Chris Baseford: Why Your Mixes Don’t Sound Like Nickelback

Ever crank up a Nickelback track and wonder, “How do they get that massive sound?” You’re not alone. Many producers chase that polished, powerful rock mix. According to Chris Baseford, the man who’s worked with Nickelback and a host of other huge rock bands, the secret isn’t about having a mythical plugin or a secret frequency. It’s about why you’re making your mixing decisions.

Chris recently dropped some serious knowledge bombs, and the core takeaway is a game-changer: stop obsessing over the “what” (which plugin, which frequency) and start drilling down into the “why.” This shift in mindset directly impacts your workflow and, ultimately, the sound of your mixes. Let’s dive into how Chris Baseford approaches mixing and how you can apply his philosophy to get closer to that pro sound.

The “Why” Before the “What”: Rethinking Your Mixing Mindset

Chris makes it clear: the specific plugin or the exact frequency you boost or cut is far less important than understanding why you’re doing it. Are you trying to add clarity? Remove mud? Create space? Define the “why” first, and the “how” (the specific tool or technique) becomes much easier to determine.

This approach encourages you to develop your critical listening skills and trust your ears. Instead of asking “What plugin does Chris use?”, ask “Why does this element need adjustment, and what outcome am I aiming for?” This philosophy should make you question your existing habits:

• Why do I always reach for that compressor on vocals?
• Why is this particular frequency range a problem in every mix I do?
• Why do I like the sound of this reverb?

By constantly asking “why,” you’ll start to understand your own tendencies and develop solutions tailored to the song, not just repeating a memorized preset. This approach might even lead you to realize your current methods are spot on – but now you’ll know why.

Streamline Your Workflow: Make Decisions, Not Guesses

How much time do you lose auditioning plugins? Chris Baseford highlights a common energy drain: the “what plugin should I use?” dilemma. Every time you stop to browse your massive plugin folder, you’re pulling from your creative energy meter.

The SSL Channel Strip Advantage

To combat this, Chris often has an SSL Channel Strip plugin (like those from Waves, Brainworx, or Universal Audio) instantiated on every single track from the get-go. Why? Efficiency.

• Immediate Access: If a track needs a quick high-pass, a bit of top-end sparkle, or some gentle compression, the tools are right there. No need to open a plugin menu and scroll.
• Familiarity: Using a consistent channel strip means you intuitively know how its EQ and dynamics sections respond. This speeds up your decision-making process immensely. Chris even uses a physical SSL channel strip controller for tactile control, making adjustments even faster.
• Problem Solved, Move On: Need more low end on that “Boomer” track (as he jokingly calls an explosive sound effect)? With the SSL channel already there, it’s a quick boost. Is it the perfect frequency? Maybe not initially. But the immediate problem of “needs more low end” is addressed. Then you can fine-tune.

This isn’t about the SSL channel being a magic bullet. It’s about choosing a versatile tool that allows you to make quick, broad-stroke decisions and keep the creative momentum flowing. For you, it might be FabFilter Pro-Q 3 for its speed and visual feedback, or any other comprehensive EQ and dynamics tool you’re comfortable with. The point is to have your go-to tools ready to tackle common problems without hesitation. Explore different EQ strategies for mixing modern metal to find what works best for your workflow.

Building the Iconic Nickelback Kick: Intentional Sample Layering

That punchy, larger-than-life Nickelback kick drum sound isn’t an accident, nor is it typically a single “magic” sample. Chris reveals that the kick sound is often built and refined during the production process.

Here’s a breakdown of his approach:

1. Foundation: Start with the live kick drum. It might be good, but it’s not the “cartoon kick drum” sound typically desired for a big rock track.
2. Programmed Evolution: During production, programmed drum samples are used. These aren’t just random samples; they are chosen and processed (EQ’d, compressed, blended) to fit the song as it’s being written and arranged. For example, Chris might use two or three kick samples from his programmed drums, already mixed to taste. Let’s say “Kick CB1,” “Kick CB2,” and “Kick CB3.”
3. The “Money Maker”: Often, these individual samples are then combined and processed further into a new, consolidated sample – “Kick Sam CB4,” for instance. This new sample is the sound they’ve been hearing and working with throughout production. It’s not a generic sample pulled from a library for every song; it’s custom-built.
4. Addressing Needs: If the evolving kick sound is missing something, like a bit of “slap” or attack, another sample specifically providing that element is layered in. This new layer becomes part of the custom kick sound for that particular song.
5. Adding Ambience & Length: Chris also likes to incorporate big, ambient room samples for kicks (and snares/toms). These are not necessarily to make it sound “roomy” in a traditional sense, but to give the drums sustain and width, helping them fill the space until the next beat hits. He often wants drums to sustain to the length of the beat. These might be samples he and Andrew Wade (Cruz) recorded and produced.
6. The Blend: By the time Chris gets to the final mix stage, these kick elements (live kick, various processed samples, ambient samples) are already well-defined. The task then becomes balancing them. The dry kick is still there, but the meticulously crafted samples are often very prominent.

The key here is intent. Each layer serves a purpose, and the composite kick sound evolves with the song. This is a far cry from just slapping a popular sample on a track and calling it a day. That “Nickelback sample” is unique to each song because the needs of each song are different.

EQ: Broad Strokes First, Details Later

When Chris Baseford is dialing in sounds, especially with his SSL-style workflow, he’s not initially agonizing over hitting the exact perfect frequency with a super narrow Q.

• Problem Identification: “This kick needs more top end.”
• Initial Action: Boost the high shelf. The SSL channel strip often defaults to a certain frequency (e.g., 8kHz for a high shelf). He might just grab the knob and turn it up.
• Evaluation: “Did that help? Did it cause new problems?”
• Refinement (if needed): “Okay, it’s a bit too harsh, or the frequency isn’t quite right.” Now he might adjust the frequency or the amount of boost/cut.

It’s a “go, go, go” mentality. The focus is on making the sound better quickly, using broad strokes. The hyper-detailed, surgical EQ moves can come later if needed. This approach keeps you focused on the bigger picture and the overall energy of the mix. He emphasizes that he often doesn’t even touch the frequency knob on a shelf EQ if the default sounds good after boosting or cutting. The goal is to fix the problem and move on.

The Power of Preparation: Front-Load Your Detail Work

A recurring theme in Chris Baseford’s advice is the importance of preparation.

• Prep Your Tracks: Get your editing, gain staging, and basic cleanup done before you start deep mixing.
• Prep Your Workflow: As discussed, have your go-to tools and templates ready. Constantly think about how you can make your process more efficient. Try new things in your template, refine it.
• Mix, Then Refine: Once you’re in the creative flow of mixing, just mix. Don’t get bogged down in the minutiae too early. When you’re nearing the end of the mix, that’s the time to step back, be objective, and address the fine details to polish it off.

This doesn’t mean being sloppy. It means allocating your focus appropriately. If you spend all your energy on tiny details at the beginning, you might lose sight of the song’s overall impact.

The “Speeding Ticket” Philosophy: Mixing for Impact

Perhaps one of the most memorable insights from Chris Baseford is his “speeding ticket” philosophy. He believes that if a hundred people got speeding tickets while listening to a song he produced or mixed, his job is done.

Everything in the mix – the low-end punch, the crack of the snare, the width of the guitars – should serve this ultimate goal: to make the listener feel something, to energize them, to make them want to move.

If the low end is pumping, does it serve that purpose? Or is it distracting? If the listener is thinking, “Wow, that low end is pumping a bit too much,” then it’s a problem. You don’t want them thinking about the mix; you want them thinking about speeding (metaphorically speaking, of course!). It’s a constant balancing act. You want powerful elements, but not so powerful that they become obnoxious or pull focus from the song itself.

As someone once told him, “How do you get a better snare sound? Write a better song.” While we all want awesome sounding individual elements, they must serve the song. If your meticulously crafted kick drum is so huge it distracts from the vocal or the main riff, you’ve missed the mark.

Bringing It All Together

Chris Baseford’s approach to mixing Nickelback and other massive rock artists boils down to a few key principles:

• Understand the “Why”: Don’t just turn knobs; know the reason behind every decision.
• Optimize Your Workflow: Set yourself up for speed and efficiency to conserve creative energy.
• Intentional Sound Design: Craft your sounds (like kick drums) purposefully during production.
• Broad Strokes for Momentum: Get the big picture right quickly, then refine.
• Mix for Emotional Impact: Every choice should serve the song’s energy and the listener’s experience.

These aren’t just abstract concepts; they are actionable strategies you can implement. It’s a continuous process of refinement, and even pros like Chris admit they still have to consciously work on this mindset.

Want to dive deeper and see these principles in action? Nail The Mix offers you a unique opportunity to learn directly from world-class producers like Chris Baseford as they mix hit songs from scratch. You get the multi-tracks and watch them explain their “whys” and “hows” every step of the way. To get a taste of how Chris applies these techniques to achieve Nickelback’s signature sound, check out the Nickelback mixing session on Nail The Mix. And if you’re ready to go beyond presets and truly understand how to craft modern metal mixes, the Unlock Your Sound: Mixing Modern Metal Beyond Presets course can help you solidify these foundational concepts.