14-01-2014, 10:24 AM
hi pauli,
what i do is spend time now and again down the local library pulling out all sorts of stuff, even if i've never heard the musician before - ESPECIALLY if i've never heard them! this is a good way to broaden your listening skills too, while getting access to 16bit. ok, you have limited resource so you are living within some pretty serious constraints (e.g. Spotify)....but calibrating your ears to streamed material is not going to help you "excel". if this is the best you can do, i'd recommend you give up right now!
when looking for references, it's not about stuff you like hearing, but perhaps the way the drums are mixed in a particular song - GOOD OR BAD....it's perfect for referencing(!), how the vocal is treated or not treated, the distortion applied to a lead guitar, tonality overall...too dark...too bright....or perfect (but what's perfect in a world that's subjective?), shaping/level/dynamics of the bass, panning strategies, FX techniques, etc, etc, etc. i'm wondering if you are listening to music in a way someone's mother-in-law does, or whether you are drilling into the REAL specific detail at microscopic level?
you need to detach yourself also from the band or song. this is irrelevant in the main (but of course, it's still important in the scheme of things!). however, what IS REALLY IMPORTANT - TOP OF THE LIST IN PRIORITY, is THE MIXING ENGINEER and MASTERING ENGINEER that's done the work. i'd encourage you to focus on this aspect as the UTMOST PRIORITY (caps for emphasis, not shouting). only listen to those who are regarded as THE BEST ENGINEERS ON THE PLANET (present AND past), or you will crash and burn. there's nobody in this forum who's work you should be trying to replicate because they sound good to you. this is the worst strategy you could employ (see my beer metaphor below). that's a personal opinion, you will have yours no doubt.
talking of which, another question! how much of your listening life has been spent playing mp3/lossy sound material relative to "PRE 1995 CD MATERIAL"? give it to me as a percentage, yeah, or whatever best gives me an overall picture of your listening habits.
- i'd like to know what references you used to place the kick drum in your mix.
- what is your preferred listening choice of genre?
- do you know the frequency response of your mixing space? can you show any charts to me?
- are you a musician? if so, what's your chosen weapon (i'm only interested here for reasons to do with mixing!)
sharing with you what i'd use for referencing won't help you, i'm afraid. a reference is a personal thing which is why we build our own individual libraries.
i am also unwilling to tell you what i think could be improved here, at least at this juncture. the reason is that telling you won't help you develop the thought-processes that will enhance your general mixing prowess. you need to trust me on that. i will, however, depending on your reply to my questions, try and help you determine it's short-comings for yourself. this should help lay some foundations to build on which you can then apply when you listen to other mixes in this site.
if you didn't know for example, that beer should be served chilled.....you'd be happy if i served it warm?
this forum has major disadvantages....the blind are leading the blind much of the time. for example, if i told you what i thought was wrong with your mix, what makes my judgement more credible than someone else's? it's an individual's TERMS OF REFERENCE that determines their credibility and how we each form these Terms will dictate the better mixing engineers from the poor ones. part of my questioning is my way of ascertaining your current Terms of Reference and where best to go from here?
i recommend you have at least Michael Jackson's CD Thriller. make sure it is the original 1982 release and NOT a remaster OR a later pressing. researching will reveal why i've flagged this up as a must-have ;) I have the vinyl, but you should be aware that most stuff out there is scrap because it's been played to death making the grooves worn.
hope this is helping, at least so far. if you have any questions meanwhile, feel free. discussion is good.
catch you later,
bigdave
what i do is spend time now and again down the local library pulling out all sorts of stuff, even if i've never heard the musician before - ESPECIALLY if i've never heard them! this is a good way to broaden your listening skills too, while getting access to 16bit. ok, you have limited resource so you are living within some pretty serious constraints (e.g. Spotify)....but calibrating your ears to streamed material is not going to help you "excel". if this is the best you can do, i'd recommend you give up right now!
when looking for references, it's not about stuff you like hearing, but perhaps the way the drums are mixed in a particular song - GOOD OR BAD....it's perfect for referencing(!), how the vocal is treated or not treated, the distortion applied to a lead guitar, tonality overall...too dark...too bright....or perfect (but what's perfect in a world that's subjective?), shaping/level/dynamics of the bass, panning strategies, FX techniques, etc, etc, etc. i'm wondering if you are listening to music in a way someone's mother-in-law does, or whether you are drilling into the REAL specific detail at microscopic level?
you need to detach yourself also from the band or song. this is irrelevant in the main (but of course, it's still important in the scheme of things!). however, what IS REALLY IMPORTANT - TOP OF THE LIST IN PRIORITY, is THE MIXING ENGINEER and MASTERING ENGINEER that's done the work. i'd encourage you to focus on this aspect as the UTMOST PRIORITY (caps for emphasis, not shouting). only listen to those who are regarded as THE BEST ENGINEERS ON THE PLANET (present AND past), or you will crash and burn. there's nobody in this forum who's work you should be trying to replicate because they sound good to you. this is the worst strategy you could employ (see my beer metaphor below). that's a personal opinion, you will have yours no doubt.
talking of which, another question! how much of your listening life has been spent playing mp3/lossy sound material relative to "PRE 1995 CD MATERIAL"? give it to me as a percentage, yeah, or whatever best gives me an overall picture of your listening habits.
- i'd like to know what references you used to place the kick drum in your mix.
- what is your preferred listening choice of genre?
- do you know the frequency response of your mixing space? can you show any charts to me?
- are you a musician? if so, what's your chosen weapon (i'm only interested here for reasons to do with mixing!)
sharing with you what i'd use for referencing won't help you, i'm afraid. a reference is a personal thing which is why we build our own individual libraries.
i am also unwilling to tell you what i think could be improved here, at least at this juncture. the reason is that telling you won't help you develop the thought-processes that will enhance your general mixing prowess. you need to trust me on that. i will, however, depending on your reply to my questions, try and help you determine it's short-comings for yourself. this should help lay some foundations to build on which you can then apply when you listen to other mixes in this site.
if you didn't know for example, that beer should be served chilled.....you'd be happy if i served it warm?
this forum has major disadvantages....the blind are leading the blind much of the time. for example, if i told you what i thought was wrong with your mix, what makes my judgement more credible than someone else's? it's an individual's TERMS OF REFERENCE that determines their credibility and how we each form these Terms will dictate the better mixing engineers from the poor ones. part of my questioning is my way of ascertaining your current Terms of Reference and where best to go from here?
i recommend you have at least Michael Jackson's CD Thriller. make sure it is the original 1982 release and NOT a remaster OR a later pressing. researching will reveal why i've flagged this up as a must-have ;) I have the vinyl, but you should be aware that most stuff out there is scrap because it's been played to death making the grooves worn.
hope this is helping, at least so far. if you have any questions meanwhile, feel free. discussion is good.
catch you later,
bigdave
Beware...........Cognitive Dissonance!