It’s often hard to put into words exactly what makes a great mix, but for me the words “cohesion”, “energy”, and “synergy” come to mind. The difference between amateur mixes and professional ones is often down to a lack of these three elements.
I remember being a frustrated beginner mixer, wondering why my mixes sounded flat and disconnected whilst all the records I loved sounded so cohesive and energetic. It wasn’t until much later I figured out that in order to make the elements of a mix sound more “together”, I had to learn how to process them together.
And this is where mix bus processing comes into play. But what exactly does it mean?
What is Mix Bus Processing?
Mix bus processing—sometimes referred to as “top-down” mixing—is the act of applying processing to the entire mix as a whole before getting into the nitty-gritty details of the individual elements of a song. While it may sound a bit like mastering, it differs in the sense that we still have control of the entire multitrack mix and it tends to take place before we dive into the details of the multitracks.
The process is different for everyone, but for me I like to get a rough fader balance (static mix) going on, along with some basic corrective EQ to fix any glaring issues within a mix. Sometimes I’ll compress any individual parts which are really jumping out but generally that’s the most I’ll do before moving onto processing the entire mix as a whole.
All of my individual tracks and FX returns in my session are routed to a singular bus—the mix bus. On this bus, I like to set up a very particular chain to shape the sound. This chain is constantly changing and being tweaked from mix to mix, but some of the best plugins available for this task are in the GEMs bundle from Overloud.
Compress, Color, Saturation
First up I like to add some overall color and character to my mix. This comes in the form of a compressor like the Gem Comp 670. The role of this compressor isn’t to actually compress—it’s to utilize the awesome coloration and saturation that comes from the different models—London, Los Angeles, and Milan—all with different flavors to suit a range of styles.
Second in my chain is the Gem Comp G, an emulation of a legendary master bus compressor which has been strapped over chart-topping mixes for decades. The compression at this stage is subtle but the purpose is to keep any rogue peaks under control, and to bring forward some of the stuff “behind” the mix. This is often reverb tails, backing vocals, delays—the small details that give a mix more definition. This is where we start to bring the mix together.
Use EQ to Bring Life to The Mix
The next step in the quest for togetherness is to shape the overall tone of the mix. For this job, I like to use a broad-strokes, characterful EQ to dip out any harsh frequencies and boost any frequencies which give life to the mix. My preference is to use a stepped EQ for this particular role (an EQ where the frequencies and the cut/boost controls are at a defined, preset value). This is just personal preference but I find it stops me getting too intricate and spending ages fiddling with a control to find the sweet spot.
Ever since trying out the Overloud EQ495 I’ve fallen in love with it, particularly on mix bus duties. The sound is subtle but effective, and the top end opens up in a way which just sounds so natural and never harsh. You can cut from the mid-range using this EQ without the mix sounding scooped or as if there’s a big hole of energy in the middle of the frequency spectrum. The term “musical” is often used here, but I prefer “cohesive”.
So whilst the EQ495 is a new obsession of mine, I still call upon an old love in the form of the Gem Tapedesk. I’ve tried many different tape saturation plugins over the years (and believe me, there are loads of them out there) but none of them quite do to a mix bus what the Tapedesk does.
When I talked about synergy at the top of this article it may have even sounded a touch pretentious, but to me it means all of the elements of a mix working together in a way that they bounce off each other. Artistic jargon aside; from a technical point of view this (probably) means that any dynamic jumps are rounded off in a smooth and pleasing way, and an overall tonal character is imparted on the mix through saturation and coloration.
Use These Plugins to add More Shine
This is where the Tapedesk comes in. We’re not looking to emulate an “analog sound” per se, but we are looking to bring some of the natural cohesiveness that comes from recording all of your tracks to the same reel of magnetic tape.
Focusing on the tape section of this plugin, I like to set the tape speed to 30ips in order to add some depth to the low end but preserve the shine in the higher frequencies of the mix. In the cases where I’m looking for something “darker” and less bright, I’ll bring it down to 15ips or even 7.5ips in some unique cases. This applies a tonal curve to the entire mix which helps with the cohesion and togetherness of the track as a whole. Think of it like applying a global color grade to a video or a photo.
The amount of record level (input drive) will depend on how much saturation, distortion and compression the song needs, but once again, getting this in the right spot is a great way to bring more energy and cohesion to the mix.
Last up in my chain is the insanely powerful and beautiful sounding Gem EQP. The ultimate broad-strokes EQ, this thing is not designed to be precise, nor should it be. What this EQ does for me at least is add a shine to the highs and power to the lows. Opening the mix up and finalizing the mix bus processing in a way that sounds sweet and rich.
Final Thoughts
If you’re new to mix bus processing it’s easy to overdo this part so a good tip is to bring up a couple of your favorite sounding records and try to match the overall frequency balance of your mix with the reference mix using the Gem EQP.
Does your mix sound duller than the reference mix? Use the top end boost to bring it up to level.
Does your mix sound way brighter and harsher than the reference? Use the attenuation to bring the harshness down so it’s sitting much more in line with the mixes you love.
The goal is not to be precise, it’s to make broad strokes and shape the mix as a whole. From here you can go into the individual elements and refine the details but before you do, try bypassing the Gem plugins on your mix bus and see what a difference they’ve made.
I guarantee that once you learn the art of the mix bus processing, your mixes will sound so much more “together”, and you will spend so much less time sweating over the details.
Save yourself time by investing in great plugins for your mix bus—the Overloud Gems are exactly that.
Written by Guy Britton
Guy Britton is a seasoned music producer, mixer, and mastering engineer from the UK, with a focus on pop and indie genres. Guy has helped independent artists achieve breakthrough success, with his work being featured on radio and TV in the UK and Europe, as well as major Spotify editorial playlists. His expertise lies in delivering a unique and commercially appealing sound, with a passion for combining modern and retro elements to create deep, exciting tracks.
