Is it worth it to learn mixing and mastering?

Majestic Mastermind

Majestic Mastermind

Eat, Sleep, Breathe MUSIC
Or should I learn it myself? How long does it take to mix and master one song?

I ask because there are a lot of online services that will do the mixing and mastering for you.
 
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noblewordz said:
Depends on the song, mixing and mastering are more of an art than a science.
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I'd say that they're roughly 50/50 art and science. Having the ear and artistic taste to bring out the sonic potential of a song doesn't mean much if you don't have the years of experience it takes to properly understand which tools to use and how to make them do what you want them to do.

---------- Post added at 01:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:40 PM ----------
Majestic Mastermind said:
Or should I learn it myself? How long does it take to mix and master one song?

I ask because there are a lot of online services that will do the mixing and mastering for you.
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If your reason for learning mixing and mastering is to save money by doing things yourself, then no. It's not worth it. If your reason for learning is because it fascinates you and you enjoy it, then yes. It's definitely worth learning.
 
I'm not a pro at mixing by any means
but I like the satisfaction I get when I mix something myself and people compliment me on the results
I like buyin new speakers
I like EQing and compressing vocals
I like panning and EQing instruments for my groups beats
I like hittin the search button on this site and reading something new
I like spendin my hard earned cash on mics and equipment

mixing my own music makes me happy, even when I have less than favorable results... its makes me work harder

rapping and mixing songs has filled an empty place in my heart.... real talk

I love the fact that I can see the results of my labor... and the harder I work the better the results
 
Imo its worth its because I am picky with my sound. Also it will help you to know how things like compresion and reverb work within the production or laying of the vocal phase.
 
BadEndBloccMuzik said:
I'm not a pro at mixing by any means
but I like the satisfaction I get when I mix something myself and people compliment me on the results
I like buyin new speakers
I like EQing and compressing vocals
I like panning and EQing instruments for my groups beats
I like hittin the search button on this site and reading something new
I like spendin my hard earned cash on mics and equipment

mixing my own music makes me happy, even when I have less than favorable results... its makes me work harder

rapping and mixing songs has filled an empty place in my heart.... real talk

I love the fact that I can see the results of my labor... and the harder I work the better the results
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I'm with you and totally understand you... but I'm serious about what I do, even if I decide to go in a serious adventure like going sailing around the world on a boat! Man I like to build boats... I'm no master on building boats... I've read some lines on the internet on how to build a boat... I have the wood and stuff... And I'm definitely building that boat to sail around the world for 2 months... but... can you think about what's going to happen... let me tell you... Man after I build my boat I'll be the happiest guy on earth... and really proud... and other will see it and will tell me wooooooooouuuuuu what a nice boat you got there... and other will tell... are you going to sail it... around the world with that boat!... well mixing and mastering your own songs goes the same way... As I said I know and understand what you're saying... but... the final results... will lead to!? You all think about it! I think that I will get a boat from a professional boat builder 'cause I want to reach my goals... to go sailing around the world, safe and with the best results!

Cheers all!
 
Majestic Mastermind said:
Or should I learn it myself? How long does it take to mix and master one song?

I ask because there are a lot of online services that will do the mixing and mastering for you.
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A normal mix for me takes around 10 to 15 hours with 60 to 80 tracks.

You're probably better off going to a mix engineer. They are dedicated, have the gear, have treated rooms, and the experience to get the job done.
 
Most mastering engineers have 15-20 years professional audio experience (well a pro one will), it could take a while to get that sorted, can your track wait 20 years or so?
 
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Is it worth learning how to mix and master? Absolutely - it will further your understanding of music production and enrich the communication between you and your designated engineers.

Will you get the best results for your music any time soon by mixing and mastering it yourself? Most likely not. Even if you become very good, mixing and mastering your own material is excruciating to get right.
 
definatly good learn basics so you can get decent mixes at least so all your work sounds good, I personally enjoy mixing and learning about it just as much as producing
 
Check our Pensados Place on youtube! Really helpful for mixing and mastering!! He's one of the most famous mixing engineers in the world.
 
IMHO, it's best to understand the process of both as much as possible. You may not be able to do everything a person with 10+ years under their belt can, but understanding the process can save you time and money as well as put you and whoever is working on your music on the same page.
 
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Learning more about the process is always of some benefit, but I wouldn't put pressure on yourself to be a master mixer or a master masterer as that comes with time & experience. I go to the gun range, but my chances of becoming an expert marksmen is slim to none. If I needed to hit a target to win $10,000 I would hire a guy that shoots everyday to do it for me. In turn if you want your song to hit the mark, you want a guy (or girl) that mixes or masters everyday.
 
Guy: I want it to echo.
Engineer: You mean you want reverb or a delay?
Guy: Both I just want it to echo and sound like I'm in a valley.
Engineer: Ok but that might make things muddy a bit.
Guy: muddy is good right? Like warmth? Yeah I want that also.
Engineer: No muddy isn't good.
Guy: Just do it anyway, I want mud YEAH!!!!!!
Engineer:...
Guy: Also are you going to "pro tool" it?
Engineer:...

10 Hours later...

Guy: What happened to my song? What is this man why does my song sound all ****ed up like this?
Engineer: That is what you said you wanted.
Guy: I didn't pay for ten hours to have my music like this. I said I wanted it to echo.
Engineer: It does, but I also told you it would be muddy, and you said you wanted that.
Guy: I never said that man.
Engineer: Yes you did.
Guy: No I didn't.
Engineer: I'm not going to argue with you.
Guy: Suck on this *****!
Engineer:...


Now peep this one:

Dude: Let's put a delay on the vocal
Engineer: I was thinking the same thing do you have a certain way you want it to sound?
Dude: Yeah I was thinking to go ahead and make it 1/4 note, but a 1/16th note might work as well. By the way, the tempo is 90.
Engineer: Gotcha. What about a reverb? Did you want that on the track?
Dude: Nah, I don't want that because it's going to drown out the vocals a bit, may step on the delays and then we'll have to spend some time eq'ing the reverb. A delay will work.
Engineer: Ok man.

2 Hours later

Dude: I like the way you did the delay man. Good job.
Engineer: No problem. A lot of people don't know what they want or have no idea how the music should sound, but you're always on the ball and know how things should be done so it gives us more time to explore other options. I like working with you man.
Dude: I like working with you too.

Guy doesn't understand the process. Dude does.
 
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Mastering is one thing, but I don't think you can call yourself a producer if you don't want to learn mixing. When your building a song, you're going to be mixing anyway to see how different instruments sound together.

why not learn to find out which sounds go best with what, instead of missing out on a songs full potential?
 
You have to learn mixing, there is little choice, your productions need to be mixed and it would be expensive and counterproductive to not learn yourself.

Mastering is specialized, it cannot be done on bookshelf speakers and it cannot be done with years of knowledge. Neither can it be performed in untreated bedrooms. This is something other than mastering. It's finalizing a track with a limiter or somesuch.
 
yeah I am going to agree it is worth it to learn, imagine in the studio and some yakass is a douche and is tryin to talk down on you cause your just a vocalist..nah brah i got a lil education thanks.
 
wikitweetz said:
yeah I am going to agree it is worth it to learn, imagine in the studio and some yakass is a douche and is tryin to talk down on you cause your just a vocalist..nah brah i got a lil education thanks.
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That or the main engineer gets upset because you know what you're talking about and then he starts sabotaging the session.
 
learn it yourself, you dont need a teacher to learn how to mix and master. a producer has to teach his self how to be top notch
 
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