http://www.hometracked.com/2006/04/30/on-the-importance-of-checking-a-reference-while-mixing/ Home recording and project studio blog Fri, 16 May 2008 18:47:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 http://www.hometracked.com/2006/04/30/on-the-importance-of-checking-a-reference-while-mixing/#comment-247 Tue, 06 Mar 2007 02:40:13 +0000 http://www.hometracked.com/2006/04/30/on-the-importance-of-checking-a-reference-while-mixing/#comment-247 [...] I advocate checking a reference CD while you mix, to keep your ears honest. The concept works for more than just balancing your final mix, however. Along with my collection of reference CDs, I have a small collection of drum breaks and instrumental sections that I’ve lifted from songs with great drum tones. While I track and mix drums, I check my progress against one or two of these passages to ensure my tones are on target. [...] […] I advocate checking a reference CD while you mix, to keep your ears honest. The concept works for more than just balancing your final mix, however. Along with my collection of reference CDs, I have a small collection of drum breaks and instrumental sections that I’ve lifted from songs with great drum tones. While I track and mix drums, I check my progress against one or two of these passages to ensure my tones are on target. […]

]]> http://www.hometracked.com/2006/04/30/on-the-importance-of-checking-a-reference-while-mixing/#comment-167 Fri, 09 Feb 2007 00:16:22 +0000 http://www.hometracked.com/2006/04/30/on-the-importance-of-checking-a-reference-while-mixing/#comment-167 [...] Recording to magnetic tape is inherently lossy. (Spend some time reading about tape bias and AC bias to see just how tricky it is to capture acoustic detail on magnetic tape.) However, Winer discovered that the low-level distortion introduced when recording to tape adds pleasing qualities to a mix. This surely has something to do with habituation. We’re used to hearing great musicians recorded to tape, so we associate the qualities of tape recordings with great-sounding music. But it’s also somewhat counter-intuitive that digital recordings, which capture far more detailed representations of the sound we hear, should ultimately sound less pleasing. [...] […] Recording to magnetic tape is inherently lossy. (Spend some time reading about tape bias and AC bias to see just how tricky it is to capture acoustic detail on magnetic tape.) However, Winer discovered that the low-level distortion introduced when recording to tape adds pleasing qualities to a mix. This surely has something to do with habituation. We’re used to hearing great musicians recorded to tape, so we associate the qualities of tape recordings with great-sounding music. But it’s also somewhat counter-intuitive that digital recordings, which capture far more detailed representations of the sound we hear, should ultimately sound less pleasing. […]

]]> http://www.hometracked.com/2006/04/30/on-the-importance-of-checking-a-reference-while-mixing/#comment-59 Tue, 12 Dec 2006 01:18:35 +0000 http://www.hometracked.com/2006/04/30/on-the-importance-of-checking-a-reference-while-mixing/#comment-59 [...] The simple steps outlined in the article provide a cookie-cutter approach to mixing a song, and while the approach isn’t appropriate for all styles and tastes, it’s a great way to get started if you’re a beginner. (The article also mentions one of my favorite mix-check techniques: “step back from the speakers and listen to the mix from the doorway.” Great advice.) Mixing, from a producer’s perspective - On the Humbucker Music web site. As the article states, many of the mixing tutorials on the web are engineer-centric, focused on tips an engineer can use to create the perfect mix. But more often than not, a great mix starts before the first track has been recorded. If the producer knows how every step of the preparation and recording process is going to contribute to the final mix, then the mixing stage should be straightforward and successful. This means, among other things, getting the arrangement right and selecting the right sounds, making sure the musicians are playing in time and in tune, obtaining a good performance from the singer by whatever means necessary. Practical Mixing - from sound On Sound magazine. This article focuses on tracking and mixing via console (with an aside to address the importance of checking a reference CD while mixing.) But Sound On Sound caters to the masses, so the information in this article is broad and still generally useful. It is important to keep checking the balance in mono as well as stereo (or surround) — particularly if your material may end up on the radio. Inevitably the mono mix will sound different to the stereo (and the stereo to the surround), so a degree of compromise will be required to achieve the most acceptable results in each format. Pay particular attention to reverbs, which have a habit of drying up when you listen in mono. [...] […] The simple steps outlined in the article provide a cookie-cutter approach to mixing a song, and while the approach isn’t appropriate for all styles and tastes, it’s a great way to get started if you’re a beginner. (The article also mentions one of my favorite mix-check techniques: “step back from the speakers and listen to the mix from the doorway.” Great advice.) Mixing, from a producer’s perspective - On the Humbucker Music web site. As the article states, many of the mixing tutorials on the web are engineer-centric, focused on tips an engineer can use to create the perfect mix. But more often than not, a great mix starts before the first track has been recorded. If the producer knows how every step of the preparation and recording process is going to contribute to the final mix, then the mixing stage should be straightforward and successful. This means, among other things, getting the arrangement right and selecting the right sounds, making sure the musicians are playing in time and in tune, obtaining a good performance from the singer by whatever means necessary. Practical Mixing - from sound On Sound magazine. This article focuses on tracking and mixing via console (with an aside to address the importance of checking a reference CD while mixing.) But Sound On Sound caters to the masses, so the information in this article is broad and still generally useful. It is important to keep checking the balance in mono as well as stereo (or surround) — particularly if your material may end up on the radio. Inevitably the mono mix will sound different to the stereo (and the stereo to the surround), so a degree of compromise will be required to achieve the most acceptable results in each format. Pay particular attention to reverbs, which have a habit of drying up when you listen in mono. […]

]]> http://www.hometracked.com/2006/04/30/on-the-importance-of-checking-a-reference-while-mixing/#comment-45 Fri, 17 Nov 2006 20:01:24 +0000 http://www.hometracked.com/2006/04/30/on-the-importance-of-checking-a-reference-while-mixing/#comment-45 [...] Practical Mixing - from sound On Sound magazine. This article focuses on tracking and mixing via console (with an aside to address the importance of checking a reference CD while mixing.) But Sound On Sound caters to the masses, so the information in this article is broad and still generally useful. It is important to keep checking the balance in mono as well as stereo (or surround) — particularly if your material may end up on the radio. Inevitably the mono mix will sound different to the stereo (and the stereo to the surround), so a degree of compromise will be required to achieve the most acceptable results in each format. Pay particular attention to reverbs, which have a habit of drying up when you listen in mono. [...] […] Practical Mixing - from sound On Sound magazine. This article focuses on tracking and mixing via console (with an aside to address the importance of checking a reference CD while mixing.) But Sound On Sound caters to the masses, so the information in this article is broad and still generally useful. It is important to keep checking the balance in mono as well as stereo (or surround) — particularly if your material may end up on the radio. Inevitably the mono mix will sound different to the stereo (and the stereo to the surround), so a degree of compromise will be required to achieve the most acceptable results in each format. Pay particular attention to reverbs, which have a habit of drying up when you listen in mono. […]

]]>