That way, the delay or reverb will process more or less of certain tracks. In addition to levels, we can also provide contrasting depth-inducing effects such as delay and reverb (which we'll get to shortly).įor starters, we can send varying levels from each track to a common delay or reverb effects return channel. However, I felt it necessary to add that important note before we get to our depth-creating strategies.Īs we'll discuss, getting a strong sense of depth in the mix is made possible with time-based/spatial effects (delay and reverb) and by altering levels, high-end frequency content, and transients. Fortunately, the time-based effect we use to mimic spatial acoustics in the mix provides such contrast by default (against the dry signal being processed by such effects). We can't have anything sound close if nothing else sounds far, and vice versa. I should harp on the fact that perceived depth, like all dimensions, requires contrast. When mixing, we should keep this real-world dimensionality in mind in order to produce realistic and sonically-pleasing results. In the real world, we can approximate the distance between our location and the location of the sound source intuitively. The depth of the mix as a whole is largely dependent on the variety of depths between different sound sources (and effects) and notably between the closest perceived element and the furthest perceived element. In this article, we'll discuss the depth dimension in greater detail and consider a few strategies for enhancing this dimension in our mixes.ĭepth refers to the perceived distance between the listener and the sound source (track) in a mix.

The sense of depth can be enhanced in the following ways: The mix, as a whole, has a depth dimension dependent on the differences between the furthest and closest elements and the density of elements between such perceived points. What is depth in a mix, and how do I increase it? Depth refers to the perceived distance between the listener and a sound source (track) of a mix. Even in mono mixes, which by definition have no width, the dimension of depth is key, and even more so because of the lack of width. Depth is one of the most important dimensions to get right in the mix. Creating a sense of dimensionality is critical when mixing.

Does soundsource have delay