"Mixing" is the term given to the process that comes after recording. It is like editing. We find notes that need to be fixed, edits and transitions that need smoothing out, and determine settings. Do we want to sound like we are performing in a room, a hall, a cathedral or outdoors? Which instruments and voices should come out of which speaker? Not paying attention to this can lead to something sounding off: like the time we discovered the piano came out of of the right speaker and then towards the end of the song suddenly slid over and came out of the left speaker! (Or maybe it was vice-versa. I can't remember. But we had no idea something like that could have an effect on the sound! And it is fixed with the click of the mouse!) Another major thing addressed in the mixing process is the balance of all the instruments and voices. Depending on who has the melody and who the harmony, different instruments need to be brought to the front. Some harmony parts need to be backed off, and some need to be brought enough out of obscurity to be heard!
We were quite unfamiliar with this important aspect of producing a recording, but Terry and Michael helped us see how it was done. Soon we had our own ideas! When we mixed Krista's composition, the quiet young lady who spends most of the mixing sessions journaling suddenly planted herself in front of the speakers and told us exactly what should happen so her piece sounded how she imagined!
We are coming to the end of "mixing" ... and not a moment too soon! It has been rewarding but we are under time pressure. We received Evaluation Copy #2 today! It's sounding better all the time!
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