"It's better to subtract than to add."
This is one of the first things I learned about the recording process and it has stuck with me after all these years. It basically means that whether you're working on your beat or mixing it, it's always easier to take something out than to add something in.
Subtract > Addition
I like to sample and most of my beats are purely sample-based, so I always have to be careful as to what I sample because things can get very muddy very fast.
Talk to any bassist and they will probably go on and on about how important it is to find that sweet spot for the bassline, so as to not muddy up the track.
Especially when dealing with samples.
But even if you don't sample, your beat and/or mix can quickly go from being hot to being a hot mess.
For example, you might have a beat made up of:
- Drums
- Bass
- Piano
- Guitar
- Strings
Let's say you want to add a synth lead. What do you do? Do you try to play it over your lead piano? Or do you only use the synth on the hook?
It really doesn't matter how you use it because bringing that synth into your beat can create all sorts of problems. You will probably have to move other instruments around by changing the melody somewhat, or you might end up having so many sounds all at once that by the time you get to the mixing stage you're spending hours trying to EQ everything.
This is why I always suggest that it's better to subtract. Take something out rather than add something in.
You could either not use the synth at all, or it might sound really amazing in your mix, but either way you will end up with a lot more work to do once you get to the mixing stage.
Too Much Is Too Loud
One of the biggest things that is overlooked in recording that doesn't seem to be talked about much at all, is the loudness of the mixes. I'm not talking about the "loudness wars" about how everything is always louder (although that is a major issue affecting all genres of music), but about how the loudness affects the listener's ears.
Yes, when I make my beats I'm thinking about if this is going to annoy the listener's ears.
If you take a listen to an original recording from the 1970's, for example, and then compare it to a similar style of music today, it's like night and day.
The mixes today are super loud compared to older recordings, so what ends up happening is the listener ends up with ear fatigue.
Do you want people to listen to your beats but only for a short time because the mixes are so loud and it tired out their ears? Of course not.
This is why your mixes, and even the sounds you use in your beats, need to be quieter. The entire beat you make needs to be much more minimal, this way you will gain some advantages:
- You will have more room in your beat for vocals, snippets, or scratches.
- You will have more room in your mix to use effects properly without slamming your main mix into the red.
- It will be much easier on the listener's ears.
When to Back Off
If you take a listen to something old school like Public Enemy, you would think that their beats would tire your ears, but they don't. Why? Because their mixes were minimal, not their beats.
Their beats were full of crazy samples that were pieced together to create something even crazier, but it wasn't something annoying.
For example, "Rebel Without A Pause" is one of their most famous songs, and, well, listen to it:
Maybe it's a bit annoying to some, but the mix isn't slamming into your ears. The engineers back then were on point.
Now if that same song was recorded and mixed today, it would be WAY louder in all areas.
You should always consider where you're going with the beat you're making. I've heard beats that were pretty laid back but were still very loud in the mix. I've heard others that were the complete opposite.
What I suggest is to pay attention to every sound that you're using and think about how it will be in the mix. Is it a sound you can control in your mix? Or will it be a problem that you will have to throw a bunch of effects at to tame it?
Even if you think everything's good and you get to the mixing stage, you might still end up with a loud mix, depending on so many factors. But this is when you need to back off and reassess.
- Do I really need that sound in that spot?
- Should I use this sound by itself instead of layered with this one?
- Should I remove some of the effects?
I'm not suggesting that you make minimalistic-sounding beats. Not at all. I'm suggesting that you take a careful approach to both what kind of beat you're making and how you're making it.
I often see people ask how they can stand out from the rest. Well, this is one of them.
A while ago I heard a few beats from some beat maker on YouTube (I can't remember his name), but his stuff was TIGHT. From the beat itself all the way to the mix. Whatever this guy's formula was, it was working. The mixes weren't in the red and the beats were on point.
Even beats that are minimal need to be carefully mixed so as not to be too loud, and to leave the listener wanting more. This is so important. Like any business - you want your customers to keep coming back, right? So you give them what they want. Think about that the next time you're mixing your beat.
In Closing
You might be a bit confused by all of this but don't be. Beat making and mixing will always been a learning process, but there are just some things you need to always be careful of, and one of the biggest is what you create.
Further Reading About Beat Making