can you build an intimate connection between an artist and a songwriter if they never meet?
Is creativity affected or enabled through remote technology?
Head to the link here to register your place and be a part of the conversation.
The Audio Engineering Society (AES) Convention in New York is just a week away now. Will you be joining us for our very first panel discussion, ‘Is Remote Collaboration the Future of Music Production?’
As part of our panel discussion, we’ll be joined by Abbey Road Studios head of audio projects, Mirek Stiles, emerging solo artist and ½ of songwriting duo LYREMUSIC, Elli Moore, Grammy-winning/multi-platinum engineer Ariel Borujow, Audiomovers’ co-founder Igor Maxymenko andBerklee Professor and Prince’s sound engineer Susan Rogers, who we’ll be delving into the illustrious career of today.
About Susan Rogers
Susan Rogers holds a doctorate in psychology from McGill University, where she studied music cognition and psychoacoustics under researchers Daniel Levitin and Stephen McAdams. Her research focuses on auditory memory, the perception of musical signals, and the influence of musical training on auditory development.
For two decades prior to her science career, Rogers was one of the world’s few women known for her work as a record producer, engineer, mixer, and audio electronics technician. Career highlights include years (1983–1988) as staff engineer for recording artist Prince and working with such diverse artists as Barenaked Ladies, David Byrne, Tricky, and Tevin Campbell.
Rogers is the director of the Berklee Music Perception and Cognition Laboratory. She has also written a book on music listening for W. W. Norton Publishing which was released last year.
“Before we are music makers, we are listeners.” – Susan Rogers
What will we be discussing?
As part of the panel, we’ll be exploring the long-lasting effects that remote collaboration will have on our creative habits and working style, our panel will discuss topics such as:
What does this new remote way of working mean for our human relationships?
How can you create a ‘vibe in a room’ if the participants are never in the same physical space?
Can you build an intimate connection between an artist and a songwriter if they never meet?
Is creativity affected or enabled through remote technology?
Founded in the USA in 1948, the Audio Engineering Society is the only professional society devoted exclusively to audio technology, bringing together audio engineers, creative artists, scientists and students from around the world.
Our panel will take place at Jacob Javits Center on Wednesday 19 October. Don’t miss it!Head to the link here to register your place and be a part of the conversation.
We’ve all been there. Whether it’s down to overthinking or simply a lack of inspiration, lulls in creativity are extremely common in music production. However, they don’t have to be permanent. From taking regular breaks to setting schedules, we’ve compiled our tips for regaining and maintaining your creative momentum.
#1: Search for inspiration in new places
It can be extremely common to go through periods of feeling uninspired, which of course can lead to a lack of motivation when trying to produce new tracks. If this does happen, it can be a good idea to search for inspiration in new places…One example of this can be to expand the current music you are listening to. Most streaming services curate playlists filled with new artists and bands for you to discover.
Trying new experiences outside of the digital realm can also have a positive impact. From meditation and running, to visiting a museum or watching an epic film, any of these sources may trigger newfound inspiration for your music-making
#2: Remember the reasons you started producing:
Whether that’s through listening to the tracks that first got you excited about music production or looking into your favourite producers and what they’re working on currently, taking the time to revisit your sources of inspiration may spark new ideas and get you excited about creating again.
#3: Compare your mixes now to your mixes from a year ago
The saying ‘comparison is the thief of joy’ is true when you’re comparing yourself to others. However, comparing your current mixes to your mixes from when you first started or even from a year ago is the best way to remind yourself of how far you’ve come.
A long break from an old track can also spark quick inspiration when you hear it again. Often the ideas for improvement just seem to pop out instantly on the first listen-through.
#4: Stop writing, start designing. Be it making effects presets, guitar tones or synth sounds
Remember when you first got your hands on Massive or Serum? How about your favorite glitch plugin? New toys and sounds in your library are a surefire way to spark musical inspiration and get going on a new project.
#5: Set a schedule and deadline
It’s very easy to make an excuse by saying that you’ve run out of time to complete a track you’ve been working on. Sadly, if you don’t have some sort of routine with your music-making, then you’ll find it extremely hard to keep into the swing of it and to continually keep getting better. Simply setting aside an hour or two a day could greatly help with this, even if this does mean waking up slightly earlier each day!
Once you are in the flow of this, start setting yourself a strict deadline. With strict, we mean it’s a final cut-off. No ifs or buts. You reach the deadline, you stop and it’s done. It’s amazing how much you can get done when you know you have no other option!
#6: Make sure to move around
We can all be guilty of spending hours upon hours in our studios without even coming out. Sometimes going out for a walk helps clear your mind and feed you new inspirational ideas and get a fresh perspective on your music.
In our brand new series All-Star Mix Tricks, platinum-selling producer Teezio explains how paramount breaks are for him when mixing tracks: “I take a lot of breaks when I’m mixing. I mix for like 10 to 15 minutes at a time and then I take a break. Your hearing over time, especially sat in front of these big speakers will start to dampen and you’ll start to make decisions based on how fried your hearing is. I think that taking breaks and allowing your ears to sort of open back up will allow you to make better decisions.”
#7: Just Jam
The pressure of wanting to create a new track can sometimes stunt creativity. So, decide to just jam a bit for fun. No pressure! Take an hour or so and get into jamming it for the sole purpose of having fun, not to create a track. However, it may be worth pressing record, as often this is where the best ideas can come from!
#8: Collaborate
Find a good producer and collaborate with them, even if they make music in a different genre to you! You may want to try and find someone on a forum or social media if you don’t know any producers in your circle of friends. Few things help get the creative juices flowing like another human being to work with. And don’t worry if they aren’t close by, with our LISTENTO plugin you can remotely collaborate wherever you are in the world. You can try seven days free by heading here.
#9: Learn a New Skill
Music production involves a lot of different skills. It’s an ongoing process of learning and unlearning. New skills in your producer skill stack will open up new possibilities when you produce. New possibilities lead to heightened musical inspiration in many areas of your workflow. So, it’s a good idea to add a new skill as often as you can.
#10: Believe you can do it
Although this may be our final point, it’s got to be one of the most important. You need to wake up and believe that you are good enough and you will create something today. Take it step-by-step and visualise your plan of attack and what you will accomplish each with your music.
