Mixing

Depth of Perception

There are two things that producers need to think about with every decision they make: 1) How do their sounds fit together across the frequency spectrum? 2) How do these sounds occupy space in the foreground, middleground, and background, as well as between left and right? 

Understanding how to achieve a good balance of frequencies within a well-constructed space is what mixing is all about. 

You guys are frequency spectrum experts by this point, so let’s get into how sounds can occupy space in a song. We should always have two speakers or two headphones when we’re listening to music. Together, they create 180˚ of space from left to right. That’s called the stereo field. Sound can come from right up the middle or spread throughout the stereo field. Sounds can also fill up the stereo field like a cloud, coming from all directions. Having some sounds right down the middle and others spread from left to right gives each musical part its own space, like the different sections of an orchestra. 

In addition to the stereo field, producers also need to think about placing sounds in the foreground, middleground, and background. If every sound is right up front, the track will sound smushed together with no dimensionality. Having your rapper right in front and putting your adlibs in the back will tell the listener, “Hey, these main vocals are the most important thing and the adlibs are adding support.” All of these things come together to create a space for the listener to exist in and return to again and again.