Mixer Rob Kinelski (Billie Eilish): Finding the Groove of Your Mix

likes to start a mix early in the morning, the earlier the better

listen to the references, listen to the rough, catch the vibe, and get to it

on mix bus, Kramer Tape + L2 (that’s it, likes to keep it simple)

likes to set it up so the reference mix and my starting point are pretty close

go to the loudest part of the song, set up a loop, and mix that section first– then work backward from there

starts with drums, SSL channel strips, looking to make room for the vocals

checks how the song is feeling with ONLY drums and vox

adds another EQ to roll of lows in the vox because the compression would have started to reintroduce lows

uses Vocal Rider subtly, just 1.5db in range (-0.2 to 1.3), then using a few db in makeup gain on the plugin

likes the snare and vocal in the same place, but risks the snare getting in front of the vocal

found a synth sound that already sounded perfect, didn’t touch it

wide Qs on VCA EQs, wide boost on core frequencies but then turning down the track itself

master fader rides, i.e. louder in the choruses (make the choruses feel like choruses)

we’re trying to bring some life, clarity, energy, and finish getting the artist/producer where they’re going

Rob Kinelski - The Mix Has a Groove