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Back Page Blog: Adding
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Adding Some Story to a Mix; We Have to Save Our Stages
Mike Levine: Mix Technology Editor, Studio The Good Kind of Drama: Drama is an essential part of music production. No, I’m not talking about things like the drummer and bass player punching each other out in the control room, or the lead singer being AWOL for the vocal session, or the argument over whose name goes first in the songwriting credits. I’m talking about the drama in the recording.
I’m talking about the importance of creating songs that have a dramatic arc to them to help keep the listeners’ interest. Even with a great song and excellent musicianship, the recording won’t be as compelling if the arrangement is too static.
The importance of dramatic arrangements was brought home to me some years ago when, as part of researching an article I was writing, I analyzed a bunch of pop songs and saw how their arrangements evolved from beginning to end. It was an incredibly informative exercise, and one that I highly recommend.
I noticed that there was some variation from one section to the next in virtually every song. Sometimes the changes were obvious, such as the addition of background vocals or the drummer switching from a sidestick to the snare. But other times, they were subtle, like bringing in a low-mixed shaker or tambourine part, or adding a couple of chord substitutions.
You have a lot of options for adding drama. In addition to how you bring in (and out) the instruments and vocal parts, the song structure itself offers built-in variation. Transitions from verse to chorus, verse to pre-chorus, chorus to verse, or chorus to bridge provide contrast with their melodic, harmonic and dynamic differences.
Despite having all that we have to work with, sometimes a song gets to the mixing stage and sounds too similar throughout. If that happens, you still have some options to augment the drama in the mix. But that’s another column.
There’s no shortage of tools for creating drama in our music. The trick is to keep the concept in mind at all times during the production process.
Product of the Month: Heritage Audio 73JR II This 73-style preamp, an updated and upgraded version of the 73JR, is described by the company as featuring “through-hole traditional components combined with hand labor to create a great-sounding Seventies-vintage vibe.” In addition to returning features like a stepped Input Gain knob, Output level knob, Lo-Z switch, 48V phantom power and polarity reverse, the 73JR II offers some new capabilities. One is a revamped highpass filter circuit that is now sweepable from 20 to 200 Hz; another is an improved DI input that’s now a discrete Class-A JFET circuit that automatically switches to DI mode when you insert a ¼-inch TS cable. Steve La Cerra: Mix Technology Editor, Live Sending Out an SOS: In mid-December, leaders of Congress announced that they had reached a tentative agreement to pass a $900 billion Covid relief package, which includes enhanced unemployment benefits, direct stimulus payments to individuals and—perhaps most important to those working in the entertainment industry—the Save Our Stages Act, a $15 billion program earmarked for live venues, independent movie theaters and cultural institutions. The bill passed.
Bolstering the bill was the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), a group of more than 3,000 venues across the 50 states and Washington, D.C., which has been a strong voice for the live entertainment community. According to NIVA, 90 percent of independent venues in the country will close in early 2021 unless they receive federal aid, and they estimate that every dollar spent at a music venue generates another $12 for related businesses.
The domino effects in my small corner of the business are significant: a day in the life of a fly gig means taxis to the airport, delivery of our gear to the airport, skycaps helping us check in, meals, backline rentals, sound and light rentals…. No gig means a complete halt to all of the cash flow.
Key provisions of the Save Our Stages Act include establishment of a grant program for live venue operators, promoters, producers and talent reps and funding for expenses incurred from March 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020. Eligible venues can use the funds for employee payroll and benefits, rent, utilities, mortgage interest payments, insurance, PPE, payoff of existing loans, payments to 1099 employees, and other operating expenses.
The relief bill and the Save Our Stages Act is a firm step in the right direction to provide aid for the live event industry, though the path of SOS funds to independent touring sound, backline and lighting techs is unclear. The package does, however, extend unemployment assistance for gig workers and those who are self-employed.
Product of the Month: Audix A133 and A131 Condenser Mics The A133 and A131 share a number of features, including 33mm, fixed-charge capsules with 3.4-micron, gold-sputtered diaphragms and precision-machined, aluminum bodies. The pickup pattern for both models is cardioid; frequency response is stated as 40 Hz to 20 kHz. The open-air design of the capsule mounting system allows the mics to deliver clear, uncolored sound, while an internal shock mount isolates the capsule from mechanical vibrations and handling noise, eliminating the need for an external shock mount. The A133 provides a 10dB pad switch for use on loud sources, and a 150Hz high-pass filter. Maximum SPL for the A131 is 140 dB. Maximum SPL for the A133 is 150 dB with the pad engaged.
