Colour Me Red - my mix

[Mixinthecloud]

Mixinthecloud, i really like how you analyze the mixes here from a more psychological point of view. Often times that´s exactly what a mixer needs to hear as an advice since in this business there´s so many things that can distract from what really matters when fiddling around forever. I think you caught me on that one, i dialed in some of the echo effects real quickly for example, kinda liked it and went on to the next thing. I could have spent more time here for sure and really "finish my thoughts" like you expressed it.
Hope my english could transmit what i wanted to say here, not always easy for me...
Thanks mate!

Your communication skills are just fine, Herb. Interesting comment about the consideration of psychological aspects of music and mixing. I consider commercial aspects as well. Truthfully, there are all kinds of influences on mixes by anyone. In this free-form environment without encumbrances from 'the client', we have no limits or constraints, just those which are established by our individual experiences and perspectives (and skills). Also, there are no time restraints or budget restraints either. That can make for a very different approach when you are getting paid to do this. This freedom gives the opportunity to reflect upon the repercussion and affect mixing and content decisions have on the perception of the music. In that area, we do have significant influence. This song has an hypnotic and pulsing rhythm to it which we can either accentuate or diminished as we see fit, irrespective of the wants or intents of the artist. The same thing can be said about the tonal content. Part of the challenge of mixing artists you have no relationship or contact with is trying to divine the artistic intent of the performance as a whole and the individual parts within the composition. Getting into the artist's and performer's heads is a real challenge. When recordings present themselves which have significant low-mid content (such as these tracks), the first thing I have to say is, 'is this tonal content reflective of the artistic ideas of the artist or is it an artifact of the recording process? All I have is ears, years and intuition to assist in that decision. Thankfully, that is a fertile valley to hew from.