OMG ... I'm listening too much to me.

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K-dub

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As I listen right now to "today's music", I'm starting to get that mixes occur across a period of listeners in age in time.

I was a manufacturer's rep who "used" to deal in equipment and sold such on the sound of such ... but even then I knew "sound" required context.

As mixes occur, mixes occur in context of time. If your mixes occur in mind of your "age" then your mixes might be good for your age ... but your age no longer exists in context of current ... and that is absolutely fine.

We all exist in a time line.

Why did I post this in the MP3 mix share? Go figure as you listen forward ...

Sharing thoughts ... we deal with time in sound as we mix ... just a mention of remaining current.
 
It's a matter of listening to "sound" of all the new stuff, G. It is mixed VERY differently from the stuff I (and you) do. It's sort of like we got captured in an 70's/80's moment of sound and that's what we adapted to understand as the sound we wanted to craft ... and then somewhere the sound changed, but we didn't as it occurred to us. We learned what we wanted to hear, and though we came up behind the curve, we learned how to craft sound that pleased our own ears.

But our sound isn't the sound of that which is current ... it is the sound of the past ... that "sound" that WE like. We're older. That's okay, of course. We like what we like. We don't have to apologize for what we love. But it isn't sound of current ... so to speak. It is sound of us, when we framed what we wanted to sound like ... and we are not the sound of now. We, here, are the sound of ourselves as we frame ourselves in our sound.

... so we don't sound like today. That's quite okay by me ... it's only my notice of why I'm not yet a millionaire in music. (YOU should be.)
 
I get you. It's not just the mixing - it's an attitude including everything from particular instrument sounds to chord progressions. Some of us get "stuck" in time as the world moves on...
 
Audiowriter said:
I get you. It's not just the mixing - it's an attitude including everything from particular instrument sounds to chord progressions. Some of us get "stuck" in time as the world moves on...
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Yes ... it is an attitude.

I want big ass drums in my mixes. I make them large ... because, well ... that's how I want them in context of my hearing it. Everything I do is in context of how "I" want to hear it. The question then becomes ... "Should I mix the sound just for me?" (Hence, thread title)

The thing is that in designing the sound that appeals to ourselves, do we leave behind those that are listening today?
 
K-dub said:
It's a matter of listening to "sound" of all the new stuff, G. It is mixed VERY differently from the stuff I (and you) do. It's sort of like we got captured in an 70's/80's moment of sound and that's what we adapted to understand as the sound we wanted to craft ... and then somewhere the sound changed, but we didn't as it occurred to us. We learned what we wanted to hear, and though we came up behind the curve, we learned how to craft sound that pleased our own ears.

But our sound isn't the sound of that which is current ... it is the sound of the past ... that "sound" that WE like. We're older. That's okay, of course. We like what we like. We don't have to apologize for what we love. But it isn't sound of current ... so to speak. It is sound of us, when we framed what we wanted to sound like ... and we are not the sound of now. We, here, are the sound of ourselves as we frame ourselves in our sound.

... so we don't sound like today. That's quite okay by me ... it's only my notice of why I'm not yet a millionaire in music. (YOU should be.)
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Lol. That's nice, but I don't think so. A million would be nice, but I gave up on making money with music a long time ago.

I get what you're saying now though. You're right. I mix my stuff based on how I want to hear it, and how I want to hear it comes from years of listening to what I like to listen to. I don't think of my music or mixes in terms of old or new though. It just is what it is. I don't worry about sounding old or new or original or anything. I just want it to sound good to me, and if others like it, then that's fine too. I'm #1 though, and that will never change. Ultimately my opinion is the only one that matters to me when it comes to my own stuff. I think most people are the probably the same way to a degree. Our tastes are shaped by what influences us. I don't think that is merely a function of physical age though. Sure older people have more listening experience to choose from, but old people don't have to sound old, or new. They sound how they want to sound....if they have the skills to make it happen that way.
 
Greg_L said:
Lol. That's nice, but I don't think so. A million would be nice, but I gave up on making money with music a long time ago.

I get what you're saying now though. You're right. I mix my stuff based on how I want to hear it, and how I want to hear it comes from years of listening to what I like to listen to. I don't think of my music or mixes in terms of old or new though. It just is what it is. I don't worry about sounding old or new or original or anything. I just want it to sound good to me, and if others like it, then that's fine too. I'm #1 though, and that will never change. Ultimately my opinion is the only one that matters to me when it comes to my own stuff. I think most people are the probably the same way to a degree. Our tastes are shaped by what influences us. I don't think that is merely a function of physical age though. Sure older people have more listening experience to choose from, but old people don't have to sound old, or new. They sound how they want to sound....if they have the skills to make it happen that way.
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Total agreement ... but you grew up with sound much different sound in your ears than today's kids ... and I understand YOU know how you want to craft your craft ... never mind my private belief being there are certain musicians that are stand out in world that should be millionaires on their talents, but aren't ... so ok.

Here's the thing: "Can we change our sound to be more relevant to today?" ... or "Are we just old farts relegated to waiting for bell bottoms to become again fashionable?"

I make a living from my other talents, but I am ever so curious ... and I believe there is a sound that appeals to the times ... and it's times that matters most in music -- in order to identify with ... to chronicle ... like bell bottoms.

... and curiously, I don't believe it matters so much about age ... just times and sound.

Heck, consider the scratchy records that were the sound of your times.
 
Greg_L said:
I mix my stuff based on how I want to hear it, and how I want to hear it comes from years of listening to what I like to listen to. I don't think of my music or mixes in terms of old or new though. It just is what it is. I don't worry about sounding old or new or original or anything. I just want it to sound good to me, and if others like it, then that's fine too. I'm #1 though, and that will never change. Ultimately my opinion is the only one that matters to me when it comes to my own stuff. I think most people are the probably the same way to a degree. Our tastes are shaped by what influences us. I don't think that is merely a function of physical age though. Sure older people have more listening experience to choose from, but old people don't have to sound old, or new. They sound how they want to sound....if they have the skills to make it happen that way.
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Hells yeah!! +3
 
K-dub said:
Here's the thing: "Can we change our sound to be more relevant to today?" ... or "Are we just old farts relegated to waiting for bell bottoms to become again fashionable?"
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That's an interesting question. For me, could I sound hip, trendy and modern? Probably. I think I could mix a song to fit in on the radio. Could I write a song to fit in with today's trends? I really don't think so. In fact, hell no. I don't/wouldn't even want to. It's not really for me to say what my music is or sounds like to others, but I think (hope) my stuff fits in more with Iggy and The Stooges or Motorhead than it does with Five Finger Death Punch or Arcade Fire.
 
Greg_L said:
That's an interesting question. For me, could I sound hip, trendy and modern? Probably. I think I could mix a song to fit in on the radio. Could I write a song to fit in with today's trends? I really don't think so. In fact, hell no. I don't/wouldn't even want to. It's not really for me to say what my music is or sounds like to others, but I think (hope) my stuff fits in more with Iggy and The Stooges or Motorhead than it does with Five Finger Death Punch or Arcade Fire.
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It is an interesting question ... for when we were young, ALL we wanted to be as an artist was "relevant". We wanted to be cool enough to get heard. A lot of that lingered into our later ... far outlasting our relevance. We adapted, then. As I've grown more comfortable in my surroundings, I've given up a lot of what I thought was important then ... as I matured. Yet, there is this nagging sort of -- "So now you've all the knowledge of the years gained ... CAN you still be relevant?" As long as I listen only to myself and what "I" want to hear, I'm not sure I can.

But to your point, I'm not quite sure I can't, either. That's the test of relevance, I guess.
 
K-dub said:
It is an interesting question ... for when we were young, ALL we wanted to be as an artist was "relevant". .
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I was never like that. Lol. I've never been relevant. I was 15-16 when I started playing live and writing my own dumb songs, and hair metal was king. I played punk. Then grunge hit. I played in a rockabilly band. Then rockabilly got popular. I had switched back to punk bands by then. Then punk finally became hip. I wasn't playing at all at that point. Now I'm in a generic rock band and rock is essentially dead. I was always a step ahead or a mile behind. I didn't care. Still don't. Success was never a goal. Fun is the goal. I think that any time masses of people agree on something, it can't be very good. People are generally really freaking stupid. Besides, I never wanted to work that hard. I hate touring, don't particularly like gigging, and am totally happy just banging around in the garage. I've got a huge gig in november at a big dumb redneck biker festival. There's gonna be literally thousands and thousands of people there. Like maybe even hundreds of thousands. People come from all over the south to go to this thing. Most people would be excited about playing a gig like that. I'm thinking "fuck, I gotta haul my drums all the way down to fucking galveston and I'm gonna miss football that weekend".
 
Greg_L said:
I was never like that. Lol. I've never been relevant. I was 15-16 when I started playing live and writing my own dumb songs, and hair metal was king. I played punk. Then grunge hit. I played in a rockabilly band. Then rockabilly got popular. I had switched back to punk bands by then. Then punk finally became hip. I wasn't playing at all at that point. Now I'm in a generic rock band and rock is essentially dead. I was always a step ahead or a mile behind. I didn't care. Still don't. Success was never a goal. Fun is the goal. I think that any time masses of people agree on something, it can't be very good. People are generally really freaking stupid. Besides, I never wanted to work that hard. I hate touring, don't particularly like gigging, and am totally happy just banging around in the garage. I've got a huge gig in november at a big dumb redneck biker festival. There's gonna be literally thousands and thousands of people there. Like maybe even hundreds of thousands. People come from all over the south to go to this thing. Most people would be excited about playing a gig like that. I'm thinking "fuck, I gotta haul my drums all the way down to fucking galveston and I'm gonna miss football that weekend".
Click to expand...

I share pretty much the same dim view on gigging. Live is fun at the time, but over time its appeals wans quickly. All the lugging of equipment, hours of preparation that goes on, and for what? To play music that gets pretty much ignored by a bunch of drunks trying to get laid? You're right. I'd be just as happy playing in a garage for nobody -- without having to take anything anywhere.

I was into popular music at the time I was writing most -- and I tried to emulate the style ... from Beatles to Rolling Stones to Pink Floyd to Steely Dan to James Taylor to Billy Joel ... all of it influenced in one way or another. These days? Oddly my new stuff has gone more simple traditional -- reflecting sort of folksy Americana. Eventually I might even get around to sounding not like me, stuck in the 70's or 80's (like arcadeko) -- more the 50s. :)
 
K-dub said:
I was into popular music at the time I was writing most -- and I tried to emulate the style ... from Beatles to Rolling Stones to Pink Floyd to Steely Dan to James Taylor to Billy Joel ... all of it influenced in one way or another. These days? Oddly my new stuff has gone more simple traditional -- reflecting sort of folksy Americana. Eventually I might even get around to sounding not like me, stuck in the 70's or 80's (like arcadeko) -- more the 50s. :)
Click to expand...

I've never been influenced by popular music. I've never been surrounded by good popular music. Pop music during my formative years was awful. The 80's were awful. Truly awful. Top-40 radio in the late 80's was shit. You had The Beatles and the Stones. I had shit like Debbie Gibson, MC Hammer, and whatever the fuck else was trendy at the time. Madonna? New Kids on the Block? I don't even know. I haven't tuned in an FM radio station since like 1984-1985. I was 11-12 years old and got my first punk records. I haven't listened to mainstream radio since. If it weren't for the internet I'd have no idea who Katy Perry or Lady Gaga is nowadays. The only musical movement that's happened in my time that might have been interesting was grunge, but I never saw grunge as anything more than watered down corporate glossy re-packaged punk made accessible to preppies and jocks. By that time I had already realized that mass appeal can't be good. If my high school football team listened to Soundgarden, then that's pretty much all I needed to know about it. And I played football with those guys. Lol. I mean seriously, Nirvana and Pearl Jam had NOTHING on bands like Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys. And even before all that, as a younger kid, I was my dad's shadow. I liked what he liked. He liked New Orleans doo-wop and southern soul music (it's simply called the NOLA sound down there). When we went places, we listened to oldies. So in a way, I'm influenced by the same stuff you are. I just wasn't there as it was happening. While my friends were listening to new Guns and Roses and Metallica albums, I listening to The Ventures, Ramones, and The Stooges. If my stuff sounds anything like that, it's fine with me. I wouldn't wanna sound any other way.
 
So true -- I remember a time in the early to mid-80s where my wife and I asked, "Why does music suck so much now?" Elton John was doing crap like "Philadelphia Freedom" and the Stones attempted to do disco. It was awful.

I, too, was influenced by my parent's musical tastes -- Broadway shows. I loved (and still do) everything from South Pacific to West Side Story ... some absolutely terrific writing went on there during its heyday.
 
i mix electronic music like it was the small faces...im fucked :)
 
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