Lesson 2: An introduction to mixing

This lesson focuses on listening and discovering how balance, tonal adjustment, sound placement, and ambience can enhance the basic musical elements of a song. Students will explore mixer parameters and create their own mix of some pre-recorded material, adjusting volume levels, tone, relative position and depth of sounds, to create an interesting musical result.

Lesson preparation - What you need to know

Teaching this lesson requires some familiarity with the Reason mixer parameters and basic concepts of balance, EQ, stereo placement (pan) and effects use. These concepts are introduced from a musical, rather than a technical angle, aiming to show students (even at this early stage), how they can turn basic musical ideas into more refined material. If you are new to Reason, you can prepare for the lesson by reading the following pages A teacher guide to the Reason mixer, and exploring the provided song files.

! Check out the Student

Worksheet for an immediate overview of the lesson tasks.

About the lesson song files

Start by checking out the song Blues, which youll find in the folder Music Producers Originals. You will use this file during the introductory activity as a reference or starting point. The song file Lesson 2a is intended for use in both the introductory activity and Task 1. In this version of the Blues song, the levels of one or two tracks are deliberately unbalanced and the drums are panned hard to one side. These faults are intended for identification in the introductory activity and can subsequently be adjusted during Task 1, as students explore the different mixer parameters. The song file Lesson 2b is intended for use in Task 2. It contains a song with several recorded tracks that students can use as a basis for creating their own mixes. (Also check out the music producers original version, Genie Jazz. This contains some basic EQ and added effects on one or two tracks.)

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Lesson 2: An introduction to mixing

Lesson preparation and background reading

A teacher guide to the Reason mixer
In a standard hardware studio, the mixer is one of the most important pieces of equipment. Nearly all other studio resources such as multitrack recorders, microphones, sound modules and effects units, are routed to or from the mixer. The Reason mixer has a similar function in the rack. It has 14 stereo input channels into which sound devices are connected.

4 3

The name label on each mixer channel (1) is the same as that found on the sound device to which it is connected. Each sound device is invisibly hard-wired to a sequencer track that also has the same name (2). If you change the name of a sequencer track, you will find that the names of the corresponding sound device and its mixer channel automatically change as well. So you can always identify which mixer channel relates to which sequencer track. This is useful during mixing activities. Signals going to and from the effects units are routed via the mixers auxiliary sends (3) and returns (4).

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Lesson 2: An introduction to mixing

Lesson preparation and background reading

The channel strip

Each mixer channel contains identical elements on a channel strip:
Channel Fader (1): This lets you set the volume level of a sound in relation to other sounds in your mix. D To move a fader, click on it with the mouse, hold down the mouse button and drag the fader up or down. Pan Control (2): This determines the position of an instrument in what is known as the stereo field the space created between your speakers. Panning allows you to create a feeling of space in your mix, by placing individual sounds at different positions. D To move this and other mixer rotary controls, click on the control with the mouse, hold down the mouse button, then drag downwards to move the control to the left and upwards to move it to the right.

! It is generally good
practice to try and ensure that the level of the fader is set so that the signal display color is green, or yellow. Setting the fader level to the top of the channel (red display) may ultimately cause your signal to distort, known as clipping.

2 1

Mute and Solo buttons

These are situated just above the Pan control. The Mute (M) button mutes the sound on the selected mixer channel. The Solo (S) button lets you hear the selected channel by itself. Soloing a channel can be useful when applying EQ or effects to a sound, (see below). It lets you hear the initial result of your adjustment by itself, before hearing it in relation to the rest of the mix. D To enable a Mute or Solo button, click on it. When enabled, the button turns red. To cancel the mute or solo and return to the full mix, click again on the button.

! Note: When you use

Mute on the mixer, the muted instrument is still playing. Muting a sequencer track stops the device from playing altogether.

EQ controls
EQ, or Equalization is the process of boosting or cutting certain frequencies of a sound to make it blend or sit better in the overall mix. The Reason mixer has 2-band treble and bass EQ, which basically correspond to the treble and bass tone controls you might find on a home stereo. D To add EQ to a channel, click the EQ button to activate the function and adjust the treble and/or bass controls until you have the desired result.

Aux (sends)
The 4 auxiliaries on each channel allow you to add effects such as reverb or delay to different sounds. (What they actually do is send some of the signal from the channel to the effects unit.) It is likely that you might want to add one type of effect to one channel and a different effect to another, or even more than one effect to a single channel. In this lesson, the desired amount of reverb (room acoustic or ambience) can be added to an individual channel by rotating the Aux 1 control to the required level. Aux 2 is used for adding delay (echo).
Since the mixer is the same as in the full Reason version, there are 4 Aux sends. In Reason Adapted however, Aux sends 3 and 4 are typically not needed because there are not as many effect devices.

! The small P button at

the bottom of this section is not used. It is a pre-fader control, which works in conjunction with Aux 4.

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Lesson 2: An introduction to mixing

Lesson preparation and background reading

Other mixer controls

In addition to the channel strip components, the mixer also contains the following elements, which you will find on the right-hand side of the device.

Aux returns
This is where the signal from an effects unit is returned to the mixer. How much gets returned is determined by the rotary control setting. The controls have been set to a basic half-way level for this lesson, and you should not need to adjust them. It is important that some level is always set on the auxiliary returns, otherwise you will not be able to hear any effects on the individual channels.

Master fader
This controls the overall level of your song. The signal from the individual mixer channels is routed and combined into a stereo signal. This is what is sent out to your headphones or speakers via the hardware interface in the rack and the computers audio output. Again, try to ensure that the level of the fader is not set too high, in case of eventual distortion or clipping.

! Important:
Your students should not attempt to change or remove any of the cables, unless they understand how the signal flow works!

Cabling and connections

Virtual patch cables on the back of the rack show the connections between the mixer and other devices. The cables route the signal from the sound devices to the mixer, and from the mixer to the hardware interface, enabling you to eventually hear the sound via your computers audio output. You can access the back of the rack (and toggle between the back and front) by pressing the computers Tab key.

Basic reverb unit settings

Use of effects will be covered in some detail in Lesson 11. Here however, students can explore some of the basic settings on the reverb unit and listen to different types.

Clicking on the up/down arrows to the right of the display lets you change the reverb type.

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Lesson 2: An introduction to mixing

Lesson preparation and background reading

Teaching Plan Lesson 2

Introducing the Reason mixer parameters and their functions. Introducing some basic concepts of mixing and production - balance, EQ, panning and effects use - through listening and practical experimentation.

! Lesson Aims:

Identifying ways in which sounds can be manipulated using the mixer parameters. Understanding some basic musical applications of balance, EQ, panning and effects use (reverb, delay). Making practical judgements on the use of these to achieve a musical result.

! Student Skills:

Introduction: What is mixing?

In addition to a song containing interesting rhythms, melodies, harmonies and textures, most music you hear today also involves quite complex mixing and production. This means having the correct balance and tonal contrast between different instruments and voices, positioning them to give a feeling of space, and adding some effects, or shaping sounds to give a feeling of depth or movement. In a recording studio, the mixer is one of the most important pieces of production equipment. Nearly all other studio resources such as multitrack recorders, microphones, sound modules and effects units are connected to or from the mixer.

Introductory activity
This listening activity focuses on some basic production concepts in preparation for the main tasks. This can either be a class activity, or students can listen individually at their computers. D Open and play the song file Blues.
How would you describe this style of music?

D Now open and play the song file Lesson 2a.

In this version, do any of the instruments or sounds seem too loud, or too soft? Which ones in particular? (Lead guitar is too soft, organ is too loud .) Do all the sounds seem to come from the middle of your speakers, or headphones, or do any seem to come from the left or right side? Which ones? ( The drums are panned over to the left, making the music sound unbalanced .) What changes might you make to this version in order for it to sound better?

Your notes:

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Lesson 2: An introduction to mixing

Teaching Plan Lesson 2

Task 1: Exploring the mixer

In this task, students can make changes to the balance of the sounds in the Lesson 2a file and change the panning of the drums, in addition to exploring other mixer parameters. Briefly introduce the task by outlining the Student Worksheet requirements (below) and helping students locate the various mixer controls by referring to the How to pages.

! see Student
Worksheet

Student practical work

Students open song file Lesson 2a, start the sequencer playing and explore the mixer as follows:

a. Move the faders up or down to adjust the volume levels of the different sounds until you
think they are correctly balanced.

b. Find the Drums channel, and click the M button. What happens?
Find the Bass channel and click the S button. What happens?

c. Move the Pan control on the Drums channel.

What happens to the drum sound as the control moves? Do you think the drums sound best when positioned to the left, to the right or in the middle? Why is this?

d. Solo the Lead Guitar channel and click the EQ button.

Move the Treble and Bass controls to the left and to the right. How could you describe the changes to the sound? Adjust the Treble and Bass controls until you have an EQ setting that you like. Now listen to the guitar together with the other channels. Can you still hear the guitar clearly, or is it perhaps a bit muffled, or maybe even too bright? Adjust the controls until you think the guitar blends with the other sounds.

e. Solo the Drums channel, and find the Aux controls. Slowly move Aux 1 a few degrees.
What happens to the drum sound? Does the drum kit sound as if its in i) a large hall, or ii) a medium sized room? Why do you think this is? Listen to the drums together with the other channels.

f. Look underneath the mixer and find the reverb unit. Click the up/down arrows on the
front panel.
How does this change the general sound of the music? Which type of reverb do you think sounds best and why?

g. Solo the Guitar 2 channel. Move Aux 2 to about half way.

How would you describe the effect that has been added to this sound?

h. Now listen to the music all the way through. Is there anything else you want to adjust in
the mix?

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Lesson 2: An introduction to mixing

Teaching Plan Lesson 2

Your notes:

Task 2: Creating a mix

Students can now begin work on their individual mixes. Briefly introduce this task by opening the song file Lesson 2b, playing the song and outlining the requirements by referring to the Student Worksheet guidelines (below).

Student practical work

Students open the song file Lesson 2b and create their own mixes. Guidelines:

! see Student
Worksheet

a. Balance the volume levels of the different sounds. (You may need to re-adjust these as
you add effects or EQ.)

b. Adjust the EQ (treble/bass) of individual sounds so that they are heard more clearly. c. Use the Pan controls to place certain sounds to the right or left of the mix. d. Using the Aux 1 and 2 controls, add reverb or delay (echo) to some of the sounds.
Which tracks sound best with effects added? Why do you think this is? Your notes:

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Lesson 2: An introduction to mixing

Teaching Plan Lesson 2

If time activity: Playing and listening to mixes

If there is any time left at the end of the lesson, students can play their Task 2 mixes to each other, or to the whole class. This is an opportunity for them to appreciate how production techniques can produce wildly different musical results when applied to the same basic material! Additional lesson notes and comments:

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Lesson 2: An introduction to mixing

Teaching Plan Lesson 2

Student Worksheet Lesson 2

In this lesson, you are going to do some mixing. Some material has already been recorded and you can explore ways of making it sound more interesting by adjusting the levels, tone, position and depth of the different sounds.

! Use your How to

guide to help you explore the mixer controls and create your mix.

Task 1: Exploring the mixer

Open the song file Lesson 2a, start the sequencer playing and explore the mixer controls as follows:

a. Move the faders up or down to adjust the volume levels of the different sounds until you
think they are correctly balanced.

Check out: How to find out which sequencer track corresponds with which mixer channel. How to adjust the mixer faders. Check out: How to mute and solo channels.

b. Find the Drums channel, and click the M button. What happens?
Find the Bass channel and click the S button. What happens?

c. Move the Pan control on the Drums channel.

What happens to the drum sound as the control moves? Do you think the drums sound best when positioned to the left, to the right or in the middle? Why is this?

Check out: How to adjust the Pan and Aux controls.

d. Solo the Lead Guitar channel and click the EQ button.

Move the Treble and Bass controls to the left and to the right. How could you describe the changes to the sound? Adjust the Treble and Bass controls until you have an EQ setting that you like. Now listen to the guitar together with the other channels. Can you still hear the guitar clearly, or is it perhaps a bit muffled, or maybe even too bright? Adjust the controls until you think the guitar blends with the other sounds.

Check out: How to activate and adjust the EQ.

e. Solo the Drums channel, and find the Aux controls. Slowly move Aux 1 a few degrees.
What happens to the drum sound? Does the drum kit sound as if its in i) a large hall, or ii) a medium sized room? Why do you think this is? Listen to the drums together with the other channels.

f. Look underneath the mixer and find the reverb unit. Click the up/down arrows on the
front panel.
How does this change the general sound of the music? Which type of reverb do you think sounds best and why?

Check out: How to change settings on the reverb unit.

g. Solo the Guitar 2 channel. Move the Aux 2 control to about half way.
How would you describe the effect that has been added to this sound?

h. Now listen to the music all the way through. Is there anything else you want to adjust in
the mix?

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Lesson 2: An introduction to mixing

Student Worksheet Lesson 2

2
Check out: How to scroll up or down in the rack.

Task 2: Creating a mix

Open the song file Lesson 2b. Listen to the music and create your own mix. Here are some ideas for getting started:

a. Balance the volume levels of the different sounds.

(You may need to re-adjust these as you add effects or EQ.)

b. Adjust the EQ (treble/bass) of individual sounds so that they are heard more clearly. c. Use the Pan controls to place certain sounds to the right or left of the mix. d. Using the Aux 1 and 2 controls, add reverb or delay (echo) to some of the sounds.
Which tracks sound best with effects added? Why do you think this is?

! Save your work

regularly! What do you think of your final mix? Is there anything you might do differently another time?

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Lesson 2: An introduction to mixing

Student Worksheet Lesson 2

Lesson 2 How to student guide

How to find out which sequencer track corresponds with which mixer channel

Every sequencer track (1) containing note information is linked (via a sound device) to a mixer channel (2). The sequencer track and the mixer channel both have the same name, so it is easy to find which mixer channel controls you need to use when adjusting the sound of a particular sequencer track.

! If you change the

name of a sequencer track, you will find that the names of the corresponding sound device and its mixer channel automatically change as well.

How to adjust the mixer faders

D To move a fader (1), click on it, hold down the mouse button and drag up or down.

5 How to mute and solo channels

D Click on the M button (2) to mute the channel. This silences the channel. D Click on the S button (3) to solo the channel. This lets you hear the channel by itself. D To return to the full mix, click the button again to cancel the mute or solo.

How to adjust the Pan and Aux controls

D Click on the control (Pan = 4, Aux = 5) and hold down the mouse button. Drag the control downwards to move it to the left and upwards to move it to the right.

2 4 1

How to activate and adjust the EQ

D Click the EQ button (6). When it turns red, EQ is activated. Adjust the EQ settings for each channel using the Treble and Bass rotary controls. Turning a control to the left cuts or removes some treble or bass frequencies from the sound. Turning a control to the right boosts treble or bass frequencies.

How to change settings on the reverb unit

Click on the up/down arrows to the right of the display. This lets you change the reverb type.

How to scroll up or down in the rack

You might need to do this if you decide to change sounds in a device and then need to go back to the mixer again. D Click on the scroll bar to the right of the rack, hold down the mouse button and move up or down until you find the required device. D You can also move around in the rack by clicking on the up/down arrows at the bottom right of the rack.

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Lesson 2: An introduction to mixing

Lesson 2 How to student guide

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Lesson 2: An introduction to mixing

Lesson 2 How to student guide