Do You Enjoy Mixing?

[CHuckmott]

I have a mobile device. I recently started getting into the habit of uploading prelininary mixes to Soundcloud so I can also listen in my car. Besides listening to my monitors, my alte "mono" monitor and my headphones. Then through my Mac soundcard.

I've learned to enjoy mixing but would prefer my recordings to sound perfectly mixed when recorded. Can still also be a maddening process.

Something to be said for focusing extra hard on the recording process, makes the mixing part easier. +1 for the Mike Senior book.

[MusicComposer]

Thanks again Andy.

That's real nice to know about Sound Cloud and being able to post tracks privately and making them more accessible to different devices.

Ya, I noticed that a lot of people paste the listing text along with their song link. That is very helpful.

Also, it's very clear in my head about how you have to compose specifically for the listing because I have been watching a lot of Michael's online videos.
I think you can waste a lot of time creating tracks if you are not really locked into what the listing is asking for.
Although maybe not really wasted too much if you can later use the track for something else, but I get the point and I agree completely.

Most of the tracks I have written so far in the last few weeks have been done basically by me trying to meet the listing criteria of some of the listings.
So I have been getting some practice at it ahead of time.

By the way, I listened to several of your tracks on your TAXI site and it's all really nice stuff.
Just curious, that one with the Ukelele and flute, was that for that children's song listing? Very nice track.

[MusicComposer]

Chuck, that's a great idea to use Sound Cloud to try out tracks.

I'll probably join Sound Cloud later tonight after dinner and start uploading some of my stuff.

Doesn't have to be finished tracks.

Nice.

[gtrmann]

Yes... I love to mix.. I am probably more of a live sound mixer than a studio mixer... Taxi screeners have said on more than one occasion that my mixes sound more like a live mix than a studio mix... Mixing live will make you much faster at discerning the problem areas and frequency conflicts of the different instruments... If you want to be a better mixer, mix more.. If you love to mix, you will get better... If you don't... Send me some of your tracks.. I wouldn't mind mixing a couple songs for other people here and there... Maybe we could trade services somehow....

[michael11]

Yes... I love to mix.. I am probably more of a live sound mixer than a studio mixer... Taxi screeners have said on more than one occasion that my mixes sound more like a live mix than a studio mix... Mixing live will make you much faster at discerning the problem areas and frequency conflicts of the different instruments... If you want to be a better mixer, mix more.. If you love to mix, you will get better... If you don't... Send me some of your tracks.. I wouldn't mind mixing a couple songs for other people here and there... Maybe we could trade services somehow....

Hi Bruce,

That's a very kind offer and I will keep it in mind.

That in itself gives me the confidence to try and improve.

Thank you very much.

Michael.

[ernstinen]

I LOVE mixing and mastering! As I'm recording, I mix as I go like a lot of you all. Especially when I'm writing orchestral music, it's "mix as you go." With pop/rock, it's more song oriented, and I mix more than likely at the end of tracking.

Mixing to me is so much fun, I lose all track of time and space!... Just make sure to not mix too loudly, and use headphones sparingly. Enjoy!

Best regards,

Ern

[michael11]

I LOVE mixing and mastering! As I'm recording, I mix as I go like a lot of you all. Especially when I'm writing orchestral music, it's "mix as you go." With pop/rock, it's more song oriented, and I mix more than likely at the end of tracking.

Mixing to me is so much fun, I lose all track of time and space!... Just make sure to not mix too loudly, and use headphones sparingly. Enjoy!

Best regards,

Ern

Hi Ern.

Great to see you.

Hope things are good?

Thanks for your input.

Michael.

[Silversun]

I find that mixing has become part of the whole process these days. I usually find by the time a track is finished and in shape, its pretty close .Obviously theres a time where you go right...lets find everything its proper space, but its never miles away.

It also helps to spend time as you go because you end up making your decisions based on what you are listening too. Often the best thing to do is be brutal and cull stuff if its not working.The quicker you do that in the process then the easier decisions get further down the line. A lot of people I know seem to throw the kitchen sink at a track, leave everything in all the time with the attitude of "we'll fix it in the mix" Then in the mix your dealing 100 tracks. For me the moment you have two or more tracks in a modern DAW then your already in the mix. Everything boots up as you left it, so leave it in a state you want to listen to it in.

[remmet]

I like mixing for many reasons, not the least of which is because it means I'm almost finished with the piece!

Like several others, I tend to mix as part of the composition and tracking process. Often, ongoing compositional decisions will be dependent on what elements came before and how they sound in various mix settings after I've rendered them to audio. For example, if I have an aggressive Omnisphere arpeggiated track with lots of low frequency energy, its relative volume in the mix may determine whether I add another bass-oriented part to the piece. So in that way, pre-mixing becomes part of the compositional process.

After all the (MIDI) parts are rendered as audio tracks, that's the point when you can get an objective overview of what you've got. For me, a big part of the mixing process involves getting rid of tracks, or parts of them, that are non-essential or tend to clutter things up. And to really do this with the care it deserves, I find it's best to leave plenty of time between tracking and mixing, so that you can truly hear the music with fresh ears.

Richard

[mojobone]

two kinds of mixing in my opinion. The kind where you are optimizing the sound of a recording (as in a less effected jazz production for example) and the kind where the line blurs between mixing and production.

I'd suggest that optimizing a two-mix is more in the realm of mastering, which is different headspace and discipline, one I'm more comfortable with than mixing, generally. (possibly due to many hundreds of hours attempting to 'repair' cruddy live board tapes of semi-professional bands over a thirty-year period)

Mixing my own stuff has gotten easier and more fun since I learned to stop obsessing over minute details; more often than not, the first rough mix I printed beats anything I slaved over for hours, but working quickly is something that comes with experience and knowing your tools well. I'd say it's kinda like learning an instrument; you need to know some moves, before you can improvise on-the-fly, and intensive, obsessive devotion to learning the basics pays big dividends down the road.

Another consideration is whether you can be inspired enough by the sounds you're tracking; you can lose motivation if you spend too much effort polishing a turd, and my mixes definitely improved after I upgraded my virtual instruments. That said, when there's trouble with the mix, it's most often the arrangement that needs further attention.