What techniques you use to minimize mud in a mix?
Hello Tony
I’m not sure I actively have a precise method. As I go through the tracks and start eq’ing and using compression, I’m in the mindset of making that instrument or vocal sound clear and somewhat detailed. But I don’t keep anything in solo for very long. I like to EQ things when there are other elements playing. I think a lot of people spend time carving out a sound in solo. You can make it sound amazing by itself but once it’s in the mix, it will sound and be perceived differently than how it sounded in solo.
That’s because of masking which can be called a form of muddiness. As frequencies need to share space with each other, some instrument’s frequencies can “mask” the frequencies of others causing a lack of focus or detail.
So when there are a lot of the same frequencies fighting for space it can be perceived as being muddy. For example. You might have 3 synth pads playing together and they’re all playing low mid kinds of sounds, so it might be hard to distinguish which pad is which. So you need to push or subtract frequencies to make room for each other. In this instance I like to put things through pedals to create a different character. It could be anything from distortion or a phaser with minimal/subtle effect introduced and it’s enough to make the tone distinctive. Sometimes I’ll use a certain compressor with a lot of character to change up the tonal qualities.
Also listening at low volumes really helps to pinpoint what might be making the mix muddy or indistinct. Having the drums and bass sounding really good makes it easier for mixing the other elements in the song. Sometimes I will tweak or redo the drums or bass hours into the mix if there seems to be an issue. Sometimes it’s as simple as eq’ing some of the low end frequencies of the bass in relation to the kick or vice versa.
2 Likes