remix

remix — verb

1. to take an existing recorded song and change or rearrange its parts using electr

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to take an existing recorded song and change or rearrange its parts using electronic equipment or computer software to create a different version of it.

Example

A producer remixed the singer's old hit with a faster beat and new sounds.

remix + noun phrase (existing recording)

Daichi spent the whole weekend remixing his band's demo track in his home studio.

remixing + possessive + noun phrase

Common collocations
  • remix a track
  • remix a song
  • remix a recording
  • remix a single
  • remix the original
Synonyms
  • rework

    Broader meaning — can apply to any creative work (writing, design), not only music.

  • rearrange

    Focuses on reordering parts; a remix involves adding or replacing sounds, not just reordering.

  • re-edit

    More common for video or film; less precise for music production.

Grammar Patterns

remix + noun phrase (the existing recording)

Usage Note

The object is always an existing music recording or song. This sense is most common in electronic dance music, hip hop, and pop production. A remixed version is not simply a copy — the producer changes elements such as tempo, instrumentation, or vocal arrangement.

Common Mistakes

I will remix the cake ingredients in a bowl.
I will remix the song in my studio.
'remix' in this sense is only used for music or audio recordings, not for physically mixing things.

remix — noun

Word family

  • remixer
    nounB2
  • remixing
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe making changes to an existing creative work, but 'remix' is specific to music and involves altering the sonic elements — adding beats, changing instrumentation, or remixing vocal tracks. 'Rework' is the broadest term: you can rework a song, a design, or a business plan. 'Rearrange' focuses on changing the order of parts, whereas a remix may introduce entirely new sounds. 'Re-edit' is typical for film and video, not music. 'Remaster' means improving the sound quality of an existing recording without rearranging its content — a remastered song sounds cleaner, but it is not a different version like a remix is. For example, a DJ might remix a pop hit for the dance floor by adding a house beat, while a sound engineer remasters the same hit to restore its clarity for a vinyl reissue.

reworkrearrangere-editremaster

Common collocations

Nouns

  • remix album
  • remix version
  • remix artist
  • remix competition
  • remix package

Adverbs

  • digitally remixed
  • cleverly remixed
  • completely remixed
  • heavily remixed

Phrases

  • official remix
  • club remix
  • dance remix
  • acoustic remix

Prepositions

  • remix into (a dance track)
  • remix with (new beats)

Etymology

LatinEnglish

Formed by combining the prefix 're-' (meaning 'again') with 'mix' (from Latin 'miscere', meaning 'to mingle or blend'). The word entered music production vocabulary in the late 1960s and early 1970s, when sound engineers in Jamaica and the United States began creating alternate versions of recordings for dance clubs. It spread widely with the rise of hip hop, disco, and electronic dance music in the 1980s, and is now a standard term in popular music worldwide.