References in mixing

[MoreSpaceEcho]

It was the first Soul Coughing record for me.

[vvv]

To answer my own inquiry, in my bedio doing my music I seldom reference unless there's a particular sound I'm looking for.

As for reference tracks, I look mostly to producers/mixers, lately find joy in Agnello, Massey, Ambel, Rock, Cobb, E. Johns, Albini, Easter, B. O'Brien, Froom, Tchad, Barbe (not the latest DBT, tho' - too polished), Rubin and his crew, Prince. There are others like K. Scott, Beinhorn (not really attainable), Kramer, E. Kramer ...

I love almost everything the BBC and Peel released; the sounds of Chameleons UK albums are what I often strive for in a rock band context.

And I just got the re-master of Petty's Wildflower album and - damn, it's good for that genre.

[drumsound]

It was the first Soul Coughing record for me.

I played in a band with 2 guys who loved them. I didn' agree.

Are we still friends, Scott?

[MoreSpaceEcho]

Hahaha. I can totally understand why anyone wouldn't like that band! All of my friends (except Garges) make fun of me. But what a rhythm section. And those records sound cool as hell.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

Hahaha. I can totally understand why anyone wouldn't like that band! All of my friends (except Garges) make fun of me. But what a rhythm section. And those records sound cool as hell.

I saw the a show on the first tour for that record (and many shows afterwards). The rhythm section was ridiculous. The drummer could play solo and I'd be happy to watch. I revisited that record a little while ago. The material hasn't aged all that well but it still sounds fantastic and the playing is so good.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

For the OP, I don't do references all that often unless there's something specific that I'm going for.
For a while I was referencing Is A Woman by Lambchop for some of my own songs. The sense of space on that record is fantastic and the piano sound is top shelf. There's tons going on but the mixes still seem spare and there's tons of room for a really, really, really laid back vocal.
Recently I was mixing something tracked with E-drums. It's a rock thing using big kit rock samples. I used Low by Cracker as a reference and it helped quite a bit. That's another record I haven't listened to in years but it still sounds pretty great. It's funny, it makes a feature of the horrible acoustic DI guitar sound (that I hate more than almost any sound) but somehow it doesn't bug me in this context.

[vvv]

I had a lotta fun with a E-drummer last year, but he quit to join a cover band. But it was interesting working with those, trying to keep 'em sounding as real (i.e., acoustic) as possible.

My motive for this thread, BTW, was to see if I am making a mistake in not referencing.

Glad I'm not the only one who doesn't.

I will add that I am happy with the results I get, or I would change the approach, but glad for the support that it's not always necessary to reference.

[mjau]

But what a rhythm section.

Man, yes. I saw Sebastian Steinberg a year ago with Calexico and Iron and Wine, and he played a heavy bass solo on his upright.

Speaking of references, I like Calexico’s Algiers album. I’ve listened to it a zillion times, so I know it pretty well, and it’s a nice mix of room sounds and more closed-in sounds.

[vvv]

Craig Schumacher is very good at that room stuff.

Besides Calexico, I love the Steve Wynn/Miracle 3 records he did.

Somewhat OT (hey! it's my thread!), I watched Steve Wynn and Linda Pitmon do a Stage-it last night as an electric guitar and drums and vocals duo. It was really good, esp. for US$10.

[losthighway]

Craig Schumacher is very good at that room stuff.

That run of Neko Case records he did (Fox Confessor, Middle Cyclone) had the best roomy sounding snares. I think the drummer used different hot rods and such, lots of cool sounds that take a few miliseconds to develop. "Fwwwaaaaap" (there's my snare onomatopoeia since we're getting into that).

And then obviously the vocals sound amazing. They have huge reverb, but when you're going for that there are so many ways to get it wrong, he nailed it.

[vvv]

I'll hafta check those out, thanx.

[drumsound]

Hahaha. I can totally understand why anyone wouldn't like that band! All of my friends (except Garges) make fun of me. But what a rhythm section. And those records sound cool as hell.

It's really Douty that really drove me bonkers... Like a "rock" Kurt Elling. Bleach

The rhythm section was cool.