Mixing is a Like Painting Restoration by Tao Jones on The Pipeline at IndieMusicPeople

Mixing is a Like Painting Restoration
I mean, when I'm making these songs it's not like I can't hear everything I'm doing and have done on the track just fine. I don't know if it's just the headphones or that my mind is right down in it, but the mix is always pretty clear to me when I make these tracks. Later when I want to mix it down all I'm trying to do is get it so anyone else would hear what I was hearing when I made it, and they would hear it on just about any stereo.

Funny thing is, that turns out to be much more of a quest than one would think.

So it's like the work is already there before you start mixing. I'm not looking to alter the creation, but rather to uncover it from the murkiness that somehow appears when it is critically heard over various speakers.

It's like restoring a painting, yet the painting is only just brand new.

It would be great if you could just push the button that says, "Make this thing sound like it sounded to me as I was making it."

But I'm learning...

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Jeff Allen Myers

3/5/2010 2:06:14 PM ---- Updated 3/5/2010 2:07:25 PM

I don't look at it as restoring a painting at all as the colors(Tracks) should all be vivid, bright, and clear.There is nothing to restore. The mixing is part of the original painting, mixing the colors together to create a beautiful picture.The colors (Tracks) include depth, clarity, and placement. It's all part of mixing.....

If the tracks are dull or distorted or their is "murkiness"...don't restore...start over.
EQ can solve some of these problems during the mixing process, but not all.
When eq is applied to help the tracks fit together, this is not "restoring" it is adjusting the color as you paint. It allows the colors to find their own place, and not fight with each other. If a painting is all one color, it won't be vey beautiful :)

Jeff

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Jeff Allen Myers

3/5/2010 2:06:18 PM ---- Updated 3/5/2010 2:08:03 PM

I hate double posts :) deleted the second one...hate it when that happens.

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Tao Jones

3/5/2010 4:39:30 PM

I don't know, man. To me it always sounds pretty real as I'm laying the tracks, always pretty close to what I want, but when I go to formally mix them there is a great deal to be done to really make it play that way on everything.

Maybe I track poorly, but I somehow get a certain sound when the battle is through. I keep trying to find the magic secrets. All I want to do is dump all this music out of me...

I also often hear advice to retrack things, but I am so often holding performances that are somewhat precious to me. It ain't always a doable prospect for me to replace things.

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Xeno71

3/5/2010 7:01:49 PM

hey guys, I agree with both of you actually, doing the mastering of a track can be very hard at times and one must redo the whole project. I over the years have found my own way to get it done. partly its the programs i use and the rest because i always do the mastering per instrutment at a time while laying down the tracks. then i apply eq. then i do the master cut recording and automation recording of cut,res,pitch,etc.
after that but only if needed i apply a limiter to the master efx channel for better volume.

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never never band

3/6/2010 4:52:08 PM

My friend and co-creator Mark has this great attitude.

He thinks that when it comes to mixing music and creating music, you get to do whatever you want.

It's cool to emulate other peoples successful experiences sometimes, probably that is more of a mastering thing though as that seems to me to be one of the few places where there is a pretty broad concensus and where it's reasonable to have concesus.

But shit, mark does whatever the hell he wants, he's like a kid in a candy store with a pre paid debit card!!
:-)

and he manages to get some truly unique soundscapes...
it's a lot of time, but I think what works for him is he's not Working..he's PLAYING!!!

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