Ever wondered why your beats can't compete with commercial mixes? We show you how to nail them... without losing sight of the song.
Kick Original 
kickoriginal-0509.mp3 kickoriginal-0509.wav
The kick drum sample that Chris had used was too soft-sounding to cut through a mix like this, the sound's extreme low frequencies (around 50Hz) were compromising the punchiness of the song's rhythmic groove.
Kick Processed kickprocessed.mp3 kickprocessed.wav
In processing Chris's sample, I boosted the initial transient of each hit in the first instance, using Stillwell Audio's Transient Monster and Reaper's Jesusonic Transient Controller, and also reduced the level of the sustain. This fairly severe processing robbed a bit too much bass from the sound, so I compensated with a 5dB shelving boost at 60Hz with Stillwell Audio's Vibe EQ.
Kick Processed Plus Sample kickprocessedplussample.mp3 kickprocessedplussample.wav
Once the rest of the tracks began to be added into the mix, it became clear that the kick sound would not cut through in the midrange without some extra help. Boosting these frequencies in Chris's original drum sample wasn't creating a pleasant sound, so I opted instead layer in a truncated snare-drum sample over the top. Compare this file with KickProcessed to hear the difference this made.
Bass Original bassoriginal-0509.mp3 bassoriginal-0509.wav
Now that the processed kick drum was leaving more room at the low end of the mix, the lack of sub-bass frequencies in Chris's raw bass track were a problem. However, there was also very little midrange energy in the part either, which meant that it couldn't maintain its clarity in the mix against the drums and other instruments.
Bass Processed bassprocessed-0509.mp3 bassprocessed-0509.wav
The first task was to excavate any midrange information in the recording, and that was achieved by large midrange and high-frequency boosts from Smartelextronix Nyquist EQ followed by heavy treatment with Reaper's ReaXcomp multi-band compressor. As you can hear, the result pretty much sounds like I've added a new synth layer, but all this information was actually in the original file.
Bass Processed Plus Sub bassprocessedplussub.mp3 bassprocessedplussub.wav
To boost the sub-100Hz portion of the bass sound and also increase its rhythmic definition, I simply layered in a new supporting sub-bass synth underneath. This came from Reaper's simple built-in ReaSynth plug-in, passing through a low-pass filter running in ReaEQ.
Drums Mix With Para Comp drumsmixwithparacomp.mp3 drumsmixwithparacomp.wav
Here is the full drums mix as it appears in the remix. Parallel compression and saturation (from Stillwell Audio's The Rocket and Wurr Audio's Tube Booster) was used to achieve more of a pumping compression sound without compromising the attack of the kick drum and snare. Compare this with DrumsMixNoParaComp.
Drums Mix No Para Comp drumsmixnoparacomp.mp3 drumsmixnoparacomp.wav
To demonstrate the effect of the parallel compression and saturation processing in DrumsMixWithParaComp, I've bypassed the processing for this file. It's worth noting that the peak levels of these two files are almost identical.
Backing Mix With Ducker backingmixwithducker.mp3 backingmixwithducker.wav
Another technique I used to help the kick drum definition in the mix was ducking, whereby the levels of a variety of other tracks (mostly cymbal and synth parts) were reduced automatically during each kick hit. Compare this with BackingMixNoDucker.
Backing Mix No Ducker backingmixnoducker.mp3 backingmixnoducker.wav
This is the same section of the mix as in BackingMixWithDucker, but with the ducking effects bypassed. This resulting reduction in the kick-drum's clarity is small but nonetheless significant.
Background SFX Mix backgroundsfxmix.mp3 backgroundsfxmix.wav
Once all Chris's parts had been added to the mix, I felt that there was some more scope for arrangement variety, so layered in some extra special-effect sounds under a few sections of the song. Here is one such section of the final remix. Compare this with BackgroundSFXMuted.
Background SFX Solo backgroundsfxsolo.mp3 backgroundsfxsolo.wav
Here I've soloed out the added special-effects elements so that you can hear them in detail. The high lead line and rhythmic beds are from Heavyocity's great Evolve Kontakt Instrument, while the metal-stress noises are from Best Service's XFX film special-effects sample library.
Background SFX Muted backgroundsfxmuted.mp3 backgroundsfxmuted.wav
Here's the same section of the remix as in BackgroundSFXMix, but with the special-effects elements in BackgroundSFXSolo muted, so that you can evaluate how much difference they make to the mood of the track.
Full Mix No Deessing fullmixnodeessing.mp3 fullmixnodeessing.wav
This is a section from the final chorus section of my remix, without the vocal-triggered ducking I later set up on the hi-hat parts. Notice how the levels of vocal sibilance at some points, particularly towards the end of the file, are quite uneven, on account of their combination with the hi-hat parts.
Full Mix With Deessing fullmixwithdeessing.mp3 fullmixwithdeessing.wav
By triggering compressors on the hi-hat parts from the vocal sibilance frequencies, I was able to make the apparent levels of vocal sibilance more consistent without having to excessively de-ess the vocals themselves.
Original Mix originalmix-0509.mp3 originalmix-0509.wav
Chris's original mix of his song 'Celebrate', which he sent in for the Mix Rescue treatment.
Remix remix-0509.mp3 remix-0509.wav
My remix working from Chris's original multitrack files.