Relying on Mastering

[skaltpunk]

How much should i worry, during the mixing process, about how my mixes sound on all systems and speakers? My mixes sound good in the edit suite, but are pretty dry, unpresent, flat, whatever you want to say, on stereos. Might this have something to do with the level im mixing at? I'm mixing on Sequoia and i've been mixing at +0 or +1 dB. It doesn't seem to clip until around +6. This seems weird to me, i've always heard to mix at -4... are any of these things related?

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

My mixes sound good in the edit suite, but are pretty dry, unpresent, flat, whatever you want to say, on stereos.

Then you still have work to do on the mixes I'm afraid!

If you're having that much trouble getting things to sit right, then it may be that you're having to compensate for poor tracking. Each step in the production process affects the later stages. So if the tracking is less than ideal, you'll have to deal with those problems at mixdown.... and sometimes, the problems are sever enough that they warrant re-tracking.

You should never rely on mastering to fix your mixes, just like you don't rely on mixing to fix tracking issues!

 

[skaltpunk]

i think you've really hit the nail on the head. this project was started by the band a year or so ago. they tracked on a cassette multitracker most of the instrumentals and commissioned me to track vocals, melodica, and violin. needless to say, many of the previously recorded tracks were bounced together. thus; i have to work with a lap steel / bass track in one. but the difference between the sound i have achieved in the mixing room (much of which is, like you said, compensation for poor tracking) and on a home stereo is quite considerable. what accounts for this?

here's a sample of one of my mixes:

thanks for the help!