**In this article I refer to Mixing as if it includes
all aspects of track production before mastering. Mixing is typically
considered by the majority of people as the thing you do to “sweeten”
the music after it has been written and recorded. Furthermore, the “Mixing”
definition tends to only refer to what we think of as “modern mixing”
with balancing volume levels, EQ, Ducking, etc. via a Pro Tools (or other)
session.
However as I see it, what we think of as modern “Mixing”
existed before the time of computers or electronics and has been well
known by many of the greatest musical minds throughout history. It is
certain that these composers cared deeply for the way their music would
be heard by others and I bet that a large majority of them would be right
there in the mixing booth tweaking knobs if they had the tech available
to them. In fact, many composers wrote very detailed notes on the score
about how each instrument should be performed (Tone/EQ), where it’s
physical location to everyone else is (Panning), etc. In this article,
I would like to challenge the notion and will supply arguments against
the idea that Mixing & Composing have to be two separate processes.
*I always have the “philosophy” that if
it ends up influencing the way the music will sound, then it’s important
enough to think of while I’m composing the piece.
The role and importance of a mixing engineer has become
ever more apparent in newer styles of music (Pop, Electronica, Hip-Hop,
etc.) where the professional is not only “fixing” up the vocal/instrumental
parts and placing them in their appropriate “pockets,” but
adding unique filters, FX, EQs, etc. that directly influence the arrangement
and are absolutely essential to the composition. It is my belief that
these engineers don’t get nearly the credit they deserve…
listen to anything in the Top 40 on the radio and I can guarantee you’ll
hear how important Production is to many of those songs.
Also, if you’ve ever attended a Composer’s
convention/conference of some kind, then it’s not a secret that
many of the musicians there hold the belief that they should never mix
their own music and that it is better left to a professional. While this
can be true in some situations (Ex: Orchestral Music that is supposed
to sound as “Classic” as possible) and I always advocate the
use of or collaboration with other professionals, there are fantastic
benefits of not only mixing your own music, but becoming aware of all
the mixing tools available at your disposal.
So what happens when we no longer use Equalizers, Compressors,
etc. in the way they were “intended,” but instead think of
and use them as creative tools? Something that you’re not aware
of and thinking about after the music has been recorded, but BEFORE…
My main intention with this article is to help you become aware of this
possibility and guide you through one of my examples. There are way to
many available directions you can go in with this new approach (and I’m
sure many of you are already starting to generate ideas), so I’d
just like to show you an example of one of my projects.
(All of the following has been written BEFORE composing a single
note.)
To introduce this project, it would probably be best to start by explaining
the overall goal of the music. As a specific challenge for myself to come
up with new and creative stylistic combinations (which I recommend every
Composer do as often as possible), I asked the question...
If I were playing a fictitious/high-fantasy game as the great explorer
“Marco Polo” while he wondered through the borderlands of
Mongolia/Northern China on a foggy night… what would that sound
like?
The use of certain “ethnic” instruments indigenous to these
areas would be an obvious choice for the instrumentation of the piece,
but we must remember that Marco Polo has yet to visit these areas and
wouldn’t really know what any of those instruments would look or
sound like. Furthermore, (adding to the tension) we’re not only
in a foreign (possibly hostile) land, but it is a foggy night with only
the moon’s light enhancing the lack of true visibility. There are
a million different directions you can go in and none of them are necessarily
“good or bad,” merely different and more effective depending
on the situation and audience. I’ll explain some of my choices below…
Let's say in this game that the developers feel it is important to aurally
depict each character, place, and the time in history. However, they also
would like to keep the score rather modern so that people can still connect
to it (nothing overly abstract). In the “scene” described
in the question above, it has been decided that the following should be
included in the piece of music: Marco Polo’s Origins/Theme, The
Foreign Lands (Mongolia/Northern China), and the Fear/Tension/Excitement
of being an explorer in a new land on a foggy night.
|
|
I’m a huge fan of Mongolian Folk Music (part of the reason I created
this challenge) and more specifically throat/overtone singing. Also, one
of my good friends is from China and she brought back a Hulusi (flute)
for me that I’ve always wanted to use. Along with the overtone vocals
and Hulusi (representing the foreign lands), I’ll use a Taiko drum
to control the momentum/pulse of the piece. Furthermore, I need to introduce
Marco Polo to the piece. To represent him, I’ll use a string section
and nylon string guitar. The specific way I will be using them aren’t
exactly “historically accurate” to the time Marco Polo was
around, but sound familiar to the player and can easily be used to give
a sense of “Home” rather than Italy specifically (especially
to most Westerners… assuming this is the main demographic of the
game).
Now that we have our instrumentation chosen for this “zone/scene,”
we have to think of how we can bring in the Fear/Tension/Excitement…
this is when “Pre-Meditated Mixing” is useful. To further
enhance the “creepy” atmosphere (and add to the “unknown”
sound quality of the instruments used in the foreign lands), I’ll
place an EQ on the overtone vocals so that I cut most (if not all) of
the fundamental and instead focus on the overtone. Furthermore, I’ll
add massive delay to the Hulusi part and change the panning at random
intervals (not drastic enough to draw the players attention away from
the game… just enhance the unpredictability of the piece/zone).
The Taiko’s part will develop over time and the volume/panning would
be interactive based off the player’s proximity to danger (something
we could control via Wwise/FMOD if the Taiko part was it’s own separate
layer).
As mentioned above, chances are high that we’re dealing with a
western audience and while you can get away with a lot aurally when there
is a picture in front of someone, its wise to know when you’re writing
bizarre because something calls for it rather than “out for out’s
sake.” With that in mind, I’ll keep the harmony intact and
this will NOT be an atonal piece. It will be tonal, although with it’s
slightly “out” instrumentation, mixing, and other elements
the piece will still sound “foreign” without actually being
completely foreign to the gamer.
 The
guitar will play a consistent “pulse” of tones and fade in/out
while gradually panning around the “aural environment.” The
string section will act as the “western foundation,” establishing
something more traditional that the listener’s ear can cling on
to while concurrently representing Marco Polo himself. While there will
only be 1 underlying harmonic progression, the progression (in it’s
entirety) will be developed over time. Because this is purely an example
(and not exactly a cue from an actual game) I will attempt to move through
different game states within a few minutes. However, if this music was
to be absolutely interactive, then each section would be a few minutes
long, comprised of multiple layers, and fade in/out from one another depending
on the player’s predicament.
All of this I have thought of before I’ve even written a note down
and while it may not be practical in every situation, I recommend you
try something like this at least once (if only to learn that it doesn’t
work with your writing process). It would be cruel for me to list off
everything, show pictures, and not provide you with a link to what I created…
so click on THIS LINK
to listen to the piece!
This article continues in Part 2
Make sure to read through Part 2 of this article RIGHT
HERE to find out what changes the piece went through and why certain
decisions were made. Thanks for reading and keep composing fellow artists!
|
