I'm mixing some cover tunes from a local band. I'm referring to the original songs to get an idea of how they sounded originally. What an interesting and ear-opening experience. Some of these songs are songs I've heard many times, and some are new to me. But in a way, it's like I'm hearing all of them for the first time. It's a totally different experience when you're intensely focused on every element of an original mix of a song and trying to make a cover sound like it. For example, one of the songs is the classic funk rock tune "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry, a song I've heard many times. My gawd...the compression! Everything in that song sounds squished. But ya know what? I like it. Naturally, one wouldn't do that all the time, but it worked for that song, that band, and their sound. Another of the songs is "All The Small Things" by blink-182. I hadn't heard or hadn't noticed this song before. The snare drum is dark, thumpy, and doesn't dominate the mix or even the drums overall. But again, I like it. How refreshing to hear a rock song without a loud, cracking snare drum with reverb all over it.
Ultimately though, this band has its own sound. I can't spend too much time or energy trying to cop the original mixes, nor should I.
What I've learned: There's more than one way to mix a song and it's okay to be different. In bucking a trend, you could start a new one.
Paul
