A lot of work goes into remixing a track, and there are so many "special tricks" that it would be impossible to cover everything in a single web page. The steps below are merely an outline of the remixing process. The special tricks are things that you will develop over time, mostly on your own, as your remixing style emerges. You can also read my interviews with some of the hottest remixers in the world (Sept. and Nov. 2002, Remix, and December 2002 Mix) to jump start your own arsenal of remixing tricks.

Hawk's 10-Step Remixing Guide
The example track, The Bomb, is from the artist named, Sakai (Family Tree Productions, San Francisco, CA). My remixing partner on this project was the very talented composer/rapper, Seganti. Our objective was to take Sakai’s pop/R&B song and turn it into a Euro trance track. This remix was done mostly in Digidesign's Pro Tools TDM, though some parts were also composed in Emagic's Logic Audio Platinum and Steinberg's Cubase VST32.

STEP 1: Listen to the original song.

Audio Examples	Lo Fi Play	Hi Fi Play
The originally released album version.	[real audio]	[mp3]

STEP 2: Get a hold of an a capella vocal recording of the song you want to remix, or an actual mult-track audio session (for example, WAV files on a CDR) from the record label.

Audio Examples	Lo Fi Play	Hi Fi Play
The a capella track.	[real audio]	[mp3]

STEP 3: Import the a capella track into your digital audio sequencer. Determine its tempo by laying down a basic beat and adjusting the digital audio sequencer's master tempo control until the tempo lines up with the vocals (you may also need to nudge the vocals around to make sure that they line up on a down beat). To check that your tempo is correct, listen to the very end of the vocals to hear if there is any drift happening against the beat.

Audio Examples	Lo Fi Play	Hi Fi Play
The vocals lined up to a basic beat.	[real audio]	[mp3]
Screen Shots	Lo Res	Hi Res
Tempo mapping in Pro Tools.	[jpeg]	[jpeg]

STEP 4: Based on the vocal's tempo, decide on a new tempo for your remix. Using a good time compression/expansion algorithm, you can usually get away with a maximum of a 15 to 20 BPM change. Other methods, such as ReCycle (by Propellerheads) and individual syllable editing can also be employed to achieve more radical tempo shifts, and even rhythmic changes.

Audio Examples	Lo Fi Play	Hi Fi Play
The vocals time compressed to a new tempo.	[real audio]	[mp3]
Screen Shots	Lo Res	Hi Res
The Pro Tools session at the new tempo.	[jpeg]	[jpeg]

STEP 5: Write a beat at the new tempo that fits with the vocals.

Audio Examples	Lo Fi Play	Hi Fi Play
The new beat with the vocals.	[real audio]	[mp3]
Screen Shots	Lo Res	Hi Res
The Pro Tools session showing the new beat.	[jpeg]	[jpeg]

STEP 6: If you have the original multi-track session, check to see if there are any parts you want to include in your remix. Adding a sound that is a recognizable part of the original song can sometimes bring a sense of familiarity to your remix.

STEP 7: Write the music. I usually work in 8 to 16 bar loops, building up a thick layer of parts under the vocals. After I have written a bunch of different parts, I then arrange the song, starting off sparse and slowly building up the tracks and adding fills and transitions as I go.

Screen Shots	Lo Res	Hi Res
The arrangement as it appears in Pro Tools.	[jpeg]	[jpeg]

STEP 8: Because remixing is so sound design dependent, it's a good idea to mix your track as you work, making sure that all of your sounds gel as you write the parts.

Screen Shots	Lo Res	Hi Res
The mix as it appears in Pro Tools.	[jpeg]	[jpeg]

STEP 9: Mix your track down to a stereo-interleaved audio file using your digital audio sequencer's "bounce to disk" feature. Burn it to CDR and listen to your mix on lots of different sound systems in oder to hear if there are any changes that need to be made.

Audio Examples	Lo Fi Play	Hi Fi Play
The unmastered mix down.	[real audio]	[mp3]

STEP 10: Chances are that you will need to master your final mix to make it louder or fix specific frequencies that may be to loud or too soft. Some mastering tools that I reccomend are: Waves L1 or L2, IK Multimedia T-Racks, and TC Works MasterX.

Audio Examples	Lo Fi Play	Hi Fi Play
The Bomb (Phenomenal Remix) mastered with Waves L2.	[real audio]	[mp3]

CREDITS

The Bomb (Phenomenal Remix) was produced and performed by Seganti & Hawk.

The Bomb is an original composition by Sakai and Kevin Smith for Family Tree Productions and appears on Sakai's debut album, It Ain't no Miracle.

"Hawk's 10-Step Remixing Guide" is by Erik Hawkins.

All material copyright, unauthorized duplication is punishable by law.

MORE REMIXES COMING SOON!

Other Remixes by Hawk	Lo Fi Play	Hi Fi Play
Charming Gun (Something to Believe In Remix), Artemis	[real audio]	[mp3]
Charming Gun (Downtempo Remix), Artemis	[real audio]	[mp3]
Tripping Daisey (Sweet Trip Remix), Lygia Ferra	[real audio]	[mp3]
I'll Do Anything (All for You Remix), Lygia Ferra	[real audio]	[mp3]