Stupid Question Time

  • Thread starter Thread starter Munchkin
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Munchkin

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I'm doing some mixing for a local band. When they hear my mix, they say it is muffled and muddy sounding when compared to thier previous recording, which has been mastered and printed to CD for distribution.

Is it fair for them to compare a mix to a master?
 
To a degree.... the mix should definitely be in the ballpark.

Unless a rescue operation is involved, Mastering really only adds a glossy sheen to a mix, it doesn't generally radically alter it. A mix should be able to stand on its own merits minus the final tweaks and touch-ups that mastering can provide.......!
 
Well...
Perhaps I went off "half cocked" with these guys. But that's part of the fun of being a grown up, being able to admit you're not as smart as you think and admitting you could be wrong...
 
Ther you go Blue Bear

Get as close as you can to the color of a mastered cd (within reason of course) and then let those guys (mastering engineers) do there thing.

I always "wake my ears up" before a mix session by listening to something I know is well produced.

It lets you get an idea of what your room is doing to your sound and periodically I bring that track back up to compare overall eq.

Bryan Giles
 
I have to agree with BlueBear.

If your mix is muddy compared to the mastered CD there could be a million reasons as to why. I do agree with BlueBear though that your mix should be in the ball park when it comes to sound and clarity. I think it would help a great deal if you compare your mix with the mastered CD(at the same volume levels) and hear for yourself what the differences are. This will help you hear the muddiness and give you a chance to correct it if possible. I would also advise to have a third well produced master or mix to compare it to also(what Giles mentioned). Keep in mind that some masters have been treated as "rescues" so the master could even be overly bright making your mix sound dull and muddy in comparison.


Hope this helps.
sonicpaint
 
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