St. Vincent – The Nowhere Inn

This song leans more towards an unusual side of music tones and formats, but delivers a curious experience through its composition of negative space at 1:34. The eerie silence in the middle, left the illusion of a restricted tension to be felt. After the instrumental break, the song returned to its dimmed version of chorus, which brought about a satisfying end.

WILLOW – naïve

This is a newer alternative piece released by Willow Smith, and it covers many deep and impressive concepts. The usage of dynamics is clearly shown throughout the song, as the high vocals expand in the main lyrics along with instrumental pieces. I found the message of the song very beautiful as well since it related to real emotion behind a young woman’s perspective.

Rodriguez – Forget It

The panning makes for a distinct experience in the left and right ear. Not necessarily a composition technique but more so a mixing technique that I found fun and gave the track a unique flavour.

Mixing basics

https://ledgernote.com/columns/mixing-mastering/fundamental-audio-mixing-tips-techniques/

This goes over what we have already learned but has clear simple directions, it goes in-depth and has some useful tips and tricks. It’s meant for beginner mixers.

“The fundamental audio mixing techniques to be dealt with in order are:

  1. Volume
  2. Panning
  3. Frequency
  4. Imaging
  5. Dynamics
  6. Effects”

Pro-Tip: Don’t focus on what to add when EQing. Always cut instead of boosting, focusing on what to remove. When boosting, it’s common to push tracks too hot or uncover unwanted sonic footprints. Cut and compensate with volume if needed.”