Tracking/overdub mixes and getting into trouble

[Chibi Nappa]

I got myself into a bit of a situation. Wondering if anybody else runs into the same thing.

With instant mix recalls and saved scenes, it is really easy to find yourself building a mix as you go...especially when working around the schedule of an amateur band that might lay down some tracks and then not be back for 7 days.

In my case I pulled up some in-progress songs I've been tracking for the past 2 months or so. During the course of this project, I'd pull them up and fiddle around here and there because the project is fun to work on and the time off can be a long wait.

Today as I was listening, I began thinking to myself "I know these drums didn't sound bad before". So I tore the whole mix down. Yeah, they do sound good. But I was doing things to push stuff up for headphone volume, forgetting about it, focusing on guitar since that was my "new toy" in the mix, etc. Or more likely, I'd give the drums a "good mix" and since they were all that existed at the time, that mix would have no bearing on any real-world situation the song would find itself in later down the road. And then the guitars get recorded and the drums just don't work like they should...

The existing sounds are so important when we go to track new sounds, I'm glad I reset the mix before the next tracking session. But I could easily see myself forgetting to do that.

How about the rest of you? Ever get into recording trouble because you sort of started half-mixing before the project was done?

Or does anybody intentionally mix as they go and rely on that technique?

 

[TexRoadkill]

I like to mix as I go if I have the luxury but I usually don't do anything too drastic to the progress mixes. I just try to keep them as a good representation of what we have so far and to experiment with any arranging or weird ideas. I think they're important if you don't do a lot of note keeping and need to get the editing done before you forget what's what. They're also great for figuring out when stuff just isn't working or something more is needed.

Usually whatever was done last does end up being a bit loud in the progress mixes. When it comes time to do the final mix I sometimes rebuild it from scratch for a fresh perspective.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

Or does anybody intentionally mix as they go and rely on that technique?

I do. I want the musician/singer tracking to have something as close to a finished product as I can manage to perform to. For example, If I compress tracks in the monitor mix people tend to play to those dynamics so less processing is needed later. Of course, if I can track the earlier tracks so they are close to the finished sound then I don't need to do as much processing on them for the later tracking sessions, which is the best of both worlds.

Monitor mixes are key. If you want somebody to sing loud they need to hear the mix loud and fighting a little with their vocals. A good phones mix can inspire a performer.

 

[Chibi Nappa]

Monitor mixes are key. If you want somebody to sing loud they need to hear the mix loud and fighting a little with their vocals. A good phones mix can inspire a performer.

Couldn't agree more. But I got into trouble not making monitor mixes, but rather playing around with recorded tracks during down time.

It must just be how my own head works. Or maybe it is because I try to track so close to what the final product will be... But for one reason or another I definitely ran into trouble, and the cause was the mixes I made for incomplete songs during down time. I'm guessing this is not a wide-spread problem.

 

[mixsit]

... How about the rest of you? Ever get into recording trouble because you sort of started half-mixing before the project was done?

Yes. On one hand you're getting a heads up', likely doing productive stuff that's appropriate, and I love getting on with it (mixing during overdubs and such) but yeah, I've had it miss or backfire on me ..a little wasted time sometimes.

But I was doing things to push stuff up for headphone volume, forgetting about it, focusing on guitar since that was my "new toy" in the mix, etc.
(..edited and moved your stuff around here.. )
..The existing sounds are so important when we go to track new sounds, I'm glad I reset the mix before the next tracking session. But I could easily see myself forgetting to do that.

But I have a little cool thing I've settled on in Sonar here for this.. I keep the 'Trim faders (pre-insert, pre-fader gain..) for busses and tracks at zero (unity) except for 'temporary situations like that, or even experimentation moves during mixing.
Almost always if I see trim' that is out of that position it was for one of those reasons (...and/or booboo's
If pre-gain is needed for the mix (again, track of bus) I'll lock in whatever 'trim offset with the pre-gain envelopes ('clip automation in CakeSpeak), which leaves trim free and back at zero.

.. yeah it can affect your dynamics on your inserts. be aware.)