pROJECT Iv
Welcome to the Project IV page where you can find a mix I worked on over the course of a month. The song I mixed is called 'Another Way' by the artist cryonicPAX. The mix consists of 24 tracks that include drums, synths, strings, bass, sfx, and vocals. Using Logic Pro as my workstation of choice, I ran through a few steps to make sure this mix was completed as close to the original master as possible. Below you can see the steps I took.
Step 1 - Tempo Mapping
In order to start this mix properly I had to find the tempo of the song so that everything I did could stick to a grid and be evenly distributed between audio files on the editing phase. Seeing as this song is in the genre of drum n bass, i could easily assume the tempo was dead steady all the way through and all the instruments were already snapped to the grid. Through basic trial and error I figured out that the tempo was locked in at 140 beats per minute.
Step 2 - Recreate the Original
Once the tempo was mapped, the next step was to mix the audio files in a way that it best reflected what the mastered original mix sounded like. This consisted of using all the mixing techniques I've learned through the program to manipulate the multitracks so they carried the same effects as the original. From the reverbs and delays, to the compression and equalization of each track, I made sure to carve everything to sound the exact same. just below I have a clip of the original mix and the same clip of the mix I did.
Original Mix
My Mix
Step 3 - Create Stems
With the mix complete and sounding as close to the original as possible, it was time to create stems so that we can make a different variation of the songs groove in the next step. I created three separate stems; one with the bass and harmony tracks, one with the vocal and bass tracks, and one with the vocal, bass, and harmony tracks.
Step 4 - Groove Change
The stems were created and now we had the opportunity to change the groove of the song. To do this I used a drumless version of the mix and created a new session where I would use the drummer plugin in Logic Pro to create a new groove within a section of the song. I wanted to use a live-sounding drum set that played in a similar style of the original but still would be defined by a different genre. Below you can take a listen to what I created.
Step 4 - Adding Sound Design
Another way - haha - I mixed this song was adding in some sound designs of my making. I wasn't entirely sure where I would go with this, until I heard my daughter playing in the background. I thought it would be a nice chance to bond with her and to see if she showed any interest in what I was doing, by recording her play with her toys. I was able to catch some fun sounds of her playing that could into a drop section of the song, where the instruments played the quietest. Listen below how I utilized the sounds she made.
Step 4 - Adding Live Recording
The last variation of the remix was to add a live musician to the mix. As a drummer with plenty of experience in recording my drums I knew I was going to create a drum groove that would fit right into the song. So I set all my microphones up in a way that best captured the drums for this genre, and proceeded to record a small snippet of the song. I wanted to, once again, capture something that best complimented the original drums while also showcasing a new way to hear the song. I made my snare patterns match harmonies while my kicks were creating a more rock feel to them. Listen below and let me know what you think.