Event Description

Dec 05,2016

If you want some valuable mixing philosophy and advice, tune into this episode with multi-Grammy winning engineer, Mike Harris.  During this episode, Mike deconstructs a mix with us from start to finish.  We discuss how he got his start in analog, and how his methods have evolved with the switch to digital.  You’ll also hear some great techniques and advice for succeeding in the industry, working with artists, and how knowing elements of good songwriting and orchestration can improve your mix.  Mike explains his basic template, organization, and process when mixing a song, including how this track differs from his normal routine, and why.  We also cover routing in the studio, and a detailed overview of how he mixed each group of instruments in the song. Mike even discusses some philosophy on what to put on your master bus, and shows us what he did in this case.  It’s an extremely informative episode for anyone looking to improve their mixing techniques, so don’t miss it!  

Also in this event:

Episode 1

-1.1 Quick Intro

-1.2: How Mike Got Started

-His beginnings in the punk scene in the 80s

-What gear and setup he had at his disposal back in the day, and how that influenced their workflow and behavior

-Discusses the days before digital synthesis became a thing, and working on ¼ inch tape

-Talks about the speed at which they used to work

-Studios and consoles - what they would pick if they could use any studio or console

-1.3: The Shift to Digital From Analog

-What Mike uses nowadays to bring back some of the essence that was lost when he switched away from analog

-1.4: Career Advice

-Advice on how to succeed as an engineer

-Advice for working with clients and how to guide singers

-Balancing ego vs client interest when you have input

-1.5: Sounds and Songwriting

-How to better focus on the song, “the overall vibe of the music is what’s important”

-Balancing the technical and the intuitive  

-Visual components of mixing, and how they’ve changed his approach to mixing over the years

-Using toolsets that are common across studios

-1.6: The Track and The Band

-How Mike got the referral to work with this band

-The style and personalities of the band, and how it factors into how to mix them

-Mixing budget influencing the speed at which you work

-Why Mike has the client deal with the studio

-1.7: The Pro Tools Session Layout: Drums and Bass

-His template, how this one is structured, and how it’s different from how he usually does it

-Drums and Bass

-Instrumentation and session structure

-Mike’s order of operations: drums and bass

-Mike’s summing scheme

-Importing session data

-1.8: The Pro Tools Session Layout: Guitars and Vocals

-A tour of the guitars in this track

-Guitar busses and where they ultimately end up in his workflow

-Routing vocals

-Mike’s summing scheme

-Some panning discussion

-Effects returns in Mike’s session

Episode 2

-2.1: QUICK INTRO

-2.2: Routing Discussion

-How Mike brings the stems that he has going out to the board, back into Pro Tools

-Inserts on master bus

-Mike’s thoughts on using a compressor on the master bus

-2.3: Playing the Song

-Song structure discussion

-Plays song

-How Mike dealt with client suggestions that he didn’t agree with at first

-Discussion of guitar sound in the mix

-2.4: Drums

-Client requests in this case, and how the influenced the mix

-Hear the drums in isolation  

-Where he generally puts reverb on drums, and when he uses it

-Discussion of how the drums were tracked

-Kick drum mics: how he gated, EQ’ed, compressed

-2.5: Drum Bus

-EQ or compressor: which do you use first?

-Using layers of compression

-EQ on the drum bus

-Limiting on the drum bus

-2.6: Snare and Toms

-How the client’s desires influenced things

-When to decide to leave the toms tracks in, even if they don’t play the toms

-Theoretical talk about toms in your mix

-Mixing the top and bottom snare track together

-EQ and compression on snares

-How attack works on compressors

-How Mike selects which compressors to use at which stage in his mix

-2.7: Hi-hat and Room Mics

-Bussing and processing for room mics

-2.8: Bass

-phase issues: things to consider

-Distortion on bass

Episode 3

-3.1 Quick Intro

-3.2 Audience Questions

-Bass tracking and setup

-The “standard” plugins Mike uses, and why

-Mike’s “go to” times for attacks and releases on compressors

-What Mike likes about various compressors

3.3: More Discussion of Bass

-Compression on bass

-Why he didn’t EQ the bass

-3.4: Guitars

-Songwriting for the guitar parts

-Guitar tracks overview: how he’s bussed them to treat them differently

-Processing on the guitars: reverb, what’s baked into the tracks and why, etc

-Preserving personality and tone for guitars

-3.5: Panning Philosophy

-His approach to panning the drums, how he does that first

-Guitar panning: how he sets those in general, depending on the guitar part  

-3.6: More Guitars

-Orchestration between the various guitars, plays them in solo, and brings them in one at a time so you can hear it

-How he treated the build in guitars

-Guitars in relation to vocals

-Adding clippers to guitars to simulate driving speaker cone

-3.7: Frequency Balance and Speaker Setup

-Laying speakers sideways, opinions and things to consider

-Coaxial speakers: basics of speaker construction, and what it means for us as engineers  

-Why Mike likes coaxial speakers more

-Good speaker positioning for your studio  

Episode 4

4.1: QUICK INTRO

-summary

-4.2: Master Bus Compression

-Listening to compressor on the master bus on and off

-The subtleties of his master bus compression

-Dual mono mode, vs stereo mode for compressors

-4.3: Vocals

-A tour of the different vocals sections

-Delays on vocals

-How to add texture to vocals

-The doubles and what effects are on those

-Mike’s instincts vs clients instincts on vocals, and how that influenced the outcome

-Songwriting and intervals discussion

-Automation on vocals: how he did it, and where

-4.4: Control Surfaces

-Using control surfaces

-Mixing using control surfaces and sound boards vs without

-4.5: Vocal Compression and the End of the Vocals Discussion

-What plugins he likes and why

-Compressor philosophy

-Treatment of vocals: separating lead vocals from backing vocals

-Mike’s perspective on when to brighten vocals, when to darken vocals  

-What Mike used to do with vocals and how he’s evolved his methods to arrive at his current methods

-Vocal tuning philosophy

-4.6: Master Bus

-Using the Manley Vari-mu: how Mike uses it for the master bus compression

-Different compressors and limiters, and how Mike will usually use them on the master bus

-Average vs peak level on your mix

-4.7: Viewer Questions

-Mix Window: Why he uses edit window more than mix window

-Key points to remember from episode

-Mike’s summary of his approach to mixing

-How to handle something if you bring it up in the mix and it doesn’t sit well

-Stereo delays to help settle things in the mix

-What still challenges Mike, after all his years of experience

-Recommendations from Mike: Engineers and things to look into for further learning

-Preview of the song “Pale Hush”

Not convinced yet? Check out these free excerpts from the episode:

1) Career Advice with Mike Harris

Watch this clip for some valuable career advice from multi-Grammy winning engineer, Mike Harris.  Listen for advice on dealing with clients and singers, and how to balance your ego and ideas vs the client’s desires.  

2) Drum Bus Processing with Mike Harris

Check out this clip for an amazing inside look at Mike Harris’ drum bus processing.  You’ll see how he EQs and compresses drums, how he layers effects, and you’ll get some great general advice for working with your drum bus.

3) Master Bus Compression with Mike Harris

Watch this clip for some valuable advice on applying compression to your master bus.  Multi-Grammy winning engineer Mike Harris shows us how he applies master bus compression to a mix, talks about the subtleties behind his master bus compression, and even goes into an explanation of dual mono mode vs stereo mode for compressors.