Home » Columns » Pro-Logic » Mixing 2-Track Instrumentals

Mixing 2-Track Instrumentals

Written by Willie Green. Published: Tuesday, November 30, 2010.

In a perfect world, every time you received a song to mix, the producer would have supplied multi-tracks for the beat. Every kick and snare and synth would be separated so you can easily affect one instrument without touching others.

This just in: The world is apparently not perfect.

Quite often, producers will just provide a “2-track” of the beat, which simply means a stereo mix of the beat. You’ll usually see that as a .Wav file or a (hopefully high quality) MP3. Artists will often bring a 2-track with them to record over, but for various reasons, you may end up using it for the final mix.

Every producer is not an engineer, and you will wind up dealing with various levels of quality. Just remember, the main point is balance. Lots of bass is no good unless it’s solid and clear. You want your highs clear and open, but not ear-shredding

There are two ways to address the frequencies of the 2-track, either with EQ or multi-band compression (both of which have been covered here previously). To refresh, EQ should be used to alter frequencies, compression should be used to control dynamics.

For example: If your low end is muddy, but not necessarily too loud, turn to an EQ. Look in the 200-400 Hz range, notching in this area will clean the mud out. A great way to find the exact offending frequency is to take a parametric EQ and boost a band. Sweep the EQ until the trouble spot becomes exaggerated, and then cut there and adjust the EQ to only remove what you want gone. Cutting offending frequencies rather than boosting what’s already good will give you a more natural, less-hyped mix.

The exception to this would be general adjustments, ie: if the mix needs to be a little brighter, the answer isn’t turning down the bass, but a lift above 10 kHz with a High Shelf EQ will do just the trick.

Multi-band compression is a different approach and difficult to master at first, but certainly worth the effort. The basic idea is a compressor that is split into bands based on frequency (hence the name). If the snare is too loud for example, turn to this tool. If you zone-in one of your bands on this frequency (somewhere in the 1-4 kHz range) you can bring the level down without compromising the sound of the drum. By adjusting the attack time, you can make sure the crack of the snare still cuts through. Don’t feel like you need to adjust every band just because you have the capability. Make sure to bypass compression on bands you don’t want to effect — you don’t want to accidentally change something that already sounds good.

Category: Pro-Logic