How long do you take to mix a song?

[jangoux]

So guys, my clients always complains a little due to the time i usually take to mix a song (most that complain are not my home studio clients, but the guys in the 'pro' studio i work on. They always want to track and have the song mixed by the end of the day). On a song with around 40 to 60 tracks, i usually take around 7h/song, but that includes vocal tuning, setting up plug ins and some other stuff. The first hour is just for thinking about the direction i will take the song to. Yesterday i had to mix something after tracking and with a very sore headache in only two hours, and after listening today, i feel it sounds like a unorganized piece of junk - but the client wanted that way and loved it.

So how much time do you need to finish a song? I read CLA takes around 8 to 10hs/song, making it one song a day. How about you ?

Ivan

 

[Tim HLAH]

my first post after lurking for months =']

but i prefer to atleast give myself an extra day preferably 2, to let my ears adjust to everything going on frequency wise. i usually find myself hearing things that i didnt hear on day 1.

i wish i could get a song fully mixed in 2hrs, id be rakin in the dough

 

[HandsOfDespair]

It varies a lot..Since I'm still learning I experiment a lot...If I don't experiment and just do a fast mix I still like, around 4-5 hours. If I do a serious work, more around 10 hours, even 15. I don't like long mixing sessions too, I prefer to do 3h for 3 days then 8 hours in the same day.

 

[SkybluestudiosBEN]

If its an album the first song usually takes me 8HRs then the rest of the songs get the same settings and take me about 3hours each to get the levels right and any other effects that need to be added.

 

[bibz]

If they want it done the same day say sure and use EZ-Mix for everything. Let the fools suffer

 

[MetalSound]

If its an album the first song usually takes me 8HRs then the rest of the songs get the same settings and take me about 3hours each to get the levels right and any other effects that need to be added.

same here.

 

[Perishh]

I think of the mixing stage as the time to do my work as a producer. I let the band go away after doing all the tracking and do what I think to the song to make it sound polished and the best it can be. Then when i'm happy I invite them back to listen and make changes. I personally hate having the band breathing down my neck at every stage of the mixing process. I usually take 7 or so hours to edit and mix a song. Anything less I will be missing things and cutting corners.

 

[John_C]

If its an album the first song usually takes me 8HRs then the rest of the songs get the same settings and take me about 3hours each to get the levels right and any other effects that need to be added.

That sounds stupidly fast.......

 

[ahjteam]

Yeah, the first song takes the most time, after that it is pretty much just copypasta.

Vocal tuning and such are part of editing, not mixing.

 

[dcb]

i take 1-2 days per song. first song might even be 3 days, because thats gonna be the starting point / template for the album.
i include a little editing here and there + reamping + even generating artifical 2nd and 3rd harmonies into that process though.

 

[soundsunderground]

maybe 1 hour to get the general tweaks and another hour after the band has talked about it and taken it home. I also mix as I go/get good sounds going in.

 

[The-Zeronaut]

i take 1-2 days per song. first song might even be 3 days, because thats gonna be the starting point / template for the album.
i include a little editing here and there + reamping + even generating artifical 2nd and 3rd harmonies into that process though.

+1

 

[KillFrenzy]

I like to take 1 - 2 days for the first song. Not 16h/day but a day with a lot of pauses and the other one, with fresher ears, for the tweaks. The other songs take much less time. Only a few hours.

 

[crosstalk]

A band I recently worked with traveled 500 miles, spent 4 days, spent big bucks and recorded 3 songs at a semi-pro studio. They then had to wait 4 months to get the mixes back. The mixes are good, but not perfect and I'm not sure they had any say as far as making changes or not. They mentioned there were a few things they didn't like, so I assume they didn't get a say.

Another band I recently worked with came prepared and we did 13, 4-5 minute hard rock/metal songs in 36 hours of tracking. I spent about another 36 hours editing everything and tuning vocals (songs were all singing). The mix pretty much fell in place with little effort, so after spending several hours one the first track, the others probably took a little over an hour to add automation and any effects or whatever. I spend more time listening back to the song thinking of any little things to add or where to echo vocals or whatever.

I also export mp3's whenever I think I'm done or about done with a song and listen to them on repeat while I'm at work or browsing the net or playing xbox. This helps me pick up on mistakes without simply spending time doing nothing but listening to a song over and over.