Mixing clinic - what can that mean?

rayc

rayc

retroreprobate
It seems rather odd that there are so many members posting links to completed projects/EPs/Albums.
The idea behind the forum is to post a recording with a view to getting suggestions or comments on the mix of that recording. Some additional comment re song quality, lyrics and genre/style or playing quality are often given and welcome.
The comments are well intended and some of us can be very honest when the mood swings that way.
BUT what, other than click collecting, is the deal withy new folk and completed projects that we've had no chance to hear develop?
 
MAYBE. But because someone sequenced and assembled an album, does that mean they're no longer listening critically and can't benefit from someone else's perspective? Just puttin' that out there...
 
FF,
I'm happy if that's the case.
I know if you, for eaxmple, popped up an album I'd have heard it's development, made a comment or suggestion and be very interested in the end result.
When someone pops in with a mixed, mastered & available for download album I assume they're not really interested in mix ideas. they might be interested in comments, feedback etc but it seems a little late in the party to introduce the cocktail frankfurts and sausage rolls.
 
lol....I guess I can see what you're saying. I must admit I enjoy listening to postings that are aaalllmmmoooost there, and hopefully I am learning from the comments that are intended to take it further. I'm not sure if i'd learn as much if someone posted a mess, but who's to say.

Be careful of what you wish for, I might post one of mine. :D

somebody get me a doctah!
 
rayc said:
FF,
I'm happy if that's the case.
I know if you, for eaxmple, popped up an album I'd have heard it's development, made a comment or suggestion and be very interested in the end result.
When someone pops in with a mixed, mastered & available for download album I assume they're not really interested in mix ideas. they might be interested in comments, feedback etc but it seems a little late in the party to introduce the cocktail frankfurts and sausage rolls.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's also true, and I have noticed a few "finished products" in here lately that just seem to be click seeking. I just think there are cases where it's excusable... You might have a tentatively finished mix, but then you sequence the album, apply some new "mastering" effects or whatever...then you're in the woods again, without knowing how it sounds as a coherent whole.

Mick Doobie said:
lol....I guess I can see what you're saying. I must admit I enjoy listening to postings that are aaalllmmmoooost there, and hopefully I am learning from the comments that are intended to take it further. I'm not sure if i'd learn as much if someone posted a mess, but who's to say.
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Huh, I'm the exact opposite. I learn the most from the rough ones. To me, those threads are like witnessing someone else's learning process and learning with them. It's a really great thing to watch. Don't get me wrong, folks like Greg and RAMI are great at what they do and I'm in awe of their talents, but having them post some impeccable radio-ready song and reading 7 pages of "Sounds great man, I wouldn't change a thing!" doesn't teach me anything. And there are a lot of folks that only come into this forum to stroke a senior member and are nowhere to be seen when the train-wreck comes through asking for advice. I personally learn the most when the vets get down-n-dirty with the newbs. Plus it's kinda hot. :D
 
I only listen to stuff from people that I know are contributing members in here. I don't care if it's a rough sketch or a finished track, if you're cool, I'll listen and give feedback if you want it. Click-seekers and look-at-me's don't get any play from me. Youtube vids never get clicked by me under any circumstances. Legit n00bs that just haven't "established" themselves in here yet, well, they're fucked as far as I'm concerned. If they want me to listen, not that I'm anything special, but if they want me to, I need to see their bitch asses active in other people's clinic threads.
 
Greg_L said:
I only listen to stuff from people that I know are contributing members in here. I don't care if it's a rough sketch or a finished track, if you're cool, I'll listen and give feedback if you want it. Click-seekers and look-at-me's don't get any play from me. Youtube vids never get clicked by me under any circumstances. Legit n00bs that just haven't "established" themselves in here yet, well, they're fucked as far as I'm concerned. If they want me to listen, not that I'm anything special, but if they want me to, I need to see their bitch asses active in other people's clinic threads.
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Yeah, I often give feedback to newbs but I do definitely notice when they don't give back to anyone and it happens often. I don't even care if they go into mine or not but they should just say something to someone. I give em one chance because a) I'm an idealist and b) My feedback is more useful to someone just starting out than it is to someone who's way better than me. Also when I first came through here, everything sounded great and my feedback really wasn't too useful (it's still not always)...a lot of that "Sounds great man" feedback I was just dissing. Only with time, and by reading other members' crits while listening to the attached songs did I learn to become a proper prick.
 
fat_fleet said:
Only with time, and by reading other members' crits while listening to the attached songs did I learn to become a proper prick.
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I think that's the best way to learn. Or one of the better ways, anyway. Not just from feedback on your own mixes, that's great and all and very valuable, but by listening to some other mix and applying what you read to that mix. Like if someone says "the kick is too boomy", do you hear it too? If not, why not? Everyone's listening environment is different, but if different people all key in on a common problem, there's probably something wrong there. Can you hear it too? That's how you learn from other people's mixes and comments and unless you flood the site with your own shit, you're gonna have to listen to and read other stuff..

But alas, some cretin always bitches about stuff like "100 views and no replies? Fuck you all!" Yeah great, how many mixes did you comment on today? Yeah that's what I thought STFU now.

And of course, consider the source. I get told I suck all the time. It's usually by some butthurt tard that I pissed off in some other thread.
 
Greg_L said:
I think that's the best way to learn. Or one of the better ways, anyway. Not just from feedback on your own mixes, that's great and all and very valuable, but by listening to some other mix and applying what you read to that mix. Like if someone says "the kick is too boomy", do you hear it too? If not, why not? Everyone's listening environment is different, but if different people all key in on a common problem, there's probably something wrong there. Can you hear it too? That's how you learn from other people's mixes and comments and unless you flood the site with your own shit, you're gonna have to listen to and read other stuff..
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Yeah, or a bunch of people will comment on the same thing and I might not hear what they mean at first, but then the OP changes it in the mix I'll hear the change and be like, "Oh! THAT's what they were talking about."
 
Greg_L said:
I only listen to stuff from people that I know are contributing members in here. I don't care if it's a rough sketch or a finished track, if you're cool, I'll listen and give feedback if you want it. Click-seekers and look-at-me's don't get any play from me. Youtube vids never get clicked by me under any circumstances. Legit n00bs that just haven't "established" themselves in here yet, well, they're fucked as far as I'm concerned. If they want me to listen, not that I'm anything special, but if they want me to, I need to see their bitch asses active in other people's clinic threads.
Click to expand...

Greg_L said:
I think that's the best way to learn. Or one of the better ways, anyway. Not just from feedback on your own mixes, that's great and all and very valuable, but by listening to some other mix and applying what you read to that mix. Like if someone says "the kick is too boomy", do you hear it too? If not, why not? Everyone's listening environment is different, but if different people all key in on a common problem, there's probably something wrong there. Can you hear it too? That's how you learn from other people's mixes and comments and unless you flood the site with your own shit, you're gonna have to listen to and read other stuff..

But alas, some cretin always bitches about stuff like "100 views and no replies? Fuck you all!" Yeah great, how many mixes did you comment on today? Yeah that's what I thought STFU now.

And of course, consider the source. I get told I suck all the time. It's usually by some butthurt tard that I pissed off in some other thread.
Click to expand...

Bang on.
I don't contribute half as much as I'd like to, but ^^^^ is 100%.
 
I think the consensus is fairly clear it's a broad position & there're people who work on the edges of it as is normal.
The posts that REALLY annoy me are the "Check out my album", "here's my finished EP" stuff. Obviously I don't bother with them but they do appear often enough.
I guess people are a lot more certain of their abilities.
I wouldn't consider getting something mastered or calling an "album" completed unless I'd had a range of opinions on it from folk I trust.
There're pople who post near perfect mixes in the forum, RAMI & Greg for example, who invite commentary and respond to the thoughts of others as well as taking the suggestions form ears they trust and consider their mixes from those prespectives.
Others, like me, do a series of running rectifications from a rudimentary beginning mix and do a large chunk of growing up in public.
I hope, one day, to post a mix that is almost spot on, (I know that's not likely as my ears aren't good enough), and continue to work towards that goal.
 
I could make the effort and listen to at least one tune from a first time poster who puts up their entire album for review...but I never do.

I just don't think it abides to the give and take spirit of this forum, which in my opinion is what makes it so great and useful. I don't know how many members there are on here, but really only about 30 odd people really matter to me when it comes to the clinic. Both in terms of the feedback they give, and the stuff they post. It's basically the regulars, who have become more like friends and teachers than random forum members.

If people never put in any time on here, and stick a whole album up for review I automatically think they're a bit 'look at me-ish'. I could totally forgive them if they were humble in their replies (if they bother to reply) and got stuck in after this, but after 6 months or so of hanging out here, I find that rarely happens. I think most of these peeps are just looking for a quick fix of compliments. I have better things to do than to stroke some stranger's ego. :D

I'd be MORE than happy to listen to a finished/complete album if it was from someone I know and whose music I liked, even more so if they've helped me out on here. In fact, I would love it. I can't really give advice on how to make it better, but I always really enjoy listening and letting people know what I liked about it. Everyone is better than me, so I always learn something. And if it's so good it needs no work, it just inspires me to keep at it.
 
Hey Ray/fritz - I think everyone who actively participates knows the drill, and figures out the 'look at me' stuff and for the most part ignores. The feedback here has been instrumental in improving the my mixes. Most of my stuff comes out of the critique process here, get's a final bounce down and moves out for sale :-)
 
This ^^^^ and all other "albums" should go in the Marketing forum. I wonder of the new cheaper plugins are the cause of the faux mastering attempts.
 
fat_fleet said:
Yeah, I often give feedback to newbs but I do definitely notice when they don't give back to anyone and it happens often. I don't even care if they go into mine or not but they should just say something to someone.
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Not with all newbs, but with *some*, they ask for advice but they don't give any cuz they got nothing to say. Until about 2 years ago, I just wasn't hearing much that was useful to share with others. But I really valued the feedback I got from people on my stuff. Now I can hear about three things, and if I hear that in somebody's mix, I comment. I still can't hear compression very well, though. Gimme another two years.
 
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