Tips for musicians/sound engineers

[Jim Siou]

I found yesterday the first of the two exports I did for the Feared mixing competition and I remembered the mistake I used to do when I transitioned from musician to sound engineer/musician.

#1 tip and most important: If you want to ever finish composing a song, forget that you are a sound engineer while you record the basic idea. Your job at the moment is different and you need to stop putting plugins in there. DON'T START MIXING IT YET!

#2 Don't give a shit about how bad you play while composing/arranging your song. If you spend too much time playing it perfectly you'll end up forgetting what the song is about. Once you have the basic idea into your daw you can re-record everything correctly.

My point is that you probably want to think what your job is at every stage of the process and don't do it all at once or move back and forth.

Composition/arranging - tracking correctly/last minute changes - mixing - mastering

As an exaple here is the first export of the song that I made for the competition. It's in the composition/arranging stage.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/3ydihfvjivjuprq/FEARED%201.mp3

And here is the finished version.

 

[Vicioushead]

Tip #1 is something I've learned the hard way!

 

[texisthebest]

Thank you for your tips
I use to record my ideas in my phone or something like this playing some shitty guitar in any strange place.
Then I try to put this idea in my computer but it´s true that most of the time you finish playing with the amp knobs or something like this

I already know your vid, awesome work in this cover

 

[BLUElightCory]

I love this advice.

 

[Melb_shredder]

I think I've been lucky enoough to disengage whilst I'm writing. The music is always most important to me, so when i write or jot stuff down, I don't care if it's untight

 

[Daybreak]

This is exactly how I do it, and it's true. Actually, I think it can almost be an advantage it the production is just upright awful whilst writing - If you can make it sound good with bad mixing, then it will sound so damn good whilst fully produced. I try to seperate every step as much as possible - When you're writing, write the best fucking song in the world. When you're tracking, get the best takes in the world. Play so tight it sounds almost like it doesn't need any further processing. And so on. It really helps me, haha.

 

[LiberaScientia]

nailed it.

 

[ATLA]

really dig the added melodic/ambient guitars to this song. awesome job! great advice for those that need it as well man!

 

[Deuteronomy]

Ωραία μίξη μπράβο.
Nice mix well done.

 

[harls]

Any info on that huge tone in your final mix?

 

[Jim Siou]

Any info on that huge tone in your final mix?

TBH I can't answer that question without writing a book! but in general some of the things that make my mixes bigger are 1)Clarity in performance and correct eq use. 2) boosted top and bottom end. 3)A widener in mastering(many disagree on that though) 4) good separation and instrument placement

 

[Klosure]

2) boosted top and bottom end.

This is where we can get lost. Think about this one. Its more of a balance thing. I doubt you could even make a book because to understand this almost needs an mentor sitting over you going... "no boost the low end more and compress, now add some slap to the kick" etc...


Honestly its so easy to misjudge and fear the low end, its not as hard as you think, its just when you realise it you are kinda like.... Oh ok I get it !