The Savage Beats Mixing Clinic

Mini Course Introduction: Course Overview

Welcome to the Savage Beats Mixing Clinic! In this introduction we will be doing a rundown of the cornerstones of professional beat mixing and everything you will be learning in this mini course. So I hope you're as excited as I am to get started!

Mini Course The Key Determining Factors To The Fastest Way To Get Professional Results In Your Beat Mixes

In this video we will discuss the all important key determining factors in your ability to become a proficient mixer in the fastest way possible.

Mini Course Utilizing Subgroups: Overview

In this chapter we will get an understanding of the importance of using subgroups and how they are a key technique to professional mixing.

Mini Course Utilizing Subgroups: Tutorial

It always amazes me how many producers I meet that have been making beats for years and still don’t use subgrouping in their workflow. And it’s not because they’re lazy and they don’t want to do it, they’re just completely unaware that they should even be doing it in the first place. But once I'm able to sit down with them and show them how huge of a difference it can make in the overall end result, they can’t believe it’s something they weren’t doing all along. So as weird as it might sound right now, subgrouping is actually a huge aspect to mixing beats, especially when your productions start to get more and more elaborate. So If you're relatively new to making beats and mixing, you're probably wondering how subgrouping could possibly be an important technique to getting you better beat mixes. Here’s why. Using subgroups in mixing is all about giving us more control. And the more control we have in our mixes, the more options we have to enhance our mixes in all areas. So let's dive into the video so I can show you exactly what I’m talking about on how subgrouping allows you to crank out better mixes.

Mini Course Processing The Subgroups: Overview

In this chapter we look at some key techniques to utilize when processing the subgroups to get immediate massive results in your beat mixes.

Mini Course Processing The Subgroups: Tutorial

So now that you understand the importance of subgrouping, in this chapter I'm going to break down some ideas on how to process the subgroups. This is essentially the reason why we set up the subgroups in our mixes. I'm going to give you some of my favorite tips on how to process the drum bus and instrument buses so you can really see the power of this technique and why it’s so key to taking your beats to the next level.

Mini Course Key EQ Techniques: Overview

In this chapter we will take a look at the key eq techniques you need to develop to consistently make sure your beats are well balanced.

Mini Course Key EQ Techniques: Tutorial

So like all things to do with mixing, it always comes back to eq being at the heart of getting the result we’re after and it’s definitely no different when it comes to mixing beats. And in my opinion, eq is probably the most important element of mixing beats and understanding what, when and how to eq instruments is so fundamental to producing great sounding beats. So there’s 3 techniques that we’re going to use to address the what, when and how to eq your beats. Number 1 is cleaning up your tracks. Number 2 is using subtractive eq to treat instruments with clashing frequencies and lastly, number 3, we’ll be covering a technique that’s a little bit more advanced but is really important to understand which is using mid/side eq processing. And all of these techniques together are the foundation of equing your beats and getting that pro sound your after.

Mini Course Compression Techniques: Overview

In this chapter we cover the fundamental compression techniques that beat mixers need to know in order to consistently have a well balanced, punchy mix that maintains life.

Mini Course Compression Techniques: Tutorial

When you’re first learning how to mix and use compression, one of the most challenging things to get a grasp on is knowing what instruments to compress. Vocal compression is a little bit more straightforward because we know that most vocals need some form of compression. But when it comes to beats and instruments, not everything needs to be addressed with compression. Especially when using sampled instruments because so many of them are already compressed. But on the flipside, most instruments that are played live should be compressed to some degree. And of course the more dynamic the instrument, the more compression is needed. And in some cases might even need to be limited such as heavy electric guitars or big trumpet parts. So in many ways, addressing instrument compression will depend on if they’re sampled or if they’re played live. General rule of thumb is that most live instruments should be compressed to some degree and sampled instruments or sampled sounds in general will depend on how much they’ve already been compressed and what your specific beat might require. So for example, just because you sampled a sax that was already compressed doesn’t mean that it doesn’t need more compression in your specific mix. These are all very important things to keep in mind when it comes to compressing instruments. Because if there are elements in your beat that need to be compressed and aren’t compressed, it can literally throw off the entire balance of the beat. So knowing when to use compression on your instruments is one of the most important aspects to compressing beats. So let's look at an example of compressing instruments in a beat.

Mini Course Parallel Compression With A Twist: Overview

In this chapter we look at some tips on how to get even more out of the popular technique of parallel compression and 2X your beat mixes.

Mini Course Parallel Compression With A Twist: Tutorial

So for those of you that are familiar with parallel compression and consistently use it in your mixes then you already know that it’s a technique that can really work to get your drums punchier and bigger sounding. But for those of you who aren’t as familiar with parallel compression and haven’t been implementing it in your workflow you’ll get a chance to see how powerful of a tool it is to take your mixes to the next level. So traditionally, parallel compression is a technique widely utilized for mixing drums which we’ll cover in this chapter. But I also want to uncover a new idea for you and a secret weapon of mine which is utilizing parallel compression on your entire mix which can really get huge results. So let’s get right into it.

Mini Course Kick, Bass & 808 Mixing Techniques: Overview

In this chapter we cover the 4 key techniques that will consistently yield you great results to get the kick, bass & 808's to work together cohesively and not clash with each other.

Mini Course Kick, Bass & 808 Mixing Techniques: Tutorial

Depending on the genre of music you find yourself producing, drum, bass and 808s can literally be at the foundation of all of your productions. So learning to mix them to work well together is essential to your entire sound. But to be honest, I find that some new mixers can complicate this subject way too much and just tend to overthink it. So for all you that do fall into this category, I have some good news for you. After years of sorting through all of the information on the subject of mixing kick, bass and 808's and having the experience of literally mixing thousands of beats, there’s actually not all that much to it. I’ve found that there are really just 4 things to consider and implement here. Number 1 is to clean them up with an eq. Number 2 is to figure out which instrument is driving the main rhythm and process it accordingly. Number 3 is to Shape the other instrument around the lead instrument with eq. And number 4, is to use side chaining if needed. And I can honestly say that doing these 4 things has never failed me in getting a result that I was after. You don’t need to do 20 things to get your bass, kick and 808s to blend right in your mix. So it’s really important for me to be able to simplify this subject for you so that you're able to stop wasting time tweaking a bunch of techniques that you ultimately don’t need. So let’s get into the lesson and see how this 4 step process works.

Mini Course Using Delays For Width & Dimension: Overview

In this chapter we dive into how using delays are just as important as using reverbs to get a more dimensional sound and are key to taking your beat mixes to the next level.

Mini Course Using Delays For Width & Dimension: Tutorial

If you’ve been mixing and making beats for a little while then it’s safe to say that reverb is one of your best friends and definitely should be when it comes to any type of music production. But I find that using delays can often get overlooked with people new to making beats. And if they do use delays, they generally aren’t used to help them get more width, movement and energy on our instruments. But using delays is a simple technique that can produce massive results especially when applied to guitars, synths, brass and strings in particular. So let’s check out this technique in a session and see how it works.

Mini Course Using Harmonics & Saturation: Overview

In this chapter we look at every professional mixers secret weapon of using harmonics, saturation & distortion to our advantage.

Mini Course Using Harmonics & Saturation: Tutorial

Using harmonic exciters and saturation is something I talk about alot in my teaching simply because it’s such a powerful tool that’s generally always overlooked or just isn’t really known to new mixers. And the reason why it’s so powerful is because in many cases you can get a much better result using harmonics and saturation to brighten or add low end to your signal than using an eq to boost frequencies. Of course using an eq is the traditional way to brighten or add low end to your signal and is still a much needed tool to do this. But the problem with boosting eq’s is that it can ruin your mixes really fast if you aren't an experienced mixer. It can cause all types of clashing, distortion and balance issues. But the very nature of harmonic exciters is to harmonically synthesize the audio and not drastically boost the volume of the audio. So you can essentially get the same result as you could with an eq by using a harmonic exciter without boosting the signal in a harmful way. Harmonic exciters and saturation also have the ability to make your audio sound bigger, wider and more upfront as well. This is kind of a unique perceptual aspect to using distortion in a pleasing way. Always remember that distortion is your friend when it’s used properly and with intention. Distortion and saturation is such a powerful tool for mixing beats and in this video, I’m gonna show you why I tend to use harmonics and saturation to boost frequencies on instruments instead of using an eq.

Mini Course Stereo Imagery Techniques: Overview

In this chapter we look at some key stereo imagery fundamentals & techniques that will make your beat mixes huge and much more dimensional.

Mini Course Stereo Imagery Techniques: Tutorial

Placing your instruments well in the stereo field by using panning is of course very fundamental to great beat mixing. And generally, young producers understand this and actually do it really well. But when it comes to taking your beat mixes to the next level, stereo imagery goes alot further and in many ways it’s one of the main techniques that can separate amateur beats makers and producers from the pros. So in this video we’re gonna cover 4 powerful stereo imagery techniques that are guaranteed to give your mixes much more width, dimension and an overall much bigger sound. So the first technique is learning how to use the entire stereo field which means not just left & right but also up, down & everything in between. Number 2 is spreading the lead and dominant instruments. Number 3 is widening the instrument bus. And number 4 is, using multiband stereo width tools. So let’s dive into the video and see this in action.

Mini Course Mastering Beats: Overview

In this chapter we will cover the reasons why mastering beats it's what separates a novice mix from a pro mix and is the key tie in to professional sounding beats.

Mini Course Mastering Beats: Tutorial

In my opinion, mastering is the most important ingredient to your proverbial beat mixing soup. It’s so crazy to me how many producers don’t even think of mastering their beats. But when I stop to think about it, it’s something that’s just not brought up much in the world of beat making. In fact, I don’t really recall anybody ever talking about it or hearing about it through my years of doing this. Which is just insane when I think about it. And not to say that people don’t or haven’t discussed this as a major aspect to mixing beats, I just personally don’t recall coming across it being taught through my years of study on the subject. But whether you have or haven’t heard it being discussed and taught is a topic for another time. What’s important is that your search for information has brought you here now so you can learn that mastering is the main key element to taking your beat mixes to the next level. I can personally tell you with 100 percent confidence that If you don’t master your beats properly, they will never sound like the pros. You can implement all of the techniques we’ve covered in this course and your beats will sound really good, but they still won’t quite stack up. It’s kind of like making an incredible soup with all your favorite ingredients but it has no salt and no flavor. It’s almost all for nothing. Salt is just one simple ingredient but in many ways it’s everything to the soup. It’s the whole tie into having unbelievably great soup. And it’s the exact same thing when it comes to mastering beats. The problem is that mastering is a whole new skill in itself that you have to learn and develop in order to implement it. And unfortunately I'm not gonna dive deep into mastering in this particular course, but I want to give you some very basic mastering techniques that you can implement right away without having much experience with mastering that will literally be the night and day difference in how your beats will ultimately sound in the end. So let me show you how powerful and easy this technique can be.

Mini Course How To Mix YouTube Beats & Instrumentals

Mini Course Conclusion: 3 Important Tips To Ensure Your Success

Whether your goal is to be a hobbyist and show off your skills to your circle of friends and family or you want to be able to earn income from your music and eventually become a professional you’re now armed with the mixing tools your beats need to go to the next level. But the most important step to take now is to consistently practice and implement these ideas until the results come that you're after. Like anything worthwhile in life, it takes time to achieve. This wasn’t designed to be a quick fix course to solve all of your mixing problems over night. You still have to put in the work to get a desired result. But with consistent study and application, your savage beats will be backed with the proper mixing tools to achieve whatever music goals you may have in the future. So thank you so much for supporting my work and I truly hope this information was beneficial to you in some way. Even if you just get one game changing idea then it’s all worth it for me in the end. Thanks again and I hope to see you soon on the next course.Thank you for your support!We'll see you on the next course.