【翻译】混音基础-第一节

alickjack

Mixing Fundamentals: Part 1 混音基础-第一节
by Ed Rei <mailto:echostarstudio@hotmail.com>  原作：Ed Rei  翻译：赫铁龙
Mixing music is an art, pure and simple. It takes even doses of skill, knowledge, and imagination to effectively mix multiple tracks of music together to come up with a sound that is cohesive, full, and with the right amount of color to the sonic spectrum to make it appealing to the average listener.

混音可以说是一项既简单又复杂的工作。它的性质是简单的，即使用某种方法将多轨混合成完整的一轨音频；而它的过程却是复杂的，不光涉及到较庞大的知识体系结构，也要求混音师拥有较高的水平与丰富的经验，只有这样，才能混合制作出整体性高的，丰满的，具有动听的音色并且适合普通观众欣赏的出色的音乐作品。

Just how to do this is a very subjective thing and is not within the scope of this writing. To tell someone how to mix is much like telling someone how to tie their shoe, or wash their dishes. Mixing techniques vary dramatically from song to song, and depend upon the type of equipment you are using, the quality of the equipment, and most importantly, what you like to hear. We all have different techniques to suit our production goals, but in the end, it gets done…for better or for worse.

然而混音却是一个非常主观的过程，本文的讲解也无法将混音面面俱到地概括出来。混音技术在不同的音乐之间有着巨大的差异，同时也取决于所使用的设备的质量与性能，而最主要的一点，它取决于你如何去聆听你的音乐。我们都有自己独到的方式去欣赏音乐与编辑音乐，在混音技术上我们也都保留自己的喜好与想法，向着一个目标而努力，只是最后的结果时好时坏。

So with that in mind, let me share something that will hopefully clarify my stand on this whole subject. I get e-mails <mailto:ed_rei@echostarstudio.com> from aspiring engineers all the time asking how to use such and such, and what are “standard” settings for this and that. I always answer back with the same thing; “There is no standard when it comes to mixing. You do whatever it takes to make it sound good”. This is important to remember, and goes with the tone of what I will share with you here. Mixing effectively requires some thought, and no engineer worth their weight would suggest “standard” production techniques.

对于这点我想说的是，我经常在我的邮箱中发现许多有志向的混音师总是在问我同样的问题：“什么才是混音的标准呢？”。我想说，真正的混音是没有标准的，无论你怎样去做，只要能制作出好听的声音就是成功的混音。这点其实很重要，高效而又出色的混音通常需要一些必要的思考，要懂得去计划你所想得到的结果，永远向这个目标去靠近。也可以说，没有任何一个出色的混音师会为了体现他们的价值而去倡导混音中所谓的“标准”。

I think it is a shame that some people are after easy answers to complex issues, and just want information that will get them sounding good without having to think too much. This concept can never really work. Figuring out what mixing technique to use for anything first requires that you hear the tracks through monitors that are trustworthy, and second depends upon what final outcome is desired. As a mastering engineer I use says, “How do you want it to sound? It could sound good many different ways”. A very good point really. Flavor is what makes different foods taste the way they do. A straight tofu diet with no spices would bore you to hell!

我认为有些人在很复杂的问题前寻求简单的解决方法是非常可悲的一件事，比如在缺乏足够的思考和设想的前提下就想混出好声音的锦囊妙计。这种方式是无论如何都得不到动听的声音的。

要想混出音色风格都很均衡出色的音乐，混音师一定要拥有一对或者更多性能可靠，真实还原度高并且还原准确的监听音箱，因为如果监听设备的音染较为严重，那么所有的混音都是在一个不干净的环境下进行的，这样混出来的作品从本质上已经失去了真实性；其次就是混音师心中要明确混音后的音质和整体效果。音乐的味道和感觉才是我们在混音的过程中真正要追求的东西，没有味道的音乐就仿佛是一块不辣不咸的白豆腐，使我们很快就会丢掉胃口。

What I am going to do is give you some things to think about while mixing, food for thought per se. This is not really written for engineers with advanced skills as much as it is for “hobbyists”, although I think that this could serve as a good reference to check before mixing, even if you are a bit more advanced.
So with my creative opinions stated for the record :-) let’s get started.

我现在要做的就是告诉大家在混音的过程中应当拥有怎么样的混音思想和思路。这些虽然并非能够完全满足已经有了非常丰富的经验的混音师的需求，然而，却可以为初学者或者混音爱好者提供必要的方法与启迪，作为一本混音之前的入门参考书将是个很不错的主意，即便你之前已经有了一定的基础或经验。



Preparing To Mix 准备混音

Rule 1: (So there are going to be some rules... :-) Don’t mix on the same day that you track ANYTHING !!! This is suicide that has been tried by many, but few have pulled off. By the time the engineer (You?) has cranked the monitors to listen for those little nasties while tracking, your ears will become fatigued, and objective listening is all but impossible. Also, perspective is lost because you will have the tendency to want to turn up the very last thing that you recorded, because you want it to sound just like it did while monitoring for tracking purposes.
Mixing is always a compromise. There is no way that I know of to make everything sound killer in a mix. I have tried.

第一条

永远都不要在录音的当天混音。这条戒律是先人用几十年的经验总结下来的结论，但是时至今日还是有人在这一点上背道而驰，在录音的当天就开始进入混音的工作。录音与混音最本质的区别就是局部与整体的差异，因为录音的过程（尤其是分轨录音）经常会造成工程师过分关注其中的某一个音轨，无论是眼睛紧盯着UV或者PPM表亦或是观测演员与拾音器之间的距离。一旦录音的时间比较长，人的耳朵会变得异常疲劳，这种情况下如果还想客观地分析声音的种种细节特性几乎是不可能的。除此之外，在录音结束后就开始混音还会出现一种特别有趣的现象，就是在进行混音时，你会不由自主地想加大之前所录制的最后一轨的音量！这是因为最后录制的一轨会在你的脑中留下特别深刻的印象，这种印象在数个小时之内是挥之不去的，所以在你即刻开始混音的时候，就会在潜意识里想突出这一轨的重要性，从而也就导致了混音的失衡。混音永远是一种折中的行为，在不平衡的情况下创造平衡。所以记住，不要在录音的当天就开始混音！

Rule 2: Remove all of your preconceived ideas about how the mix should sound. When you finally get your first really good mix on tape, you will find that you had to deal with what was there and make the best of it, not try to make it something it is not. This is very hard to do; let go of what you think the mix should sound like.

第二条

在混音前忘掉之前的经验和想法。每次混音都是一次新的实践与尝试，甚至可以说是新的挑战，除此之外混音过程中所使用到的技术与方法可能是极为不同的，这取决于音乐的风格。当你听到一段你特别喜欢的音乐时，可能会产生一种很强烈的，想去模仿其中的混音风格的想法，而一般来说这种模仿将会是非常困难的。

It is okay to have a sort of general idea, but lose the idea of making your mix sound like some other mix. Unless you have all of the equipment available to you that the other mix had, and used the same tracking techniques right down to the same instruments, you will have little luck. I encourage clients at my studio to do this. At first they balk, but after some explanation from me, they usually give it a try. They almost always walk away liking their mix and realizing that it was the best mix for what the song is. They got a mix that fit their song, not a sorry attempt at copying their favorite band’s mix.

混音师在混音前对最终的混音效果有个大致的概念这是非常好的一件事，但是要彻底放弃模仿其他混音风格的想法和企图。除非你真的很幸运，能够使用到你喜欢的那首歌中所有相同的设备与乐器，而这一般来说是不现实的。之前我一直要求我的学生们这样去做，放弃向要模仿的意念，但是起初他们并不能接受，总是对我说他想要某段音乐中的某种音色的感觉，但在我的解释与他们的实践的共同作用下，他们最终还是照我说的去做了，抛开了模仿的思维，专注于特定的音乐与感觉。这样才能真正使混音师明白自己的想法，这很重要，甚至是最重要的一条因素。

Rule 3: Eat and sleep before you mix. Mixing is demanding work. It requires that you pay attention to many small details for extended periods of time. If you are tired and/or hungry, you will not perform as well. You will tend to drift off, and to say “screw it” to little things that may well need serious attention.

第三条

混音之前要吃饱，睡好。混音是一项工程量较大的任务，只有在拥有足够的精力和体力的前提下，才能将这个工作出色的完成。在混音的过程中，混音师要对声音的细节引起足够的重视，这就非常容易增加额外的工时。如果你在这个时候饿的头晕或者感觉到疲惫不堪，理所应当的结果就是会降低作品的质量。你会有种想脱离这个环境尽快回家的想法，也可能是在需要关注的细节上一掠而过。

Rule 4: Don’t mix the day after a live performance. It is a well known fact that exposure to SPLs (sound pressure levels) over 80 dB for more than 30 minutes can not only cause ear damage, but it can take the ear up to 3 days (depending upon your general health and age) to recover from the shock. At least wait a full day before trying to mix after you have exposed your ears to extended high SPLs.

alickjack

第四条

现场音乐会的第二天不要混音。
在生理声学中有一条著名的定律，正常的人在80dB声压级环境下暴露30分钟的结果是虽然不会损伤到人的耳朵，但是也需要至少三天的时间（取决于健康状况与年龄）使听力完全恢复正常。现场演唱会通常有着数值高、持续时间久的声压级环境，对于听力的影响是非常明显的，所以在完成演唱会的录制后，至少给自己安排一天的时间来休息，把生理与心理因素调整到最佳的状态，才能进入到混音的工作中。

Rule 5: Arrange to have at least 2 hours straight to work without any interruptions. Often, I will be spacing out on something I should do to the mix, and then the phone rings, or my significant other walks in, etc. My concentration is broken, and sometimes I can’t get the thought back. Also, when I get into the “zone” of mixing, interruptions can break the spell. Mixing is as much luck as it is skill really...Luck comes to those that give a dedicated effort to something without distractions to achieving the sought-after goals

第五条
为自己安排至少两个小时的工作免打扰时间。通常，我在混音之前都将其他的事物处理完毕，才得以开展工作。而即便是这样，每当电话响起或者有人从我的身边走过的时候，我的注意力就分散了，有的时候甚至我会丢掉所有的灵感。混音其实是运气与技术结合的产物，运气会降临到那些真正把自己沉浸到工作中的人，免受打扰而全神贯注地工作，直到出色的作品的诞生。

First Impressions 第一印象

It has been my experience that 90% of the coarse adjustments I make in a mix happen in the first 3 times through the song. After that it is small details that take up the other 9 hrs and 45 minutes!!! This is important to remember for a couple of different reasons:
我的经验是，几乎90%的粗略调节都是在音乐播放了三遍之内就完成了，而接下来的9小时45分钟全部都是精细调节的过程！因此，要牢记以下两点注意事项：
1. Ear fatigue a few hours into a mix will have you changing things that sounded good at the beginning, but are annoying you now.

第一，耳朵在几个小时的工作后会变得疲劳，这会致使你去修改之前可能已经完成的很出色的混音。

2. Preconceived ideas have a way of creeping in after awhile. There is something subconscious that makes you want to do things a certain way. I believe it is called neurosis…

第二，最初的设计和构想可能随着时间的推移而烟消云散。几个小时过后，你可能在潜意识中做出一些非常奇怪的举动和更改，并且我确信这种行为叫做神经官能症。

Battling against the above is the hell of mixing. But overcoming temptations to drastically change things in a mix after a few hours is a good step towards not messing it up. Your first impression of the mix is the best one you will have. Hopefully, you will hear all of the potential of the mix in the first pass. This is not a skill that comes easily. It will take a lot of practice to just know about how good you can make the mix sound.

如果能完全克服以上的两点遗憾，等于迈出了成功混音的一大步。混音师要战胜这种在连续工作后产生大幅度调节参数的冲动的诱惑，只有这样才能制止自己将一切之前的努力工作的成果全都毁掉。所以，你的最初的印象是最重要的，也将是你一直要恪守的准则和要坚持的目标，这个目标不可以因为时间的变化而发生改变。所以在最开始的三遍粗调的过程中，一定要及时发现音乐的整体性格和趋向，找出自己想要得到的特定效果的描述和直观感受，这个能力的获得不是容易的事，需要经过反复的练习，不过一个人如果只追求简单的事物将会是很无聊的事情，不是吗？

I talk to people on a BBS  often about the folly of trying to make a mix something that it is not. I think this is important, because so many people try to make their mixes do things that it never will do. Where the recording may be thin and quiet, they try to make it bold and loud, and vice-versa.
It is important to understand that tracks have a certain sound to them. If you are looking for natural sounding mixes that will hold up well on other playback systems, you will not be able to successfully alter any of the tracks very much. At best, you can accentuate their good qualities, and/or hide the bad ones. That is what mixing is really all about. It is not about making things sound totally different. If you want something in your mix to sound totally different, re-record it to sound the way you want it to sound.
In the next installment <eq_and_effects.html>, I will cover the areas of approaching the mix first without processing, then ideas about equalization, dynamic control, and effect processing. See you then.

还有非常重要的一点就是，每段音频都有它的本质属性。如果你追求的是那种在还原性很高的回放设备中发出的自然地、纯净的声音，那么大幅度地调节各音频轨的参数显然不是个好办法。这时你应该做的就是突出其动听的部分，削弱其难听的细节。这也就是混音的灵魂所在！！那么这样来说混音并不是将声音进行彻头彻尾的改变。如果你想从根本上改变声音，最好的办法是重新按照你喜欢的方式去再进行一次录音。
在下一章节当中，我们即将进入混音的第一步重大实战环节，均衡。之后我们将会拓展到动态的控制以及效果的处理中的学习。一会儿见！

alickjack

自己沙发，NND，累死我了...

alickjack

之前在想要不要只保留中文的部分，后来觉得懂英文的朋友可以参看英语原文体味更直接的表达，也就留了下来，可没想到这么多...同志们原谅啦！

qyjs

看了，其中不少确实是经验之谈，归纳得可以。

luwen

太好了！

谢谢楼主啊！

alickjack

回复 6# luwen


    都是应该做的嘛，为论坛做贡献！

alickjack

回复 5# qyjs


    谢谢版主加分，我继续努力吧

luwen

尽在不言中……

yigai

哪里有卖这本书呀，简直太好了。

alickjack

回复 10# yigai


    这是我在国外搞到的资料，还有很多，正在翻译呢

Tomas77

学习了，谢谢LZ.

yanhanqijp

这个应该是很高深的理论了吧 日后学吧 还是先看看基础的东西

konglingzhiyu

混了几年，还在不断摸索中~~~~~！！谢谢楼主分享这么好的资料~！！

ynbssm

楼主辛苦,学习了,谢!

yigai

中国为什么就没有类似的好的教材呢。

只会右手

楼主太帅了。。。翻译的刚刚的~！！谢谢分享~~顶下帖子~~

timoko

做个标记吧 :)

流星燚雨

"你会不由自主地想加大之前所录制的最后一轨的音量！"
"并且我确信这种行为叫做神经官能症。"......

虽然我就混过自已的几个作品,并且混音时间都不超过十几分钟,,,,但是,,全被言中了,,看来全人类确实是同源的,,,连错误都如此相似~~

对于这些神级的资料,我只想说
~好,很好,非常好``

songliang

辛苦了！