Removing the mask in multitrack music mixing

Abstract

The sound recording heard via stereo loudspeakers and headphones is made up of many dozens—sometimes more than 100—discrete tracks of musical elements. Multiple individual performances across a variety of instruments are fused into the final, two-channel recording—left and right—that is released to consumers. Achieving sonic success in this many-into-two challenge requires strategic, creative release from masking. Part of the artistry of multitrack mixing includes finding innovative signal processing approaches that enable the full arrangement and the associated interaction among the multitrack components of the music to be heard and enjoyed. Masking among tracks clutters and obscures the music. But audio engineers are not afraid. They want you hear what’s behind the mask. Hear how. Happy Halloween.