Visualizing your mix. How do you see it?

N

NOi

New member
I asked this question in another thread, but I though it'd be interesting to see the different opinions out there.

I read that while mixing a beat you should imagine it as a stage. Your job is to decide where the instruments in your mix are going to sit on that stage (I know this is basic but bare with me). Panning moves things left to right, reverb moves them backword, and chorus moves them forward. So when I'm mixing a beat this is how I picture it. I see, with my mind's eye, my beat as a stage that I'm placing each instrment on.
I'm just curious how some other people visualize their beat while mixing it. What other analogies are out there (I've never actually written that word before. Hope the spelling's close enough.) How do you see it?
 
Who or what told you chorus moves things forward?

Reverb, in VARYING amounts, moves things to the rear of the soundstage. By default, if no reverb is present, the sound is very forward.
 
LOL! Home Recording for Musicians for Dummies. So that's obviously way off. Any input for this thread tho?
 
I need to see something that makes sense.

Reverb/echo etc. provides a clue to the brain as to how far away a sound is. We use this fact, and many others, of pyschoacoustics (whatever it's called) to create our stereo/soundstage illusions.

Chorus (copying a signal, and delaying and detuning the copy) creates a "depth" in the sense of a thickness, but NOT a depth as far as spatial location in reference to the front of the sound stage.

Read that part again.

http://www.harmony-central.com/Effects/Articles/Chorus/
 
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I apreciate that. I was wondering what the purpose was for chorus actually was since your last post. I get it now.
I guess I didn't phraze the thread right. All I'm asking is how people picture thier beat in thier mind while there mixing it. I just thought it'd be interesting to see what people had to say. Maybe I should have left that whole "reverb, chorus, blah blah blah" part out.

Maybe this was just one of those things that's only interesting to me. LOL **** it
 
It don't make sense but when I picture a danja hands or runners synth sound I can see sparks flying off it lol like its gettin pulled thru a power generator...SO I thought to myself what's similar to a generator? And I came up with pre-amp. So now I put synths thru a preamp and add a lil bit of verb and chorus and it sounds thick as hell now. So try it out and see if it works for u guys
 
I don't do the whole stage image thing. Was that written in the 70's or something?

I do, however, imagine the mix in colors. Is it gray, red, or blue. And yes, red is warm, blue is cool, and gray is neither. Now, I don't mean warm and cool as in "warm" or "cool" sounding...but more in terms of mood.

I always ask myself if the mix I am working on is creating the mood, or color, I am after. Sometimes I want gray, sometimes red, and sometimes blue.
 
I don't really visiualize my mix... I mix according to what sounds good. Since we're doing music, not visual arts, it makes more sense to "hear" where you're placing your sounds. You're not totally off tho, you're right when u say mix it like its a live stage.

So when mixing, I hear things the way they are, then I hear things how they should be, and mix accordingly. If my double bass is conflicting with my guitar or piano, I'll pan or EQ them differently. Just an example
 
People should visualize their mixes as it is part of the art, and you should go to places and listen to music in those surroundings. Small halls, large houses, churches etc.

Would you mix a blues tune to sound like it was done in a church? Blues would be a smoke filled small/medium bar. Would you mix a church choir in a small room? Crazy!

You say you hear sound in colors, well that is great, but you don't paint apples orange color.
 
In an acoustic mix the vision is what we call the stage field, ie where the band members are placed.
This is particularly crucial when mixing orchestral.

In terms of Dance based music the perspective is different and therefore pans and emphasis change accordingly.
 
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