Today we learnt about arranging and mixing instruments together and creating a cohesive balance of sound and rhythm. I learn it is all about how we create and combine the instrumental parts of songs to represent them properly (1). Although I have always known that singers are generally the loudest within a mix, as they are usually the main part (especially in pop music), I have never really given thought into how loud I play. Whenever I have done performances, there have always been people who adjust the sound of the mix so that everything is balanced. I am also used to playing in bands with a basic rhythm sections only (piano, guitar, bass and drums). As such, everyone is quite crucial and is balance fairly similarly to each other. However, in larger bands, more focus is required when putting together a mix, as it is easy for so many parts playing together to sound muddled and messy. As such, I have learnt it is important for parts to not overlap melodically and rhythmically too much, as well as how everything needs to be balanced sonically.
(1) Rotumah, Grayson. “Arranging Songs for Small Ensembles” Workshop presented at the course Song Writing and Performance 1A, Hartley Building, University of Adelaide, 16 May, 2022
Songwriting Journal 