One can, of course, only speculate as to the exact reasoning behind leaving this take section on the cutting‑room floor, I could easily imagine that it was done in order to keep the first verses more intimate and vocal‑driven, while allowing the arrangement more leeway to build up into the first chorus - and, indeed, throughout the whole song. Take, for example, the Mandolin part here, which in the article's Pro Tools screenshot clearly contains audio even before the start of the acoustic guitar part (which actually begins the song in its released form), but that audio has been muted. This is something that I do in Mix Rescue projects all the time, but a lot of SOS readers fight shy of ditching recorded parts for the greater good of the production as a whole. Whether you agree with my assessment or not, I think this outcome of Shipley's mixing method is an important one for any aspiring mix engineer to consider carefully, if only to form a clear personal opinion as to where the point of diminishing returns lies when automating any given mix.Īnother thing to pull out of the 'Inside Track' feature is the arrangement decisions that appear to have been taken by muting some of the audio regions.

However, what I would say is that such in‑depth vocal micro‑management does seem to bring with it a characteristic sound of its own, and one which I'm not sure would suit every project - it's so tightly controlled that it almost feels to me a bit claustrophobic, for want of a better word. For that reason alone, this record is worth a listen, simply because it illustrates the extremes to which vocal balancing can be taken in pursuit of achieving consistency of level and tone across an entire song. In particular, it was great to have more insight into his reliance on enormously detailed automation of levels, compression and EQ to get lead vocals almost impossibly solid in the mix - something I've long associated with those big Shania Twain records, but which is amply showcased here too. I was fascinated to read the interview with Mike Shipley in SOS July 2011, as I've been following his mixing pretty closely over the years. Published October 2011 Alison Krauss & Union Station

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