How Long Do You Spend On Your Mixes ?

[laptoppop]

I'm just finishing up a 6 song project. Each song has between 12 to 20 tracks, but usually 4 to 6 of them represent stereo pairs which can help mixing time.

This project took about 40 hours to track the various parts, and its looking like its going to take about 70 hours to totally complete the set of mixes. One big thing that is slowing me down is that I moved to a new mixing program (Sonar), so a part of this time is ramping up on the new program. I used Cakewalk 9 before, so its not completely new, but different enough to be interesting.

Everything depends on what's on the tracks. Some of these tracks don't need anything but level set properly. Other tracks need EQ/compression, etc. By the time I listen to a track enough times, its easy to spend 1/2 hour getting a good sound from a track. Then we have the tracks, such as the main vocal, front and center-- for some of them, I had to comp together from several performances for best effect. This took time too. Little glitch fixes took time, such as muting the vocal during the solo when the artist cleared his throat. Then we worked on the level changes through the songs, such as raising the solo levels. Then we have been cutting a series of CDs and passing them out to members of the band and having everyone listen to it on all sorts of different environments. Then we get the joy of regrouping and hammering out the compromises between different perceptions, as well as fixing more glitchoids.

Bottom line for this project - 6 songs, about 70 hours over 2 weeks. Next project like this, I'd expect to be able to do it in about 40 hours -- maybe less.

-lee-

 

[mixmkr]

boy...I gotta say, you guyz sure spend a lot of time mixing. Almost to the mind boggling stage. I find that if you spend more than a couple of hours on a song on any ONE day...that becomes enough. You have to let is rest and come back fresh another day. ...at least I do. Kinda like beating a dead horse. If there is that much tweaking and shit to do, I feel a little more attention might been needed when tracking. Boy...the days of 8 tracks and submixing (even the 4 tracks). Make a decision...move on...



"it's a lottery ticket...pick one![dammit]"

 

[littledog]

boy...I gotta say, you guyz sure spend a lot of time mixing. Almost to the mind boggling stage. I find that if you spend more than a couple of hours on a song on any ONE day...that becomes enough. You have to let is rest and come back fresh another day. ...at least I do. Kinda like beating a dead horse. If there is that much tweaking and shit to do, I feel a little more attention might been needed when tracking. Boy...the days of 8 tracks and submixing (even the 4 tracks). Make a decision...move on...



"it's a lottery ticket...pick one![dammit]"

I wish I COULD work that way, mxmkr, but you're leaving out two important parts of the equation: the clients and the deadlines.

Unfortunately, too many clients have just enough knowledge of Pro Tools these days to be dangerous. They relentlessly take perfectly fine sounding tracks and spend hours tweaking them, because they can. Not much I can do - it's their nickel.

The other point is more often than not, it seems like the client HAS to have the finished mixes "instantly" ("We could only get a mastering appointment at MASTER-GATOR studios for tomorrow morning. You don't mind pulling an all-nighter and mixing the last four songs, do you? Don't worry, feel free to take a few 15 minute breaks...")

It's enough to make you cry sometimes....

 

[KingstonRock]

holy shit vox that is crazy! everything else sounds good too, lol

I think im gonnna try it, if even my band's singer is gonna KILL me!


P.S. I am a big fan of the backwards cymbal as well, i think i noticed a few

 

[sjoko2]

Unfortunately, too many clients have just enough knowledge of Pro Tools these days to be dangerous.

Which is also why some mixes in recent times have taken me at least 2 x longer as they should have done...

Clients who record partly at home, partly in a studio (very good idea, nothing against that). But then they "make a start on some mixing and editing" at home. Then they get here for the "final mix"........... and instead of just mixing songs down, we have to start fixing first before we can make a start (clicks, pops, over-compression, weird effects, time allignment, lost files etc etc.

I work really well with some clients on the "part at home, part in the studio" basis. I really like it, as when they come in here I get a good idea of what direction they are going into, which makes the job easier and more interesting. But these clients KNOW what they are doing, and we PLAN everything carefully.

 

[VOXVENDOR]

holy shit vox that is crazy! everything else sounds good too, lol

I think im gonnna try it, if even my band's singer is gonna KILL me!


P.S. I am a big fan of the backwards cymbal as well, i think i noticed a few

Thanks!..

Have fun..

 

[mixmkr]

I wish I COULD work that way, mxmkr, but you're leaving out two important parts of the equation: the clients and the deadlines.

you got a point...which is why at this [young ] age of mine, I really don't care about getting new clients.... and deadlines... don't need them either. I am actually really digging doing marathon recording these days now that I am not trying to support myself doing it. Having it pay for itself and the new toys....yeah..I can deal with that, but I've become a selfish SOB and actually prefer doing MY projects, and projects of MY choice... what can I say?

 

[Emusic]

1-2 hours. Then I've already messed them up as much as I don't know how to get the somewhat decent sound I had after 5 minutes back

 

[shockingcandy]

Well I said up to 12 hrs but I should qualify this by pointing out that it includes about 10 tea & biscuit breaks (rock n roll).

Also I like to revist a mix and tweak it once I've listened for a week or so.

 

[gullfo]

on average - if everything is tracked ok, probably 4-6 hours but it depends - I've had mixes come together in under an hour and some that I know I spent 12-14 hours over a couple of days to get it... some material just flies together and sometimes you have to really work at it to get things to gel.

 

[RhythmRmixd]

From thoughts and ideas to final mix -- at least 12-15 hours, but that's broken up into different times throughout the week. I'm not sure anyone could listen to the same hook for 12 hours straight...even if its a good one. My brain would be mush.

 

[timboZ]

It's been almost 2 years and I have not gotten a mix that I am happy with!

 

[martinn]

2 much

I've heard "1 hour per recorded minute" as a rule of thumb and it comes pretty close for me (if I average a little). More tracks (say, over 24) take longer. Poor quality tracks (nasty-sounding drums, slightly-off bgv's) take longer.

Unlike some of the "mix as you go" comments earlier in the thread, when I'm tracking, I just track. And when I'm mixing, I just mix. Sometimes auditioning tracks lets me know I need to re-record or punch in some clean-up work instead of starting the mix, but I try and do that before the musicians leave the studio.

That's just what works best for me (changing hats burns time).

martin

 

[ecktronic]

Good reply Blue bear. I usually do the same kinda. I get a rough mix with some fx and what not, and edit to get rid of any unwanted noise first. Then i will fine tune the mix. Then i will take it home and listen to it on a few different sound systems that i know the characterisitcs of quite well. If anything jumps out at me or is hidden (from my knowledge of the soud systems) i will then go back and change the mix slightly. Its all about getting to know the transistion from studio monitors to an average of every sound system in the world!!
If a mix sounds good on pishy small computer speakers, meaty bassy hi-fi speakers and studio monitors then you pretty much know you have got it right.

 

[ecktronic]

vox vender, i dont beleive you used that many tracks for the vocals (would be pointless anyway). I aint into "fake" recordings using pods and sampled drums. This kind of recording just kills music man. Try and record real sources please.

 

[vigormusic]

if i'm doing one song at a time I'll do a couple different mixes and burn them and go for a drive to take a listen, then come back and make any changes, or sleep on it for a night

 

[nonreversebird]

Take it from me if you are a home recording person...

If what you are recording and mixing means a lot to you. You will probably do like me. You will spend weeks mixing. I have found so many EXTREMELY subtle things that effect the mix that you just cant possibly get the first time around. I personally have found that getting other musicians opinions helps and will open up your eyes on somethings you may have missed. Like for me my newest issue has been the Kick drum. It just wasnt loud enough on any of my songs and I just didnt really notice it. I figured that when one turns the bass up then the Kick would be more prevalent. Well this is not the case. So I would spend a month doing it if I have to before I ever put my stuff on CD and distribute it. I want my stuff to sound damn good for what it is.

So 1 to 2 weeks isnt anything for me. I am past that now. I am almost at a month. Yea I am tired but I am making progress each time. I am not spinnging wheels. I guess thats when you know when you need to get off it.

 

[dgatwood]

Depends on whether I'm mixing for myself or somebody else. For somebody else... 3-4 hours. For myself....

I'm working on a CD. I've already started tracking for my second CD, but this one isn't quite ready to ship. Guess I don't know when to quit tracking....

Anyway, the danger of recording yourself is that you are never satisfied. The danger of doing stuff like VOXVENDOR is that you're never satistified with any given track, and then you have 110 of them... well, for me, usually more along the lines of 50-60 tracks.

The big difference is that it's me playing piano, guitar, electric bass, trombone (multiple parts), trumpet (multiple parts), recorder (and variations thereof), percussion (congas, suspended crash & ride cymbal, tambourine, shaker... the new stuff uses a lot of kit, but not much on the first CD, really), clarinet, cello, and probably some other stuff I've forgotten about.

Now, I play piano, trumpet, and trombone well, and I suppose recorder is simple enough that pretty much anybody can play that decently. I'm okay at percussion. Clarinet and cello... so-so... so I find myself spending lots of time "fixing" spots that just didn't work for various reasons.... You get the idea.

To make matters worse, I keep going back and rerecording vocal bits. A couple of quick lessons and suddenly I hate all my old vocals because they just sound... wrong.

So... I started that CD in spring 2003. Officially. Still working on it. Oh, and some tracks actually predate that. There's one track from August 2002 and one from February 1999.

Sadly, the poll didn't have an option for "6 or more years", so I chose 1-2 weeks, being the closest without going over....

 

[The Engineer]

For my own personal songs/recordings I'll take about 4-5 hours. (I'd like to take longer though) When I have some local rappers come to record, I slap a compressor on the bitch in 10 minutes and call it a day! :-] I'm an asshole.

 

[Dogbreath]

I voted 5-12 hrs but it really comes down to how bad I've screwed the parts up. Bein the only musician, I can't blame anyone else...............................dammit.