The Challenge: Remix albums provide a very special set of intricacies, as there are commonalities to all the album content – namely the source material – but usually widely different interpretations thereof. In some ways, it’s even trickier than a compilation, as the level of consistency is required to be higher.
The Solution: Very careful adjustment of loudness and equalization was required, along with judicious use of harmonic coloration to balance the overall density and sound of 14 different remixes of 5 tracks. The harmonic coloration (“warmingâ€) helped give some of the more digital-sounding tracks a more console-ish sound, to help match those other tracks which had in fact been recorded on higher-end hardware. A multiple-pass on Equalization allowed each track to first sound more in line with the other tracks, as a sort of “baseline†EQ curve, which could then be adjusted to the needs of the individual track. Maintaining consistency was the key.
