I wrote the following article yesterday outlining some of the things I've noticed and learned.

Tips & Tricks That Helped Me - Mix Balance

I've included feedback it received from Matt Lange, Jono Grant and Cramp.

Waiting for some opinions from Steve Duda, Dennis Ferrer and Andrew Bayer.

Well written.

I don't necessarily however agree with the everything in your face approach. Of course for drums and the bass you'd want that, but there are times when a "drowned" out lead sound can be used effectively.

you should be mixing for earbuds, not stadiums. The ipod is the new final format. Everybody but dance artists seem to know this.

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old stuff from days gone by (2001-2004)
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quote:

Originally posted by Looney4Clooney you should be mixing for earbuds, not stadiums. The ipod is the new final format. Everybody but dance artists seem to know this.

Personally, I think we should be mixing for both earbuds/home listening systems and stadiums. It'd be ideal to build an original mix that's mixed for home listening and a club mix that's built for stadiums. Dance music is routinely finding itself at festivals and in stadiums - perhaps more than any other genre at the moment - and as such there's a need to ensure the music can be heard in these environments.

I remember asking Laidback Luke if producers ever mixed a separate copy of a track for the bigger PA systems at festivals. He said it was rare, but he knows Tiesto has done it before.

quote:

Originally posted by J.L. Well written. I don't necessarily however agree with the everything in your face approach. Of course for drums and the bass you'd want that, but there are times when a "drowned" out lead sound can be used effectively.

I'm admittedly not a big fan of the in your face approach either - especially when listening at home - but it certainly works best in an indoor arena/stadium etc.

quote:

Originally posted by Mimieux Personally, I think we should be mixing for both earbuds/home listening systems and stadiums. It'd be ideal to build an original mix that's mixed for home listening and a club mix that's built for stadiums. Dance music is routinely finding itself at festivals and in stadiums - perhaps more than any other genre at the moment - and as such there's a need to ensure the music can be heard in these environments. I remember asking Laidback Luke if producers ever mixed a separate copy of a track for the bigger PA systems at festivals. He said it was rare, but he knows Tiesto has done it before.

What percentage of all EDM do you think is played in a stadium vs everywhere else,. Not very big., Why concern yourself with the exceptions. The whole concept of mastering is so that it sounds good on average. A stadium is not in that spectrum of averages.

___________________
"This is why Superman works alone." GC
old stuff from days gone by (2001-2004)
Mad For Brad's gay little contest

mixing for stadiums is pointless imo,

every stadium will sound differently depending on how the sound is tuned, the stadium size, and if the stadium is treated well.

it actually makes more sense (even though i dont condone it) to mix for ipod earbuds, as thats the medium most people will be listneing in this age. or some kind of ear buds. because who sits in stadium all day listneing to music constantly? probably no one, especially at those levels of loudness

another way to go about it is to make as balanced of a mixdown as you can then find track(s) you like how they sounded in a stadium (as you've done), and learn how to match your track's tonal balance to those, without the use of master channel effects.

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quote:

Originally posted by meriter Your primary focus should be making good music. That's all. No one gives a shit how you do it. And the people that do are fags.

I just want to go on record as objecting to mixing for earbuds. I think this is a really bad idea.

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remember that idea you thought was a bad idea with the tranny , the boflex exercise machine and that crate of pickled tuna ? Remember who was begging for a certain someone to get more tuna.

the point i think i was trying to make is that your end audience is more than likely going to be using their ipods. You can keep a somewhat compatible mix in terms of say something that will work on most systems but ignoring the number one format is a little silly.

For example, people that talked about LCR panning. Well this works great for some things but doesn't work so well when listening on headphones. Things like this are important to keep in mind.

___________________
"This is why Superman works alone." GC
old stuff from days gone by (2001-2004)
Mad For Brad's gay little contest

I think that any "exclusion" is completely unnecessary. I never really understood the whole "big room" mixing/mastering-treatment concept. And I had serious reservations about the tranny because she was comatose; not because I'm afraid of a little pre-op strange.







I'm a quality over quantity type of man.

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Now with extra singles!
my old stuff, not quite up to snuff - but I still dig it - UPDATED 9/23/2012

You say that but I'm pretty sure you are not mixing in 5.1. The reason having much to do with why the iPod as your final format makes a lot more sense. By choosing stereo, you've already placed yoursel in the consumer level format. Consumers are using earbuds.

___________________
"This is why Superman works alone." GC
old stuff from days gone by (2001-2004)
Mad For Brad's gay little contest

Point taken. Truthfully, I was thinking in terms of stereo quality vs. a somewhat restricted spectrum offered by most consumer ear-buds. And you were the one who kept raising the issue of 5 on 1 with the tranny.








Thank God for that vial of Narcan.

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Now with extra singles!
my old stuff, not quite up to snuff - but I still dig it - UPDATED 9/23/2012