Some little things that bug you about some of todays "pro" mixes

[t2dam]

I'll start:

1) Duffy - Rain On Your Parade. The vocals are too loud. The mix should probably emulate the old style of mixing (back in the 60s) but even then when I listen to some of the original 60s records the vocals aren't that loud.

Nevertheless, I do think the singing performance and the beat are catchy as hell.

2) M.I.A. - Paper Planes. TOO MUCH COMPRESSION.

3) Jordin Sparks feat Chris Brown - No Air. The hi's of the clap should be cut down a bit IMO, when I turn up the volume and I have headphones on, my ears start to bleed. However, the rest of the mix is excellent IMO and the production and singing performance are amazing.

These are the first three one's I can think of.

Discuss.

 

[SWING XL]

overall dynamics in general everything has to be loud and squashed ,the only person i think can pull it off in hip hop is dr dre.

 

[t2dam]

I agree, it's time to ease up on the compression. But a lot of compression sounds great on the TV and radio though, so I guess that's why the ME's do it.

 

[dj society]

lily allen's last record bordered on distortion.

 

[mistaox]

I try to take off the producer's hat when listening to music. I find that it ruins the experience.

 

[t2dam]

I try to take off the producer's hat when listening to music. I find that it ruins the experience.

I try that constantly, but every time I automatically tend to dissect the whole song: the beat, the rap/singing performance and of course the mix...

 

[James Keaze]

I miss records that sound like this. I love the mix on this record.

 

[t2dam]

I miss records that sound like this. I love the mix on this record.

Ah yes, the mix actually breathes in this one It's like the drums are right in front of me.

 

[Dusted Vinyl]

THERE WAY TO ****IN LOUD!!!!

And the mid's are damn near obselete.

 

[vladb]

Has anybody heard Money by The Game from LAX?

The drums stand out so much, I love it, what's done to achieve that?

It's not like they are just louder than everything else (they kinda are though) but they just really knock and fit nicely in the mix.

 

[eazypeezy]

Has anybody heard Money by The Game from LAX?

The drums stand out so much, I love it, what's done to achieve that?

It's not like they are just louder than everything else (they kinda are though) but they just really knock and fit nicely in the mix.

its starts with good selection of sounds. the drums are probably pitched or tuned to the key of the song, and then the punchy frequency of the kick is probably boosted to cut through the mix. some type of side chaining is probably taking place as well.

 

[A_Eberts]

I miss records that sound like this. I love the mix on this record.

yeah that 80s **** was smooth...if you wanted **** louder you just turned the ****in volume up...and the song even got better

 

[James Keaze]

Ah yes, the mix actually breathes in this one It's like the drums are right in front of me.

The same exact feeling I got when I heard this song oh so many years ago. Too bad it almost impossible to duplicate this sound. No one uses analog tape anymore.

 

[Music From Iran]

The same exact feeling I got when I heard this song oh so many years ago. Too bad it almost impossible to duplicate this sound. No one uses analog tape anymore.

I think DJ Quik does.
Well, he said he did in an interview I saw from a few years ago (post 2000 I think)

 

[dkp]

Quik's mixes of late have TOO many highs

 

[QBoogie]

Murs - Lookin' Fly

that joint was mixed horribly ...

 

[GoodMoney]

I think with the "No Air" joint if they would have notched the a lil of the high mids out of the entire mix, it would it a much sweeter sound to the ear. And the initial kick is way to soft for my taste. But I do listen to the song in headphones so maybe I'm missing some of the low end on it.

"Cash Flow" is a dope mix too. It all sits very well together. You know its compressed hard, but its not harsh tho.

"Things You Do" by Red Cafe' is dope mix. It got the nice mid 90's trackmasters sound to it. Everything sits well with each other and nothing overpowers the vocal performances but still stands out.

I didn't care so much for the mixes on "The Odd Couple." They seemed harsh and brittle at times. Still love the songs tho cause I'm a big Gnarls Barkley fan, but the mixes kinda just disappointed me...

I suppose they mixed it how they wanted it to sound tho so I don't know.

"Me likey bouncey! Me likey bouncey!"

 

[youngregin]

I miss records that sound like this. I love the mix on this record.

Oh ****. Is this the same joint Black Milk used for "Losing Out?"

Nah...just sounds like it.

 

[unleashed_project]

I'll start:

1) Duffy - Rain On Your Parade. The vocals are too loud. The mix should probably emulate the old style of mixing (back in the 60s) but even then when I listen to some of the original 60s records the vocals aren't that loud.

Nevertheless, I do think the singing performance and the beat are catchy as hell.

2) M.I.A. - Paper Planes. TOO MUCH COMPRESSION.

3) Jordin Sparks feat Chris Brown - No Air. The hi's of the clap should be cut down a bit IMO, when I turn up the volume and I have headphones on, my ears start to bleed. However, the rest of the mix is excellent IMO and the production and singing performance are amazing.

These are the first three one's I can think of.

Discuss.

i agree wid number two , u cant even here wut shes sayin in the chorus whens theres gunshots is it supose to be like datt?

 

[t2dam]

i agree wid number two , u cant even here wut shes sayin in the chorus whens theres gunshots is it supose to be like datt?

No I think they did that on purpose though. The mix sounds pretty good in mono but no wonder cause it's compressed too much. The low volumes of the instruments have been boosted and the high ones have been cut down to get everything on the same level. Now I can imagine they wanted to this back when the radio stations aired in mono, but these days the consumers have 5.1 surround systems and such.

It seems to me that our generation of music makers complain about overcompression, yet when we post our music on here to be reviewed, we do compare our overall dB volumes to "pro" mixes, which obviously are too compressed. Like we're afraid that our mixes aren't as loud as mainstream songs.

So my message to all the future "mainstream" producers/beatmakers: If you don't like the loudness, STOP IT. Try to use the sheep mentality on other upcoming producers LOL.