Doing nothing...

[wesley.wittich]

Here's the deal. I've had two sessions with a friend of mine who's working on a bluegrass/folk/americana type album, and I'm engineering/co-producing. We've got three songs totally finished tracking, and a couple more almost there. My issue is that I'm feeling insecure about the impending mix. I've spent a LOT of time on this project trying out mics and moving stuff in the room so that things sounds as good as possible, and I think they sound amazing. So amazing that I almost don't want to touch it. I'm tempted to just bring the faders up to where I want them and print a mix. I know that if it doesn't need it, I shouldn't add it, but it feels wrong to do nothing! His voice is pretty steady, so I don't even know if i'll need to compress or automate anything...

This is my first 'real' project, so I guess I'm just looking for some reassurance that if it doesn't need anything, it's ok to do absolutely nothing. Anyone had a project like this? Anyone know of any famous recordings I can check out like this? I know in my head that it's ok, it just feels sorta wrong...

[Snarl 12/8]

My idea of a perfect mix is faders at unity, no eq or outboard. I've never achieved that, but maybe you have. I'd leave one fader at like, -2db or something, just so you don't offend "god" or whoever with your perfection, but that's about it.

[Brett Siler]

It's probably ok. Styles of music like bluegrass generally don't need a lot of processing when it comes to mix time. If you think it sounds good, and so do they, then it is good.

[Gregg Juke]

I've never come across even a live mix that needed absolutely nothing, but if I were in your shoes, I might approach it like this...

I'd do:

1) An "absolutely nothing" mix (minimal faders, basic balancing, and print).

2) A "just about everything" mix (in this case, not a lot of compression and reverb and rock production; it is bluegrass, after all, but)-- playing with panning, space, maybe some verb on certain things... Go all out, whatever the opposite of "doing nothing" would be in this case.

3) A mix that splits the difference between the two extremes.

Then, I'd listen a lot, and have everybody else involved listen, compare the mixes to a lot of other records in the genre (probably you should be A'B'ing all along anyway). Then, I'd pick a mix and go with it.

This is kind of what I've done before, a number of times when I was the producer, but an engineer that I was working with (that I trusted), or a bandmember had different ideas-- I'd mix them all (once up to about 8 different mixes), then sort it out later.

GJ

[CurtZHP]

If it sounds good, it is good.

[ashcat_lt]

If you're getting paid by the hour you can't afford to do nothing. $X x 0 = $0!

If it's a project rate then you have to put at least some time into mixing or he'll think you've ripped him off.

Here's what you do:
While he's not around fuck it all up. Eq and compress the shit out of it, add some nasty hollow sounding reverb in there. Make it sound thin and anemic and really crappy and print those tracks. Now bring him in and slowly (and subtly) fade over to the original unfucked tracks at unity. Furrow your brow and twiddle knobs. If you can work up a sweat that's even better. And don't be afraid to make it worse before finally making it better.

If he's not going to come in for the mix session then just play with it. Strap every effect you can find across whatever you feel like. See if you can make it sound like a NiN song. It's a great chance to really explore the possibilities of your rig. Then turn in your initial do nothing mix and a respectable invoice.

[palinilap]

If there isn't a timeline, and you're not in a hurry to wrap it up, I'd work up some rough mixes with very minimal processing, and then walk away from it for a week or so. Don't listen to it; nothing. It sounds like you're pretty close to this project, so maybe the distance would give you some perspective and make mixing decisions more objective. When I do this the problem areas that need attention become a lot more obvious.

[2leftears]

I would listen to recordings you wish your mixes to sound like and model your sound after those recordings. This is not as difficult as it may seem. Best of luck.



www.bryanthamesmusic.com

[Snarl 12/8]

Revisiting this thread, I had a crazy idea. I guess inspired by the post before this.

Post a mix or two here and see if other TOMBers think it's done too?

[MoreSpaceEcho]

I know that if it doesn't need it, I shouldn't add it, but it feels wrong to do nothing!

if you push the faders up and it sounds amazing, PRINT IT. don't waste a bunch of time and energy doing a bunch of crap you don't need to do. congratulate yourself on a job well done, take the rest of the day off and go fishing.

[williamsongs]

Don't feel guilty about having hit a hole-in-one.

[cdixon6]

I would play the mixes for someone that you know will hand it to you. Someone you respect. This ALWAYS makes the problems pop out.

[mwerden]

For starters you could bring the vocal mic down when he's not singing. Just because things sound good individually doesn't mean you can't steer the listener by moving some faders around.

[emrr]

Print it like it is, then start thinking about what you can subtract (probably in very small degrees) that will clean up the overall picture. Print another. Continue in layers.

I have projects like this all the time, where you can't change much without ruining something else. Split that C-hair.

[GussyLoveridge]

Congratulations man. That's super exciting. Print and spend all that time listening and enjoying what you've all done.