sup with using separate engineers for mixing and tracking?

Recording Techniques, People Skills, Gear, Recording Spaces, Computers, and DIY

Moderators: drumsound, tomb

User avatar
digital eagle audio
pushin' record
Posts: 275
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2005 12:19 pm

sup with using separate engineers for mixing and tracking?

Post by digital eagle audio » Mon Dec 19, 2005 1:39 pm

i don't get it, man. that almost never happens at my studio. i would HATE to not get to mix a band i recorded or vice versa. anybody feel like explaining this tactic?

kayagum
ghost haunting audio students
Posts: 3490
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 11:11 pm
Location: Saint Paul, MN

Post by kayagum » Mon Dec 19, 2005 1:58 pm

In one case for me, I mixed something to salvage a poor recording job.

It took me several months and a lot of work, but my client was happy in the end.

User avatar
JGriffin
zen recordist
Posts: 6739
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2003 1:44 pm
Location: criticizing globally, offending locally
Contact:

Post by JGriffin » Mon Dec 19, 2005 2:43 pm

Budget would be another reason. Hire a moderately priced but good tracking engineer, so you have more money for a really good mixing engineer.
"Jeweller, you've failed. Jeweller."

"Lots of people are nostalgic for analog. I suspect they're people who never had to work with it." ? Brian Eno

All the DWLB music is at http://dwlb.bandcamp.com/

User avatar
Phiz
buyin' gear
Posts: 503
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2004 5:21 pm
Location: San Francisco

Post by Phiz » Mon Dec 19, 2005 3:19 pm

Some people are better tracking engineers and some are better mixing engineers. You can probably get a slightly better product for the same amount of money this way. Also, it's usually good to bring the perspective of more than one engineer to a project.

User avatar
JohnDavisNYC
ghost haunting audio students
Posts: 3035
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2003 2:43 pm
Location: crooklyn, ny
Contact:

Post by JohnDavisNYC » Mon Dec 19, 2005 9:33 pm

i really like mixing stuff that i didn't record. it's nice to be presented with unfamiliar sounds and make decisions about what to do with them based on what you get.... it could be a salvage job, or it could be super easy... but either way it is a learning experience, and i like the way it forces me to try new stuff. I know that the way i track a kick drum 90% of the time, and so i know what I'm going to do to it 90% of the time... but if i get a drum sound i didn't do, it's either going to make me work hard to get it to do what i want, or it's going to be totally awesome and open my eyes (ears) to a different way to do stuff.

as far as tracking something for someone else to mix, i find that situation a little harder, because when you work to get sounds, it's easy to worry about and or be dissapointed by how the mix engineer treats the tracks you recorded. that possibility is a good reason to always track everything as well as possible... not leaving any thing medicore because you can 'fix it later' or have some idea you know you're going to do at mixing to compensate for something wierd... i dunno. or just do whatever you want and let the mix guy deal with it. i feel like if there is the possibility of someone else mixing it, leave options where it is apropriate, but don't go overboard... i have opening up a session with 13 room mics and then having to figure out which 2 actually sound good, or wading through 5 guitar amp mics with shitty phase relationships. just get one or 2 really good mic choices. maybe a DI for reamping if you're REALLY sweating the options tip.

*rambling*

i'm tired.

later,
john
i like to make music with music and stuff and things.

http://www.thebunkerstudio.com/

User avatar
Brian
resurrected
Posts: 2254
Joined: Mon Jun 02, 2003 6:00 pm
Location: corner of your eye
Contact:

Post by Brian » Wed Dec 21, 2005 2:15 pm

I like it better that way. Either way tracking and not mixing, mixing but not tracking, and definately mixing but not mastering.
Harumph!

Sean Shannon
pushin' record
Posts: 227
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2005 6:36 pm
Location: Orlando, FL
Contact:

Post by Sean Shannon » Wed Dec 28, 2005 1:56 am

I have run my own studio for years. After years of long weeks, I hired a guy to help with the studio load. I trained him to my ways, and he tracks for me now, sets up the session for mix, and I mix. He doesn't feel confident with his mixing enough yet to mix for my clients, given the time restraints and pressure of getting it perfect right then.

I just can't track every overdub every day, and then mix every song, day after day, without finally burning out. Then what service would I be doing the client?

It works for me, my calendar has never been fuller, and I always have a set of fresh ears for the mix. Interesting question.
Check your mix in mono.
www.mixmonsterz.com

User avatar
nick_a
buyin' gear
Posts: 508
Joined: Sun Dec 21, 2003 2:10 pm
Location: arlington VA
Contact:

Post by nick_a » Wed Dec 28, 2005 9:20 am

i think for some projects it's really good to get an extra set of ears on it. For example, my band had been working on 4 songs for 8 months (mostly tracked by me), and i was to the point where i was in no shape perspective-wise to do it justice in the mix. So i handed it off to a friend of mine and he did a killer job (mostly because he's awesome but partially because he was coming at it with a fresh mind).

User avatar
Ronan
gettin' sounds
Posts: 121
Joined: Fri Jan 02, 2004 11:16 pm

Post by Ronan » Wed Dec 28, 2005 11:18 am

About half my living is mixing records that other guys have tracked. It happens for many reasons (one of which I guess is that I am OK at mixing records). Sometimes the record company rejects the original mixes and hires me to remix, sometimes if the budget it tight a less expensive guy will track it and I get hired to mix and what is becoming more and more common is I am mixing lots of records that were recorded by the artists themselves. As long as the snare drum does not ring too much and the guitars were not recorded direct :twisted: , I can usually do a lot to make a home recording sounds like a pretty big budget record.

JASIII
george martin
Posts: 1418
Joined: Fri Dec 26, 2003 8:59 am
Location: On the Tundra

Post by JASIII » Wed Dec 28, 2005 7:46 pm

Personally, I'd rather track and let someone else mix except in some cases. I think tracking is more fun and less frustrating.
"If you will starve unless you become a rock star, then you have bigger problems than whether or not you are a rock star. " - Steve Albini

joel hamilton
zen recordist
Posts: 8876
Joined: Mon May 19, 2003 12:10 pm
Location: NYC/Brooklyn
Contact:

Post by joel hamilton » Thu Dec 29, 2005 10:16 am

Separating the two parts of the process can be a great thing. I have mixed a zillion records that have been tracked under all kinds of circumstances.

I have even just done overdubs for vocals oon certain records that were being mixed by someone else...

I like every permutation equally. I like tracking, i like mixing. I like recording at large, so enjoy whatever part of the process someone chooses to use you for.

If you knew a guy in town with a million mics and great front end stuff, and you had a guy with real credits that you could have mix.... why not get the "best" of both worlds?

I dont understand the ego driven "ownership" of prjects that people will get into. Like if they tracked something good, would it belittle their involvement if the mix engineer does a good job with those tracks and everyone looks great in the end? I dont think so. People would just hear aa good record. Every step is crucial, and just as important as any other step.

A good mix flatters everyone involved, as do well recorded tracks. all the way out to mastering....

User avatar
TA
alignin' 24-trk
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed Apr 21, 2004 6:50 pm
Location: New York

Post by TA » Thu Dec 29, 2005 12:29 pm

Not to mention some records have been released that have used multiple studios to track, edit and mix..couple songs here couple there, with diferent engineers in each studio. Traveling to what ever studio the producer want to use for certain songs. Looking for certain vibe for certain songs.....lots of variables.

As mentioned, some engineers are better at tracking vs mixing and vise versa. Some mix better for certain style of music as well....and some are more diverse.

But I think the reason most of the time is for the diffent perspective, fresh ears....similar reason you send it off to a seperate mastering engineer.

just my 2 pennies...

Sean Shannon
pushin' record
Posts: 227
Joined: Fri Dec 02, 2005 6:36 pm
Location: Orlando, FL
Contact:

Post by Sean Shannon » Thu Dec 29, 2005 1:56 pm

I suppose if you are running a small project studio, and you are used to doing the tracking and mixing all yourself, that may all seem a bit strange to you. Fact is, it's the norm for projects to move around a bit, especially at the higher budget levels.
Check your mix in mono.
www.mixmonsterz.com

User avatar
JGriffin
zen recordist
Posts: 6739
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2003 1:44 pm
Location: criticizing globally, offending locally
Contact:

Post by JGriffin » Thu Dec 29, 2005 6:18 pm

Sean Shannon wrote:I suppose if you are running a small project studio, and you are used to doing the tracking and mixing all yourself, that may all seem a bit strange to you. Fact is, it's the norm for projects to move around a bit, especially at the higher budget levels.
Or even at the lower budgets...lots of records I have worked on lately have the drums tracked at a big studio (or studios) and all the overdubs done at a smaller (and cheaper) space, as a big "drum room" is not needed.
"Jeweller, you've failed. Jeweller."

"Lots of people are nostalgic for analog. I suspect they're people who never had to work with it." ? Brian Eno

All the DWLB music is at http://dwlb.bandcamp.com/

User avatar
theistheman
pushin' record
Posts: 230
Joined: Sun Apr 25, 2004 8:44 pm
Location: Edgemont, SD/Chicago, IL

Post by theistheman » Thu Dec 29, 2005 6:53 pm

Because if Tom Lord-Alge mixes your album, it'll sound totally sick, brah.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 63 guests