Pedaling Prince Mix: Jackie Greene - Rise Up Singing

[Pedaling Prince]

I am self-taught both in video/film editing and audio engineering, having been experimenting with audio and video since my teen years back in the 1980s.

My guiding principle in mixing I call the "principle of least treatment."

Having heard the crystal clean sound of CDs from the earliest days of consumer digital sound in the 80s, comparing it to the overprocessed, overcompressed mess many commercial mixes are today, I have come to believe that current mixing techniques rely too heavily on processing, particularly in the use/abuse of compression in mastering.

In general, I go as gently as possible on all processing, using only the minimum EQ, automation and compression necessary to get everything to blend smoothly, and under no circumstances do I EVER apply processing or compression of ANY kind at the mastering stage; my goal is to preserve 100% of the dynamics of the original recording.

I joined this forum in order to get all of YOUR thoughts on what I've done with these multitracks. Criticism is welcome so long as its polite and constructive.

This is one of my favorite multitracks from this site, both in terms of technical quality (gotta love these Telefunken mic demos ) and artistic quality. I truly find Jackie Greene's "Rise Up Singing" makes you feel like doing just that.

[HbGuitar]

Thanks for posting your mix. I like what you've done with the vocals, BGV, guitars and piano.

This song has an infectious groove, and I can tell that you're grooving with it but for me, your mix is very heavy on the bottom end. There is a lot of energy sub 60hz, and it feels like the kick drum is really pounding. This may be a personal preference of yours and that's cool - each to their own.

For mine though, i found my attention was constantly being drawn away from the vocal to listen to the bottom end and then readjusting back up to find the vocal again.

Cheers

[Pedaling Prince]

This song has an infectious groove, and I can tell that you're grooving with it but for me, your mix is very heavy on the bottom end. There is a lot of energy sub 60hz, and it feels like the kick drum is really pounding. This may be a personal preference of yours and that's cool - each to their own.

Sorry I took so long to get back to you on this; I fell ill with the flu and, while I was sick, a great deal of personal correspondence built up in my email that took me some time to deal with before I could come back to this forum.

You're right, it is personal preference. I find that a lot of modern mixes tend to shortchange the low end; I like a fuller bass sound. You seem to have liked the mix otherwise, though, so it sounds like I achieved what I was seeking to achieve with it.

Thanks for the feedback!