I've to write an essay on the role of a mixing engineer... thing is I don't know where to start, I've to include production techniques, styles, media and genre (which I think is the exact same as styles...)

Anyways can anyone offer me any help cause I don't have any notes on any of this and I can't find anything on the net...

I'm still in my first year at college learning how to work this whole thing (just started to learn how to mix songs after I just recorded them) so I'm hoping you dudes don't treat me like a total nubie...

Cheers in advance

This is a bit like the blind leading the blind, but I think I can offer a couple of insights that might get you started --
1) genre is not the same as style. Genre may be Rock and Roll, but think of all the variations there are within that category. I'll be showing my age here, but think of the Beatles compared to the Rolling Stones compared to Pink Floyd. Three very distinct sounds, each with very distinct and very different mastering techniques.

2) You say you're just starting to learn how to mix after having recorded your songs. So you already are aware of the vast differences in skill and knowledge required in the two steps. Recording requires you to capture the original sound as accurately as possible, and so requires you to manipulate your equipment in a certain manner. Mixing the sound requires you to manipulate the sounds using the equipment so that the finished product sounds like the musicians or the producer intended it to sound. How much reverb should you add? depends on the genre/style/artist's-wishes. What sort of effects and how much? This very often requires a new pair of ears, one whose perceptions aren't clouded by the actual performances and recording of the original sound, but one who has the vision and the skills/experience to turn that vision into reality.

Use your limited experience with the mixdown and build from there to discuss the role of mixing engineer. Quite often the recording engineer is limited in this regard because of how closely he/she was involved in the original recording. Often the physical limitations possible on the original recording clouds a person's thinking about what is possible to do electronically with that originally recorded material.

Good luck! Imagine how one mixing engineer, say the person who mixed down the latest Sean Paul CD, might approach the material of someone in a totally different genre/style, say like Michael Buble, or vice versa, using Michael Buble's mixing engineer. Using the same techniques on the two different artists will produce one artist with a loser of an album (from his fans' point of view).

Then give the Pat Boone heavy metal CD a listen to see how totally awful such crossover ventures can be.

Think of the best CD you can recall, then think of the worst CD you can recall (if you can recall one worse than that Pat Boone CD, please let me know) and think what could have been done on either to change the perceived quality of the CD.

hope this helps.
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David H. Bailey
dhbailey@davidbaileymusicstudio.com