Mixing Acoustic Guitars

Acoustic guitars are one of the most dynamic and expressive instruments used in modern music. They have a broad frequency range covering almost the entire audible spectrum. The instrument can serve many different roles in an arrangement as a harmonic, melodic, or percussive element. All of these factors will affect how you approach both the recording and mixing acoustic guitars.

Context
The first thing to do is think about its role in the song/mix. Is the guitar the main harmonic instrument? Is it supposed to enhance or thicken other harmonic instruments like electric guitars? Is it enhancing the melody, playing arpeggios or single notes? Is it a percussive element more like a shaker just to fill out the rhythm section? Figure out the goal, then you can begin processing.

Tone control
Depending on the guitar, microphone, pick, player and role in the arrangement, acoustic guitars always require at least a little equalization to fit in a mix. Cutting of nonmusical sub frequencies (everything below 100Hz) is a must. A low shelf may be required to tame the remaining low-end. In the midrange, take out any unflattering frequencies causing 'boxiness' or anything that might mask the vocals. A broad, gentle high shelf boost can enhance articulation and an overall more sparkly sound. The general strategy is to remove what you don't need, then enhance what you do.

Dynamics
An acoustic guitar performance is often extremely dynamic, which is often a problem. A compressor will even out the differences between loud and soft notes and help keep the level more constant throughout the track. It's easy to take it too far, so keep the gain reduction to no more than 3-4dB. The compressor's attack control will allow you to clamp down on the beginning of the notes, or when set slower (about 20-50ms) will enhance the transient which helps it stand out more in the mix.

At this point you may want to adjust the sound envelope further though use of a transient shaper. This tool can increase or decrease pick attack, and separately adjust sustain.

Depth
Sending your acoustic track(s) into a stereo reverb will add space and distance to the sound. The trick here is to not wash out the sound in a ton of reverb, but just to move the move the mics back a bit into an imaginary room. Usually, a short room type verb with the highs rolled off is the best bet. Try to make the reverb sound like an office or large bedroom - short decay with and a bit of early reflections. The predelay control will separate your source from the room.

Summary
And so, following the above strategy you should now have an acoustic guitar track with a balanced frequency response, even dynamics and sense of space around the instrument, (if that was what the track required). The track is ready to be put in the mix with the other instruments. Tweak the EQ in context with the other tracks, adjust the reverb send amount, and even EQ the reverb if needed.

Examples
Acoustic Raw
Acoustic Processed

Featured Equipment Of The Week: Novation Nocturn Intelligent Plug-in Controller

Novation Nocturn Intelligent Plug-in Controller
Novation’s most affordable hardware controller to date, Nocturn is an intelligent plug-in controller that promises to unleash the full potential of all your favourite instruments and effects. Featuring the latest Automap software, exclusive to Novation controllers, Nocturn provides automatic, instant and intelligent control of all automatable plug-ins within every major sequencer, including Pro Tools.

Nocturn features eight touch-sensitive rotary encoders, each equipped with a bright eleven-LED ring (ideal for laptop DJ’ing in a dark club environment). These are accompanied by eight user-assignable illuminated buttons and a smooth, professional 45mm cross-fader. The finishing touch is Novation’s unique ‘speed dial’; a touch-sensitive rotary encoder that instantly takes control of whatever your mouse is focused on!

Find out more: Novation Nocturn

TOP FEATURES

• Exclusive Automap Universal technology
  Novation’s instant and intelligent control technology leaves you free to focus on what matters most - your music.
• Heads-up transparent control GUI
  Automap provides a transparent control map across your computer screen, so you can see at a glance how every parameter is assigned.
• Novation’s unique ‘Speed Dial’
  An instant access touch-sensitive control for composers and performers alike, allowing you to take control of whatever your mouse is focused on!
• Touch-sensitive controls
  Nocturn also features eight touch-sensitive rotary encoders with bright, eleven-LED rings. Simply touch an encoder to assign to any parameter.
• The Lap-top DJ solution
  Alongside the brightly lit encoders, Nocturn also features illuminated buttons and a smooth, professional 45mm cross-fader, making it ideal for laptop DJ’ing in a dark club environment.
• Instant ‘learn’ function
  Simply click on the software parameter and touch a Nocturn control to assign it. Now you can re-assign every control in seconds.

 Buy Novation Nocturn Intelligent Plug-in Controller for just $99

Modulation Effects Explained

Modulation Effects Explained
Modulation effects are a great way to create movement within a mix. This article will explain the different types of modulation effects available for mixing.

1. Tremolo
2. Vibrato
3. Flanging
4. Phase Shifting or Phasing
5. Chorus

All of these effects are built around a Low Frequency Oscillator more commonly referred to as just an LFO. An LFO is an audio signal usually less than 20Hz that creates a pulsating rhythm rather than an audible tone. These are used for manipulate synthesizer tones, and as you will see, to create various modulation effects. All the effects listed use Sine wave as the waveshape for the LFO.

Vocal Processing And Mixing Tips

Vocal Processing And Mixing Tips
Last time we shared some tips for recording great vocals, now lets get them sitting right with the rest of the track.

Cleanup - Before anything, clean up the vocal tracks. Go through and trim the silence around each phrase. Remove any noise, thumps, clicks, pops and gasps. Fade in or out on each edit.

Pitch Correction - Gentle pitch correction with software like Melodyne is a big part in getting that professional sounding vocal we all strive for in our home studio productions. Be careful with this! Doing it right takes time and practice. Over tuned vocals are about as bad as out of tune vocals (you can hear both on American Idol).

EQ - There are no rules and every voice is different but here are some starting points. A high-pass filter (low cut) can be used to clean up the very lows (below 100Hz). 200-600Hz can be gently boosted or cut depending on the voice to add thickness or compensate for proximity. 1kHz-3kHz is usually where the clarity of the vocals is. Above that is brightness, bite, air but look out for sibilance. How much you can boost here depends on the song.

Compression - When it comes to controlling vocal dynamics, using two compressors doing less individually often yields the most transparent result. Use a compressor with fast attack and high ratio (10:1) working just on the peaks, ignoring everything else. The second compressor is set with a 4:1 ratio, a slower attack and release and threshold set so it is always compressing about 2-4dB.

Reverb - Reverb is an effect you'll want on a separate channel (aux track in Pro Tools, FX Channel in Cubase) rather than having it right on the vocal track. Use a send to add the reverb to the vocals. The reverb time should be related to the tempo of the song, it can really clutter the mix if it's not. Hall and Plate are the most common types of reverb for vocals. Shaping the reverb sound with EQ is recommended. The UAD EMT-140 plate reverb plugin is great for a classic vocal reverb sound.

Automation - Automating the volume level of the vocals is absolutely essential to getting the vocal to sit right where you want it throughout the song. Automating the reverb send for the vocal will allow you to have just the right amount at any time. You can also automate effects like chorus and delays for the vocals to keep things interesting through the song.

iZotope Nectar - A great all-in-one tool for vocal processing is iZotope Nectar. Eleven high quality effects in one plugin including EQ, Compression, Auto and Manual Pitch Correction, reverb, delay and more. Worth checking out.