Where Do I Put This Instrument? Beginning Mix Theory.
I get this question often: "Where do I put XYZ instrument in the mix?". The answer is complex. But there are standards that we follow in the music industry. For example, Kick, Snare, Bass, and Vocals traditionally sit in the middle of the mix. The reason stems from pure function. The Kick, Snare, Bass, and Vocals are the instruments that set the rhythm, tone and contain the message of the music. We would consider these instruments most important within the arrangement.
Stereophonic sound reproduction requires two speakers, or two earbuds, or two sides of a headphone. Most people do not set up their home speaker systems correctly to get the full impact of stereophonic sound. Imagine entering your grandmother's house or your friend's dorm room. Have you seen their stereo system set up where one speaker is in the living room, and one speaker is in the kitchen? When this arrangement occurs, the listener will only hear the instruments in the extreme left or right of the mix (depending on which room they are in). However, if the engineer pans the essential instruments in the middle of the stereo spectrum, the listener can hear those parts in both speakers or, in this example, both rooms.
Engineers often think about the song mix as occurring on an imaginary concert stage or sound stage.
To simplify the mixing process, we will split the stereo spectrum into five parts; Center, Left Center, Right Center, Left, and Right.
The typical convention for stereo mixing is as follows:
Center:
Kick, Snare, Bass, Vocals, and a Solo if there is one.
Left Center: Hi-Hat, Piano/Synth
Right Center: Mid Tom, Piano/synth
Left: Guitar 1, Left Cymbal Crash, Hi Tom
Right: Guitar 2, Right Cymbal Crash, Low Tom
Distance is more complex. Listeners identify instrument distance by both volume and frequency cues. To simplify distance in this example, we will primarily focus on fader volume as a way to get started. This example will split the soundstage into three parts; near, middle, and far.
Near: Vocals and Solo
Middle: Kick, Snare, Bass, Hi Tom, Mid Tom, Low Tom, Guitar 1, Guitar 2 (sometimes piano)
Far: Piano/synth, cymbal crash left and right.
If we think about the sound stage as an XY grid, then panning is the x-axis, and volume is the y axis.
The audio mixer can now grid out the instruments in the song arrangement and balance them on the imaginary sound stage.
Balance is determined by not having too many instruments on one side of the stage versus the other. If we have too many instruments on the right side of the stage, the mix is "heavy to the right," and vice versa. We aim to have every instrument occupy its own place on the imaginary stage.
We simplified the mixing process to adjusting the volume and panning to put the instrument in its proper grid position. The closer the instrument, the more volume it will need. The further away from the listener, the less volume the instrument will need in the mix.
This example is a starting point. Commercial mixes are more complex than this example. It is a good idea to grid out your mix first on a piece of paper to verify the soundstage balance. Then start your mix with the essential instruments in the center of the sound stage, and work your way to the less important instruments. When you get more proficient at mixing, the grid lines start to blur. A mix will then have a more cohesive blend as your mix skill improves.
Dr. Mike Testa
