How A Mix Can Save a Beat

Hänz Nobe
2 min readOct 31, 2020
MixedbyAli mixing vocals for Nipsey Hussle

We all have beats or demos that we absolutely hate. Whether its from forcing creativity or time passing and you’re no longer interested, we all have at least half a gigabyte of ideas we wish never existed. However, what if you decided to open up that file and rework the idea. What if you actually proceeded to mix that beat or demo as though you were going to release it. That’s what I did and what was the most mediocre beat of all time some how turned into a banger.

Sound design is the name of the game when it comes to production. Its the reason why Native Instruments has been one of the go to companies not only for hardware but also their VSTs. Most importantly, Kontakt. The vast sound libraries span anywhere from live drums all the way to percussive instruments that are only found in South Africa. So what if you opened up that beat that has a lackluster melody and dull drums and only replaced the sounds with the new ones you’ve acquired? Instead of rearranging the midi you simply replaced the VST. Does it still suck? I’m willing bet that it might not be the greatest, but it’ll be a lot better than what it was before.

For this particular beat I started mixing it for the sole purpose of getting practice of mixing using my same formula. As I started to EQ and pan things I started to hear the pads better. Once I started side chaining certain sounds to let the kick drum breathe as well as the piano to the synth bass (this is my lazy way of mixing the two instruments) all of sudden the beat started to sound okay. I began to use certain reverbs to expand the pads. I added distortion to the snare and put a stereo widener on the clap. Now, its actually pretty good. I kept EQing and panning things out the way of each other. Where there was a dull sound I spiced it up by automating Gross Beat and putting an effect on the piano. Before I knew it, what was a terrible horrible beat that was made during sleep deprivation became a ‘banger’.

The lesson here isn’t so much to focus on sound design as that is a skill that you’ll pick up from innovation through lack or curiosity. The lesson is to not give up on those beats that sound like nails against a chalkboard. A little spice, magic, and technique can turn shit into sugar.

As Cardo once said “….there’s no such thing as a throw away beat.”

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