21d • General discussion
How To Mix A Vibey Record…
If I had my way a mixing desk would only have three switches!
-0 db Hard
-3 db Soft
-6 db Limp
Any other levels are for knob-nibblers!
And we’ve all seen them… arms stretched out, a vacant stare, a frown from ear-to-ear, concentrating on… well, nothing really!
In an act of pseudo-religious supplication, they prostrate themselves in reverence to their ‘Great Desk God’.
Perhaps imploring, in silent prayer, muttering mantras under their breath “Please Great God of the Infinite Levels, make my mix not suck arse!”
And that's why I don't have a mixing desk! A lesson I learnt from working with Brian Eno.
I’ve mixed many records… and never once used a mixing desk!
But…
(And this is the big ‘but’!)
...the big wobbly 'butt' of an omni-potent, omni-important, omni-science … a big juicy Bagpuss ‘butt’…
I balance my vibey mixes with compression… not levels!
Hey! Quelle horreur! пиздец! PizDetz! <— Yes, I hear all of you knob-chucklers, knob-sniffers, and knob-nibblers nibbling at my heels... “but James that’s cheating… that IS ’level'…
NO IT’S NOT!
‘Cause when you use compression you subtly change the attack, sustain, decay and release of the sound itself!
You change the most important thing of all! —> the sound's unique ‘character’.
The sound’s A.D.S.R for all of us synthy nerd types… and herein lies the real magic…
Compression is at its core ‘distortion’, and the perceived ‘raaaarrrrr!!!!’ In the audience's ears.
And if that doesn’t do it… gate the fucker! Never be afraid to only use a gate to get the first 20ms of a sound… (it’s the only bit people hear anyway FFS!). Learn about the ‘audio recognition centre in the human brain’, the neurologist Dr Oliver Sacks understood this! If you want to use music to manipulate the mind, consciousness etc then make it your job to get a bit of psychology in ya.
There are real psychoacoustic scientific reasons why this works…but most bedroom producers and DJ wannabees don’t have the curiosity to research the Dark Arts, or use music mind control, or propaganda and magic. They’re not the agents of positive change in the great fight against the dark side… but I digress.
So, it’s above their pay grade.. that being 0.0000003 cent a stream (but don’t get me started)!
If you would like to know more about these strange arcane occult arts then ask… DM, or commune with me telepathically or via birds, whales or dolphins… Ask, and you will receive…
In the meantime… do yourself a favour:
‘Get a big strip of gaffer tape and block off all levels apart from these three-> 0 db, -3 db and -6 db…’
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How To Mix A Vibey Record…
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