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Old 11-16-2018, 07:21 PM   #1
Rangler
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Default Mixing music is a slow and lonely process …

… do you have the TV going while you mix? Do your pets keep you company as long as they're quiet? Do you read a book when you're rendering tracks? Do you stare at the lava lamp?

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Old 11-17-2018, 02:51 AM   #2
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I never have so much to render I could read a book, but yep I did buy a lava lamp, my recordings are a notch psychedelic so it was a must to have one. Very relaxing blue colour.
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Old 11-17-2018, 09:03 PM   #3
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it used to be something i dreaded. hated it. but now I really enjoy it.

this Book catalyzed the change in how i see/treat mixing.

brilliant
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Old 11-17-2018, 10:22 PM   #4
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lonely when I know I "could" have a great mix, but I can't figure out (cuz i just don't know enough yet) how to get rid of some annoying noise (f-me!) and I can't ask the other guys who are mixing this song cuz it's for the contest.

sitting here frustrated and defeated from ignorance is - a lonely mix night for sure.
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Old 11-18-2018, 03:14 AM   #5
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S.D. - that book seems like a plunge in the dark, but I| might get tempted after I google around for it a bit.

Didn`t take long... almost nobody on the usual places owning up to buying or indeed reading it, the few that did focussing almost entirely on Mr. Staros`s "magic" method of teaching compression...
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Old 11-19-2018, 10:56 AM   #6
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I absolutely love and look forward to the solitude during a mixing session. It's one of my favorite things about studio life.
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Old 11-19-2018, 01:29 PM   #7
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Mixing fills me with a sense of purpose and direction. It's TV that makes me feel lonliness.

Btw, you might try using idle rendering with the render queue. You can still use your computer while doing a batch of renders in the background.
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Old 11-28-2018, 05:45 AM   #8
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Mixing is more of a distraction from loneliness for me. It allows me to get into a flow state, as long as i'm down with the song i'm mixing. Also, it gives me a feeling of achievement that excites me, which gives me a kind of energy that spills over into my social life.
BUT, it all depends on how much i like the song i'm mixing.
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Old 11-28-2018, 11:05 AM   #9
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As long as you enjoy your own company, being alone is nothing to fear.
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Old 12-03-2018, 08:01 AM   #10
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you could probably find someone willing to listen in via skype or something and help provide feedback. (the bass is not loud enough, those hihats are really annoying, etc...) not the best sound quality, but think of them as a producer type lounging on the couch behind you... could be fun and useful too, they could even do more like fetch examples of tracks that might be good reference material, or hunt down samples for you...
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Old 12-03-2018, 08:18 AM   #11
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...or take on a second personality and start collaborating with him/her...

...no, that's not what I do, please believe ME!!!!!! :P
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Old 12-04-2018, 01:19 PM   #12
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Quote:
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...or take on a second personality and start collaborating with him/her...

...no, that's not what I do, please believe ME!!!!!! :P
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Old 12-04-2018, 01:27 PM   #13
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I need to buy a cheap laptop and stream something apolitical like sports.
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Old 12-04-2018, 03:06 PM   #14
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Render time means another sip of wine and a cigarette
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Old 12-11-2018, 01:40 AM   #15
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Slightly off topic, but how do you "clear your head" of the song when you're mixing?

I find that when I've been mixing for an hour or so, I can't really make out the differences between tracks and mixes. I think I have something perfect, but when I listen to the track the next day, everything is messed up and unbalanced.

How do you deal with this problem?
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Old 12-11-2018, 02:00 AM   #16
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Slightly off topic, but how do you "clear your head" of the song when you're mixing?
You just have to take some time away. But if the mix sounds much different the next day, you're probably monitoring too loud. That tires your ears and changes the way you hear.
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Old 12-11-2018, 01:35 PM   #17
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Years ago I thought mixing should be fast and easy .... and then I saw how the pros do it and I realized it's really hard work and to get a great sound takes a lot of time.
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Old 12-11-2018, 02:22 PM   #18
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Yes, I would agree it's a slow and lonely process.

I've had many many forever alone saturday nights resulting in some excellent audio accomplishments. If instead I was with a significant other/romantic companion, I would drop all the audio production stuff in a heartbeat and dedicate all that quality time to my lady (wherever is she?!?).

I hate to sound corny, literally or figuratively, but nevermind linear phase EQ for a moment, what about my soulmate?
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Old 12-13-2018, 05:06 AM   #19
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You just have to take some time away. But if the mix sounds much different the next day, you're probably monitoring too loud. That tires your ears and changes the way you hear.
Mixing at lower volumes does give better clarity in the mids and highs, but gives me little idea about the lows.

How can I get fatter, more audible bass at low volumes? Just tons of compression?
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Old 12-13-2018, 10:32 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jabardastkid2002 View Post
Mixing at lower volumes does give better clarity in the mids and highs, but gives me little idea about the lows.

How can I get fatter, more audible bass at low volumes? Just tons of compression?
ToTape5 has a "fatter" knob that can put great bass in just about anything. Your speakers could be poor at reproducing low frequencies and your room probably has uneven bass response. You can try improving the room with some acoustic treatment, add a subwoofer or get some good headphones to check the bass from time to time. But yea, you can try some hard limiting on the low end. It's a common thing to do. Also try adding some higher frequencies to the bass to make it more audible on bass-light systems. You can use eq or subtle distortion/saturation to add harmonics, or if it's MIDI just duplicate the notes into a higher octave.

But look at it this way: increasing the volume gives only an illusion of more bass and treble (fletcher-munson effect).
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Old 12-13-2018, 04:01 PM   #21
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But look at it this way: increasing the volume gives only an illusion of more bass and treble (fletcher-munson effect).
How do you know you're mixing at a low enough volume? Should I buy an analog meter?
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Old 12-13-2018, 04:42 PM   #22
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Quote:
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How do you know you're mixing at a low enough volume?
Normal conversation volume is recommended.
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Old 12-14-2018, 08:11 AM   #23
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The way I do, for the most part, mixing is part of the creative process. I love it even if sometimes it can be a bit frustrating (not coming out the way I want).

As strange at it may seem, I don't feel lonely when I mix I feel lonely when the mix is over! When I'm done mixing I often feel I sense of loss, a feeling of loneliness; the thing that was consuming me with passion and immense focus is gone and something is missing.
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Old 04-06-2019, 07:49 PM   #24
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I often use a jackhammer and a full sized church organ to mask background noises.
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Old 04-07-2019, 12:20 AM   #25
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If anyone still harbors this sentiment...please pass your mixing on to me.
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Old 04-08-2019, 11:28 AM   #26
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I just mix everyday, all day...
I get lonely not being around the monitors.
People ringing me and wanting to talk is just an irritation to me - unless they are interesting and have something interesting (like mixing) to talk about.
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