How do I get a good mix?

G

GrooveBassman

New member
So what is a good mix. I've done some independent "research" and this is what I've come up with.

OK first off I took someone wait i think everyones advice. I bought a pair of near field monitors. I already had a Haffler TA1600 amp. So I went with the name recognition and got 2 of the M5 Reference monitors. There probably not the most primo in the world but they're a hell of a lot better than my panisonic bookshelf thing that the display no longer works on. So here I go I through in my Zeppelin remasters CD. At first I'm shocked it's not at all like I thought. I expected the super ultra hi fi sound but I get the super flat sound. Wait there is promise I can now hear what i guess you guys call a stereo field. It was weird cause I don't think I've ever heard it that well before. Every instrument had deffinition in the mix unlike the way it sounds through a a HiFi system. If I close the my eyes I could kinda visualize a the band in the background and Robert Plant just in front of them. I threw in a few other disks and noticed that the reference monitors let me hear everything and I liked it.

OK I know I'm a windbag but hear are the questions. What is the ultimate goal of mixing?

So far from what I've heard on these CDs the goal is to make sure everything is heard. Is that the key to a good mix? I haven't totally made up my mind but is EQ a last ditch resort for "fixing up a sound". Should I use the EQ to compensate for the mic only so i can get a truer picture of what the playr sounds like live? And the big one for a real beginer like me is it a good idea to sort of examine recordings I like and try to emulate the tone and mix etc?
 
my 4 cents...

Use the mic to compensate for the EQ.
Practice practice and practice.
Spend days on each song, not an hour or 2.
Yes, use well mixed CDs as a reference to help you get better and gauge your progress as an engineer.
There ya go, a penny a piece! :)
Paul
 
GrooveBassman said:


OK I know I'm a windbag but hear are the questions. What is the ultimate goal of mixing?
Click to expand...

The ultimate goal of mixing is simply to take the raw tracks and twist them into a sound which is pleasing to the human ear, how you do that is just a question of style.

There are quite a few different approaches to mixing that range from striving for purity of instrument sound to creating a big distorted mushy wall of noise (which can actually sound awesome). Once you are dealing with two or more instruments in a mix you will most likely have to compromise on the purity of each instument's sound a little to 'make room' in the mix for the other instruments.

One of the main tricks to mixing is making sure that every instrument has it's own 'space', a little niche all its own surrounded on either 'side' by the other instruments. Basically this means that you have to make sure that two instruments aren't fighting for the same group of frequencies.

About making everything heard, I actually like to leave little things in the background that aren't immediately obvious till you really listen to the recording. On a lot of recordings it's the subtle things that can make all the difference, they can add a lift or fill out the sound of a chorus without being up front or obvious.

If a player has a really great tone or is making a classical or instrumental recording then it is usual to try to capture tha sound of their instrument as accurately as possible. If the instrument is going to be a part of the backing tracks to a pop or rock song it is normal to try to capture the sound that will work in the context of the recording, that is, fit into the mix well.

Conventional wisdom states that the best way to record a sound is to put it in the right room and mic it with the right mic in the right position. After you have done that to the best of your ability feel free to reach for the EQ to get what you need.
 
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About making everything heard, I actually like to leave little things in the background that aren't immediately obvious till you really listen to the recording. On a lot of recordings it's the subtle things that can make all the difference, they can add a lift or fill out the sound of a chorus without being up front or obvious.

___________________________________________

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Grove,


You also might try to match the sound of the instruments on recording,
as they sound live.

For example, what kind of drum set did you record?

Does it sound like that drum set on recording or does it just sound
like any old drum set?
 
the ultimate goal of mixing is

sitting down in front of a multitrack, and twisting and turning and adding and subtracting, and after many hours of sometimes excruciating, sometimes extatic changes, ending up with a mix that sounds like music.

Sorry about that, but mixing is my favorite part of recording.

I think that all instruments should be heard distinctly. That does not mean that they have to be too detailed, but they should occupy their place in the music.

Maybe one day, Ill be able to get that from my mixes.
 
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