The "Jokes-On-You"/Extra-Special Client Mix...

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 8:48 am

Have any of you had a client that was either a) someone so familiar to you (longtime client that knows you and your "ways," a good friend, or just someone that you know would "get it"), or b) enough of a pain in the #@$
that you gave them a super special mix, just as a stress relief or a gag, prior to presenting them with the real thing?

I know the big-time mixing guys wouldn't have the time or the interest in this sort of thing, but those of us that have produced a project from start to finish with a pest or two...

Anyway, there were a few guys we used to dupe with extra-special mixes on a regular basis back in the day (every effect you own piled on at 100%, crazy panning, volumes up and down randomly, etc.) all the time... The key to drawing them in is starting the first few measures/seconds with what sounds like a competent mix, and then slowly dismantling it until it is oozing random excessive audio twilight zone-ness.

Just wondering if anybody else ever got involved in such foolishness after way too many hours in the studio?

GJ

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:36 am

paging chris garges, chris garges to the thread please.

Nick Sevilla · Post by **Nick Sevilla** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 9:48 am

We once put in a Marimba solo, just for David Crosby.

Boy was he pissed off...

kingtoad · Post by **kingtoad** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 10:05 am

I've always thought it would be amazing to do something like this but I can't imagine myself actually doing it.

cgarges · Post by **cgarges** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 12:16 pm

I do this kind of thing all the time if there's at least one band member who's not present at the mix and if we have time at the end of the last day to do it.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 3:30 pm

the one chris let me hear....let's just say i was glad i could see the waveform on my screen before i hit play. it got so loud at the end the average rms was +3dbfs.

Wagz · Post by **Wagz** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:29 am

Once the vocalist started doing a song spoken word in a "British" accent. We did the entire song that way as an "Alternate version"

fun stuff.

Wlouch · Post by **Wlouch** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 3:28 am

Very amusing OP. I think this is the kind of thing that I will find time to do every now and then just to see their face. It would have the added benefit of making the real mix sound even better

cgarges · Post by **cgarges** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 6:12 am

I did this one time and the bass player (who was at the session) came downstairs after emailing the "joke mix" to their guitarist in NYC, announcing that he couldn't be in a band with the guitarist any more. When asked why not, he explained that the guitarist thought the mix was for real. There is no way that any sane person could have considered that mix for real. It ended with a recording of the vocalist pissing, for crying out loud!

I might have a chance to do this tomorrow. I think these guys I'm working with this weekend might be good candidates for it.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 10:35 am

the topic could maybe be expanded to include "mixes designed specifically to fuck with the mastering engineer".....

Post by **TapeOpLarry** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 1:29 pm

I worked with a band (Harvester) who would fins something embarrassing the bass player did (like a backing vocal) and isolate it, and save it for the master CD while not letting him catch wind of it until the CDs were pressed! He'd be, "Oh, not again." This happened several times!

roygbiv · Post by **roygbiv** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 2:17 pm

My limited experience doing this for our bands (apparently to be finished when hell freezes over) album is that I often prefer my zany mixes more.

Which of course can cause internal strife.

Anyone ever run across that problem?

Maybe i'm just not being crazy enough with the "alternative mix".

Or maybe I'm just a little TOO crazy. Crazy like a Faux, perhaps?

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 2:56 pm

One crazy to the other:

"How many paws do you have?"

"Faux."

GJ

roygbiv · Post by **roygbiv** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 3:02 pm

badda boom.

That's a pretty good one, I'll have to remember that.

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 3:15 pm

I did a mix with a guitarist to fuck with the other band member not present. It was a really driving rock song and we cut the song in the middle with a giant "Reign in Blood" type sounding clap of thunder, then digital horse running sounds from a keyboard I have (why is that on the keyboard?...) and the guitarist hooting and hollaring, then it goes back in to the song. The member that wasn't there later heard that version and was very mad!

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The "Jokes-On-You"/Extra-Special Client Mix...

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