mixing with ears, and eyes

[Fragle]

couldn't think of a decent thread title to save my life haha.

well, i wonder if anyone else has such a hard time to really focus on the SOUND when looking at a computer screen all the time?
i really find myself mixing by the numbers/the looks without really listening to the sound.
also, it might sound stupid but whatever i look at while mixing or listening in general really affects what i'm hearing. it's difficult to describe, but the music seems to sound somewhat different when i'm looking at a bright computer screen as opposed to having the damn thing turned off!
for some time i had a wallpaper that looked somewhat like one would imagine hyperspace to look like lol....basically a long neverending fuzzy "tunnel", think starwars haha. the thing is, looking at that damn thing even when doing casual listening really made things sound deeper and 3D, but the bright colous still put me off.

i guess that's the worst part of mixing ITB....when mixing on a console you really have to LISTEN to the music, and you don't get distracted by all the little GR meters, frequency/EQ curves, plugin GUI and whatnot.

i wonder if anyone feels the same, and maybe some of you have developed a workaround routine what you do to really focus on the SOUND rather than the appearance? i try to close my eyes every once in a while, and also turn off all unneccessary lights, and not seldom i immediately notice things that need to be changed in the mix.

this is really bugging me for some reason....i'm actually thinking about getting a digital console so i don't have to use the mouse to move digital faders, but my real hands moving real ones.....and then a monitor somewhere out of my sight so i can still use all my plugins....it's a costly workaround, though.

anyone feel my pain?

 

[egan.]

Just bring up the mix window and use an eq that doesn't show the response. You could also try a control surface. I think it is really easy to not hear things you can't see in the DAW world.

 

[jval]

I think it can be very distracting and keep you from reacting naturally to the music. These days I do all my rides and automation with the screen saver on so I'm not looking at waveforms, and towards the end of a mix I'll always listen through a few times with the monitor off. It's amazing how much the DAW and plug-in GUI's can influence you instead of the actual sound. My vocal levels got a lot more consistent when I stopped looking at the waveforms as I was writing automation.

 

[denizdurdag]

How do you write vocal automation without looking? You must have lightning fast reflexes or I am doing it the wrong way.

 

[Yhanthlei]

Actually, apart from analyzers, eq that show their response and stuff what you see really DOES affect what you hear.
You could try this: If you have a projector in a dark room, put a green filter in front of it and listen to a sustained tone (like a recorder flute or something) and then switch it out for a red one the sound seems to change

 

[Pedro Teixeira]

Actually, apart from analyzers, eq that show their response and stuff what you see really DOES affect what you hear.
You could try this: If you have a projector in a dark room, put a green filter in front of it and listen to a sustained tone (like a recorder flute or something) and then switch it out for a red one the sound seems to change

Never tried that but I do believe it may happen. All of our senses are inter-connected, so they will affect one and another depending on the stimulation of either one... I guess the best option then is to poke your eyes until your blind, that way you just get pure audio goodness

 

[Yhanthlei]

I usually close my eyes when doing small adjustments, but every now and then a peak at the GR meter is nice

 

[Nebulous]

Usually I try to either close my eyes, or keep my eyes open and monitor on, but look at my keyboard or anywhere just below the monitor. That way it still feels natural, or at least it doesn't feel like I'm changing too much, but it takes my view away from the monitor and allows me to focus with my ears.

 

[jval]

How do you write vocal automation without looking? You must have lightning fast reflexes or I am doing it the wrong way.

I just play the track, then as soon as I hear a word or line that needs to be automated, I hit rewind and go back a few bars and write it. I'm using a controller when I do this, not mouse. Same way someone with a console would do it.
It's more natural than drawing a line down when you see a big waveform. Not that there's anything wrong with that necessarily, and I do some of my automation with a mouse.... but I find this way your moves are more dynamic and exciting because you don't get freaked out by what's on the screen.
Sometimes I wish I could turn the GR meter off on a lot of plug-ins... ever hear of people putting tape over their 1176 meters?

 

[denizdurdag]

That was the only thing that kept me from buying a control surface, now i think i am buying one .

And yes, sometimes I wish I could turn all that moving, dancing colorful displays off.

 

[greyskull]

"your eyes can decieve you; don't trust them"

 

[fenders]

I battle this problem everytime i mix something. I tend to rely waaaay too much on my eyes and seeing things on an eq instead of using my ears. I need to break that habbit...

 

[SentencedToBurn]

a couple years ago i read an article with the death cab for cutie guitarist about recording their new album. He said they do everything analog because he doesnt like what recording and mixing has become, that being something you look at instead of hear. It makes sense.
You can still do things digital (of course), but the screen saver thing was a good idea. Or just don't look at your monitor when mixing.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Maybe you all are just thinking too much.
Just an opinion, though - Unless some neurologist has proven documents about how visuals affect the way we hear things etc etc.
Regarding automation, draw a thin line between the meter and your ears. Wtf

 

[Metaltastic]

"your eyes can decieve you; don't trust them"

Mixing with the blast shield down

 

[C_F_H_13]

I feel your pain. A while back I had gotten into a habit of "watching" how much I would raise or lower volumes, to the point of constantly doing it by whole numbers. It became a really awful problem cause I would just do it almost as second nature and never really spent the time to wiggle the faders outside of this.

Now in protools, I actually have the fader level switched to "delay" so I have no idea what my fader levels are actually at. I actually find I listen more now.

I also find spectrum analyzers a dangerous thing as well. Too often I comapre my mixes to andy's and try and get the same curves as his, only to realize it doesn't really translate at all.