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Mix engineers for electronic music
Hey guys,
It seems common in the electronic music world for a lot of artists ( amateur and pro's) to mix their own material. Been wondering, are there guys that just mix other people's electronic music for a living? I'm curious because in the rock industry it is quite common for bands/artists to record their own material themselves, then send it off to somebody to have it mixed, then mastered. This is common across the board from ameuters to pro's. do many pro electronic artists get their stuff mixed by someone else?
Thanks,
I believe its more common than I thought, especially with the bigger labels. If someone else can get an extra 20% out of your track that you have spent hours and hours on then why not? Some people just have a talent for that sort of thing that no matter how hard you try, you won't achieve their level.
Re: Mix engineers for electronic music
I think it's most common for most hobbyists/bedroom producers to mix it themselves, especially with electronic music. It's probably more common at the pro/semi-pro level to have someone else mix electronica tracks.
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| Originally posted by madmuso I'm curious because in the rock industry it is quite common for bands/artists to record their own material themselves, then send it off to somebody to have it mixed, then mastered. This is common across the board from ameuters to pro's. do many pro electronic artists get their stuff mixed by someone else? Thanks, |
Neil Mclellan frequently mixes The Prodigy's work, and does a good job of it too.
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| Originally posted by aquila Neil Mclellan frequently mixes The Prodigy's work, and does a good job of it too. |
So, just like rock albums, do big name electronic artists always have a list somewhere on the sleeve describing who did what or is it for some reason hidden at times? Reason I'm asking that is because I've been trying to find out who mixed lay me down avici but can't find details on that anywhere, I'm tipping it was mixed by a well known pro because the song features Adam lambert, then again I could be wrong, who knows.
Re: Re: Mix engineers for electronic music
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| Originally posted by cryophonik I think it's most common for most hobbyists/bedroom producers to mix it themselves, especially with electronic music. It's probably more common at the pro/semi-pro level to have someone else mix electronica tracks. While we're on the subject, we're in the process of finding the right mix engineer for our upcoming Covalente album. I normally mix everything myself, but since this is going to be released as a CD and downloadable album, we want to make sure that it's done right. Half the reason is for having another experienced set of ears to assist me with mixing it, the other half is to have it mixed in a dedicated mixing environment, rather than my home studio. The songs on the album are a pretty eclectic mix and mostly electronica-based, but there are a lot of acoustic instruments, electric guitar and bass, and a shit ton of vocal tracks, and it crosses over many genres/styles. But, even if we were doing a pure EDM/electronica album, I'd still probably want it mixed in a pro studio, with pro gear, and assistance from a pro mixing engineer. |
I do quite a lot of stem mastering / mixing
Not involved creative though, just pure the engineering of putting it together. Could be 4 stems or 30 odd tracks, as long as they are full length, i line them up and mix them.
Re: Re: Re: Mix engineers for electronic music
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| Originally posted by madmuso If you can find a guy who understands the vision of what you're trying to achieve, things should go well. |
I guess you are much like many of us here, a bit of a control freak and might well end up feeling prickly with some dude pissing all over your musical treasure with you tryin to remain all polite n shit.
Mind you I can see the value in a pair of pro ears and 2 heads can be better than one.
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| Originally posted by Richard Butler I guess you are much like many of us here, a total batshit crazy, get the fuck out of my way, don't touch that or I'll strangle your puppy control freak... |
I would gladly pass over mixing duties to somebody else.
It's such a dreary process fuelled by science and numbers. Hate it.
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| Originally posted by tehlord I would gladly pass over mixing duties to somebody else. It's such a dreary process fuelled by science and numbers. Hate it. |
To be honest, it's really only EDM's insular little bubble that has ever told us these vastly separate disciplines should all be done by one person.
i'm not sure if it's because EDM sprang out of guys messing with kit in their basements/bedrooms so they just dd eveything themslves (and if you listen to early tracks from the 80's or 90's it fucking well sounds like it lol), or that the few bigger producers who had the means to outsource the engineering or mixing, kept the allocation of skills to others as some well guarded secret.
Take SAsha - Expander as an example. It was written and arranged by SAsha and Emerson. It was produced by Charlie May and mixed by Niel McLellan and the main guitar samples were played by someone else. There was probably an assistant engineer and a mastering engineer involved as well, so that means at least 8 people actually made that track.
Yet, we kill ourselves thinking we've got to do everything ourselves, all the time. It's total nonsense.
When I worked in score, it was the complete opposite; it was only the really ghetto, starting out composers that would ever try to mix or engineer the music themselves. Frowned upon to say the least, like is this guy actually legit? Should we have gone to a real composer? He doesn't even have an engineer.
At the same time, I'm like sure, if you can do it why not, but so often I hear a track and I'm like "if only they had mixed it differently or cuaght that mistake".
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| Originally posted by DJ RANN ..cuaght that mistake". |
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| Originally posted by DJ RANN To be honest, it's really only EDM's insular little bubble that has ever told us these vastly separate disciplines should all be done by one person. i'm not sure if it's because EDM sprang out of guys messing with kit in their basements/bedrooms so they just dd eveything themslves (and if you listen to early tracks from the 80's or 90's it fucking well sounds like it lol), or that the few bigger producers who had the means to outsource the engineering or mixing, kept the allocation of skills to others as some well guarded secret. Take SAsha - Expander as an example. It was written and arranged by SAsha and Emerson. It was produced by Charlie May and mixed by Niel McLellan and the main guitar samples were played by someone else. There was probably an assistant engineer and a mastering engineer involved as well, so that means at least 8 people actually made that track. Yet, we kill ourselves thinking we've got to do everything ourselves, all the time. It's total nonsense. When I worked in score, it was the complete opposite; it was only the really ghetto, starting out composers that would ever try to mix or engineer the music themselves. Frowned upon to say the least, like is this guy actually legit? Should we have gone to a real composer? He doesn't even have an engineer. At the same time, I'm like sure, if you can do it why not, but so often I hear a track and I'm like "if only they had mixed it differently or cuaght that mistake". |
mixing has an aesthetic and it makes sense that a producer would be involved with the mixing as mixing has become more than just getting levels right. Unlike other forms of music , the production and sound play a more pivotal role. Well the producer isthe artist in EDM .
People used to hire musicians for a certain sound. That stopped when tools made it rather easy to do that without having to get that one guy and not to mention the musician arms race kinded ended and people don't really care as much as everything has been done in terms of traditional instruments and playing. You don' t ever hear of new players that have this style that is completely unique. It becomes less of a focal point. This is no different. As music evolves and changes, the way it is made will as well. The emphasis is usually on what is new . Mixing and production is what is changing in music.
It makes sense given the way music is sold and the tools available that people would do everything.
Mixing is so cool . You have written chords and melodies over rhythms? now the real work starts. Make a sandwich, i save a relative mixdown, and reset the mixer to complete 2 different organic mixdowns. Stereo pairs, top channel dynamics section, stacked and clean as heck return signals, 2:1 bus compression if my confidence are high , and im getting so fullon happy right now.
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| Originally posted by Kthought Make a sandwich, i save a relative mixdown, and reset the mixer to complete 2 different organic mixdowns. |
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| Originally posted by Richard Butler [I][U] What is a relative mixdown, one your granny does? Whilst granny does this, you do 2 organic mixdowns - does that mean you like stick worms and dirt in your mastering chain? When should I make this sandwich, before adding fx? |
Sandwich is the earmark of the beginning, ceremony if you will. If you don't know when to make a sandwich yet, in time it should become clearer little by little.
The relative mixing; granny is just one example. Jangles the cat is another. Just put your sounds next to each other, and momentarily omit metering any busses, master and all. they all need to sound really tight together before you augment with dynamics leveling panning and specials.
Say the "stem" is a crazy sample of an insane clown or something (because you're off a little)
I would say after mixing, it would be "blossom"
I think I mentioned this is another thread about mixing and well, it is not a bright point in my musical direction. Matter of fact, I suck.
I try and learn and I just get overwhelmed with new lingo and technique (which we all know varies pending the individual)
So at times, yes, I have thought about going to a professional that could do it for me as I feel my song writing,arrangement and compositional skills are far superior than my production skills.
However, there was a time that I was in the midst of creating a really cool song. I loved everything about it but the production sucked.
I went to a friend who also produces and asked him to mix it down to a -6db. When he returned it I was so fully jazzed to check it out only to find that the entire song was fucked. The songs entire vibe was lost in the mix because of the correctness of the "mix".
Before I did so, I was in the red,clipping and distorting in alot of areas but now...Im correct on the "meters" but screwed on the mix.
Even going back in and trying to regain the vibe, I completely got frustrated and never went back to the song. As do many I create. I have probably 20 songs that are fully complete in arrangement/composition but because of the shitty production, I ditch them.
So, this leaves me leery of going to an outside source to mix.
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