Mixing with the band there

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Recycled_Brains
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Re: Mixing with the band there

Post by Recycled_Brains » Thu Jul 11, 2019 2:48 pm

drumsound wrote:
Thu Jun 20, 2019 7:01 pm
ashcat_lt wrote:
Thu Jun 20, 2019 4:55 pm
Image
Tried that once a long time ago. It wasn't horrible, but I'm not going there anymore.
This made my night.
I LOL'd. :worthy:
Ryan Slowey
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Re: Mixing with the band there

Post by Recycled_Brains » Thu Jul 11, 2019 2:51 pm

I had a couple guys from the band I'm currently working with stop by to go through their notes in real time and make whatever adjustments they wanted. They left happy.

Then, of course, I start getting the texts... "wait, can we also do this and that and this and that?"

Oi. I'm starting to despise recall, and I have like a 20th the amount of outboard of a "real" studio.
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Re: Mixing with the band there

Post by losthighway » Thu Jul 11, 2019 6:40 pm

Recycled_Brains wrote:
Thu Jul 11, 2019 2:51 pm
I had a couple guys from the band I'm currently working with stop by to go through their notes in real time and make whatever adjustments they wanted. They left happy.

Then, of course, I start getting the texts... "wait, can we also do this and that and this and that?"

Oi. I'm starting to despise recall, and I have like a 20th the amount of outboard of a "real" studio.
Sometimes I kick myself for printing all of my outboard stuff as new tracks in real time, then I think about going through all of the recall. It's probably a tie, time-wise in the end.

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Re: Mixing with the band there

Post by DrummerMan » Sat Jul 13, 2019 9:27 am

roscoenyc wrote:
Thu Jun 20, 2019 5:23 am
One producer we worked with gave each band member 3 poker chips before the mixing started.
These were to be used for mix comments.

"For each song"? we asked

"For the entire album"

It turned out to be a very good technique.
Fantastic idea!
Geoff Mann
composer | drummer | Los Angeles, CA

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Nick Sevilla
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Re: Mixing with the band there

Post by Nick Sevilla » Sat Jul 13, 2019 9:47 am

Also, I am mixing totally ITB. Easier recalls, as you see from the other fine engineers here who use outboard.

Sometimes I have to print a reamp or some hardware I have. This I always try to do long before mixing, so everyone is used to
"that sound" from whatever hardware I used.

On a Jazz Fusion mix, for example, we were going to mix a song that had a SUPER SHITTY Hammond plug in sound. SO I went and got
three new prints off the MIDI performance, with three different but better sounds, and had the artist pick the one he wanted, BEFORE ever
touching that song mix. Like, days before, when we were mixing a different song. When it came to the song with the replacement sound,
there were no issues AFA the type of sound. This is because there was time to acclimate to the new sound off a rough mix, instead of introducing
a NEW sound, along with all the details of a mix, all at the same time. People get overloaded easily during this stressful part of the production,
I always feel it's best to make large changes like that long before mixing whenever possible.

I love the idea of the three poker chips per band member. Will have to try this on my next band mix.
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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Re: Mixing with the band there

Post by Nick Sevilla » Sat Jul 13, 2019 10:08 am

Recycled_Brains wrote:
Thu Jul 11, 2019 2:51 pm
I had a couple guys from the band I'm currently working with stop by to go through their notes in real time and make whatever adjustments they wanted. They left happy.

Then, of course, I start getting the texts... "wait, can we also do this and that and this and that?"

Oi. I'm starting to despise recall, and I have like a 20th the amount of outboard of a "real" studio.
Yep. That is when you have to set a limit as to how many more revisions per song you'll allow.

I usually tell them this on the contract, or before handing them the near final mix.

I usually tell them to take time to make any notes when listening on their own equipment, and that I will allow only one set of change notes off their listening session at home off their own equipment. That way, they really have to think about what changes they really need, as opposed to want.

In the extremely rare case that there is a gridlock, I print two versions of the mix, and make them commit to one or the other before proceeding further down the rabbit hole.

Oh, and I NEVER become a "voting member" for their mix decisions. They have to hash this out themselves, 100% of the time. I am there to help them through the process, not become a part of the fray. It creates less stress and enmity when things get heated, which they almost always do in band situations. Stay out of their decision making process!!!
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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Re: Mixing with the band there

Post by cgarges » Wed Aug 14, 2019 10:39 pm

I always like having someone there. It's saved my ass SO MANY TIMES. These days, I do like to get the bulk of stuff going for a few hours before they come in, but almost without fail, if I work with the background vocal balanced right up with the lead vocal, the band wants the background vocal almost inaudible and if I get the guitar solo sitting nicely within the mix, they'll want it jarringly-loud. There's also the expectation of reverb vs. dry, etc. I just like having people there to inform things before I commit to one direction for the entire mix. Especially if it's a quick, low-budget project that's just a few days, total.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

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