ABSTRACT
It is not often a new form of art is conceived; where or when the art of mixing was born is not easy to answer. Like many other new forms of creative expression that emerged in the twentieth century, mixing was tied to technology. It was the appearance of multitrack tape machine during the 1960s that signified the dawn of mixing as people know it today. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book was originally conceived to stand as a much-needed comprehensive source. A mix is a sonic portrait of the music. The same way different portraits of a person can each project a unique impression, different mixes can convey the essence of the music in extremely different ways. It would not make sense for wine tasters to sip boiling oil, just as it would not make sense for mixing engineers to stick sharp needles into their eardrums.
