These are just some collected thoughts I needed to write down after a long time of thinking. It's been about a year straight that I've been mulling this over, as it relates quite specifically to my work and future. It may relate to many of you and your own aspirations, and perhaps touches on the potential future of the metal industry as well.
Back about 2 years ago I was intently chasing what I considered to be the 'perfect' metal mix. For me that was somewhere within the realm of 'Stabbing the Drama' but with more pleasing individual elements. You can think of it as trying to combine the guitars of 'EoH' with the separation/low-end balance of STD and the vocal sound of 'TWoAF'. This ultimately led me to a CD I did in mid 2009 which is likely still my 'most well-balanced' work. Not saying I succeeded in the initial goal by any stretch, but this remains the case all the same.
The thing is that, back then, my gear was very limited. I had an analogue stereo bus compressor, a mediocre converter and that was it. The rest was done in ITB land. This was also prior to Nebula really taking off with console saturation and offering us the wealth of possibilities it (and an array of other plug-ins) now do.
My thoughts back then were turned to acquiring more analogue gear. I'm actually not even sure where that became the case. I remember distinctly starting this gig over half a decade ago saying 'I don't need a multitrack interface, I will mix ITB, always, there is no need'. Somewhere along the line that changed. Maybe you naturally get to a point where you need to move... if not forward, then at least sideways or diagonally towards some ill-defined goal.
Regardless, as time wore on and I acquired more and more analogue gear and processing techniques which led to more 'analogue-sounding' mixes, I noticed a strange trend. My work wasn't getting immediately nor objectively 'better'. No, it was just getting different. It wasn't the straight, linear scale I was expecting.
During this period I was progressively getting into more and more rock productions, while also trying to get in touch with, and rekindle my inner music listener. I tried to isolate elements of records which made them memorable to me, back when I had no idea about production, and see if I could find any trends.
The more I did this, the more I noticed that the most distinctive and timeless records normally had equally distinctive audio 'blemishes' or imperfections. Certainly, the more I started to use the same gear as on many of these records, the more my own work took on an 'imperfect' character (notwithstanding that which came from my lack of experience). I started to wonder at that point though - what is the point of chasing the perfect balance in a mix? When the kick might sound better pumping all the way through the chorus, why would I want it nestled nicely between the bass, doing its job, but otherwise not being notable at all? Why do I want every element audible all at the same time, when that comes at the cost of cohesion and an overall sense of 'unity'?
What I'm arriving at, and ultimately what this boils down to for me is that.... Stabbing the Drama may well be the most well-balanced metal mix I've ever heard but.... I never listen to it for recreation. Never. Sure, the music sucks - but more than that: there is nothing exciting about ideal balancing. It does the job, and sure sounds tight on a variety of systems, but it's the things which stand out that grab a listener.
Going back and listening to my mix from 2 years ago... yeah it's damn loud, bright, and everything can be heard more or less the whole way through. On a mix 'checklist' one would think all the points were ticked off. But it doesn't 'excite' me anymore - as a listener.
The brightness is a byproduct of digital purity, and an overall lack of softening saturation. It's the product of over-using the Waves EQs, which have notoriously harsh top-end, and compressors which let a very plain transient through. The low-end clarity is a product of not using any parallel compression. No pumping, no real sustain to the drums, but they sit nicely right? That's what counts?
The point I'm rapidly arriving at is that chasing a 'perfect' mix is futile. Even if you succeed by some measurable meter, it's not going to do anything for the music if you've lost perspective on what the music actually needs. As a result I feel somewhat more disconnected from the general vibe in this place, which is ironic really, considering i started here and was chasing Sneap sounds like many back then (back when it was the AS, not JS forum!). It couldn't have backflipped any more for me, but it did.
So you never know what's around the corner for you, but if you take away anything from this, at least take away the notion that each individual project you engage as a producer or engineer demands its own personal, unique sound. Instead of worrying about whether it will take your regular array of processing, perhaps instead wonder what you can do to bring out the inherent character of each very unique project - and more-so - what you can learn by doing this. It's a much more enriching experience when you let the creative aims of the project guide you, rather than chasing some unattainable 'perfect' template in the sky.
Thanks for bearing with my rant!
Back about 2 years ago I was intently chasing what I considered to be the 'perfect' metal mix. For me that was somewhere within the realm of 'Stabbing the Drama' but with more pleasing individual elements. You can think of it as trying to combine the guitars of 'EoH' with the separation/low-end balance of STD and the vocal sound of 'TWoAF'. This ultimately led me to a CD I did in mid 2009 which is likely still my 'most well-balanced' work. Not saying I succeeded in the initial goal by any stretch, but this remains the case all the same.
The thing is that, back then, my gear was very limited. I had an analogue stereo bus compressor, a mediocre converter and that was it. The rest was done in ITB land. This was also prior to Nebula really taking off with console saturation and offering us the wealth of possibilities it (and an array of other plug-ins) now do.
My thoughts back then were turned to acquiring more analogue gear. I'm actually not even sure where that became the case. I remember distinctly starting this gig over half a decade ago saying 'I don't need a multitrack interface, I will mix ITB, always, there is no need'. Somewhere along the line that changed. Maybe you naturally get to a point where you need to move... if not forward, then at least sideways or diagonally towards some ill-defined goal.
Regardless, as time wore on and I acquired more and more analogue gear and processing techniques which led to more 'analogue-sounding' mixes, I noticed a strange trend. My work wasn't getting immediately nor objectively 'better'. No, it was just getting different. It wasn't the straight, linear scale I was expecting.
During this period I was progressively getting into more and more rock productions, while also trying to get in touch with, and rekindle my inner music listener. I tried to isolate elements of records which made them memorable to me, back when I had no idea about production, and see if I could find any trends.
The more I did this, the more I noticed that the most distinctive and timeless records normally had equally distinctive audio 'blemishes' or imperfections. Certainly, the more I started to use the same gear as on many of these records, the more my own work took on an 'imperfect' character (notwithstanding that which came from my lack of experience). I started to wonder at that point though - what is the point of chasing the perfect balance in a mix? When the kick might sound better pumping all the way through the chorus, why would I want it nestled nicely between the bass, doing its job, but otherwise not being notable at all? Why do I want every element audible all at the same time, when that comes at the cost of cohesion and an overall sense of 'unity'?
What I'm arriving at, and ultimately what this boils down to for me is that.... Stabbing the Drama may well be the most well-balanced metal mix I've ever heard but.... I never listen to it for recreation. Never. Sure, the music sucks - but more than that: there is nothing exciting about ideal balancing. It does the job, and sure sounds tight on a variety of systems, but it's the things which stand out that grab a listener.
Going back and listening to my mix from 2 years ago... yeah it's damn loud, bright, and everything can be heard more or less the whole way through. On a mix 'checklist' one would think all the points were ticked off. But it doesn't 'excite' me anymore - as a listener.
The brightness is a byproduct of digital purity, and an overall lack of softening saturation. It's the product of over-using the Waves EQs, which have notoriously harsh top-end, and compressors which let a very plain transient through. The low-end clarity is a product of not using any parallel compression. No pumping, no real sustain to the drums, but they sit nicely right? That's what counts?
The point I'm rapidly arriving at is that chasing a 'perfect' mix is futile. Even if you succeed by some measurable meter, it's not going to do anything for the music if you've lost perspective on what the music actually needs. As a result I feel somewhat more disconnected from the general vibe in this place, which is ironic really, considering i started here and was chasing Sneap sounds like many back then (back when it was the AS, not JS forum!). It couldn't have backflipped any more for me, but it did.
So you never know what's around the corner for you, but if you take away anything from this, at least take away the notion that each individual project you engage as a producer or engineer demands its own personal, unique sound. Instead of worrying about whether it will take your regular array of processing, perhaps instead wonder what you can do to bring out the inherent character of each very unique project - and more-so - what you can learn by doing this. It's a much more enriching experience when you let the creative aims of the project guide you, rather than chasing some unattainable 'perfect' template in the sky.
Thanks for bearing with my rant!
