Mix Analyis 2

Artist: Justin Timberlake
Album: FutureSex/LoveSounds
Year: 2006
Title: SexyBack

Producer: Timbaland
Mixing Engineer: Jimmy Douglass (also worked with Aaliyah and Jay-Z)
Mixing Studio: Thomas Crown Studio
Mastering Engineer: Herb Powers
Mastering Studio: Powers Mastering Studio

Instrumentation:
0:00-0:11 - drums, synth
0:12-1:05 - drums, synth 1, synth 2, backing vocals, vocals
1:06-1:20 - drums, snyth 1, synth 2, synth 3, guitar, backing vocals, vocals
1:21-2:11 - drums, synth 1, synth 2, backing vocals, vocals
2:12-2:26 - drums, snyth 1, synth 2, synth 3, guitar, backing vocals, vocals
2:27-2:34 - drums, guitar, backing vocals, backing vocals
2:35-3:08 - drums, synth 1, synth 2, backing vocals, vocals
3:09-3:22 - drums, snyth 1, synth 2, synth 3, guitar, backing vocals, vocal
3:23-3:43 - drums, synth 1, synth 2, backing vocals
3:44-3:49 - drums, synth 1, synth 2
3:50-4:01 - drums, synth 1, synth 2, guitar

Sound Source                                     Pan                    Level
Drums                                                 0                          7     
Synth 1                                                0                          8        
Synth 2                                               -1                          5    
Synth 3                                                3                          6       
Guitar                                                 -3                          5 (7 during solo breakdown)       
Vocals                                                  0                          8      
Backing Vocals                                   -6                         7      

Effects: the vocals are heavily distorted, using a flanger, reverb and some EQ work. Other than that, there aren't any audible effects, besides what ever was used to create the synth sounds.

Analysis: There was an entire article on Sound on Sound about the production of this song. It was originally recorded in December of 2005, and only took one day. All of the vocals (including backing) were done by JT and Timbaland, and mixing engineer Jimmy Douglass even gets one line ("you ready?"). Timbaland and Nate 'Danja' Hills were working the synthesizers and drums machines.
Something I found interesting while reading the article on SOS was the Jimmy Douglass never names his tracks. According to him, when something "comes up on the board and [he] knows what it is." This goes against everything I've been taught, but I suppose when you've been in the industry for decades and you're one of the best at what you do, you can do it however you want. When it came to the editing, the drums didn't have much work, just some basic EQ work. Same with the guitar, not much, just some compression. And like I figured, the vocals had the most effects added. Douglass used a flanger, distortion, delay, filter and amp modelling plugins.

I think this is overall a very interesting song. For as full of a sound as it has, it is very simplistic. As Douglass pointed out, there is no 'hook', the songs just goes from section to section without much of a noticable change (other than Timbaland saying things like 'take em to the bridge!'). The culmination of all these factors is what led to it winning a Grammy.

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul07/articles/jimmydouglass.htm