bands changing a mix

[slashvanyoung]

Again, no can't agree with this. Why? Because it's only your decision if the band makes it your decision.

Seriously would you be ok with a subcontractor in your home putting down white tile because he thinks it looks better when you asked for beige?

How about a florist giving you white roses instead of red for valentines day because she thought that was a better choice?

Lots of compromise in recordings (on both sides), better learn to live with it sooner than later.

I don't think those are fitting comparisons. I intentionally differentiated between "producer" and "mixer".

If we project this scenario from the audio world to building houses (as far as that's possible), the recording engineer(s), mix/master engineers, drum techs etc. are the "subcontractors".

Because it's only your decision if the band makes it your decision.

And - from my understanding - they do exactly that when they ask you to (not only mix) but produce their effort.

Of course, you won't go completely over their heads and try to reach some sort of compromise, but if a band asks me to produce them, I expect some sort of guideline competence.

If the band contacts me to merely mix their effort, they have the final call, of course.

 

[Paulie!]

send them the exact same file again. i bet it will sound better then!

I've totally done this before.. haha..

-Paul

 

[guitarguru777]

I do that all the time actually ... even when they are in the room. Ill turn up an AUX on the board or add a VST into the chain that's turned off and make it look like I tweaked something. I usually tell them its some kind of "enhancer" or spectral effect that makes this clearer in the mix ....lol

Works every time.

 

[dcb]

fucking hate it... this is probalby the worst part about mixing and producing. bands complaining about certain aspects of a mix...
im currently mixing a band with 2 singers, their voices are overlapping and there is really no structure in what they do... so i put a little distortion on one singer,
so they both sound different and their overlapping voices are not as distracting... mix sent - was totally happy that i somehow managed to make this song work...

after 2 days email sent : - dude, change that, the effect on the vox, thats just not "us"....

but then again, its not my song - and whatever. - make the fucking band happy....

 

[guitarguru777]

I think the problem is bands really don't understand production. A band can play live and sounds absolutely amazing then walk into the studio and start telling engineers how to do their job. I tell every band I work with if you aren't going to listen to me and let me work my magic then find someone else.

I will be damned if I am going to have a guitar player walk in with a ported GenzBenz cabinet and tell me to but a Beta 52 on it (true story). Guitarists especially don't understand the first thing about guitar tone or how to make guitars sound big. I have had a million bands come in and tell me they need to track 8 tracks or more of guitars to get that big wall of sound and try and do it with a shitty little Crate GX112. I have a statement in my contract for the bands I work with that states that yes you have "creative control" but I have control over the sound and mix of the recordings. Yes I know its a dick move but I am not about to put my name on something that sounds like whales humping and put it out there for the public to listen to.

I didn't take 2 years off from recording bands to work on my production chops to be told that the guitars need to be louder, or I need to add more low end to the guitars when they are solo'd on the board for reference.

Of course like any good producer I am open to ideas and suggestion, but if they suggest something completely off the wall that I know will not work I wont do it.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

I will be damned if I am going to have a guitar player walk in with a ported GenzBenz cabinet and tell me to but a Beta 52 on it (true story). Guitarists especially don't understand the first thing about guitar tone or how to make guitars sound big.

Only a guitarist would come up with shit like that.