19-03-2024, 07:21 PM
Hey Rustyruss, thank you for this very interesting feedback.
There, I better understand your position regarding mixing. Your approach seems clear and honest to me, important to satisfy a potential customer.
However, you raised a very very delicate subject for me when talking about reference mixes. There, I would rather tend to brush everything aside. Why? Because this is a concept that has only existed for two decades and has become established. If we go back to the 70s, what do you think the producers of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones listened to as a reference mix?? I can assure you that groups from different musical backgrounds (rock, jazz, folk, etc...) at that time only aspired to one thing which I summarize: to have the "sound" that the others they don't have it and they are the only ones who have it. No more complicated than that. I'm taking a shortcut: today many groups and singing artists are visibly lacking in inspiration and so we look and listen around us and therefore take references. The action in itself cannot be criticized but it leads to a fairly terrifying standardization of the music. Among the most uncompromising: metal groups. All have the same sound, all the titles are no longer even distinguishable from each other, a total standardization thanks to something brilliant: the reference mixes... These are clones of clones, no hope of any change under penalty of exclusion . Evolution dead in its egg.
In conclusion, I would like to admit that there is a reference mix for a certain type of music. Ok, we can listen to it to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere. One time. Afterwards we attack the multitrack to hear what exists there and design the mix on this existing basis. And “Fade” is a great example to illustrate this. My mix has simply evolved with existing tracks, some that we modify, some that we delete, etc...all this with maximum coherence. My mix of "Fade" is certainly far from the original which should serve as a reference mix? If this were to be the case, would my mix be a simple imitation?? So. Sorry for the harshness of my words. But that's how it is..
Cheers
Francis
There, I better understand your position regarding mixing. Your approach seems clear and honest to me, important to satisfy a potential customer.
However, you raised a very very delicate subject for me when talking about reference mixes. There, I would rather tend to brush everything aside. Why? Because this is a concept that has only existed for two decades and has become established. If we go back to the 70s, what do you think the producers of the Beatles or the Rolling Stones listened to as a reference mix?? I can assure you that groups from different musical backgrounds (rock, jazz, folk, etc...) at that time only aspired to one thing which I summarize: to have the "sound" that the others they don't have it and they are the only ones who have it. No more complicated than that. I'm taking a shortcut: today many groups and singing artists are visibly lacking in inspiration and so we look and listen around us and therefore take references. The action in itself cannot be criticized but it leads to a fairly terrifying standardization of the music. Among the most uncompromising: metal groups. All have the same sound, all the titles are no longer even distinguishable from each other, a total standardization thanks to something brilliant: the reference mixes... These are clones of clones, no hope of any change under penalty of exclusion . Evolution dead in its egg.
In conclusion, I would like to admit that there is a reference mix for a certain type of music. Ok, we can listen to it to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere. One time. Afterwards we attack the multitrack to hear what exists there and design the mix on this existing basis. And “Fade” is a great example to illustrate this. My mix has simply evolved with existing tracks, some that we modify, some that we delete, etc...all this with maximum coherence. My mix of "Fade" is certainly far from the original which should serve as a reference mix? If this were to be the case, would my mix be a simple imitation?? So. Sorry for the harshness of my words. But that's how it is..
Cheers
Francis