Mixing secrets by sonusman

Is it worth reading?

Are those posts any good? from a mixing POV I mean (and not a comedy hour POV)...or are they just a crazy mans rantings? seriously though..im a beginner when it comes to mixing and could use some pointers...
 
The best pointer I was given when I was studying was always get a good clean signal and you won't go far wrong, in otherwords "shit in = shit out" the rest is all pretty subjective trust your ears.
 
Yo Ed ... your link almost rocks my shit. http://djl.atspace.com/

You know, I got maybe a chuckle and a giggle out of it. It was really sorta' funny. Kinda.' I mean like the concept, but it's just lacking in humorous copy. I think you're losing your edge. Among a few other things.
 
Lotus said:
Are those posts any good? from a mixing POV I mean (and not a comedy hour POV)...or are they just a crazy mans rantings? seriously though..im a beginner when it comes to mixing and could use some pointers...
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Yeh, they're very good posts. Ed is very good at what he does.
 
I love some of these classics ...

"Let's take for example that the hi hat and the vocal are going to have some similar places in the mix. This is not uncommon in Pop music. The sibilance of the vocal is going to be about the same as the hi hat frequency. Make sure that you don't have one or the other dominating in the mix!"
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Damn, thanks Ed. I'm sure glad we're all clear on that one.

When recording vocals to analog, you would mostly be crazy to use compression, unless it is a cassette based analog format. Wide fast moving tape will provide mostly all the compression you need for a vocal. If you need a little control for a certain part where the singer either belts it too much, or doesn't give enough, a little cut/boost on the preamp will take care of it.
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Wow, Ed. Never thought of that one. Next time I see anyone using a compressor on a vocal track in analog format ... I'll be sure to tell them they must be crazy! CRAZY, I say!

Unless it's cassette. Got it. Okay. I'm with ya. :confused: :confused: :confused: Really, I am.

So, to wrap it all up, it is probably better to track thin if you are doing dense productions, or are in a badly tuned acoustic space. Track big if it is a sparse production, and/or you have a good acoustic space. But ALWAYS have a PRODUCTION GOAL. Without that, you are whistling in the dark!
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So to wrap it all up, I can go raid all of the "Mixing for Dummies" books I can get my hands on, and glean about the same Mixing 101 stuff as Ed lays claim to as his very own original ideas and concepts.

Plus, I can learn a few really earthshatteringly original tidbits like "Track thin if I'm doing dense productions," or if I'm in a badly-tuned accoustic space. :confused: I have no idea what the fuck that means, but it sounds cool, at least.

:D Classic stuff, Ed.

Say, didn't you run Harvey off the board a few years ago?
 
s_o_n_u_s_m_a_n said:
In the midrange, watch for the vocals to have harsh words that jump out at you.
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Ignore this advice, they make stickers to warn about the words now. This must be an old article, pre-PMRC!

War :cool:
 
ok so I've read through this post a few times, esp with reguard to the verb... the rest of it seemed kinda common sense... There were a couple things I felt inclined to humbly interject though...

mixing at a loud level isn't always going to make your mixes good... the fletcher munson(sic?) curve will massively effect your perception of the mix. Yeah, you gotta turn it up to make sure you got the low end right, but I've found my mixes turn out a lot more balanced when mixed at a lower level as opposed to vice versa... and I've read/watched interviews where a lot of pro duders do it that way as well...

I think a bigger issue with drummers isn't always the extreme dynamics, but their inability to hit the freakin' drums how and where they're supposed to be hit. GAH! (ok I've just had 3 bands in a row with the same problem, so that's where that rant comes from).


OH YEAH!!

The reverb stuff... I agree entirely on the predelay on most things, and the high rolloff of course... but diffusion that NEVER goes above 20%? That's just crazy talk it seems like... I have waves masterverb and pantheon whatever that comes with sonar 4.1 producer's ed, and with the diffusion that low on either one of them most often sounds like ASS. I rarely want people to hear the reverb[/I}, I want them to hear the song, as natural as possible, and I just couldn't get that (at least today, I may need more tweakin') with that low of diffusion. anyways, that's my 2 bits.


wes
 
Wes - I'm afraid you're just plain wrong on the listening volume thing. You sound like you've read a bit of psychacoustics, so why don't you accept the unanimous finding of research that 80-85dB is where the hearing response is 'flattest'?
 
Er ... that's not psychoacoustics. That's just some thoughts regarding ear fatigue and pointing out that our ears need breaks and our rooms need treating.

And it's not a 'recording truism' that a good quiet mix will sound good when you turn it up. Because when you turn it up you get to hear all the stuff you've been missing.

Read some Brian Moore or something and then have another think. Saving your ears is essential ... but don't tell me you can mix quietly just as well as you can at 80-85dB.
 
I think the problem I have is that a lot of home recording enthusiasts have no clue what 80-85 is, and to 'turn those puppies up' might encourage excessive volumes, especially when during extended periods of time. of course I check all my mixes at 85, but I don't hold it there the entire time I'm mixing. My bad on mentioning the FL-M curve, I meant to quantify that with my perception that people could turn 'turn those puppies up' into a "crank the hell out of the mix to make sure it's good" mentality.
 
oh, and it wasn't the volume thing that really got to me, it was the diffusion thing. I'm not worried about the balance of my mixes too much, that seems to iron itself out, but I'm still searching for a great verb sound.
 
Yo - I get you. And I don't think I'd be able to put up with mixing at higher volumes for any length of time - I'm too touchy about my ears. I've played drums for eight years, and for the last six and a half refused to play without earplugs in ... hearing is way too precious to waste.

And loud monitoring is definitely not a make-up for bad tracking and rubbish EQ-ing. So I might as well leave my nearfields on quiet anyway!!! :D:D:D:D
 
Hmmm...No! I've given up on wasting my life on software for now, trying to see what I can get in hardware form. But really good reverb is hard to come by unless you have serious money to spend.

I reckon with an Alesis Midiverb4 and a TC Electronics M300 I could do most of what I need to. But some proper Lexicon and an M3000 would be preferable!! :)
 
Ed,

Aside from any kind of monkey business you like to concern yourself with, thank you for authoring this article and posting it for us. It will be my textbook for some time to come. Without sounding gushy, you're one of the "real" guys.

Best regards and peace to you,
Terry
 
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