Using Automation Is The Secret to Better Mixes - with Joe Carrell

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TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
01:33 - The Song
05:20 - Working with The Intro
08:15 - Guitar Automation
09:12 - Chorus Transition
09:29 - Banjo
09:50 - Bells
11:10 - Drum Bus
11:55 - Movement GOOD - Static Bad
15:47 - Transition into the bridge
16:20 - Bass intensity
17:28 - Vibrophone’s purpose revealed
17:50 - The Emotional Moment of the song
18:35 - Electric guitar
19:20 - A huge moment
20:38 - Bass Lick
21:45 - Ending
21:43 - Pads Fade
23:30 - Stereo Bus Automation
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[@Producelikeapro]

Do you have any automation tips? Please share below!

[@toddgreenwood9631]

Automation tips. Hmmmmm. If I take the time to get in and automate the dynamics of a singer it usually pays off pretty well. A year ago I had a singer come in and though he had a nice voice and pretty good pitch we phrased in the whole song and got a series of good phrases. But the dynamics were all over the place with some great huge peaks and such. I went in and manually adjusted all his phrases til they were kind of even then went to work on the Ps, Ts, and eeeeeSSSssss. This took a while but was quite satisfying. Since then, I do this to every lead vocal track before adding any effects, eqing or compression. 'Automation'? Doesn't feel very automatic when taking an hour to get in there with a mouse on someones vocal and drawing in all the changes but it really works good. Most recently we did a practice video for a song we wrote were we wear make up and I wanted to work on lighting/sound/positioning and stuff. I used a compressor on the single mic that would pick up all the sound which included, dialogue, a bic lighter, two vocalists, guitar and bicycle bell. The compressor worked great for the guitar and vocals but with the attack being slow, the click of the lighter or the 'ding' of the bicycle bell would give a huge peak and would redline if the track was set at adequate volume. So again, I found that going in and adjusting those peaks manually worked way nicer than sticking a limiter on the track or pissing around with another compressor and trying to get it to grab those peaks while worrying about 'squash'. Other than that, I do pitch correction, never 'auto' tuning but just adjusting where it's needed like taming unruly vibrato or long notes that tale up or down. Oh, and drawing in fades so one doesn't get the sound of a room suddenly appearing. BTW if anyone wanted to give me feedback on this 'one track' audio I'd greatly appreciate it. The mic was far enough away that I thought it sounded fine and didn't even bother with eq. But one can hear clearly where I went in and dragged the peak of the bicycle bell and bic lighter way down. An extreme adjustment but I didn't feel it hurt the presentation. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qIWcY39qaNtmhK8 feedback to [e-mail]

[@RONNYMORRISMUSIC]

I simply go by ear. To many rules closes the ears. Different people different rules, but allow myself to go through each song by listening first. The automation process should be done in my book through knowing the song, each instruments and their part of the song. To many times I see people being to afraid of touching the fader.

[@rome8180]

I automate everything. I'm surprised at how often I talk to talented friends -- people far better at music than I am -- and I mention automation, and they look at me like I'm speaking a foreign language. I think it just doesn't occur to many people that they need to do it, if they've even heard of it in the first place. Or maybe they find it too tedious? But I personally love it. Macro-automation is probably the most fun way to automate: I'm talking about automating an entire vocal bus so it swells on a key harmony; or automating the reverb so it increases in the chorus. But I also love micro-automation. Even after I compress the everliving hell out of a bass guitar, I will go in and automate every single note so that it sounds as even as possible. I don't find it tedious at all. I find it immensely satisfying. It's way less ambiguous than certain other elements of mixing, and it offers instant gratification.

[@rome8180]

I will say that I can never imagine automating using a fader in real time though. It seems way too random to me. I'd much rather listen through, decide which notes or measures I want adjusted and bring those up/down. Same thing with any other effect. I get using the fader to make the changes. But I really don't get the purpose of doing it in realtime during playback. It seems so much better to just write it in.

[@RONNYMORRISMUSIC]

Spot on.

[@leefchapman]

So good to see Joe come on the channel and I like how he continues lessons based on previously received comments. GOLD as always.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks, Lee!

[@Nikkie_jurnigan]

@@Producelikeapro can we have muiltrack

[@FelipeGruberTV]

Joe Carrell is the man!! ✨

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you brother!

[@Producelikeapro]

He is!

[@soundmanlab659]

that snare

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes, amazing!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching Sanmeet

[@chris_share]

"Before I was mad" - lol!

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha there was no 'before' for me! Ha - Warren

[@Producelikeapro]

Just 'always' ha

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Some days are just harder than others 😂

[@JuanNungaray]

The key to a great mix is in the tracking stage, that’s the real secret.

[@ernestbuckley8671]

Good tutorial here. I work sort of in the same fashion. 1) I build my mixes around the drums and bass... get them grooving, 2) then bring in the guitars and other harmonic elements. I use a Mackie MCU and automate all the tracks by hand. This way everything is constantly moving and shifting around like a live band. The movements are subtle... think 1-2dbs max. 3) I bring the lead vocals in last. Once I have the track where I like it energetically speaking, I will lower the mix to where I can barely hear it and listen over phones. I want to make sure I can hear the kick, snare, bass and lead vocals from start to finish. If that is sitting right, I will automate the master buss if need be... lower volume on the verses and then push it up a dB on the chorus. Little things like this really make the mix come alive.

[@LarryElectronica]

I do this exact process also, but wondered if it were the best way of mixing a recording. Do you start with a general fader mix before applying plug-ins, to get an idea of your 'big picture'? Or do you start with processing the drums and bass, and mix from there? Automating the master bus for verse-chorus dynamics is a terrific idea, thank you!

[@ernestbuckley8671]

@@LarryElectronica I keep the master fader at 0 while I’m mixing. I’ll add gentle compression and some minor EQ to the master buss when I’m done with the overall mix. If I need more excitement on the chorus, I’ll lower the master fader by a dB in the verse and push it back up to 0 on the chorus. (I don’t do this much because to me, excitement in a song is more about arrangement.)

[@ibboylife]

I'm so glad I found this video, seeing the automation process in action is amazing

[@xx3viljxx746]

The Whimsey goes straight to 11! Thank you for all the great info PLAP!

[@rickdeaguiar-musicreflecti7692]

So awesome to see Joe Carrell as a part of PLAP. Love his style. Love his approach. Wow!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Rick!

[@toilettunes1]

pulling back the vocal to focus on the automation was a great idea cant wait to try it ...thx guys

[@dragonwarden3285]

Pure artistry on display here... *Chef's kiss* 🤌

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you sir. Best wishes!

[@Producelikeapro]

Absolutely! Well said - Warren

[@Producelikeapro]

You Rock Joe!

[@pablovazquez8386]

I love Joe and his methodology.and his mixes always impressed me!!!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Pablo!

[@aaronleung8809]

best automation tutorial ever thank you so much

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Aaron! Joe Rules!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching Aaron!

[@danepaulstewart8464]

Wow, what a great song! And VIBES! Yes! I gotta go to the orchestra supply shop and get me some VIBES! I haven’t played them in years! 😍😍

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching!

[@johnsnyder4949]

i love the way joe presents his info. it makes me feel like hey i can do this. and it sort of blends in to something david gnozzi said that has stuck with me. i can teach u technique but i cant teach u taste. ive gotten a lot from the 2 vids where joe has talked about his automation technique. so thank you joe for the time and thank you warren and plap for puttin it out.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Awesome! Thank you for sharing John.

[@johnsnyder4949]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell its not about the gear or plugins or whatever its really about how your putting a song together and its really pushing me to be more creative and look and hear whats goiong on...not the individual; sounds but how they go together....its really made a difference tyo how i appraoch a mix, song writing as well. as always thanks for the content

[@phil-wallace-braveheartz]

Love your style Joe, you're such a good communicator, informative, engaging and humorous too. Thanks for this!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Phil!

[@MrJinusean90]

This Song sounds great 👍. Automation is there where mixing begin.

[@dale116dot7]

I really miss having automation, the system on my console got to be so unreliable that I had to take it off, wouldn’t even get through a song without a bunch of channels going open. It was a VCA system and used to record the automation data to tape, most of the aftermarket automation companies seem to have disappeared so finding a replacement has been tough, I’m running a two inch 24 and a one inch 8 (no DAW). I might need to build a VCA system from scratch. The thing I really liked about having automation was being able to do a ‘virtual cleaning’ of the tracks without risk of accidentally erasing something I wanted to keep (no undo on tape). There was a trick to doing this on tape, that was to record the automation data on the second machine with an offset put in the synchronizer, then you could mute and unmute ‘on the fly’ first, and just slide the mute data a bit earlier and build the rest of the mix from there. It’s a bit of an obsolete trick if you’re in a DAW though. Another thing I liked the automation for is trying different solo arrangements and emphasis, even using the automated faders to give a bit of an emphasis to a back-and-forth conversation between two instruments trading off parts. With two or three people you can do it by hand but it takes several passes to get it right.

[@alexeysmirnovguitar]

Yeah, that's what real mixing is all about. As Michael Brauer said in one of the Q&As: If you want movement in your mix - MOVE FADERS!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

🎉🎉 thanks for watching!

[@Producelikeapro]

So true

[@melissabell585]

One thing I love to do is go in and do short rides on the first notes of guitar parts when they come in, to make sure there's a lift and a landing that's satisfying, especially if I'm compressing the part. If the guitar player has great dynamic feel I don't always need to, but even when they do it's a great way to get that larger-than-life feeling!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks for the great comment Melissa!

[@pascalmerschaudio]

warren where can i find more mixing videos with Joe i loves he´s sounds and the way he explain, what a great Mixing engineer

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Pasquale. I have several online for various manufacturers, but I am going to start providing PLAP regular tutorial content. And looking forward to it! Thanks again

[@BlackwoodPro33]

Superb tutorial, clear and concise. I liked his method of lowering levels slightly to lead the listener to really feel the emotion/impact of the following section(s).

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching!

[@Joey-rp5vg]

It's incredible how much you can gain from such subtle movement. Absolutely brilliant to watch. Thanks very much

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you For watching Joey!

[@Producelikeapro]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@TomCawoski]

Wow Joe @InTheMixJoeCarrell, that was great. I believe automation can really be the key to a great mix. You brought up all those little nuances and detail that really add to the overall sound of the song. That really kicks things up to a higher level!!! It seams that too many engineers are still playing the loudness war and they loose all that extra goodness. Perhaps, in a future video, you could address this. Great video!!! Thanks!!!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching Tom!

[@themotownboy1]

Great video Joe, I like the attention to detail and that you value and recognize the emotion elements in a song. I listened to "Lifetime" on Spotify and the final mix sounds great! The other songs on her EP are also great. Thanks for your insights!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks for the wonderful comments!

[@Producelikeapro]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell You Rock!

[@rivinduwanniachchi1126]

Drums sound so good! The mix is quite amazing!

[@Producelikeapro]

Glad you like it!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching!

[@austinbridge]

Thanks for taking the time to do this walkthrough, Joe.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching Austin 👊🏼👊🏼

[@Producelikeapro]

More to come from, Joe!

[@Producelikeapro]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell You Rock!

[@SeanHinds]

Thanks!! This was great. Perfect timing as well I'm working on a mix that I feel is maybe 90% there. This is the secret sauce I need for the last 10%

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Best wishes Sean🎉

[@fiddlefolk]

Great advice Joe! I can't wait to try this!

[@mannysmiclocker]

Joe is the coolest Cat around!

[@Producelikeapro]

Agreed 100%!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Back at ya Manny!! Look forward to meeting you in April 🎉

[@williamtell1477]

Really love Joe's videos here on PLAP, especially getting into the musicality of it here. This was a fantastic watch.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks William! Yes, Joe rocks! We love having him here on the channel!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you William!

[@jeremysecrest4659]

Really helpful, thanks!

[@1shannonleggette]

Love this song.

[@EmmanuelGracianTV]

Awesome tutorial!!!! Thank you!!!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching Emmanuel!

[@Producelikeapro]

Glad it was helpful!

[@davidallenhammond2777]

Wonderful work, thanks so much Joe!!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks David!!

[@geegoboyrecords1975]

Best automation video ever 💯🔥🙏🏽🎶🔊❤️👌🏽

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching!

[@Producelikeapro]

YES! Great video!

[@DynamicRockers]

Really nice automation tutorial, movement is the way to go! thanks

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks! Joe Rocks!

[@KirtanFi]

Awesome thank you 🙏🏽💛

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much!

[@poxleno]

Joe ROCKS!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Kevin!

[@ianmcgranaghan9888]

I try to ride almost everything I can. I’ll draw in automation for reverbs and delays but not really for instruments and buses. Faders are a must for me and if you want to learn a lot about riding fader automation watch Michael Brauer Videos. Great video PLAP and Joe !

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching Ian!

[@millermusicnsound]

Wow this was just unbelievably great!! The attention to detail is phenomenal and what a difference it makes. I always notice all the little things going on when I listen so it’s great to understand now the process that’s gone into that. Phenomenal video 🔥

[@Producelikeapro]

Thank you so much 😀

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Linzi!

[@_patrikjay_]

You’re a great teacher Joe, thanks for some more Fresh Tipz!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Patrik!

[@Producelikeapro]

Joe Rocks Patrik!

[@bwall615]

Great video Joe! Love your tips. Good to see some Nashville on Produce Like a Pro.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Brett!

[@Producelikeapro]

More Nashville, and Joe, to come!

[@danielfmyers]

I mostly mix live for video broadcast. But sometimes I remix something and replace the original video audio for a single song clip, which may include edits and automation.

[@PurpleMusicProductions]

Wow this was FANTASTIC!!!! This was extremely helpful and inspirational. You sir have a great way of making the obscure very apparent and accessible. Please make more videos!

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes! We LOVE Joe! He's the man!

[@trevornokesmusicltd5357]

Excellent Advice Joe, Many thanks for sharing.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching Trevor!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Trevor!

[@antcall6779]

Yessssss!!!!! I've been waiting for more Joe🤘😁🤘 thanks Warren! You and the crew keep making this channel better and better

[@Producelikeapro]

More to come!

[@antcall6779]

Can’t wait! This is what people need to know what makes the world class mixers do that other people don’t it’s the ability to make the song feel alive with movement and emotion. It’s not the plug-ins or the gear its Joe’s experience and knowledge to make the most of the song to keep people listening.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching!!

[@antcall6779]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell we need a studio tour of your mix room. You still at treasure Isle?

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

@@antcall6779 I’m still doing some tracking there, but the mix room you see here is actually attached to my home. Warren and I have talked about doing something like that so that may be in the near future. 🎉

[@amauriamat]

Thanks for your generosity in sharing your knowledge on this channel. Hopefully, the world will sound better. It’s hard to understate how important the tactile interface is in the creative process. I’ve found that faders are kind of like handwriting and the mouse is like typing. Both have their place but I’ve found a more solid emotional connection with faders/controllers initially.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you for watching!

[@shestudiossheila7423]

Joe you're awesome, and your knowledge is impeccable!!!🤟🤟🤟

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Sheila!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thank you so much, Sheila!

[@GregoryStephenSchumacher]

Man, I loved this video. Golden nuggets.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Greg! I really appreciate it!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Greg!

[@Producelikeapro]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell You Rock!

[@phlaviathan]

Great video as always! Automation is certainly quite overlooked as a fundamental part of enhancing a song's feeling. However In my own experience I think for percussive elements like the bells it is faster and more practical to use the clip gain instead of fader automation (of course keeping in mind that clip gain alters the input volume into the inserts). But hey everyone has their approach, Joe really knows to read the song for sure!

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching Federico! I definitely use clip gain as part of my process for sure. On that though, there were so many notes close together it was quicker just to “get my hands on it” so to speak. Best wishes! 🎉🎉

[@kadiummusic]

Very useful. 😎

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Great to hear! Thank you for watching

[@nigollllll]

Thanks Mr Carrell.Great video.Also your mixing course.Learned a lot.(Side note) Im about to have back surgery.I hope my surgeon puts as much attention to detail as you do into your mixes.Keep the videos coming

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Haha. Thanks for watching Tom. Prayers and best wishes for your surgery!

[@Producelikeapro]

More to come from Joe! Thanks so much for watching

[@whome806]

Presonus fader port works good for automation like this

[@shestudiossheila7423]

I agree and have two Faderport 8's. One for mixing, the other for automation. i sometimes use the second one for Adobe Premiere Pro Projects too.😊

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks for sharing Whome?

[@Producelikeapro]

You Rock Sheila!

[@jjtweed-music]

This is an excellent tutorial.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks so much for watching, Steve

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thank you Steve!

[@Producelikeapro]

@@InTheMixJoeCarrell Thanks!

[@primroseproductionsmusic]

Great video, but what controller is he using?

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

That’s the new SSL UF8 and UC1

[@MusicOfDreamweaver]

Another great one from Joe. I was wondering if you got some tips on how to create a nice bassdrum sound. I'm used to the clicky metal thing so when I try to do something more pedestrian, the bassdrum sounds like a drunk man trying to punch out the walls in a cardboard box.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Haha. Thanks for watching! I wonder if it’s just a matter of time to get your ears used to hearing the bass drum without all the pronounced attack. At one time, coming out of rock, it was a struggle for me to do the same thing. It wasn’t that my kick drum sounded bad in reality..It just sounded wrong to me 😂😂 took some time though. Do you think that could be it?

[@PooNinja]

Lil nuggets 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes, indeed! Joe Rocks!

[@splashesin8]

😊

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Audrey! You Rock

[@levindsutanto7332]

❤👍

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks for watching, Levind!

[@AndyA1234]

She sounds like Alison Goldfrapp. Compare her voice with Goldfrapp in the song A&E.

[@InTheMixJoeCarrell]

Thanks for watching! Is that comparison good? 😂