So how do you start your mix?

[greyskull]

Interested to know how you guys start your mix, just outta curiosity.

 

[Empathy]

I am confused by the options given.

Regardless, depends on the music style and what instruments are being used. Typically it's;

Drums > Bass > Guitars > Vocals > Synths/FX/Embellishments

Only time I vary on that is when I'll sometimes start with vocals and shape everything else around them.

 

[Styvo]

Used to start drums first now i've been starting with vocals.

 

[Uros]

For Metal, usually it's: drums first, then guitars, then bass, then vocals, then lead guitars. It's practically the same as when I track.

 

[YoRich]

After someone posted this method (maybe Ermz ) I do it all the time, I start with the bass, then Kick/Overheads/Toms/Vox/Guitars/keys, Bvs/ then snare last, it does sound kinda bonkers, but it works for me anyway.

 

[Pedro Teixeira]

I always always always start with kick and snare and then move on to the bass to sculpt the juggling between the kick and bass, then overheads, guitars and bass in conjunction more or less, vocals, toms (yes, I leave Toms till the very last, unless the song is really tom heavy) and leads/keys/FX

 

[Trevoire520]

I tend to go Drums>Bass>Guitar>Vocal

 

[JeffTD]

Overheads, cymbal spots, kick, snare, toms, rooms, bass, gtr, vocals.

 

[guitarguru777]

Kick, Oh's, Bass, Vox, Snare, Toms, Guits, Synth

 

[Skinny Viking]

with lots of coffee ...

then drums
guitars
bass
vocals
keyboards

but I guess going off the choices you listed, I would say kick drum up 1st

 

[MonochromaticStains]

I tend to mix as I track, but when it comes time for final mixing.

bass, kick, snare, & vocals, then rest of the kit. then gtrs, backing vocals, then all auxiliary/embellishment instruments.

Getting the relationship of all the stuff going up the middle and making space for them in that tiny space is most important.

 

[jimwilbourne]

I don't want to split up the operation too specifically, because, I honestly try something new EVERY time I mix.
may times within the same set of songs.

generally in metal/hardcore:
I start by getting the drums to sound good by themselves.
blah blah blah don't mix elements separately blah blah blah. whatever. this is my method.
after I feel like the drums have the vibe I'm reaching for. I start pulling in other elements and mix them around the drums.
honestly, with this method, it doesn't really matter what elements you pull in first after the drums. since you solo'd the drums, you're kinda forces to mix around them.

 

[jipchen]

I start mixing while I am tracking mostly. But I don't really like it that way, mixing after tracking and editing is finished is much more systematic and organised. Think I would get better results with it, too. In the future, I will pre-mix while tracking again (just to make it sound cool for me and the band.. better feel and everything), save it and reset everything - and then start the real mixing.

 

[Torniojaws]

Bass

Bass -> kick -> snare -> OH -> GTR -> toms -> vox -> synths

It provides a nice baseline (eh-heh ) for the balancing of the other instruments For me it is easier to make everything balanced this way. If I start with drums, my guitars usually end up lost in the mix, for some reason :S I think the snare & kick attack cloud the sound I usually have for guitars.

I have also tried starting with vocals, and it provided some nice results too

 

[John_C]

drums(starting with kick or snare)->guitars(ballpark tone)->bass(gel with guitars and balance with kick)->vocals

then a lot of tweaking

 

[setyouranchor]

Kick > Snare > Bass > Toms > Guitars > Cymbals > Vocals > Effects/Extras

 

[Clockwork]

I guess I mostly go about mixing in the order of tracking. Kick>Drums>Overheads>Guitars>Bass>Keys>Vocals And then going back and tweaking everything after it's all somewhere near what I want.

 

[zirkonflex]

Kick drum the shit out of it, nuff said.

 

[A.H.]

For me it usually looks like kick>bass>rest of drums>guitars>vox>key/other shit. However, sometimes if I'm working with a lot of vocal tracks, I like to do that first.

 

[Dave1978]

I create a drumset and when i like it, I take my guitar and start to jam. If a good idea occurs, I press record. Usually I do that until I have a complete songstructure.

Than I add bass-guitar, maybe some synths and stuff.

Than I mix it properly, as far as I'm able to.

If that happened, sometimes I'm mastering the track without vocals and sometimes I add them before the mastering process. When I master the track without I find it very easy to place them into the finished track, which gets another slight master with the vocals then.