This is a continuation of the last post on mixing. I mentioned starting with a solid foundation of drums and bass. What that means to me, is that the bass is smooth, controlled, and is not too boomy. The drums should punch through the mix, and not take up too much frequency space. Volume is not the enemy, but it can become the enemy if you’re not careful. Leave yourself some room to put the rest of the band on top.

As you add your guitars, keys, flutes, violins, saxaphones and kazoos, have the attitude of ‘less is more.’ A lot of guys start throwing on compressors to reduce the dynamic range, and FX or delay to push the input back into the mix a bit, or EQ the heck out of something trying to add what’s not there, or take away the natural acoustical attribute of the input. The end result can be a mess!

Instead, just bring the fader up, a little lower than you think sounds about right. Keep doing that with all of your inputs, and all of the sudden, there’s room left for the vocal on top of it all!

Adding a compressor to the vocal(s) is not a bad idea, but again, less is more! A good compressor setting is one you can’t hear. We can talk about that in the future, but for now, use the ‘auto’ button for attack and release, and try to accomplish only 3-6 db of gain reduction at the loudest moments.

FX can do more harm than good if you overuse them. Find a short reverb (less than 2 seconds) that does not sound like you’re in the sisteen chapel, but rather a small or medium room. I’ve always had more luck with plate sounds. Add just enough so you can hear it.

You are not in a recording studio where FX and compressors are much more critical. You are in a live environment, and you can use the elements of the room and stage noise to your advantage. Don’t try to eliminate these things, rather work with them, and the results will be an easier mix to babysit, and a more natural sound for your congregation.

Have some tips or tricks? Share them here, or send them to me on twitter!