Can you achieve a full mix with few instruments?

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CYSYS8993
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16 Aug 2017

If possible, then I'd like to know how it's done. Again, I'm aware this is subjective.
Obviously mindlessly adding one instrument after another or overdoing reverb will backfire and only degrade the mix even more.
Last edited by CYSYS8993 on 17 Aug 2017, edited 1 time in total.

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EpiGenetik
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17 Aug 2017

The amount of successful bands which have consisted of bass, guitar, drums and vocals says yes, and with the right playing you can easily "fill the mix" with one or two instruments.

Distortion is a good way to fill the sound up, as are vocoders and filters etc. Modulators such as chorus' and phasers will add a lot to the sound, particularly if they have stereo width controls. Reverb can work but that isn't its purpose so it can be a bit odd for some styles.

It's dependent on what you are doing really, as to what the obvious choice for this would be.

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Noplan
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17 Aug 2017

The most important thing is the groove and that the Drums work with the bass in the mix. This is for me 70 % of a full minimalistic mix.

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Loque
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17 Aug 2017

There were some great hits with only guitar or piano and vocals...
Reason12, Win10

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Gorgon
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17 Aug 2017

Loque wrote:
17 Aug 2017
There were some great hits with only guitar or piano and vocals...
Yep, in that case you just let the guitar take up almost the whole frequency spectrum. :)

With a lot of instruments, it's more about what you CUT from certain instruments instead of what you ADD.
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ejanuska
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17 Aug 2017

Gorgon wrote:
17 Aug 2017

Yep, in that case you just let the guitar take up almost the whole frequency spectrum. :)
Well, yeah. That's why guitars have so many strings, to cover the whole spectrum.
Nobody want to hear the vocals anyhow. :lol:

Thousand Ways
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18 Aug 2017

Just listen to Martin Hannett's production of pretty much any Joy Division track.

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miscend
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18 Aug 2017

There are songs with just a voice and a guitar

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Ahornberg
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18 Aug 2017

miscend wrote:
18 Aug 2017
There are songs with just a voice and a guitar
... and there are songs with just the voice and nothing else!

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raymondh
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18 Aug 2017

miscend wrote:
18 Aug 2017
There are songs with just a voice and a guitar
Like this :D


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aeox
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18 Aug 2017

You can achieve a full mix with a single synth bass :D

jjkjjk
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18 Aug 2017

Don't underestimate underestimate the importance of chord voiceings here

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