Mixing for multiple mediums is difficult. What once was a straight forward process (project A is for theatrical release, project B is for TV, etc) has evolved over the years to become much more complicated. Every film, though it may start out in theaters, will undoubtedly also be consumed on an iPhone.
I for one think we need to stop panning materials like it’s all going to a giant screen. I try to live life by the “everything in moderation” mantra and I think it serves us well to approach mixing for multiple mediums in this way.
Do you remember watching TV or listening to the radio and it drove you crazy that the audio levels were extremely different whenever something different came on or if you changed the channel? We no longer have this issue. Here is why!
Creating an exciting sound mix for television can be a HUGE challenge. Way back in 2020, I explained the basic structure of my mixing process, but there is a lot more to mixing than just following a list of steps. I also like to consider goals or objectives I want to achieve during the process. These vary from project to project, but here are three mixing objectives I often keep in mind while I work through each mix.
