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I read somewhere that its good to separate the composing and mixing process by exporting all your tracks to audio files and then reimporting them to begin mixing - so you don't end up composing more while you are mixing etc.
So i exported my tracks (using logic) to check this out (haven't done this before) and found that the bus channels don't come out. So basically i would have to start re-routing sidechains, reverb & delay buses and everthing??
What are your thoughts on separating this process? Is that how you do it?
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James not sure where you heard this but I don't agree whatsoever. I'm always mixing as I go, you have to otherwise you can have a mess on your hands in the end.
I do know some guys who like to compose in say something like Reason or Live and then export to Pro Tools as they have more mixing options there (RTAS plugs that aren't available elsewhere etc...) but that's more to do with the limitations of said programs.
But really I mix as I go so I can hear how the track is sounding right away. I'll do most of this while in loop mode, getting everything as perfect as I can. Once the arrangement is done then later on I always have to tweak a few things but the bulk of it is done early on.
With dance music especially the mix is partially defining how the sounds all work together. So this should be sorted early on so that new sounds have the benefit of being heard in the proper context. If you wait till later you might find some of the sounds you chose don't fit in the mix and you then will resort to over eqing etc. Not only that but you're wasting time with all the exporting.
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I don't do any mixing for the tracks that Jesse and I work on because I leave that to the professional. It's quite something to watch in progress, this 'mixing as you go' process. I notice that the faders aren't touched very often as the arrangement is laid out and over correction or over adjustment have never been an issue. That's something I still need to learn and practice.
Having said that, composing and mixing are quite different processes and integrating the two seems like a rather advanced technique, but some people can pull it off.
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very interesting topic....so Jesse when you start a new track do you always set your 1st elements(drums, perc, etc.) to a certain level to where you know you'll have enough headroom for future sounds/adjustments as you mix along? I usually try to do this but then as I make adjustments, FX, or add more sounds it seems like I always go over 0.0 db on the master and I always need to re-mix-down
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maybe i'm going about this all wrong. I just sit down and start messing with sounds and effects and let the song build from there. then come back and start adjusting for frequencies (something i'm still not great at).
Are you guys start at the frequencies? meaning, you've got a nice pad or lead line you start in (for arguements sake) between 800 and 2500, so what can fit around it? Hope that makes sense.
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T-Lectual Wrote:very interesting topic....so Jesse when you start a new track do you always set your 1st elements(drums, perc, etc.) to a certain level to where you know you'll have enough headroom for future sounds/adjustments as you mix along? I usually try to do this but then as I make adjustments, FX, or add more sounds it seems like I always go over 0.0 db on the master and I always need to re-mix-down
I used to have this problem too. Thing is you can just lower the master fader and no harm is done.
But what I do now is insert my compressor and limiter on from the very start. If I start pushing things too hard those two things will let me know about it so it helps to keep things in check.
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Bitfiend Wrote:maybe i'm going about this all wrong. I just sit down and start messing with sounds and effects and let the song build from there. then come back and start adjusting for frequencies (something i'm still not great at).
Are you guys start at the frequencies? meaning, you've got a nice pad or lead line you start in (for arguements sake) between 800 and 2500, so what can fit around it? Hope that makes sense.
Generally it works best if you choose sounds that compliment each other in the freq spectrum. If you have a ton of midrange sounds you'll have a hell of a time trying to eq them all to fit. I've learned this the hardway, especially with drums where I'd stack too many crunchy sounds on top of each other.
The less eq you have to use will in many cases result in a cleaner/warmer mix so it pays to choose the sounds and motifs wisely so everything supports each other.
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Guess it comes with endless practice. I remember the first master I did, sounded ok in the car but sucked big time in the club, hehe. Little better at it now.
Also, I think everybody's method can differ, as long as the results are good. Jesse's method is just refined and efficient. I tend to do a lot of double/triple work.
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A lot of my method is based on ability to be able to forecast how things will go and yes this is something that takes a while to develop. I spent many years doing the "throw things at the wall and wait for it to stick" routine.
