What Do You Guys Think of This Mix?

[dobro]

They're not going to have a huge influence on my music. But this thread just might. The more I think about it (I've never thought about it before) the more I think that whatever it takes to engage the listener and actually *hear* what's happening is what's good. But *which* listener? You know, recently Amanda Palmer's stuff has sort of encouraged me to move in a direction I started a couple of years ago with the songwriting - more or less along the lines of 'hey take some chances and never mind what people think'. I think this thread might have a similar effect on my mixing. Five stars. Much obliged, y'all.

Oh... and I like Os Mutantes.

 

[fat_fleet]

.........but regardless, most of the new bands are simply borrowing/copying from stuff that was already done 30-40-50 years ago..."recycled styles/flavors".

Once again though, recycling styles and flavors isn't specific to new bands- that's just how music evolves. Same thing Led Zeppelin and The Beatles did. LZ got their asses sued for outright plagiarism a buncha times, as I'm sure you know.

 

[Greg_L]

Lol. I'm wondering why this got to 7 pages. Someone hit me with a summary.

 

[WhiteStrat]

Lol. I'm wondering why this got to 7 pages. Someone hit me with a summary.

A) Check this out! It's new and life-changing!

B) No, it's crap.

Repeat, ad nauseam...

 

[miroslav]

Once again though, recycling styles and flavors isn't specific to new bands- that's just how music evolves. Same thing Led Zeppelin and The Beatles did. LZ got their asses sued for outright plagiarism a buncha times, as I'm sure you know.

Of course...there are cycles.
I think what makes the real difference is in how much the new version departs from the original influence.
When you take a band like LZ, they certainly took blues to a whole other dimension.

When I hear Tame Impala...I'm hearing a LOT of production flavor that I heard back in the late '60s, pretty similar...though I know it's hard to keep breaking substantial new ground...not just for the Tame Impalas, but a lot of other new bands too.
One interesting approach has been the melding of various world music flavors with more traditional Rock/Blues styles....though that's not specifically a production/mixing process.
I mean...there's only so many ways you can apply a studio process, before there's nothing left but to start over in the cycle...and that's what happens every bunch of years. Someone pulls up something old and does a new spin on it.

(We're only at the top of page 3, Greg )
Summary:
Old is new...new is old.

 

[fat_fleet]

I think what makes the real difference is in how much the new version departs from the original influence.

I agree with that part...

 

[fat_fleet]

Lol. I'm wondering why this got to 7 pages. Someone hit me with a summary.

Buncha dorks shootin' the shit.

 

[Magnawolf]

I only picked Os Mutantes as one example...I didn't say that Tame Impala was just imitating them alone, rather that their sound is nothing new...and while they will probably have some success as the "next thing"....I think maybe you're reaching a bit in thinking that they will have a "huge influence on the future of music".
These days every new band that comes out starts from that point...and then then next new band comes out doing something totaly different and THEY'RE the new "huge influence".
Time will tell.........but regardless, most of the new bands are simply borrowing/copying from stuff that was already done 30-40-50 years ago..."recycled styles/flavors".
So then, where is the "huge influence" actually coming from?

The only thing we can do at this point is agree to disagree.

I believe they will have a huge influence because they have already spawned a lot of imitation psych-rock bands. Not only that, but I still believe they're making music that no one else is making or has made. Music doesn't change overnight so it's hard to see their influence on it. I do believe they're going to be an important part in the evolution of some aspects of music, most importantly the indie scene. As long as you're constantly pushing the art, as I believe Tame Impala is, then you're changing the game. Even if it's by an inch.

The iPod changed the way we listened to music but every other model of the iPod that followed is just as important as the original. Technology and music flourish in the same way, inch by inch.

 

[dobro]

Lol. I'm wondering why this got to 7 pages. Someone hit me with a summary.

How many new and strange sounds can you come up with in a mix before the pundits in the HRmp3 forum start disagreeing about whether it's good or not?

 

[dobro]

I agree.

Shambolic, beautiful guitarismo.

 

[Greg_L]

How many new and strange sounds can you come up with in a mix before the pundits in the HRmp3 forum start disagreeing about whether it's good or not?

I have no idea. I don't think about it. I just do whatever I want to do and make sure it sounds the best I can make it sound using my own judgement and instincts. I don't care about being new or innovative or re-inventing the wheel. None of that matters. I just do what makes me happy. Most of the time that's just simple guitar/bass/drums.

 

[dobro]

Yeah, exactly. You reach for what makes it sound good. But then along comes a thread that says: There are other ways to make it sound good, and then you start to think about it. Or not. But 'making it sound good' can be guided purely by habit, or by copying common taste. When you see that, then 'making it sound good' starts to include the possibility of using sounds you've never considered before. Maybe never discovered before. Brave new world. You play with it. As the actress said to the bishop.

 

[Greg_L]

Yeah, exactly. You reach for what makes it sound good. But then along comes a thread that says: There are other ways to make it sound good, and then you start to think about it. Or not. But 'making it sound good' can be guided purely by habit, or by copying common taste. When you see that, then 'making it sound good' starts to include the possibility of using sounds you've never considered before. Maybe never discovered before. Brave new world. You play with it. As the actress said to the bishop.

Well, sometimes. I get what you're saying, but for me personally, my kind of music doesn't have much room for weirdness or experimentation. I don't overthink things. I go with my gut. Like it or not, all of us dumb old punk rockers pretty much follow the Ramones template. You just bang it out. For me, that's been the appeal of punk music from day one. The urgency. The energy. Like it's the last song you'll ever listen to, write, play, record, etc. You don't have time to get trippy and avant-garde in a 220 bpm song that ends in 3 minutes or less. There's no time to fuck around. Like the late great Joe Strummer once said, "People got things to do". Let em have it with all of your might and get on with the next one. So what I do, consciously or not, is take that general bang-it-out formula and see what else I can cram in there without feeling ashamed of myself for being pretentious and stupid. I think I'm sometimes pretty good at packing a lot of stuff into a 3 minute punk song. Be it from my surf or rockabilly guitar and bass influences, or maybe some frantic drumming. Maybe I'll add a creepy organ somewhere. Kazoos! I use those from time to time. Maybe once or twice I write some really funny lyrics or something. Maybe I do something with the mix. Not every one of my songs or mixes is great, but to me there's always something good about them. And if I'm happy enough with it to share it, then it's more than good enough for anyone else. I don't care if it's more of the same or if it's something totally different. If it's good enough for me, it's good enough for anyone else.

 

[planandattack]

the second stage of homerecording is when you know enough of the basics to start to relax your grip a bit. Stop trying to avoid mistakes. Stop trying to be perfect. Give creativity a chance.

indeed. You can go in blind but you need to learn the rules before you can truly bend and break them.

 

[RLee]

As for me, a complete novice, I am here to learn how to achieve that "polished" professional sound you seem to dis. Primarily I want to produce a demo cd that sounds professional from a bologna sandwich budget. The track you wanted us to listen to is hard to listen to in my opinion. It reminded me of my son's garage band. It sounded like a garage band mix. It is as if they were intentionallly shooting for that garage band mix in order to appear "artistic." I think they came up terribly short and quite contrived. But then again, that's just my opinion.

 

[Paul678]

The vocals need to be higher in the mix. Less guitar and drums during singing.....

 

[macle]

I absolutely love the drum sounds they get. Anyone know how to approach achieving that sort of sound? I hear it elsewhere (like some flaming lips) and it's a specific sound that I've never been able to come close to. .

To me, it sort of reminds me of the groovy sound of She Said, She Said.

Maybe set the drums up in a lively room, minimally mic them (even just one mic), and smash them with any compressor.

And play a groovy beat like Ringo. Although this one sounds like the same bar and drum roll looped, which maybe makes it sound more indie/modern.

That's all just a guess.

Interesting conversation.