Music Production School Power Mixing Course [2 DVD]

Music Production School Power Mixing Course [2 DVD]

The Power Mixing Course is specifically designed to increase the speed and quality of your mixing work. This is achieved by teaching you the mixing workflows of master mix engineers throughout the decades by featuring emulations of the gear they used.

If you have grown up mixing entirely in DAWs, you have never been able to experience the “Big Console” era of mixing. In this era, efficient workflows were necessary to complete mixes. There was no “we can finish the mix next week” because there was no way to instantly restore a mix. The result of this “limitation” was great sounding mixes finished in a very short periods of time.

This course brings the “Big Console” era workflow to the DAW. Each class teaches the habits, mindset, and practical step-by-step approach used by the masters from each decade of mixing. The numerous emulations of each decade’s technology makes it possible to demonstrate and use these techniques practically through a DAW.

The Power Mixing Course Includes:

• 12 Three Hour Classes plus a Bonus Class
• Each class offers hours of mixing demonstrations.
• 1 Year Access to all Class Videos
• Direct Email access for course related questions

The Program

Each of the 12 Classes itemized below includes up to 3 hours of Live Online demonstration. The lessons will be divided up into individual videos as listed below.

Intro Class: The Power Mixing Course

This class defines Power Mixing and the reason for creating this course. It is through my own personal experience that I can teach the techniques of the masters and how they can be adapted into the modern DAW workflow.

• What is Power Mixing – My Story
• The Power Mixing Mindset
• Endless Options = Endless Mixing
• Limitation = Resourcefulness
• The Vibe First Approach
• Getting Started

Class 1: Maximizing Mix Efficiency

EVERY MIX MASTER I learned under utilized some variation of these techniques. If you are thinking “I already know this stuff” and its still taking you days or weeks to finish a mix then you need to watch this class…

• Assessing & Organizing Tracks
• Color Coding – Tempo Maps – Memory Locations
• Mix Templates & the 3 Tier Mix Structure
• Track Ordering
• Minimizing Track Count

Class 2: The Mixing Foundation

EVERY MIX MASTER I learned under focussed HEAVILY on the basics. When they were done with all this seemingly “insignificant” work, the mixes always sounded amazing. To ignore these steps is like waxing a car before you wash it, a complete waste of time and energy.

• Reference Mixes & Mix Mapping
• Gain Structure & the Unity Gain Principle
• Editing & Performance Issues
• Levels & Panning 
• Phase Alignment
• Filters and Tonal Shaping

Class 3: Mixing With 1 Comp + 1 EQ

This Power Mixing Technique focusses on the basic principle of simplification in the mixing process. If you need more than 1 EQ and 1 Compressor to get a something to sound good, then you have a fundamental misunderstanding of how these tools work in a mix.

• Sonic Balance and Sound-Field Placement With EQ
• Movement, Groove and Presence Control with Compression
• EQ>COMP versus COMP>EQ
• The Parallel Compression Principle
• The Living, Breathing Mix

Class 4: Console Style Mixing

Almost all of the amazing pre DAW era mixes were done using the exact same processors for each audio track. “Outboard” processing was limited to the most important elements of the mix like the lead vocals. The simplicity of this approach creates a uniform sonic consistency with the instrumentation while featuring important elements of the mix.

• The Professional Mix Studio Setup
• Tape Saturation Processing
• Channel Strip Processing
• Selective Vintage Processing
• Analog Summer Processing

Class 5: Mixing at Abbey Road Studios – REDD & TG12345

Everyone reveres the classic consoles but very few have had the privilege of actually working on any or all of them. Most will use the emulations here and there in their mix thinking that they are getting that “classic sound”. Imagine limiting your entire mix to one classic console exclusively… The Classic Console Approach from Abbey Road Studios!

• The Classic Mixing Consoles of the 60’s
• Mixing at Abbey Road 
• Mixing on a REDD Console
• Mixing on a TG12345 Console
• Tape Emulations and Gear of the 60’s

Class 6: Mixing at Olympic & Trident Studios – Helios & Trident A Range

Everyone has heard of Abbey Road Studios due to the Beatles classic abum, but not as many know about Olympic and Trident studios and the many great records recorded and mixed there. This Class focusses on the distinct sound of the Helios and Trident consoles that made them great.

• The Classic Mixing Consoles of the 60’s & 70’s
• Mixing at Olympic Studios
• Mixing on a Helios Console
• Mixing at Trident Studios
• Mixing on a Trident A Range Console
• Tape Emulations and Gear of the 60’s & 70’s

Class 7: Mixing on Classic Neve Consoles

The development of console technology during the 70’s was due to the increasing demands for higher track count tape machines and the need for more powerful and flexible tools. The consoles of Rupert Neve left an indelible mark in the history of recording and mixing. This class features mixing exclusively using the consoles of the 70’s

• The Classic Mixing Consoles of the 70’s -80’s
• Mixing on a Vintage Neve Console
• Mixing on a Modern Neve Console
• Mixing on an API Console
• Tape Emulations and Gear of the 70’s – 80’s

Class 8: Mixing on Classic API Consoles

Another great console manufacturer from the 70’s was Automated Processes Inc or API. API was formed in the late 60’s and was responsible for many technical innovations that made their consoles highly sought after including computerized fader automation. Although the company has gone through a a number of owners over its history it is still a major player in the pro audio market today.

• The Classic API Consoles of the 70’s
• Mixing with the 550a & 525
• Mixing with the 550b & 525
• Mixing with the 560 & 525
• Even More Gear from the 70’s

Class 9: Mixing on the SSL E & G Series

No single console in the history of recording was so exclusively designed for mixing as the SSL consoles of the 80’s and 90’s. The first to feature compressors and gates on every channel strip, the ability to recall exact console settings and their revolutionary automation system made SSL the “go to” mix console of the 80’s and 90’s.

• The Classic Consoles of SSL
• Mixing on the SSL E Series Console
• Mixing on the SSL G Series Console
• Tape Emulations and Gear of the SSL Era

Class 10: Mixing on the Neve 88RS & SSL J & K Series

The Neve and SSL era peaked with the release of the 88RS and the J&K Series consoles respectively. neve continued to shape it’s classic sound while SSL focused on creating the most transparent sounding consoles ever built. The result was nothing less than spectacular on both accounts.

• The Transition of SSL to the J Series Console
• Mixing on the SSL J&K Series Consoles
• The Transition of Neve to the 88RS
• Mixing on the Neve 88RS Console
• The Digital Multitrack Recording Era

Class 11: The Mixing Formula Part 1

Emulation technology has not only given us the ability to use the technology of the past but also to assemble that technology into the workflows of master mix engineers. Waves has accomplished this through a series of plugins called the “Signature Series”. Although you do not know exactly what processors are being used, you can quickly emulate their processing techniques and sound for specific instruments utilizing a simple GUI.

• The “Signature Series” Workflow
• The Signature Series Plugins
• The Kramer Mix Formula
• The Maserati Mix Formula
• The Lord Alge Mix Formula

Class 12: The Mixing Formula Part 2

This Class is a continuation of the Signature Series mixing techniques from the previous class. The Manny Marroquin Signature Series cuts a new path from the others by bundling his favorite settings into into individual EQ, Reverb, Delay and Distortion processors instead of creating instrument specific processors. The following lessons feature the classic analog models that are the favorites of the signature series artists.

• The Jack Joseph Puig Formula
• The Manny Marroquin Formula
• Kramer Tape, Tubes and Transformers
• CLA Classic Compressors
• JJP Analog legends

Bonus Class: Analog Mixing Enhancements

This Bonus Class features all of the in-between stuff that glues the console emulations and mixes together. They are emulations of the recording mediums for the source multi tracks and the stereo mixes. In between the tape machines and all the console emulations is the input amplification and buss summing circuitry that are a critical part of the authentic sound.

• Abbey Road J37 Tape Machine
• Ampex 351 Tape Machine
• Studer A800 Multitrack
• The ATR102 Tape Machine
• Input Amplification and Analog Summing 
• On to Effects…!