In the world of music production, there are a whole host of terms and phrases that also apply to more casual music listeners. Remix, mashup and edit are just some examples, but what do they actually mean?
In this article, we’re going to define each of these terms, distinguishing what sets them apart from one another. We’re also going to discuss the tools and resources you’ll need to create your own remixes, mashups or edits of your favourite tunes.
What Is a Remix?
As the most common term we’re looking at today, it’s only right that we start by exploring what a remix is. A remix is a remake of a song that uses several of the original elements, and repurposes or recontextualises them into an entirely new composition. In some cases, the remix will be almost unrecognisable, with only a few of the original elements present. More subtle remixes may use many of the original elements in a similar context, for example, the lead vocal or drum beat may be unchanged.
Baauer’s remix of Disclosure - You and Me is an example of a remix that is so far removed from the original that it is almost unrecognisable. It sounds as though the vocals are one of the only elements that made it into the remixed version, which is a whole 23bpm faster than the original.
Historically, the use of the term ‘remix’ usually signified that the remake was officially commissioned by the original artist or record label. This is because in order to create the remix, producers needed access to the individual parts of a song such as the vocals, drums and instruments.
Today, tools like LALAL.AI make it easier than ever to isolate and separate each part of a song. Now, you can make your own unofficial remixes without getting the stems from the artist or label.
How to Make a Remix Using LALAL.AI
Now that we’ve defined the term remix, it’s time to make our own remix of Ego Death by TY Dolla $ign. In its original form, Ego Death is predominantly a blend of of Hip Hop and RnB. We’re going to remix it into a fully-fledged, club-ready dance tune. As this is an unofficial remix, we’re going to use LALAL.AI to extract the parts of the track that we want to use, namely the vocal.
First, choose how you want to separate the stems and then select the original track from your files. LALAL.AI will then generate previews of the extracted stems so that you can audition the end result and check you’re happy.
You can preview each separated stem by selecting the corresponding speaker button and pressing play. Alternatively, you can use the Select Stem section on the left of the page to choose a different part of the song to split.
Once you’re happy with your selection, click Split In Full and LALAL.AI will get to work on splitting the entire track. When complete, you can download each of the separated stems ready to use in your remix. You’ll also receive an email to let you know your files are ready.
Load your remix stems into your chosen DAW, in this case, we’re using Ableton Live 12. Before we get started, we need to sync the stems with our project tempo of 132 BPM. To do this, we first need to find out the BPM of the original track by searching for it in a service like songbpm.
Read also: Best DAWs for Beginners
We can then turn on Ableton’s Warp mode and set the Segment BPM to that of the original track’s BPM, which is 111 BPM. Ableton will then automatically timestretch the file to match the project tempo. You can now begin to craft your remix, chopping and changing sections, adding other drums and melodic elements around the original vocals.
What Is a Mashup?
Like a remix, a mashup involves taking certain elements from any given song and repurposing them into a new composition. The difference with a mashup is that you would generally leave those individual elements intact, but would combine them with elements from another track. For example, you might take the drums and instruments from song A, and combine them with the vocals from song B.
L Beats created a 2023 hit mashup by laying the vocals from Jorja Smith’s Little Things over the instrumental of Gypsy Woman by Crystal Waters. The track worked so well that the track was released by Jorja Smith and her record label as an official mashup.
As with a remix, you need the individual components of each song in order to create a mashup. If the artist or label isn’t providing the stems, you can once again use LALAL.AI to extract the specific parts you need from each track.
How to Make a Mashup Using LALAL.AI
To make a mashup, you’ll need to follow much of the same process as explained above. The main difference is that you’ll need to extract stems from two or more tracks in order to create your mashup. Once you’ve got your stems, drop them into your DAW and timestretch them to the appropriate tempo.
A good rule of thumb is to average the tempos of the original tracks you’re using in your mashup, and set your project tempo to this figure. For example, if one of the original tracks is 100 BPM and the other is 130 BPM, set your project tempo to around 115 BPM. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, but it’s generally bad practice to apply excessive timestretching, as this can introduce unwanted artefacts to the audio.
With your stems synced up in your DAW, you can rearrange and mix the elements to create your mashup. If your stems are out of key with one another, you can adjust the key of any given stem by transposing the file up or down.
What Is an Edit?
While remixes and mashups tend to be somewhat of a departure from the original track, edits are often much more subtle. Generally, all of the key elements will remain untouched, but parts may be added, such as extra drums or effects. An edit may also alter the original track’s arrangement to make it shorter in the case of radio edits, or longer in the case of club edits.
In both cases, edits are particularly popular with DJs in the world of electronic music. Sometimes, a track’s components need to be refined or added to in order to achieve the desired amount of impact in a club environment. DJs also tend to prefer tracks with a longer introduction and no vocals, as this makes it easier to mix out of the previous track without the vocals clashing.
Depending on the kind of edit you want to create, you may not need to extract the individual elements of a track. However, working with separate stems gives you more control over your edit’s mix and arrangement. For example, you could turn the level of your drums and bass up for a more club-oriented sound. Similarly, you could extend only the introductory parts and push the vocal back in the arrangement to make it more DJ-friendly.
In this version of Here’s To You by Skyy, Dimitri Vegas has doubled the length of the introduction so that the vocal comes in around the one-minute mark, instead of after 30 seconds.
How to Make an Edit Using LALAL.AI
As discussed, if your edit consists of some additional drums or elements, it may not be necessary to extract the individual stems of the song. However, if you want full control of the mix in your edit, then you can use LALAL.AI to split the necessary stems using the process outlined above.
If you’re simply adjusting the mix of a track, you may not need to match your project’s tempo to that of the song, although it is good practice and can help you navigate around the song’s arrangement more easily. If you’re going to be adding additional elements such as drums or effects, setting your DAW project to the appropriate tempo will help you program the additional parts correctly.
Start Creating!
Now that we’ve explained the difference between a remix, a mashup and an edit, and explained how you can make your own, sign up for a LALAL.AI account to start splitting stems. You can upload original tracks and preview the stem separation for free before you sign up for a stem separation package.
