T4.

2 Better Mixes Track Two

My second track was fairly similar in genre to my first track in that it was of a
classical/cinematic style. The track consists of the sounds of a piano, cello and a brass
section, which being a smaller collection of parts, made mixing a lot easier but allowed
much more opportunity of refining the sound when equalizing.
I began creating this track by drawing in the MIDI data for the piano, then splitting the part
in two: Left hand and right hand. As a pianist I know how effective it can be, when the left
and right hands play with different dynamics. Although I made the decision of keeping the
piano parts separate, I kept the same EQ and compression, in order to simulate the sound of
only one piano.
To keep the classical/cinematic feel to the track, I added a trio of cellos to accompany the
piano playing a legato harmony. I also later added a brass section playing the same chords
as the cellos, to add effect to the dramatic section at the end of the piece.
Now I had completed my static mix, or mix without volume automation, I could begin to
refine the piece, making it sound more natural.
I began by editing the Pianos EQ by
reducing the low shelf frequencies
around 147.0 Hz by -23.2 dB with a Q
factor of 7.0 and left the rest as they
were. This gave the piano a cleaner
sound. I then applied a compressor,
reducing the threshold to -45.5 dB
with a ratio of 4.14:1 and a make-up of
10.1 dB, giving the piano a more
natural feel. I also applied reverb to the sound, widening the stereo image.








To EQ the cello, I reduced the low shelf
frequencies around 128 Hz by -24.0 dB with a wide
W factor of 4.2. I then boosted, purely to add
colour to the sound, frequencies around 1010 Hz
by 1.8 dB with the Q factor as wide as possible. I
also increased the gain of frequencies around
19661 Hz, by 4.0 dB with a very wide Q factor of
0.7, again to add colour to the cellos sound. I also
applied a compressor to the sound, to counteract
the mid and high frequency increase.

I also applied EQ to the brass part nearer the end of the piece, again to add colour to the
sound, I increased frequencies around 1158 Hz and 18365 Hz and later dealt with the gain
increase by applying a compressor. To both cello and brass parts I applied the same reverb I
applied to the piano, giving the impression they were recorded in the same acoustic space.