Clarity Vs. Power

Cody Suit

Cody Suit

likes Fast/Heavy music
this is one of those mixing things thats been bugging me and always makes me wanna try new things with mixing. it mostly relates to heavy and loud music. i play/record mostly hardcore, grind, thrash, punk and stuff like that.

what do you most go for? like the good sounding recording thats very clear and understandable? or something that just sounds so powerful like its blowing you away?

one of the things i found was like the clarity came easily from a "scooped" sound: lots of bass and treble (but very weak sounding). And the powerful sound came with lots of mid and clipping and/or mega hard limiting.

i dunno maybe i don't know what im talking about but if anyone else knows what i am please reply with your input.
 
Sadly, this is where high end equipment really starts to make its impact on a recording. By using nicer mics, pre's and compressors, it can really help to settle both of your needs. Getting a better signal from the get go makes it much easier to find that power but still retain the clarity. I personally think that of the three, compressors are wheree the big differences happen. On vocals though the mic/pre combo has to be just right though or it will reveal itself during the mixdown process.

Once you have managed all of that, then it is up to the mastering engineer to give you that last bit of "punch" and make sure it holds up everywhere:)
 
well what you don't realize is that the loudness you speak of, that shouldn't be your concern. That's strictly a post mix issue.



If you find yourself with an utterly loud, but undefined mix, then you're probably pushing it too hard.


For example, no matter what type of music I work with, I always mix for clarity, not for loudness. I leave lots of headroom, I listen at a comfortable level so I don't run the risk of over compressing.

Loudness can be worked on later. But if you try to print your mix trying to achieve loudness through limiting or compression, it's really a losing battle.


That's why I'm so f****ing pissed at that finalizer processor. Studios that are too cheap to find a mastering engineer (and in my opinion too greedy or lazy), try to do it all by phseudo mastering thier own shit with the finalizer.


Granted, thats what it's for. But for christ sake, you're either gonna be a good mix engineer or a good mastering engineer. Don't try to be both. (rhetorically speaking).


Privately, whatever, its your mix. But professionally, no studio should settle for mastering in a tracking and mix environment.
 
You know, I wanna slightly contradict myself here.



I wanna say that I prefer clean sound, but there are cases that the smash and loud factor was used for effect. In fact, a few styles of music wouldn't work without an assault on the ears.


Which is why I sorta veered away from metal, hardcore or anything that needs to end up compressed far too much (in my opinion).
 
LeeRosario said:
Which is why I sorta veered away from metal, hardcore or anything that needs to end up compressed far too much (in my opinion).
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I'm afraid you are steering yourself away from popular music then.. :confused:
 
TheDewd said:
I'm afraid you are steering yourself away from popular music then.. :confused:
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thats why I'm typing from a dark alley right now! I kid, but I manage. Not that I won't do it, but I let the people I work with know how I feel before we hit record. :D
 
LeeRosario said:
thats why I'm typing from a dark alley right now! I kid, but I manage. Not that I won't do it, but I let the people I work with know how I feel before we hit record. :D
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Well, someone HAS to say something if we ever want to get back to having some dynamics in the mid-future. You see Lee, I much prefer dynamic mixes, as squashes tend to give me headaches, but people (masses) love squashed mixes and they're the ones buying the music and coming to your shows...so it's a double edged sword.
 
Cody Suit said:
i guess here's an example from past recordings

Clarity: Leper - Bloody Hands
vs.
Power: Leper - Lazy Landlords Can Suck My Ass

when listening to them on my monitors the clarity one sounds better, but when i listen to them in a car stereo or something the power one sounds way better.

(i mixed the power one on generic computer speakers with a subwoofer)
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interesting titles...


man, hands down...the clarity one. Power is really just a function of good mixing and judicious use of overall compression. So it's not really the volume that suggests "power" but how you choose to process your music.
 
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