Beyond Beauty--My First Mix Completed (I think)

[Deborah Young]

Well, thanks again to all who commented initially. I plan to market this and other pieces soon. So comments and suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

[Jonathan White]

I like this mix! I'm not much of an expert on how mixes are put together but this sounds really fascinating. If you market your pieces i would love to buy your cd!

[Don Kim]

Hi Deborah,

I missed your initial thread, but just did a quick A/B with your previous mix and gotta say.. really great improvements! Love the improved clarity of your new mix. Percussion sounds really great. I think mix-wise, the only comments I would give are that throughout most of the song, the bass lines and the keyboard seem very subdued. I would love to hear them come out a bit more. Of course these are just my opinions and I'm certainly no expert. :) For reference, I'm listening to your track via a pair of Bose Triport headphones. It's a bit late over here for me to play on my speakers. Oh and one last thing not related to the music, in the first few seconds there's a bit of static noise prior to the song start. Perhaps some sort of mp3 compression artifact?

I don't know if you'll find this useful, but the way I've been testing out my mixes is play them back on a variety of equipment I have access to. i.e. I'll listen to my tracks on my monitors, in my car, on my home stereo, through different headphones I have at home, and at times my crappy laptop speakers. I do have a decent set of monitors and I guess the goal is to learn to predictably mix using mainly those, but since I'm still learning, and until I get better at that aspect, I find this random sampling to be helpful. Particularly in noting the differences between the different equipments, what aspects of the mix they exaggerate or hide and trying to mix for relative consistency. Perhaps someone with more experience can tell me if this is a really bad thing to do, but it seems to be working okay for now.

Best of luck on your track and your upcoming releases. The piece sounds pretty cool and the mix is really shaping up.

Don

[Deborah Young]

Don: I've learned so much about mixing in the past few weeks. That "noise" you referred to was really bad at first. I removed most of it, and had a hard time hearing what's left. Thanks for pointing out that there's still noise to remove. I think I'm going to work on some of my other music and then return to this one with a fresher ear (regarding turning up the keyboards and bass). I deliberately turned the bass down so that it would blend with the kick drum. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to comment.

Don Kim said:

Hi Deborah,

I missed your initial thread, but just did a quick A/B with your previous mix and gotta say.. really great improvements! Love the improved clarity of your new mix. Percussion sounds really great. I think mix-wise, the only comments I would give are that throughout most of the song, the bass lines and the keyboard seem very subdued. I would love to hear them come out a bit more. Of course these are just my opinions and I'm certainly no expert. :) For reference, I'm listening to your track via a pair of Bose Triport headphones. It's a bit late over here for me to play on my speakers. Oh and one last thing not related to the music, in the first few seconds there's a bit of static noise prior to the song start. Perhaps some sort of mp3 compression artifact?

I don't know if you'll find this useful, but the way I've been testing out my mixes is play them back on a variety of equipment I have access to. i.e. I'll listen to my tracks on my monitors, in my car, on my home stereo, through different headphones I have at home, and at times my crappy laptop speakers. I do have a decent set of monitors and I guess the goal is to learn to predictably mix using mainly those, but since I'm still learning, and until I get better at that aspect, I find this random sampling to be helpful. Particularly in noting the differences between the different equipments, what aspects of the mix they exaggerate or hide and trying to mix for relative consistency. Perhaps someone with more experience can tell me if this is a really bad thing to do, but it seems to be working okay for now.

Best of luck on your track and your upcoming releases. The piece sounds pretty cool and the mix is really shaping up.

Don

[Deborah Young]

Ray: Don't worry about being the bringer of bad news. I'm really trying to learn and don't have time to be coddled :~)

Anyway, I turned up the drum on purpose and was still not satisfied with the power of the kick. I wanted something more like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p98hm8imkNo (this song is "Breathe" by Scott Wozniak) and was thinking of going back later and trying to ramp up the kick. If you listen to Breathe (and have time) let me know what you think (in relation to raising or lowering the kick, etc.). I think my mix still lacks that funky dance drive that I was aiming for. What I'm asking is: if the kick sound were different (more like the kick in House music or Trance) would it still be too loud (in your humble opinion)?

I value your opinion, and would love to hear it. Anyway, thanks so much for taking the time to comment. I had no idea that mixing was so difficult (and time-consuming), but the more I learn the more thrilled I become.

Ray Kemp said:

Sorry to be the bringer of bad news but, the four on the floor kick drum is completely dominating and swamping the track.
Please pull it back a bit and allow us to listen to the tune.

[Deborah Young]

Thanks, Jonathan.

Jonathan said:

I like this mix! I'm not much of an expert on how mixes are put together but this sounds really fascinating. If you market your pieces i would love to buy your cd!

[Deborah Young]

Thank you, Ray. And thanks for your patience and suggestions. I've really started listening now (to the difference between my mixes and some pro mixes that I like). Now I just have to learn the principals necessary to achieve that open sound, and I will. What makes me feel great is that what I'm learning now should make future mixes easier to create.

Ray Kemp said:

OK let me put it another way.
There is no power in anything else in your track. Where are the hi hats? Nearly non existent.
Without their syncopation there is no funky dance drive.
Where is the open stereo sound as in the track you wish to emulate.