@lonnielj
Audio Engineering Session 10
<a href="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug06/images/sonar2consoleview_l.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug06/images/sonar2consoleview_l.jpg" border="0" /></a>Hooray!! The blog is now up to date over here at IMS. Future postings of this blog will now be once a week. If you wish to see my ohter blog entries please check out http://beerhunter341.blogspot.com I will only be posting my Audio Engineering course over here but you can read about my other ramblings at my other site. Now back to our regularily scheduled program....
Mixing! W00t! My favorite part! I've always liked mixing. Back a few years ago, well ok. more like a lot of years ago, I used to mix my own party music on cassettes. I had a couple of turntables and an old Radio Shack mixer. I used to love doing my own crossfades. Some of the crossfades even started to have a life of its own. Anyways.. I guess what I'm try to say here is that it has captured my interest for over 30 years. Ha, even did some DJ'ing back in the day. Before I get to wrapped up in the past, let me get back to the session...
<div><div>Now that we have all the pieces to make a song it was time to put it all together. The instructor gave us individual wav files from the previous sessions. We then imported the wavs into Sonar version 2.0. Yup, Sonar 2. Ok well now, gut reacti<a href="http://www.audiomidi.com/aboutus/reviews/fujio_sonar6/Sonor%206%20Main%20Window.JPG"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://www.audiomidi.com/aboutus/reviews/fujio_sonar6/Sonor%206%20Main%20Window.JPG" border="0" /></a>on is, I'm on version 6 now, how can I benefit from using version 2. What is this antique piece of software? When I compare version 6 to version 2, there is not a lot different. In the end, you can acheive the same results. The biggest difference is that you can run earlier versions of software on REALLY cheap (old) machines. In our class we used a P3 with 256 Mb RAM. Keep the chuckles to yourself, in the end we were able to create a great mix. This reinforces the fact that it is the person behind the console, not the equipment that make a great mix.</div>
<div>In the end it is about having a great mix. Don't fool yourself into thinking that mean mixing with the latest, greatest software. </div></div>
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Nigel your mixes are great and I am not judging or comparing anyone.
My point is everyone can learn the trade of mixing and mastering. But I look at it this way. I have been playing guitar for a long time and truthfully I am average at best. I can find a 12 year old kid who has only been playing for a year that blows me away. Some people have a gift for certain things. I am looking for mine still lol. Even if you gave a a $5000 guitar, I will still sound the same. That guy thought that because he had all the top of the line tools we did not know what we were talking about. There was clipping in his tracks instruments drowning out other instruments. We just made observations that a few things needed to be looked at.
Truthfully, you won't catch me near a real mix. At least not any time soon. I do not have the patience or the experience to really do a solid mix. Mixing via headphones is also not a good idea. :)
Beerhunter.
Nope not you mate,old war.
Apologies for the misunderstanding.
My fruustration is at the umpteen assumptions made regarding what is "Acceptable" on an OMD.
Like I say,I'm out of this.
Nigel.
Terentek, I'm listening to what you are saying and I'm not disagreeing with you. I hope I'm not the one you are directing your last comments to.
I don't know how or why I got involved.
Man I have SOOOOOOOOO done this.
I am an idiot for even thinking I could shed any better understanding.
It didn't in the thousand times before.
I'm out of this.
Nigel.
I just released an album that cost a lot of money to make,including studio and engineer expenses.
If I put that next to my home recordings,what do you think will sound best?
Pretty obvious huh?
In alot of folks recordings,there is no great software at work,no acousticly treated room,and no engineer present.
Nigel.
DAZED,
YEAH, I REMEMBER THAT!!!!!!! LOL
I CAME IN KIND OF LATE IN THE GAME,LISTENED TO HIS MIXES AND READ THE REVIEWS, AND DECIDED NOT TO GET INVOLVED, BECAUSE THE GUY MUST HAVE BEEN DEAF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I KNEW IT WAS HOPELESS TO EVEN TRY!!!!! LOL
TOO BAD!!!!!
I think the message that I'm trying to get across here is that anyone can learn today's software packages. Grab a manual and sit down for a few days and you can figure it out. However, using SONAR, ProTools (or w/e) does not make one an engineer. We were able to get a great mix because of a number of factors. First was the talent. The song was played well by experienced musicians. Second, the room we recorded in was acoustically treated properly. Next was the selection and placement of mic's. Finally, the use of the software itself. An engineer will be able to squeeze out every drop of what they have to work with. Knowing when and why to use a compressor is much better than moving the ratio blindly (for example).
Sometimes better equipment does NOT render better results, it only magnifies the errors.
sadly we had a guy on here some time ago who posted some songs. The mixes were, well lets say not fantastic. Several people commented that his mixes needed several tweaks. He proceeded to talk about how he had the latest a greatest equipment, plugins blah blah blah. That only enforces the fact that all the greatest equipment in the world does not make an audio engineer. He cleared his page and left.
Now what bothers me about that was no one was malicious in their comments. Everyone was trying to help his songs sound better. His ego could not handle the fact that he thought his mix was the stuff dreams were made of and the rest of us knew nothing. I may not be an audio engineer, but I do know what sounds good and what does not.
There are a lot of talented people on the site who actually do want to help. That is the goal of sites like this. It always amazes me when constructive feedback is received like you just dropped a skunk on their doorstep.
Agree with D,it is a talent.
But if I did have all that equipment,then it would be reasonable to expect a better finished product.
There is a HUGE difference between studio and what most people have to work with so yuo just cannot judge EVERYTHING by one yardstick.
It is delusional and unfair on the artist.
Nigel.
That may well be the case Dazed,but I stick to my comment,that to judge everyone by the same yard stick is delusional.
It may well be desirable to have all songs finish at the same quality level,but it just may not be that realistic.
I do what I do in one corner of a room,on a desk,inside a pc,so how is that ever going to measure up to a studio recording?
Anyone can give me any kind of feedback they want,good or bad,constructive or malicious,the song remians the same.
No ammount of praise makes it better,and no ammount of critasism makes it any worse.
Smile and say thank you.
Nigel.