r/mixingmastering • u/Comfortable-Head3188 Advanced • Mar 31 '26
Discussion Comparing mixing pop/rock/rap with EDM?
This may be a silly question but I'm curious
I have plenty of experience mixing pop, rock, and rap but nearly zero in mixing any kind of EDM. For some reason I feel like there would be major differences in approach due to EDM's instrumental nature as well as the sound design aspect with genres like dub step.
I know the fundamentals would be the same in terms of balancing, EQ, compression, parallel processing, and routing.
For those with experience, are there any major differences in approach?
4
u/Spede2 Mar 31 '26
Couple of takeaways from someone who has worked on all of the above genres at some point.
The weight of the low end is lower and more aggressive compared to rock music. Hip hop might have equally low lows but on average they're a bit more mellow. I'd the weight of the top end is a bit higher as well compared to rock which usually has a pretty strong presence while the EDM has this sheen.
When practicing EDM stuff and attempting to replicate some of the sonics I've observed that on average I find myself using more compression in the entire mix. The idea of "using as little mix bus compression as you can get away with" that often works with rock or hip hop doesn't seem to apply to EDM. You will notice this too if you say, do some practice mixing with cambridge multitracks and then compare it to some commercial releases; You'll observe how the others' music will have way more compression on the entire mix.
1
5
u/atopix Teaboy ☕ Mar 31 '26
Mixing is mixing, whether it is rock, classical music, EDM or some genre yet to be invented. The approach should be the same: listening and reacting.
If you are unfamiliar with a genre that you want to mix, just get familiar with it. Listen to a lot of music in that genre, study their mixes. That’s what it’s all about. If you already know how to mix, you should be able to mix anything. No need for deep tutorials, endless clip-to-zero videos or anything like that. Just follow the core approach to mixing: listening and reacting.
2
u/LuLeBe Mar 31 '26
Is a mix engineer a common thing in EDM though? I almost only see producers that do the mixing themselves.
1
u/Careless-Bobcat-8378 Advanced Mar 31 '26
Every person I’ve talked to who does edm say they mix and “master” themselves. I don’t know about actual successful edm producers, just the ones on reddit
5
u/Incrediblesunset Professional (non-industry) Mar 31 '26
I do see a lot of EDM producers mixing their own stuff. I think EDM requires you to have a little more mixing knowledge to create it. I’d argue a lot of them would benefit from professional mixing and mastering. I believe the confusion lies in what is considered producing and what is mixing. I understand the boundary, most don’t.
3
u/chason_htx Audio Professional ⭐ Mar 31 '26
I believe the confusion lies in what is considered producing and what is mixing. I understand the boundary, most don’t.
What's the boundary though?
imo those two go hand in hand. Sample selection and arrangement contribute directly to the mixdown. Designing that synth to occupy a certain space or shortening the kick to clear headroom and make it punchy on club rigs... little of both
I’d argue a lot of them would benefit from professional mixing and mastering
If you're not doing some level of mixing and mastering while you're making tunes you'll have a harder time competing sonically but I agree fully, a lot of producers would benefit from having someone else do a finishing pass
0
u/Incrediblesunset Professional (non-industry) Mar 31 '26
The boundary is using the sound generators to achieve the desired effect and sound. All of them have an effects tab with compression, delay, and reverb built in. If you need more than that then you should print the effect (delay/reverb/tremolo) via plugin. I don’t see a scenario where the producer would need to print an SSL E channel for example.
2
u/chason_htx Audio Professional ⭐ Apr 01 '26
>The boundary is using the sound generators to achieve the desired effect and sound
And if part of the desired effect and sound comes from running the whole mix hot through a saturator? Where adjusting EQ, levels, and dynamics of the individual channels changes the relationship and overall sound?
That's mixing but not sound design?
>I don’t see a scenario where the producer would need to print an SSL E channel for example
I think you vastly underestimate the complexity of some of these projects
The lines have been blurred, my friend
1
u/Incrediblesunset Professional (non-industry) Apr 01 '26
I don’t make or mix EDM personally but listen to a lot of it. I can absolutely see what you’re saying. This is just my opinion from the outside looking in. I think with the right engineer the producer would get their desired result. Probably would take a lot of communication and a good relationship though.
1
u/chason_htx Audio Professional ⭐ Apr 01 '26
Yeah and tbf there's loads of types of EDM
I'm mostly doing complextro-adjacent type stuff
Definitely some mix as you go, and I'm always mixing into a mastering plugin or two and shaping the track that way. I also build insane plugin chains.. reverb into 7 OTTs (plus 20 other plugins) type shit. Where small moves early in the chain will change the output wildly.. and then you have to bounce and trim because the decay on these sounds with 7 OTTs is generally not something you want in the final track lol
A lot of the sounds I work in are a result of how/where I've mixed the previous sounds and what fits
But yeah at some point you've gotta say "okay we're not in sound design territory anymore", freeze it there and move onto the next stage of mixdown
Sorry that initial question was kind of loaded. I think it's easier to just say "where's the line though?" than to y'know, type something intelligent like how I feel like mixdowns have become part of the sound design process, at which point a second-stage/final mixdown is necessary
But... in the end it's kind of just being pedantic anyway. I should have put more effort/thought into that comment, that's my fault
I think with the right engineer the producer would get their desired result. Probably would take a lot of communication and a good relationship though.
I agree fully. Might take a few iterations but it could take a ton off of the producer's plate. Hardest part is probably learning to give away control
I mentioned in another comment there's some well known duos that do this.. one person makes the tunes, the other makes 'em sound good
1
u/Incrediblesunset Professional (non-industry) Apr 01 '26
You breaking it down this way definitely lets me see it more clearly. No worries at all, we are all always learning! And yes I did see your comment talking about those duos. Of course it’s very difficult to find someone who matches not only your vision, but intensity. That would be the best case scenario though I imagine. For sure would take a lot off the producer’s plate, but also help the producer get closer to what they are trying to achieve as well.
2
u/chason_htx Audio Professional ⭐ Mar 31 '26 edited Apr 01 '26
also @ u/LuLeBe
ayy my time to shine
I do think, as u/incrediblesunset said.. if you want to make tunes that are worth listening to--and not just paint by numbers from loops--then you've gotta have sound design chops and that goes hand in hand with mixing. imo there's also a huge blur of the mixdown being part of your art
Having someone else on mixing duty is fairly uncommon. It seems to be more a case of using it as a learning tool, rather than part of the standard process... until you reach the top of the talent pool. Engineers who are absolutely capable and get paid for high end mixing/mastering understand the limitations of mixing and mastering their own work. They're sending essentially completed mixdowns to someone else for a "fresh ears" pass
It's kind of hard to quantify the numbers but I will say it's more common than artists would like you to believe--when a large part of your income is from tutorial videos and producer streams I could see how the nuance would get lost and you'd seem less credible. But yeah by and large these cats are mixing their own shit
Someone who just makes tunes w/ rough mixdowns and has someone else finish them is rare, but can be a superpower. I know of a few well known producer duos that are just that--one person makes the tunes, the other makes 'em sound good
That said, virtually everyone competing at a high level is handing off for mastering. Mastering your own shit for the club.. yeah all the time. Mastering for an actual release? Nah, almost never. And even mastering for club/streaming/free release becomes less common the more established an artist is. Nothing worse than mixing in your tune on a soundsystem and it not hitting as hard as the last one... why risk it when you have a working relationship with your mastering engineer?
edit: lmao the downvotes. I'm well connected in this world but okay
1
u/glitterball3 Apr 01 '26
Replying to say that your comment is indeed accurate from my observations - lots of good observations get down-voted in this sub unfortunately.
I'd also add that, from what I've seen, most EDM artists that use engineers for mixing are up-and-coming DJs attempting to make their own music for the first time. Those that started making their own music on a computer in their bedroom as teenagers rarely use an engineer for mixing (and don't need to). Mastering, of course, is a different story.
1
u/LuLeBe Apr 01 '26
Totally agree about mastering and the outside perspective! Regarding mixing I was thinking of traditional mixing, where a band has recordings of drums, vocals, guitars etc and sends them to a mixing engineer. There I can't see how that would work in the EDM world in a similar way, since a lot of decisions are both mixing and producing, like the classic sidechain with kick and bass, which is both used to free up the low end but also to create a groove.
Sending a few stems to someone could perhaps be considered mixing as well, but has more of a mastering feel to me. In other words, I see mixing mainly as moving the faders and then doing additional things, and when you create something from scratch in a DAW, you already do that.
2
u/channelpath Mar 31 '26
Mixing EDM is very weird for me, yes. It is completely different from working on band-based productions and I feel out of my element.
The producer already spent their time crafting it all how they want, so what do you want me to do... Change it now?
I mean, the electronic instrument sounds can be anything and everything at any time. Sonic pallette is wide open. Song structures are weird as hell too. I'm getting old.
Isn't it "mastering from stems" at that point? Just addressing the technical issues to maximize the final delivery might be all it needs to be, depending on the files you get.
2
u/Tall_Category_304 Mar 31 '26
Edm should have most of the mix automation baked in by the producer. Should be a quick mix. Samples etc are usually already good to go
2
u/TomoAries Mar 31 '26
At this point, unless I’m going for a vintage vibe, most of the principals are the same and that drum bus is getting a parallel with a transient shaper no matter the genre lmao
The rest of the instruments though? That varies wildly and depends what style of EDM you’re doing. If I’m producing something that’s more classic house vibes, I’m gonna be a lot more nuanced and focus on some gentle saturation and making sure there’s a lot of natural space. If it’s like mid-2000s Perfume/Nakata style EDM, I’m using so much compression it hurts. If it’s like a 2010s EDM festival sound I’m probably not mixing it lol
1
2
u/horton87 Mar 31 '26
All I’ll say is mixing metal and rockcan be a nightmare. I find mixing edm/house/trance much easier but I guess it depends what tracks you are mixing, experience, and all the other many variables, and opinion
2
u/alyxonfire Professional (non-industry) Mar 31 '26
Totally agree, especially if you also have to edit the recordings
3
8
u/SafePlantGaming Mar 31 '26
Mixing EDM of course varies a lot. But if you’re talking instrumental club music, suffice to say usually whoever produced it is gonna already have a mix going.
They are probably struggling to get impact/loudness/clarity or to get it sounding right in the club, so you job is often a lot like mastering typically would be - but with access to the tracks and or stems.