j.hall wrote on Wed, 14 January 2009 14:10 |
unless you have some technique i don't know (entirely possible) for getting an uncompressed mix to stay 95% the same (re: balances only) i just don't see how it's possible to not be consistently disappointed with the masters you get back, from every ME on the planet.
SNIP
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Hi J,
And there is the "trick"... staying very consistent from mix to mix.
There are several things I do, when mixing an album :
1. Leave plenty of dynamic range. I usually have the following:
a.- Peaks at -6dBFS to -5 dBFS maximum.
b.- RMS levels at -20 to -22 dBFS maximum. This means having a dynamic range of about 17 to 14 dBFS. This can usually cover most dynamic changes an artist can throw in there.
c.- If the instrumentation stays very similar (same bass and bass player, guitar, etc...) then I make sure I find the best sounds for the WHOLE ALBUM. This sometimes means going back and remixing a song or two, once I get going.
d.- If the instrumentation is NOT the same, then I find the most common denominator, like the lead voice, and mix that one with similar levels across the album. rarely do I find an artist that wants the lead vocal loud on one song, then buried on another. Even if the sound of the lead voice is different, I find mixing it at the same levels, helps in the perspective of the other instruments as I go across the whole album.
This gives me enough dynamic range to both have loud and soft moments in the songs, if they have them, as well as 'pokey' hits that are exciting to the human ear. this is even after the Me gets his / her hands on it.
This mixing approach has it's compromises sometimes, but so far I have not found problems with this approach.
In the end, the Me has an easier time, if he / she knows the levels are consistent from song to song. the Textures may change, but overall the ME knows where to aim for in getting the final levels and EQ easier this way.
The reason I end up doing this is twofold:
1.- The Artist likes consistency. when the artist can listen to an album's rough mixes and be able to listen to the lead vocal and other elements in a consistent manner, the mixing seems to disappear, and they can more easily spot issues with arrangement, etc.. than with wildly varying levels on the more important instruments on the songs.
2.- Most MEs I have talked with, the number one complaint is : no consistent mixes across the album. The MEs I know, do not like to see an album that is a collection of singles, unrelated to each other, but instead like to see an album, with gems in it.
Cheers