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".

quote:

Originally posted by DJ RANN ..cuaght that mistake".

Irony.

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quote:

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".

I agree.

I've been hoping to collab for ages now with a producer while I take care of songwriting and arranging. Working on my first project in such an arrangement currently and am really excited.

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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.

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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.

Last edited by Kthought on Mar-26-2015 at 06:36

quote:

Originally posted by Kthought Make a sandwich, i save a relative mixdown, and reset the mixer to complete 2 different organic mixdowns.

[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?

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quote:

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?

I think he was saying that you get your Granny to make a sandwich during the mix

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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