ABSTRACT
This chapter’s purpose is to evaluate concepts of mixing that have been advanced through practice and writing on the subject, focusing on two aspects in particular. The first relates to the sound mixer’s1 conception of their role, entailing ideas about their position within the production process and their relationship to other individuals. The second is concerned with what sound mixers consider that they are doing with the recorded material when mixing takes place. In particular, I wish to draw attention to the rhetorical function of mixing, in other words, the role it plays in presenting its (musical) subject matter convincingly and persuasively to an imagined audience.2 Sound mixers, in effect, speak on behalf of the artist, and in doing so take on a certain amount of responsibility for the realization of the artistic vision. In practice, this entails a degree of mediation, often involving mixing in reference to established ‘codes’ of record production (in rhetorical terms, stylistic figures which ornament musical discourse), as well as finding effective ways to articulate the material to maximize its impact. The notion of mixer idiolect, which refers to situations in which this mediation begins to incorporate aspects of the sound mixer’s own rhetorical style, highlights an interesting question regarding the scope of the sound mixer’s creative contribution to the mix and the role this potentially plays in determining the music’s message.3 Aside from these specific lines of inquiry, my general aim is to provide a useful frame of reference for interpreting the stated objectives of those who mix and the ideologies that inform their practice.
