Mixing with the band

smellyfuzz

smellyfuzz

New member
Do you guys find it difficult to mix with other people in the room ?

Do bands fuck up their own mixes ?

One time when my band and I decided to mix down a song, my guitarist came in and just started to set the each and every EQ on the my board, as if he knew exactly what he needed to do to get the sound right. I admit that he does have decent ears, but he also had no knowledge of mixing. Never read a thing about it. Doesn't even own a board. I let him play though.


Sean
 
Actually, it is very ironic that you mention this. I have been talking with an AR rep for Elecktra. He would like a demo of our latest tunes to listen to. All we had was a rough cut, rough mixed version of our latest songs. This mix was done by my drummer, who mind you has no business behind a board! Not that he shouldn't be able to experiment and have fun, but when it comes down to business, he needs to let go of the dials. I say this because he gave me this copy last night to give to this guy today. Last night I listened to it. It is horrible, vocals are too dry, drums are way up (surprise, mxed by the drummer!), and believe it or not but he even forgot to turn on the bass guitar on a song!!! Needless to say, I am going to have to redo this stuff because it makes us seem like we have absolutely no idea what we are doing!
 
I was just talking to someone about this the other day. I really think it depends on how you like to work. Some people like to get tons of freakin input during the process.

That's definitely not me, the people I've worked with finally realized that the easiest way to do this is to let me go at it and get the mixes to a point where I think they are decent. Then I let the flood gates open for suggestions and we work through the changes together.

Find it easier that way then having someone constantly over your shoulder bouncing faders up and down. :)
 
The band gets paid to do their job and they should respect that you get paid to do your and everyone is slave to the producer's will. Touch my nibnob and pay extra!


SoMm
 
I'll take suggestions, but the mouse, keybaord, buttons, and knobs are mine.

I'll take the suggestions, do about three mixes and see which one everyone agrees on.
 
I welcome input from the band. I usually prefer not to have all 4-6 members there, especially if they have not discussed what it is they want from the final product. That drives me fucking nuts!

I think bands should elect 1 or 2 people whom they feel comfortable entrusting w/ decision making and let them atten the mix sessions.

I look at it like this:

The "talent" is the one who has been living w/ these songs for months and sometime years, who will continue to have to live w/ them, who knows them best and especially who is paying for the fucking recording.

Sure they maybe total deaf-idiot-chowderheads but its not my music or my band. So I will give my opinion when asked or when I see a potential disaster coming.

I have found myself getting frustrated and impatient w/ members of bands who are only concerned w/ their parts while the rest of the band watches/listens says nothing only to come back two days later and ask ME why the so and so is too loud? I have had singers waste ENTIRE days on stupid backing vox that they came up w/ the night before and say to me "we can fix that w/ Autotune, right?"

And I want to scream and kill them , IN THE FACE!!!

But oh yeah...I forgot, I get paid by the hour.

So I always keep my frustration and feelings to myself and remain completely pleasant on the exterior.

Twonky
 
Speaking of idiots...I think I am one....I just read the first post. I kind of missed the point

If the band is doing their own recording, like my band is, same thing: Me and another member there to mix it to a point and then let the rest of the band put in their suggestions after listening to a rough for like at least two days.

You have to let everyone have their say unless you are paying them. And this is rock, so who gets paid?

Twonky
 
Funnily, I am the drummer in our band. I track, set compression levels, set up mics, decide on mic choices, change the eq settings, and basically everything else while recording. During mixing, me and the lead singer sit down and make a list of what we are wanting to accomplish. Usually I mix and he makes sudgestions. I guess in a way its easier to have band members who are interested in the process, but dont want to mess with what I am doing. I know what I want to hear, and am a perfectionist when it comes to our music.
 
Oh yeah, with anyother band, I have a "You touch it you buy it rule". If you want to tweak, then buy your own equipment.
 
that's funny about the drummer turning his drums up way too loud.
my friend that is a drummer records and is really, insanely good at both recording and drumming.........anyway......he always turns his drums down too much.
 
I just basically tell the band that there are going to be things that I do that are not at all glamorous or sexy . . . and if they think they want to be around for it, fine, but I remind them that I am neither as capable nor productive when others are around as I am when working alone.

Who wants to be hanging out when I'm setting gate thresholds, determining crossover points for multiband compression, setting comp thresh/release times and ratios, and working out pre-delays on reverbs? These guys aren't going to understand what the fuck I'm doing, nor are they going to appreciate what any of it does for their mixes, so why have them around for it?
 
I pretty much know what the drummer wants as we have been over it already. Same with the bass player. First time he listened to an unmastered playback, he fell back in his chair at the sound of the bass. Gave him wood lol.

My biggest challenge is not letting the keys (strings) get washed out in the mix. 'Tis a difficult balance between guitar and keys since they cover much of the same range.

Luckily, my wife is the keyboardist and knows to leave the room and close the door when i am working. I tend to give the "What the hell do you want?!??!" look when someone walks in and interrupts me :D
 
I f the band insists on being around when I mix, I tell them they can appoint a "spokesperson" for the band to sit behind me. That's as far as I'll go. Mixing by commitee does not work.
 
vocalist: "turn my vocals up"

bass player: "more bass and more low end on the bass, please"

guitar player: "more low end on the guitars and turn them up please"

drummer: "can you put more low end on the kick and make it louder"

then you, as the mixer, realize there's absolutely no headroom left and there's WAY too much low end in the mix and the whole mix is ruined and these assholes (the band) are wondering why it sounds bad.
 
hehehehe, I ran into that while recording with a group (I daresay the word BAND).

"Bottom End!" they all shouted.

Before the engineer spontaneously combusted, I carried them out into the lobby and explained something to them.

"God made EQ's on your stereo for a reason. Look at the EQ's in the room in there. Do you see a smiley face on the graphs?"

"No. so that guy doesn't know jacksh...." (great time to cut off the drummer)

"No that guy is going for a flat response before any final EQ'ing. Ya think he'd have the clients he does if he didn't know what he was doing or had the patience to put up with assholes like you?"

"But it sounds like shit! There's no low end!"

"There is low end. You're just able to hear all the other frequencies you cut on your home stereo EQ as well as the ones your super-duper bass speakers do not pronounce. If he were to kick up the low end as you request, you would blow up your home stereo speakers the first time you played it! You EQ your way and let him do it his way so it will sound good to you when you play it at home."

They proceeded to say " this is gonna sound like hell and we ain't hanging around to hear it happen!" and left. Good. I went back in and sat with the engineer. I responded only when asked "what do you think?"

Poetically enough, the band loved how it sounded on their home stereos, but attributed it to their suggestions for more bottom end. They wouldn't believe we did a low end cut on the main rhythm guitar, bass, and kick. We boosted mids and leveled highs. We did everything BUT crank up the bottom end.

Props to engineers (and near wannabe's like myself) who live in a flat responce curve :D
 
smellyfuzz said:
Do you guys find it difficult to mix with other people in the room ?

Do bands fuck up their own mixes ?

Sean
Click to expand...
Yes and yes. But sometimes you have no choice but to let them lean over your sholder. They wrote and own the songs, and you really can't cut them out of the loop....no matter how much it might help. :)
 
Alien, in your case, you could have just cranked it up extemely loud so as to naturally accentuate the smiley-face curve.

They probably would've liked that anyway. Everyone likes to hear their stuff loud. If they do a lot of live gigs, then their ears are probably shot anyway.
 
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