scallyhobgoblin
New member
How important do u guys think the quality/way u 'mix' your tracks is overall, compared to say, drum programming, samples,synth choice etc?
mixing your own music
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Yumid
New member
More..way more..have you ever heard a commercially successful song before it was mixed? You can have the best drum beat and synths in the world. But if you dont mix them they are just big blobs of conflicting sound. The samples and stuff you use aren't worth anything if you cant mix them.
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SwagProductionz
@SlurRty on Twitter
if your music isn't mixed good.. it can't be played on loud speakers... it'll sound bad.. if that doesn't matter to you then.. don't mix
Yumid
New member
Lol where are you getting the stuff that you are saying today...If your music isn't mixed its gonna sound like crap on any speakers. Especially to people who know what they're listening for. How did loud speakers get singled out? You can play whatever music you want on any speakers. Its the fact its not mixed thats going to make it sound bad..not the size of the speakers. The loud speakers will just be a more obvious level of crap cuz its louder.
If your music isn't mixed its not finished. Its just a bunch of stems. If you consider it finished in any scenario pre mix you are just wrong. And I'm not counting mixing as you go. The moment you start moving those faders youre mixing as you go. Im talking about an actual pre mixed song- All faders at unity, all pans at default, all tracks dry. In no setting is that track done, regardless of the output speakers lol. If you want to keep a bunch of unfinished projects on the side to mix later, thats fine, Its a good place to take a break from a project. But know that they aren't done until they are mixed.
Your choice to be done or not comes when its time to master, not mix. And as long as your mix is good you dont need to worry about mastering until a.)you are trying to release the song for success or b.)You just wanna master it for your own personal preference/practice. THIS is where you can say if it doesnt matter to you, dont master.
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I'mNoGuru
New member
I kinda mix as I go... I do a final 'mix' but it's really just a bit of tweaking cos I usually get to a point (most often while layering my drums and the sample is down but before I track bassline) where I do a rough mix of what I have so far...
This is part of my normal process... I'd never really thought about it...
This is part of my normal process... I'd never really thought about it...
dights
Mix Engineer
A great mix can make a song, but equally you can't polish a turd!
I'm a mix engineer and I would say without doubt that the song is the most important.
A great mix presents what is already there in a song/performance in the best possible light.
If the song/performance is rubbish it doesn't matter how good the mix is... trust me every mix engineer has been there!
Yumid
New member
What are your mix credits? Ive seen like 3 posts in the last hour from you where you present yourself as a mix engineer. Ive seen absolutely horrible recordings transformed into gems after the mix. Def Leps Pour some sugar on me is a pretty good example. Those stems by themselves...you can barely even recognize the song sonically, its ridiculous. Im aware of the you cant polish a turd saying, but I'm also saying I have seen/witnessed some pretty turdy turd get get polished haha.
If the samples are shit, replace them. If the arrangement is garbage, replace it. Depending on how much room to work you have a lot can be salvaged in the mix. Its once you get to mastering that the polishing a turd becomes more apparent.
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dights
Mix Engineer
Wow... you like to have a poke at people?
It's all just opinion, and that's my opinion... I'm entitled to it.
Personally I feel that the song is more important than the mix. Don't get me wrong the mix is important, but I feel a mix should reflect and be true to the song and the music. That's my opinion.
Also by saying that "If the samples are shit, replace them. If the arrangement is garbage, replace it." you're agreeing with me. That's not mixing, that's changing the song...
Sorry mate I was just trying to be helpful to the original poster, not start on someone for their reply.
If you'd like to see my discography, be my guest and go to my website... It's on my profile page here.
Out of interest what's your discography, I couldn't find it on your profile?
chris carter
New member
The most important thing is the song.
The second most important thing is the performance of the vocalist(s) and musician(s).
The third is the engineering.
That said, a record is generally only as strong as it's weakest link. So a lousy mix will kill a good song or a good performance. If you want to be successful in this business you have to nail ALL of those things. Otherwise, you won't move forward; it will feel like you are just running in place and not getting anywhere other than maybe impression family members and close friends....
The second most important thing is the performance of the vocalist(s) and musician(s).
The third is the engineering.
That said, a record is generally only as strong as it's weakest link. So a lousy mix will kill a good song or a good performance. If you want to be successful in this business you have to nail ALL of those things. Otherwise, you won't move forward; it will feel like you are just running in place and not getting anywhere other than maybe impression family members and close friends....
X
Xander Joyce
Guest
It's funny really, there's never a lot of mixing that I need to do these days, because I work with sounds that already fit together well in a certain way, if that makes sense.
Basically, just like in the olden days; if your sound is a decent source to begin with, and it musically makes sense, chances are that you won't really need to do that much, perhaps some light filtering or small eq cuts.
Basically, just like in the olden days; if your sound is a decent source to begin with, and it musically makes sense, chances are that you won't really need to do that much, perhaps some light filtering or small eq cuts.
SwagProductionz
@SlurRty on Twitter
experience bro.. you really need to pay attention to what's going on around you lol..
1. Plenty of top notch rappers rap on poorly mixed tracks sent from internet producers.. #fact
2. So that means, realistically you can get a placement without being the best mixer.. I know I did..
3. Things sound different on headphones and speakers.. bad mixes will be really heard on loud speakers where you can pick up more..
Salem Beats
Ki from Salem-Beats.com
Yeah, Soulja Boy's "Crank Dat" was one of the worst mixes I've ever heard.
It definitely helps to have a good mix, but a catchy song will catch on regardless.
Consumers' ears aren't as discerning as ours are, and the equipment they're using when they listen to our mixes often don't expose many of the flaws.
Sometimes, listening on high-end monitors too often can hurt you, as you focus too heavily on details that 2% of your listeners will notice.
It's kinda like looking at your skin in your girlfriend's 16x magnification makeup mirror - it all looks much worse than others will see it.
-Ki
Salem Beats (+Reviews/Blog)
deRaNged 4 Phuk'dup
Moderator
There's no set rule. I can have a song so awesome the mix doesn't matter, the song is just that great.
I can have a great performer to the point the song they're singing doesn't matter because just their voice is that impressive.
I can have a song mixed so well that while everything else sux, it sounds great sonically. We've all heard people say, "it's wack, but that bass knock in the club".
Everyone's gonna try to put emphasis on what they feel is important...but from the different responses...it's obvious.
I can have a great performer to the point the song they're singing doesn't matter because just their voice is that impressive.
I can have a song mixed so well that while everything else sux, it sounds great sonically. We've all heard people say, "it's wack, but that bass knock in the club".
Everyone's gonna try to put emphasis on what they feel is important...but from the different responses...it's obvious.
Chrisreyes831
New member
The way I see it is you're okay with only having a good track but, you could have a great track with all the right parts in it but without a good mix, you're basically just listening to a performance. I like a good mix but I enjoy good music without great mixing too. It's a boring process. Making music isn't. I know how big of a difference a good mix can do to a flat/muddy track, I would imagine it probably is easier to do a mix than it is to create a good track, but actual good records have the best of both fields.
Brightboy
Bright Boy
Everything when it comes to producing should be equally important, that is the only way you will achieve a great finished project. It's better to choose great quality to sounds from the beginning that way you won't have to do much mixing. But if you have some not so good quality sounds you can always make them sound better with mixing. But everything should be A1. From creativity to drums to sound selection, arrangement and mix!
scallyhobgoblin
New member
The reason I asked this to start with was because I read somewhere that dilla came to the studio with tracks already sounding like he wanted. All the engineer really had to do was make the vocals suit the dynamics of the instrumental. It got me thinking about my own stuff. I would tell myself it didn't sound good because it hadn't been properly mixed and mastered. Now I think having a good arrangement and sample choice is as important as mixing well. I've destroyed decent tracks by 'over mixing' but also bought tracks to life by mixing well.