Butterflies and metallurgy

[The_Metallurgist]

I have carefully listened to most of your mixes, but this one is very different from others. I know this song very well because I mixed it a few months ago; but while I was listening to your mix, all of a sudden I noticed that I had forgotten about all technical issues that I wanted to comment, and I was 'traveling' with the song.

Once you told me about emotion, and this has made me leave my room and start a four minute journey with the song. I wanted to know what was in store the next second, and this section separation is truly effective. Only a few times in my life this has happened with music. And you've made it.

You already know that my knowledge about mixing is not too wide and I'm not here to give a lecture to others but to learn, but I can express my own feelings very well... and this mix has touched me. GREAT JOB, Dave! (with capital letters).

JJ, i have to say i think you under estimate how much your mixes have developed, especially this year where the benefits of the learning synergies are flowing with much gusto, so whatever you are doing, it's working very well. i always look forward to listening to a new mix of yours, keen to embrace the smooth sonic textures, fantastic clarity and open dynamics which i associate with your presentations, and to learn from your strategies. perhaps it's a good time to stop mixing if we ever get to a point where learning stops....because it's the learning that gives us the reward of even better mixes tomorrow than we managed today. never stop learning, eh?

so, the fact that you said what you did makes feel very humbled indeed. sometimes we can get bogged down with the technical stuff and almost forget about what we are actually here for - to help deliver the emotion. i'm really pleased this touched you! as i said in my lonnggggg preamble, i spent a significant amount of time on this. sure, there is a self fulfilling reward if having got to the final print that one can feel one's achieved one's vision, but the REAL reward comes from what others think and feel. you alone, have made all that effort and time THE reward. thanks for sharing it with me.