The Art of Mixing

Through the use of unique 3D visual representations of sounds in a mix, The Art of Mixing, now in its fourth edition, provides an in-depth exploration into the aesthetics of what makes a great mix. The book’s distinctive approach explains how to map sounds to visuals, creating a visual framework which can be used to create and analyze any mix.

Once familiarized with the visual framework, readers are then guided on how to use this to explain traditions which have developed over time by great recording engineers for different styles of music and songs. As well as covering the use of studio equipment to create emotional dynamics in mixes, The Art of Mixing demonstrates how readers can build on this foundational knowledge of how engineers create great mixes to help develop their own values on what makes a good mix, unlocking their creative potential to create new mixing possibilities.

This updated edition features six brand new chapters covering how to use binaural beats for brainwave entrainment, sound healing and psychoacoustics, concert pitch and tuning systems, and looks at the future of mixing, including mixing in virtual reality and with artificial intelligence.

Author Biography

David Gibson has engineered and produced albums in a wide range of styles of music, including acoustic rock, jazz, rock, new age, heavy metal, rap, hip hop, and electronica. Gibson has been teaching, engineering, and producing groups in major 24-track studios since 1982 and was the founder and owner of California Recording Institute in San Francisco for 10 years. Before that, he taught recording at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz, California for 5 years. He has been using the concepts and visuals presented in this book in his classes since 1986. He is currently the Chief Administrator of Globe Institute of Recording and Production in San Francisco. Gibson is currently the number one seller of sound healing music, also used in hospitals across the United States, and he is the author of the best-selling book The Complete Guide to Sound Healing. Gibson is the inventor of the patented Virtual Mixer mixing plug-in and a virtual reality healing system where you can place sounds inside a 3D image of the body.