Equipment that most improved your mix

[RAMI]

Just messin with ya man.

I know, buddy. That's why I made my smartass remark (with smiley included) to RayC. I'm sure one day when I get a REALLY good pre amp, I'll laugh at myself for thinking this was sliced bread.

 

[NL5]

Using a much bigger room w/high ceiling for tracking made more difference for me than high end gear did.

Me too.

Also, changing my mix room into a somewhat acoustically correct room. HUGE difference in my mixes.

 

[gtrman_66]

Hmmmm......equipment that most improved my mixes.

I'd have to say, with my favorite band that I spend most of my recording time on these days, a Fender Custom Vibrolux with 10"Celestions installed and a shiny new Mapex drum kit.

I immediately noticed how much better they sounded and I was able to record tracks that I didn't have to "fight" to get mixed.The git player has a great amp collection, but that Vibrolux takes the cake, sonofabitch that thing sounds sweet.

And the difference in drum sounds between the old kit and the new, no comparison.

Nothing like having the band hand you some vastly improved sounds to record.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

The git player has a great amp collection, but that Vibrolux takes the cake, sonofabitch that thing sounds sweet.

"But right now I need a Telecaster/Through a Vibrolux turned up to ten"
- John Hiatt-"Memphis in the Meantime"



G.

 

[Mindset]

Agreed. But wouldn't you say that knowing which take is a turd and which is the keeper (and the right way to record it) is a big step towards getting the right end product?

And that's just if you're a hired gun (like I am also.) If you are a self-recording musician or band, or even one that is going into someone else's studio, knowing when you're ready to actually hit that big red record button is *huge*.

IME, the biggest factor in today's independant recording scene that hurts the average recording is the overall lack of patience; both on the performance side and on the engineering side. Rushing to get a prodcut out before the band is locked tight, or if the band is OK, before the mix is done properly and completly, is, IMHO anyway, one of the biggest problems there is.

G.

Oh totally agreed here. The lack of patience has to do with various variables however. For one $$. Many new clients of mine always try and rush through things when they paying hourly. My other long time clients k now that patience = better product at the end. Another thing is new clients that haven't recorded in a studio before want their stuff right then and there after they finished tracking, not realizing that there's more to it than me hitting the record & stop button. Mainly though its sometimes because of the budget. Some people just don't have the money to wait.

We have to know what we are doing to continue to be hired to do what we do right? I would say if we never stopped recording and threw something out because it wasn't recorded right, than we would be out of clients at the end.

I myself & my artists, we usually be very patient. Relaxing & taking frequent breaks if we need to so that the end result will always be our best. There's always tomorrow in the studio.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Some people just don't have the money to wait.

All the more reason to wait before going into the studio to begin with. That's what I'm referring to when I'm talking about the lack of patience on the client side; people in a hurry to get in front of a microphone.

What's the point of paying money to be recorded if what you want to record is not yet ready? Even more so if the budget is tight. Man, I'd think that it'd common sense to say, "Guys, we don't have a lot of money. So before we spend it on a studio recording, let's make sure we get it right as rain first." To rush into the studio when there's still obvious room for improvement in the performance, especially when one can't really afford it to begin with, makes no sense to me.

It's like a starving actor getting an expensive pro head shot done and not bothering to wash up or dress up or comb their hair before going to the photographer. Yet while you never see the rookie actor do something like that, you see rookie musicians doing the same kind of thing like it's going out of style.

If they want to prematurely throw their money at me, fine. I'll take it with a friendly smile on my face, and I'll do my absolute best for them. But I'd be much happier with the results - and so would they - if they slowed down, waited a month or a year before they came to me, and used that time to actually learn how to perform the song first.

G.

 

[ez_willis]

Switching from an atm25 to a Shure Beta52 did wonders for my kick sound.

 

[giraffe]

time.kjfhkjlgfa

 

[chazba]

Reading

I think that reading the posts on this thread has helped me more than any hardware has. Getting over having to track everything at high levels has been a big factor in getting mixes I can hear INTO. Thanks to Glen and Tom for that insight. Getting some decent monitors has helped too, even tho they have the "B" word on them after I got used to the sound my mixes translate well . I will be taking some mixes to Glenn Brown next week to run them thru the "Mussle Shoales" NEVE for sweetnin' and then to his mastering suite for mastering . If all goes well the next step will be the manufacturers. That reminds me...I gotta get after that artwork.


chazba

 

[punkin]

A chair that spins . You think I'm kidding but not. Being a deaf lefty (monaural listener) and having the ability to turn about easily lets me get a sense of depth and imaging.

 

[travelin travis]

good weed. (just kidding)

 

[theboy]

Man does a good drum kit to record really help... Use shit, no surprises, the end result will still sound like shit, although a little bit prettier. Also, listening to a mix from a couple of months ago and you just notice so much stuff... like how the hell did i think that was the right sound for the bass guitar? Jesus, was I drunk? So, nice and cliche, time and experience work wonders.

 

[TexRoadkill]

The best drum sound I've gotten was when I paid a drum tech $40 to come over and tune up the drums before the session.

 

[brodgind]

Share your stories - what piece of equipment took your mixes to the next level? Mic/Instrument/Recorder/Mixer etc..... Please specify make/model and why it improved your mix.....

I'll start - although there are several I'll say my ADAT recorder cleaned up my mixes compared to the Tascam 4track I was using.

When I was 17(1995), I tried recording a band with a Mackie 24x4 and an adat. We used peavey mics for almost everything because we all worked at a store that sold them and could get them cheap. it sounded horrible. Then I bought a peavey tube pre and compressor set, stereo, and a pair of AT4050's. Everything since has been about the right mic, the right performance, in the right room. I keep it simple...

 

[Bartman]

Wasn't gear for me

For me, the biggest improvements have not been gear related.

I went back the other day and remixed some tracks I recorded two years ago. The source tracks sounded better than I expected.

For grins, I didn't use any gear purchased between the time of my initial mixes and the completion of the remixes.

The difference between the old mix and the new mix is significant. I think the main reasons are: 1) my critical listening has improved; 2) I've learned to compensate for my less than stellar monitors and mixing environment; 3) Improved arranging skills, specifically getting better at when to NOT use a track or use it more sparingly; 4) understanding track automation (volume, effect mix, etc..) 5) using far less compression/better understanding of compressor attack and release to achieve desired results and 6) substituting subtle delays for ambience instead of reverb. I still use some reverb, but not very often.

I don't rule out finding some killer piece of gear that might yield great improvements (I don't have much high end gear) but I think my next "non baby step" improvements will probably be attributed to improving my mixing environment (specifically bass trapping), buying better monitors and continued learning.

Bart

 

[ofajen]

I dunno for sure. Seems like more of a gradual evolution as I look back on changes in equipment. Even the simple stuff I started out with was capable of reasonably accurate recordings, though limited in features.

Listening to other good mixes has helped me know that less can sometimes be a good thing.

Learning the value of using accurate, true omni mikes has been a big help.

The other thing that comes to mind is that reading Everest's "Master Handbook of Acoustics" something like 6 or 7 times about ten years ago was a huge help. More recently, I've learned a lot from Bob Katz' "Mastering Audio" and Streicher's "New Stereo Soundbook."

Cheers,

Otto

 

[metalhead28]

By far the biggest improvements that I have made have come from learning alot more and experimenting enough to be able to really implement that knowledge.
If I had to attribute a big improvement to a single piece of gear, I'd say it was finally getting my hands on a higher quility mic pre. I got a Brent Averill 312a and the improvement to my guitar tracks and vocals was very apparent over what I was using for them (an M-Audio Tampa). I had the presence and punch that I had been trying to achieve with cheaper gear but had never really gotten.
I probably wouldn't have been able to notice the difference a few years ago either. That's pretty significant for me too.

 

[MCI2424]

Share your stories - what piece of equipment took your mixes to the next level? Mic/Instrument/Recorder/Mixer etc..... Please specify make/model and why it improved your mix.....

I'll start - although there are several I'll say my ADAT recorder cleaned up my mixes compared to the Tascam 4track I was using.

Mixer (A&H 5000 32 channel) = $8000
Tape Recorder (MCI JH24 ) = $5000
Mics/Rack equipment (Neuman, AT, Etc. Avalon. ETC) = $40,000
Experience = priceless

 

[gcapel]

General rule: If a soloed track cannot stand on it's own as a relatively enjoyable listen of a quality performance, it's may not be worth mixing.

G.

Well done.

 

[wannabecomedeat]

1) Better, higher quality instruments.

2) Better Monitors.

3) More accoustic treatment (and better thought-out / strategic use of it).
Marshall JCM-2000 amps. Monitors include Event 20/20 passives and Behringer Truth actives.
.

Hey chessrock, I've never yet been able to make a jcm2000 sound good, do you have something recorded with one? just curious what you achieved