Disapointing Mix From Studio.......

[fivesixonesk8er]

A band recently came to my home studio and tracked everything with me. They wanted it professionally mixed seeing as I dont have Studio Monitors to mix on other than Home Stereo Speakers. They spent 5 hours in the studio mixing @ $50/hr, heres what the mix sounded like compared to mine (I spent about 3 hrs mixing it)....

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=723360

Theres a Studio Mix and My Mix......

Which one sounds better to you? (My mix, the levels are still Rough, but quality in general is what im comparing)

 

[Harvey Gerst]

Don't blame the studio; blame the band!! The drummer couldn't hear his kick, so the engineer cranked up the mids on the kick. Now the bass player wanted his bass turned up, since the kick was way louder. Then the guitar player decided the intro would be cooler with a few changes, "and BTW, can you turn me up just a bit?"

Seen it a million times. The whole band was there for the mix session, but everybody only listened to their part.

 

[mshilarious]

Seems like the studio mix is a classic example of chasing RMS levels by cranking the treble to ear bleed Your mix is a more open, classic sound, but it's a little dark, and the kick needs some control in the low end. Also the studio mix has a nice vocal tone when it isn't drowned in distortion from the rest. Overall I'd say the studio mix had the potential to be better--before they killed it, so you win

 

[pezking]

The whole band was there for the mix session, but everybody only listened to their part.

I like to mix by myself with a rough idea of the type of sound the band wants. Sometimes (especially if I'm not used to listening to their style of music) I'll ask to borrow a CD of a similar band; just for an idea.

As a musician recording elsewhere, I like to be there for the mix down, but then I've got a very good idea of how it should sound; the others are more bothered about their parts, as Harvey said.

 

[BrettB]

Don't blame the studio; blame the band!! The drummer couldn't hear his kick, so the engineer cranked up the mids on the kick. Now the bass player wanted his bass turned up, since the kick was way louder. Then the guitar player decided the intro would be cooler with a few changes, "and BTW, can you turn me up just a bit?"

Seen it a million times. The whole band was there for the mix session, but everybody only listened to their part.

hehe, been there, done that. I never want to mix again with bandmembers in the room. They can comment the mix afterwards, and I can make changes to some degree.

 

[jmorris]

I think the most interesting thing about the 2 examples is the quality people are achiving at home with modest tools. There are positives and negitives to both but in the "old" days to compare a "home demo" type or recording (no, I am not saying your is a home demo quality at all ) to a full studio prodect would have been night and day. And we wonder why stdudio biz sucks!

 

[fivesixonesk8er]

The funny thing is, THE BAND WASN'T THERE DURING THE MIXING..... It was the Engineer. I guess it all comes down to if you have a good ear....

All I used was Logic Express and Home Stereo Speakers and 3 Hours......

 

[Harvey Gerst]

Really? Then the engineer sucked.

 

[NL5]

Really? Then the engineer sucked.

Yep. What he said.......

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Really? Then the engineer sucked.

I'm linking the other thread on how important good gear or a good engineer may be. Here's a perfoect case study of how the gear doesn't matter anywhere near as much as the ears do.

BTW, the say I have any band member come in and ask me to bring them DOWN in the mix is the day I can happily die.

Additionally BTW: I fully expect to die an unhappy man.

G.

 

[BRIEFCASEMANX]

I'm linking the other thread on how important good gear or a good engineer may be. Here's a perfoect case study of how the gear doesn't matter anywhere near as much as the ears do.

BTW, the say I have any band member come in and ask me to bring them DOWN in the mix is the day I can happily die.

Additionally BTW: I fully expect to die an unhappy man.

G.

That happens to me sometimes.

-Timedog

 

[89gtsleeper]

there's pros and cons to both. I think your mix captured the sound of the band and the song much better. The only thing the studio had was more overall volume, but other than that, I thought their mix was pretty janky.

 

[chessrock]

I'm not overly thrilled with the 'outsider' mix.

But on the same token ... I can't exactly blame someone for not trusting their mix to a guy who has nothing more than a home stereo system to monitor with.

No offense or anything.

.

 

[fivesixonesk8er]

Heres what he was working with...... Strait off of there website...

Console:
Mackie DB8 Digital Bus console, 72 channel, 56 input, 48 channel EQ, compression, gating, and effects with total automation

Recorder:
Mackie MDR24/96 Non-linear 24-bit/24-track hard disk recorder

Processors & Effects:
TC Electronics Golden Channel Mic
TC Electronics Finalizer
Custom made MOTOWN EQs
Summit DCL-200 tube compressor
Behringer Composer compressor/limiter
Behringer Autoquad 4 channel gate
Aphex Aural Exciter
BBE 462 Sonic Maximizer
Alesis 3630 compressor/limiter
Rane PE15 parametric equalizers
Dual channel tube preamp
Lexicon LXP-15
Lexicon ALEX
ART SGE Mach II processor
Vocoder
Roland SDE 1000
DM2000 Delay
SPX 990’s (PRO SENDS)

Monitors:
Yamaha NS 10M studio monitors

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

TC Electronics Finalizer
Summit DCL-200 tube compressor
Behringer Composer compressor/limiter
Aphex Aural Exciter
BBE 462 Sonic Maximizer
Alesis 3630 compressor/limiter

Which of these items does not belong with the rest?

G.

 

[michaelst]

Glen...

Why would one not belong? I've read bad things about all of these items.

I thought there were no rules?

 

[SonicAlbert]

From the gear list it seems like a studio upgrade is just under way. There's a few good pieces and then a bunch of low end pieces. The studio could definitely use some more upgrading in the compressor/eq/reverb department.

That's really not what I'd call a "pro" studio. Seems more like a home/project studio being billed as a pro studio. But I guess it's a little less "home" studio than yours.

At the same time, I don't blame the band for wanting to go elsewhere to mix. I don't know anybody that would trust their album to a guy mixing on home stereo speakers. You really shouldn't be offended by that. And if you want to mix bands you really should get some decent monitors.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

I thought there were no rules?

The mantra of those who have not yet understood the rules . But that's a whole other thread...

But I'm not sure what that would have to do with the gear list anyway? There are no "rules" in fashon, either. But when you look in someone's closet and find twelve Harley Davidson t-shirts, a powder blue polyester leisure suit, a pair of Armani silk boxers, and a Member's Only jacket that has "Female Body Inspector" silk screened on the back, it does tend to both say something about the guy's lack of fashon sense and cause the boxers to stick out like a high-shcool woody.

G.

 

[michaelst]

The mantra of those who have not yet understood the rules . But that's a whole other thread...

But I'm not sure what that would have to do with the gear list anyway? There are no "rules" in fashon, either. But when you look in someone's closet and find twelve Harley Davidson t-shirts, a powder blue polyester leisure suit, a pair of Armani silk boxers, and a Member's Only jacket that has "Female Body Inspector" silk screened on the back, it does tend to both say something about the guy's lack of fashon sense and cause the boxers to stick out like a high-shcool woody.

G.

So... 'professionals' understand the 'rules', yet tell non-professionals there are no rules. And when you break the rules, there are none. But when others do, it's because they are uninformed?

You say you can get good results from inferior equipment and software, yet you frown on those who can't afford top of the line, even to the point of mocking.

I'm just trying to figure out what's being said here. I thought it was all about the music, the sound and the results. If a mix is bad, it's bad regardless of what equipment was used to mix and finish it. Doesn't that also apply when it's good? Or is a million dollar studio's bad mix less bad cuz they use the best stuff?

 

[fivesixonesk8er]

That is a VERY good point michaelst.....