Bad mixing day?

[lockesilver]

I've just given up and decided to put away a song and return to it tomorrow... so now I might just as well write something unproductive on the forum.

Sooo...

Does this sometimes happen to you? It's like a bad-hair day, only with respect to mixing. I was trying to mix the tracks into a good sounding, groovy little masterpiece but did not even come close. The vocals just won't sit right and I'm no longer sure whether the drums should be fatter and louder or should I throw them out completely. I seem to have completely lost the "ear" for these things today. The funny thing is I also tried to copypaste my usual vocal mixing chain of VST's from another song and in this one it sounds crappy and robotic (and the two are quite similar). I tried tampering with it to adjust it to this particular track but only made it worse.

I'm like, "hey, track" "what?" "F**k you!".


Sorry for this rant but I was just curious whether other people sometimes have a "bad mixing day" as well?

 

[gecko zzed]

Yup . . . bad mixing days, bad tracking days . . .bad everything days. It happens all the time.

Using your usual mixing chain sometimes is not the answer.

Sometimes it is best to set the song aside for a while, then come at it again completely from scratch. Start with the bare bones and work from there.

 

[sixer2007]

You know, that happened to me just the other day. Don't worry, you're not alone. For me, it was a track that I felt that I needed to finish in order to get on with my next project. As soon as I decided I needed to finish it, all my creative juices went away and it felt like work. It got stressful. I started feeling like a needed a break every 15 minutes to go out and smoke and all that.. One time, i just said fug it and started completely over on the track which helped some, but that was after a few days of not listening to it at all.
Also, Using the same chain on anything might not be a bad idea, but surely, if you use the same chain with the exact same settings for processing on a different track, it's likely to lead to baldness. At least in my experience.

Gekko read my mind while I was typing. Ditto all of that!

 

[kip4]

Yup . . . bad mixing days, bad tracking days . . .bad everything days. It happens all the time.

Using your usual mixing chain sometimes is not the answer.

Sometimes it is best to set the song aside for a while, then come at it again completely from scratch. Start with the bare bones and work from there.

I'd go along with that i have all the above bad days.
Put the project away for a bit and rethink +1 on differant settings for differant tracks.
Do what the track demands not what you usually do (presets rarely fit every song)
Hope you have a better day tommorow.
Peace out

 

[Greg_L]

Happens all the time. The beauty with home recording though is that us hobbyists are not usually on a deadline, so it's usually no big deal. Writing, tracking, mixing, there's roadblocks everywhere. I've scrapped songs for weeks and months, and I still have quite a few that have been sitting in limbo literally for years. No biggee. I'll get to em when the feeling hits. I'll just finish other stuff in the meantime. I'm finishing one up right now that I wrote and tracked like two years ago. The mood for that one finally hit.

 

[CrowsofFritz]

I don't think I've ever had a bad mixing day. I've certainly had bad tracking days though.

 

[JimmyS1969]

All the time. But when I save the track, F**K is not edited.

 

[Track Rat]

Sometimes it's like a drinking game. The more you stay at it, the more fucked up you get. Once I figured out I'm beating a dead horse, I walk away. What's worse is mixing something all night and you think it's like The White Album and you listen to it in the cold light of day

 

[aaronmcoleman]

All I have is bad mixing days. I guess some days are badder than others.

I have tons of songs I've never finished because I got so far into them and realized the tracking/mixing weren't working and didn't want to go back and start over. It sucks but it's part of the fun!

 

[Jonesey9]

Been there, done that.

There is still one song of ours which I return to every so often and no matter what I do, it always sounds like shit.

I've deleted all plugins, deleted all automation, zeroed all faders and started again at least 3 times but this soab just won't mix!

I'll get there one day - oh, and it's not the tracking! The raw tracks are good, clean, and fairly sparse.
It's just me

 

[grimtraveller]

but it's part of the fun!

I wouldn't quite go that far !
But I frequently get the 'frooosendental post party mixing blues'. It leaves one feeling murderous but the feeling soon goes. Once you know what you're doing, you realize almost anything has a solution. Almost anything !

 

[miroslav]

Yeah...it's not always good.

I find that when mixing...there's a break-point where it's either starting to gel or just not going anywhere.
If it's not going anywhere, it's not a bad idea to step back for a day or two...or at least try a different approach.

If it sucks, and you just keep mixing it the same way over and over...it's not going to get better....it's going to be the same. Try to identify what exactly is bad and then focus on getting that right. If the vocals are not sitting right, don't also change everything else just the change it up. You may just need to fine tune the vocals.
Of course, sometimes it's the other tracks that are "making" the vocals not sit right...etc....

You have to stop mixing...and then just listen for awhile until you hear the cause of the problem.

 

[8track]

In my experience, if you're not on a tight deadline, it's best to take a break and leave it alone. Especially if you have been recording the same day with headphones. When I was 'producing' I would try and plan to do things on different days but of course that can restrict the 'creative juices!'.
I always loved recording rock bands.... they always seemed to turn up with beer, and the mix always sounded better as the day went by...

 

[lockesilver]

So, it is comforting that this happens to everyone... I guess.

I find that when mixing...there's a break-point where it's either starting to gel or just not going anywhere.

Totally. You won't wring water from a stone...

if you're not on a tight deadline, it's best to take a break and leave it alone. Especially if you have been recording the same day with headphones.

I didn't think of that, but it makes sense. Over-worked material has its ways of making us hear it differently than other people... For example, you keep adding reverb because you think it's STILL not noticeable enough, and then you listen to your track after a month and it suddenly sounds like it was recorded in a bat cave.

Been there, done that.

There is still one song of ours which I return to every so often and no matter what I do, it always sounds like shit.
I've deleted all plugins, deleted all automation, zeroed all faders and started again at least 3 times but this soab just won't mix!

Been there, done that...

All I have is bad mixing days. I guess some days are badder than others.

Now this is a good one. And who would have thought mixing is that important? When I was starting out (some 3 years ago) I didn't even suspect there were such things as mixing and mastering. I figured all I needed for a good recording was some expensive equipment and a little technical know-how. Now it turns out these are crucial to the result (and also perfectly capable of ruining the song). Actually I think there's more (or just as much) science to mixing than to tracking.

Sometimes it's like a drinking game. The more you stay at it, the more fucked up you get. Once I figured out I'm beating a dead horse, I walk away.

Sure. I think there's a point where you are no longer able to tell what's good and once you cross that point, you start poking it too hard and spoiling things.

The beauty with home recording though is that us hobbyists are not usually on a deadline, so it's usually no big deal.

... and that's what we all love about home recording. Beating a dead horse is one thing, but I have songs which wouldn't be half as good if I hadn't had the time to start anew many times, tamper with things, change this, enhance that, without anyone rushing me...

Do what the track demands not what you usually do (presets rarely fit every song)

Using your usual mixing chain sometimes is not the answer.

I do agree, but what I meant with "my usual chain of VST's for vocal processing" was not to use a preset but to have a starting point from which you can start adjusting. Of course every track is different but come on, manually inserting the same gate, three compressors, deesser etc. only to be politically correct is sometimes art for art's sake. A little ctrl-c/ctrl-v here and there just speeds things up...

 

[lockesilver]

Of course, sometimes it's the other tracks that are "making" the vocals not sit right...etc....

Actually, this is a very important point. I've recently had a "better mixing day" and figured out that this was the reason I couldn't mix the vocals right. In case anyone's interested, a simple idea did the trick. I took the master channel of all the music tracks together and 'stereoized' it (I delayed the left channel of the mid frequencies by a few cents in relation to the right channel). The music now sounded much wider, and the vocals, left in the center, finally "sat" well.

 

[miroslav]

I wouldn't get too happy with "stereo-izing" mixes to make them work.
It might sound OK...but from what you are describing, I think you just had panning issues with the other tracks -- they were all too much up the middle or close to it, and fighting with the vocals.

If the "stereo-izing" FX pulled them away from the center to make room for the vocals...then why not just pan the individual tracks away from the center...."fan" them out, and make room for the vocals that way.
It will sound better than applying a "stereo-ized" effect...IMO.

1. Panning - finding the right position for each track in the stereo image.
2. Levels - finding the right level balance between tracks.
&
3. EQ - fine tuning individual tracks so there is no build-up of rude frequencies from the combination of tracks.

Those are your meat-n-potatoes when it comes to mixing.

Same as with good video/film productions.
It's all about well placed fades-n-cuts...not special FX.

 

[lockesilver]

... and also it would be easier to pan the individual tracks. UNLESS you have this (in order of presence/frontness):

track1: vocals
track2: drums
track3: sampled mono mp3 128kbps
track4: synth

 

[JimmyS1969]

Are those the only tracks you have? all mono? Sorry, I missed this thread beginnings.

 

[8track]

Actually, this is a very important point. I've recently had a "better mixing day" and figured out that this was the reason I couldn't mix the vocals right. In case anyone's interested, a simple idea did the trick. I took the master channel of all the music tracks together and 'stereoized' it (I delayed the left channel of the mid frequencies by a few cents in relation to the right channel). The music now sounded much wider, and the vocals, left in the center, finally "sat" well.

I'd be a little careful with this. I'm not saying it wont work but you should try and listen to it on various sound stages. So for example I'd do the initial mix on large tannoys, then smaller ones, then on some Tandy minimums 7s and finally on a small set of cheap passive speakers to emulate mono portable radio. This really tests the mix especially any stereo effects and will give you a sense of perspective. of course you can check your stereo / mono on your larger speakers too.

Hope this makes sense, and helps

 

[8track]

I wouldn't get too happy with "stereo-izing" mixes to make them work.
It might sound OK...but from what you are describing, I think you just had panning issues with the other tracks -- they were all too much up the middle or close to it, and fighting with the vocals.

If the "stereo-izing" FX pulled them away from the center to make room for the vocals...then why not just pan the individual tracks away from the center...."fan" them out, and make room for the vocals that way.
It will sound better than applying a "stereo-ized" effect...IMO.

1. Panning - finding the right position for each track in the stereo image.
2. Levels - finding the right level balance between tracks.
&
3. EQ - fine tuning individual tracks so there is no build-up of rude frequencies from the combination of tracks.

Those are your meat-n-potatoes when it comes to mixing.

Same as with good video/film productions.
It's all about well placed fades-n-cuts...not special FX.

This is good advice, but I would go back further. It all starts with the arrangement. How you interprete your idea. What instruments you use, how they work together. The melody, rhythm; Remember space is also an instrument.

Stereoising, phasing, panning, etc., is about 'fixing'- fixing in the mix. But there is only so much you can do to polish a piece of poo (excuse my language)

Again I hope this helps, apologies if I have misunderstood.