Mixing (a demo song)
Let’s load up one of the included demo songs that come with Songzap, so we can learn about mixing and experiment with Songzap’s mixer functions!
Tap on the Song Library button near the top-right of Songzap’s Home Screen and select ‘Ready To Go (Demo Song)’ – by FET 47 – from the list (you can sort the list alphabetically or by date). Next, tap on MIX in the Home Screen, which will take you to Songzap’s MIXER page. Press Play and enjoy listening to the song while you explore the Mixer’s functions.
Tracks 1-4 in the top half of the MIXER page correspond to the band’s recordings as the members captured them using Songzap’s TRACKING page (1: vocal, 2: electric guitar, 3: acoustic piano, 4: electric/synth bass). Tap on a Track label to solo the track and listen to each recording in isolation as the song plays. Tap again on a label to un-solo the track!
The four tracks at the bottom half of the MIXER page correspond to the drum sounds (Kick, Snare and Cymbals) programmed by the band members using Songzap’s GROOVE page, as well as the Master fader controlling the level of the whole song. You can tap on the KICK, SNARE or CYMBALS labels to solo and un-solo each drum sound individually. And don’t forget: you can always skip to the next or previous section (or go to the start) of the song while mixing!
Now have some fun exploring the MIXER’s functions. The blue faders let you control the volume of each recording or drum sound. Move them up or down to make each element louder or quieter against each other. This is how you balance the tracks in your mix!
The purple control dots let you pan each element to the left or right side of your mix! Experiment by keeping – say – the Vocal, Bass, Kick and Snare near the middle, but placing the Guitar toward the left side of your headphones, and the Piano and Cymbals toward the right.
The green control dots let you add reverb to each element in your mix, making recordings feel spacious, polished or lush! Move them toward the right for increased amounts of epic-ness, or keep to the left for a ‘tighter’ sound. There are no rules, but you can get away with more reverb on elements like vocals and snare drums for example, and less on kick drums and bass – depending on the genre.
[All these functions are available with the free version of Songzap, but you can upgrade to Songzap Premium within the app to unlock the Advanced Mixer, giving you access to additional EQ (equalisation) and Compression controls.]
Well done! You’ve learned the basics of mixing. You can now Export your mix to play on other devices or share with friends.
