I hate tracking, mixing, mastering, and...

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LAZI

LAZI

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having to live with the results.

I'm mixing this R&B project and it's driving my crazaye...To top it off the artist has moved out of town. It's just me tryin to mix someone elses work... :mad: :( .

Mixing... When to say when? Seems like I'm determined to keep trying crap until I turn this tproject into crap. I think when I start thinking like this then maybe I'm about done and don't need to do anything drastic. Agree? Good point to stop maybe? Cuz now one day it sounds fine then the next I just gotta turn it smooth the hell off. What about all the crap I think I can fix though? Time is kinda limited though...

Mastering... Dammit!!! I don't want to mix and master this project... It's not too much for me just seems more stuff to bug me for days... If someone else did it then it's not my fault ;). We are just too broke plus I think I can do it right (maybe better). Plan to try it anyway but I've turned perfectly decent work into crap (not really). I have learned alot and wanna get some more experience. Guess it comes with the territory... Don't wanna screw up this project though.

In the end living with the results is the hardest thing for me. I will always hear the two (or fifty thousand) mistakes LOUD as hell. No one else may hear em but they'll always bug me... Why didn't I fix that? DAMN... Then that one somebody will make a comment about something... I will bash their head in and do 20 years in prison. Uh... I mean it'll bug me even more. :D

Alright I'm done... Needed to get out. Figured some of ya'll cats would understand. Cats I deal with don't give a ___. Now... Back to doing what I know I gotta do. I think i'm kinda decent at it... We'll see huh?


Did I mention I'm trying to do the cd covers, posters, promotion type crap, and ,,,,,,,,, for this project.
 
There now. I hope you feel better, everyone needs to just let that extraneous stuff boil to the top so you can strain it off every now and then. Youll be just fine. :)
Now, get your ass back to work!
 
Normally if a mix to destruction I will revert to the original and take a break for a few days. Come back to it with a fresh ear and start over. And whatever you do dont work on it for hours at a time. And dont mix when your tired.;)
Also, things you hear that you think isn't quite right the average person may never hear.
 
We're all in this together...

You sound like me!

Really though, the best thing, (and I understand where you're coming from), do you know another person that is an engineer or has a good ear for music to sit in with you to give constructive advice? I have a few people I like to have in when I'm in the same situation you're in.

Mastering, I DON'T do it. If someone asks me to Master something I'll tell them why I don't do it and if they still want me I'll do it but with hesitation. Again if I know someone that does it for a living I'll barter for something they need for what I need. Also I'd call a local music school and tell them what kind of music genre I'm working on and that you're looking for their star student to get their hands dirty. You'd be surprised that someone fresh out of the gate sometimes does better than someone that's been doing it for 20+ years. Plus you don't have to pay them ;)

Here's the other thing to consider...

We as engineers hear things others don't in a mix. If they moved out of town, are they willing to listen to what you have done so far for approval? I know it makes things more time consuming but you really need their input. Yet again if they trust you to do it, that means they don't have much experience in the studio and/or like what you've already done. Go with what you have, conservatively, and see what they think. I've had mixes leave my studio thinking it's going to be the worst thing ever and then to hear back from fans that it's the most amazing thing they've heard.

You're being too hard on yourself. What I mean is that you feel the pressure of doing the greatest thing ever without getting feedback from the band. Okay, take a deep breath and count to ten...

You're all good.

See if they'd be open to listening to a few slop (semi finished) select tracks via snail mail on CD just to see if you're heading in the right direction. If they think it sounds great, go with it. Don't second-guess yourself too much. There's always something in a song or album that artists or engineers/producers don't like but as long as the performances are solid and 80% of it is great and the band concurs then go for it.

I know it's a hard pill to swallow but I'd suggest you tell them (or others in the future) why you don't Master the songs. Be honest (good) or make up reasons why (could bite you in the end). Obviously they moved out of town and Mastering is such a big part of the overall end product that I'd suggest something along the lines of saying "it's okay you were not here for mixing but you should definitely find someone near you to Master so you get it just right"

If they already paid you to Master, like I said earlier find some extra set of ears that are impartial to the process or refund their money. You could find someone that loves music but isn't a musician. I discover that people whom don't play any instrument but buy a lot of music have the best opinions. The draw back is they can't tell you technical things like bring up the 1K on the kick or stuff like that but they know generally what sticks out too much and so on vice versa.

I avoid Mastering like the Anthrax virus so I always make a point of expressing that to a band right away, unless the money is good and I know the end result will be good no matter who Masters it.

I really hope I helped you. I think I covered all my suggestions. Make sure you post the results of your endeavor.

Feel free to ask more questions.

Take care and good luck,
--Adam Lazlo

Here's my addendum--

Do what you have to do in order make yourself comfortable with the project. Engineering/Producing can make you crazy sometimes, (most of the time). If you were a musician or currently are remember what it was like for you in the studio. I think I'm pretty easy going but there are times where I get snippy with stuff. Do what you can with what you got, think how they'd be happy with things (I know you want satisfaction but if you have parts that are too loud or ugly you can't expect to -GULP- fix it in the mix). It seems to me they trust you to bring the best of what's already there. Let me say that again, YOU'RE THERE TO BRING OUT THE BEST OF WHAT'S ALREADY THERE!)

Hopefully they'll realize the importance of getting the right track integriy of what's being put down because it's all about the initial tracks. Do what you do best and don't over obsess because that would only lead to disaster. Work with what you got becasue there will be plenty of other bigger acts that will work with you based on the fact that you work with what you got.
 
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Some good advise... I knew you guys would understand where I was coming from.

I just talked to the guy on the phone and he once again said he trusts me completely. That just adds more pressure...:(

Anyway it's cool. I gotta take some of your advise for sure. I gotta let someone else listen before I finalize anything. I know the perfect person. A lady who owns record stores and has almost every record, tape, or cd she could possibly want. She is part of my plan to the big time... She will help big time when it's promotion time. I'll drop her off a copy and tell her it's a ruff mix and just wanted to let her get a early peep. I'll tell her I can't let her have that copy but I will pick it up in a day or 2. Then show up and grill her about it. ;) She'll be nice but if I ask her the right way she might talk. Anyway it'll give me a chance to talk some bidness.

I don't know any really cool engineers... The ones I know all got attitudes and years of nothing to justify it. So then it's off to the guy we think might provide some financial backing for us. But I want to give him the finished product as a take it or leave type deal. Might have to just do a dry run. I think the DJ cats will be next up and hopefully have a single for em. After that maybe things will be cool and I can wrap it up. Seems like we got some time now (more than I thought).

As far as mastering... I gotta at least try it. I think it will bother me more to not try... I have done 2 full cd's and a few cd singles that got some radio play. When I heard them on the radio they sounded as good as everything else. Then someone blurts out "man they got some good equipment at the radio station". So I bashed his head in... No, I mean. That bothered me a little. Differences I hear can almost be called differences in the sound not necessarily the sound quality. At least that's how I see it. But I'm just trying to convince myself to an extent. Dah well...

You can hear some of the stuff at

http://artists.iuma.com/IUMA/Bands/Yusuf_Malik/

His first solo album. I don't know a thing about singing so that's up in the air as far as i'm concerned.

Some changes have been made to those songs but nothing really drastic. Any advise is very welcome. I am new to R&B and singing. Basically I don't know crap. Just what I have picked up around here and what I feel is right. I take what I do serious even though I may not be very experienced or even skilled. :D

If it's something bad about it you can tell me...

How the hell do these posts get this long: confused:.
 
I feel exactly the same way, I just tracked a band and it went very well. Best drum tracks I have EVER recorded, now I'm sitting in front of my desk, and I start fiddling. The kick needs a little more definition, the snare doesn't crack enough, the bass isn't growling the way I like. After mucking, I listen to the original tracks, WOW that sounds better. Oh well, live and learn...
 
Your ears and brain constantly adjust to what they are hearing over time - essentially filling in missing frequencies or cutting overhyped ones.

So what sounds great after three hours of mixing often sounds like crap the next day.

The best solutions are to:

a) take frequent breaks

b) regularly reference your mixes to commercial recordings that you know sound great.

c) listen to your mixes the next day

d) listen to your mixes on other speakers in other rooms

e) save your original rough mixes and listen back to them to see if you've made things better or worse.
 
Lazi, that's too much pressure on ya self, what you gonna do when you make it "SPONTANIOUSLY COMBUST" :D

just kidding, where are you located, I'm in NY
hit me at : MSTUDIO1224@aol.com or send me a CD to clarify what needs to be done and such --- and in return I'll send you mine.

All in time my friend, all in time, God dont give it to you till you ready, and I'm sure your good, but God is telling you--NOT YET
This right here what you feeling is " EXCELLING", this what you feel is "THE NEXT STEP" what you feel is a something you never knew you had. We cant tell you either, but how ever you come out of this, if your still doing music, you made it threw.

And eventually you will see how you came through, and have enough pride to stand tall and walk through all the other shit to come. in the words of "50 cent" ------"It's a hustle baaaby"
 


Mixing... When to say when?
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I just got back from a mastering house today working on a project and the guy that owns the place was telling a story about a mutual friend who is an engineer. The producer was driving herself crazy over re-recording, mixing, remixing, mastering, deciding it wasn't right, remixing, etc. (it was her first attempt at producing) and she finally looked at our friend the recording/mixing engineer and exasperatingly asked "How do you know when its done?!?"
The guy looked her in the eye and as serious as can be said, "When you run out of money."
Now, I know the guy well enough to know that he wasn't trying to be funny or just take her for whatever he could. He was simply making a point that you can keep throwing more and more stuff at it, eating up time until you just don't have any more money to throw. Of course, that is usually the exact thing that will take a good sounding project and turn it into crap.
Hope you kept your first mix.

PS: Spend the money and get it mastered by someone else. You, your ears, and the customer all need the input of someone outside the loop of the project.
 
just kidding, where are you located, I'm in NY
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Located in MISSISSIPPI... Preciate ya to the fullest but it's my boys project and I gotta let him decide who I let hear things before it's all done. He's been kinda picky latly (so have I... Out of fear). Part of what's making finishing this thing so hard. Preciate ya though.

"When you run out of money."
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I was done on this one about three months ago then...;) Definitely knowing that will be the case when this ones done.

Preciate you guys advise... Ya'll made the last few days a little less stressful.

Things I'm goning to do are: Post the link in the MP3 clinic, Do a quick mixdown and some simple Soundforge processing, run a few promo mix discs with chopped down versions by a few people, send dude a copy of the raw unprocessed mixes through snail mail, and get radio ready mixes of two of the songs (16bit but much processing). After that I should still have some time to figure out how I'm going to get 24 bit mixes from my daw into my computer for mastering (me or whoever).
 
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