BALANCED Mixes are BORING Mixes!
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- Опубліковано 14 вер 2020
- A mix engineer's job isn't to balance the mix, it's to ARTFULLY UNBALANCE it. Kush Audio's UBK, aka Gregory Scott, walks you through the philosophy behind what makes a good mix, and why an unbalanced mix is also a BETTER mix.
“When nothing has priority, nothing has clarity.” Are we talking about mixing or life advice? I think both.
Everything is everything :-)
On point!
A valuable fact!
I get the vibe that he's always talking about both. It must be the hair
Whoa! Interesting concept.
Best asmr channel
Yeah this video was sometimes a bit distracting due to that,.... interesting content but too much noise
SO WAAAAAAARMMMMM lol
😂 This is how I speak in the living room when I don't want to wake up the kids
Hahaha 😂
Annoying
I love how these videos are DAW and genre agnostic
that's my kind of knowledge music wise in the modern era. There's too much 0II000I is better than 00I0II0 going on and even during some other tutor's videos many get distracted by the thought of "he's using 0II0I0 DAW and i use 000IIII and because i'm a fan of his work and i want to achieve the same sound then i should reach for the same tools otherwise i'll never get close". This is just pure overthinking and procrastination. A destination is a destination. Moving towards it will get you there regardless of what shoes you wear. It's all in the will, goal and proactivity.
Have you accepted Reaper into your life?
@@wardamo LOL I had to take a break after this comment. My musical life was saved by Reaper.
right!
@@wardamo I use reaper heavily!
The best thing about your vids is that you talk about these concepts where most are talking about plugins or hardware or DAWs or whatever. You never talk about the tools, only the concepts. I think one has to be more experienced to grasp and appreciate what you're saying, but its golden! Thank you so much!
Thank you! I have to say, judging by the comments, that I actually think most of the love for these episodes is coming from newbies and early intermediate mixers, precisely *because* the presentation is non-technical and (mostly) plain-language :-)
@@TheHouseofKushTV I agree
@@TheHouseofKushTV Exactly what newbies need to hear! no reason to start speaking another language when the person hasn't even learned the alphabet.
He talks so well about the feeling, then picks and demonstrates them well. He doesn't teach you what to do, but how to know what to do.
Its especially unusual as he BUILDS that gear, and still isnt just going on about it, but maybe building it takes away some of the snakeoil mysticism of technical talking channels?
I built (and designed, not cloned) guitar pedals, and they kind of became less special, like so many arbitrary choices inside just suit different situations/arbitrarily hyped pedal -i question- so whats the end goal??
Why do all of my mixes suck?
"The problem is you can hear everything."
Get Songs Done *anything 😂
Panning helps, and getting your velocities and volumes right is very important...SBN
we like variation
yeah for real that was a good one
“When nothing has priority, nothing has clarity”. Damn I was not expecting to be hit that hard by a video about mixing. Amazing advice, and not only on music. It’s a privilege to hear you my friend. Have an awesome 2021🤟🏻
You as well!
Man you just reminded me so much of what it's like to hear a song as a regular listener, not knowing what's going on in the production. that's an aspect I honestly forgot about. it's hard to get this view again when you're that deep in
It’s good to come back to a mix after a few days. That first listen is pretty much how a new listener would hear it.
It really is. I'm so critical while I show shit to friends and they always like it. While I hate it lmao
think of your mix as a stage and you provide lighting. when do you put a spotlight on an actor? when do you turn up the colours on the background?
Very true. Like being a player in the crowd at a show. It's hard to remember. Unless one becomes like a little child, they will not see the kingdom of God.
@@TRFAD I used to be like this, until one random thing that happened at a festival. There was a loose screw in one of the speaker cabinets in this wall of sub scoops, and it was really grating my ears as it was distracting me from the experience. I mentioned it to my friend, an avid music listener, but not into making music in any way shape or form himself. It was at this moment, when it took me like 5 minutes to get him to be able to hear it (and even then I think he was just humoring me as I wouldn't shut up about it lol), that I realized most people don't have that level ear for micro details in sound or music. It helped make me look at mixing differently, as what's the point of making these tiny adjustments that only you can notice because you know you did it, and not because you can clearly hear it (as well as everyone else).
There is however a difference between this and making many tiny adjustments to create an overall bigger change in the music, that is something else entirely that is still a very important aspect of mixing. It's the tiny changes of one aspect of a mix, purely standing on it's own, that's probably inaudible to 99% of listeners, that this made me pay attention to and worry about less going forward in my work flow.
am I listening to a mixing lecture or a life advice? :)
yes
I just keep waiting for Gregory to say something like, "Rachmaninoff. The 18th Variation of a Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Recorded in 1992 by the Boston Philharmonic, Benajamin Zander, the longstanding conductor of the BPO, was quoted saying it was the most emotional expression of the piece he's ever heard"......
Both man
i realize it's kinda off topic but does anyone know a good site to stream newly released movies online ?
He could be also bring you back to the right spiritual path, I sense it.
I 100% endorse this message for anyone looking to have a modern mix that's exciting, and not punishing/fatigue inducing.
This has been an issue for years; it what happens when you let someone who knows next to zero about the complexities of mixing (A&R men - yeah, you. Stop avoiding eye contact) blundering into the control room and saying "make it louder". As the engineer sighs, puts a brick wall limiter across the mix and dies a little inside.... The loudness wars were a thing.
Alan Parsons (Dark Side Of The Moon - Pink Floyd recording engineer if I recall) made a whole video about it.
The loudness wars are slowly fading into memory (thankfully), but the battle is still there.
Ironically - TLWs made mixes really dull. Instead of bathing in the divine beauty of the wonderful huge dynamic range digital technology bestowed upon us, giving our ears glorious roller coasters of volume curves and dynamics... We got blocks of sound.
Which the brain just processess like a car alarm after a while - and just tuned it out.
So glad things are changing. Slowly, but they are changing.
And this guy right here - is helping that a hell of a lot.
The many show off pretentious mixes that grate over time..
Thanks for your endorsement, oh verified one!
Hair is on point. You’ve achieved 70s hair that’s as stylish and retro-cool as your vibey productions and mixes.
On that subject: Where can I find UBK’s discography?
Curry Sinatra lmao
Dudes a pure rockstar/Guru 😂😂 seriously tho
@@alexmack416 Hey, who you calling asexual??
@@alexmack416 Hey, who's nuts are you pulling??
Well, I'm off to delete my mixes and start again.
Ditto!
@@julesalexander2583 Such a mood
All part of the process! I had a song I thought was “mixed” until I realized how crucial mixing in mono is. When I opened up the project and switched it to mono the entire song caved in on itself. It was a pain but the track sounded a million times better after it was re-mixed :)
Taye Skywalker always check mono! And I avoid using sample delay for that exact reason. I double track everything if I want it wiiiiiiiide
Pord Lartsa never had that. What causes it?
If I could quit my music career to take on a full time position of listening to Gregory Scott talk mixing, I'd never look back. If Dan Worral walked in to join the convo, life would be completed.
U said it all bruh....this two combination is wat u need after hours
I started watching it but then decided that this content is best consumed after hours. I’ll be seeing you later. 😘
Strong choice!
You're right, it does not work in daylight. :-)
That’s fair.
Listening to this first thing in the morning, with coffee. Works fine. (I’d like to consider this: a creatively unbalanced move)
@@jeff7775 downright unhinged
I learned a lesson about mixing many years ago from a painter. He said, "When you start a painting on a white canvas and want a glaring white sun in the scene you have to choose what dark colors you will be using. Careful choices about contrast separate the exquisite from the mediocre."
Has anyone noticed those damn smooth edit cuts? They're like butter.
This is another version of what I tell my apprientices . I tell them each mix needs to have a bright side and a dark side. The bright side is where we need to drive attention to, and dark side is what we want the listener to take time to notice and absorb. Also something that might be on the dark side in the first half of the song may come to the bright side later on (in the middle of the song - bridge etc) when the brighter elements go dark or get muted. You shouldnt be able to hear everything from the first 8 bars cos if the mix doesnt have any other suprises then its a boring mix. This tecnique can also be used to make a circular - sequenced type song (hip hop , urban beat, 4 bar 8 bar style) to sound linear and on going even though its not. Keep up the good work.
Well stated!
I get the feeling that Alan Watts would really dig this video.
What would Alan Watt think?
@@duaynedaniels1996 You mean "What would Alan Watts drink"?
What the FUCK lol I got on UA-cam to look up one of his lectures to fall asleep to and then saw this and got distracted. Thanks for reminding me
i was just listening to some alan watts
like several hours LOL
Alan Watts... another alcoholic guru, that telling you about
courage, but have no courage to quit alcohol. 99% of those gurus are full of crap.
This guy should be on some night time radio. Magical voice.
Exactly
He is this is it
He could comment anything boring and make it interesting.
This channel is a gift for producers, Gregory is a f** genius, not just in music/art, but also when it comes to teaching
Easily one the most insightful and holistically effective tip on how to generate dynamic mixes... Really appreciate your perspective here Gregory and willingness to go against the grain on the typical “balance” mindset of most gurus. I feel like I’ve been fighting against the grain on this exact point for years both in live and studio settings because I have been doing this exact thing (aggressively mixing) when the moment is needed in a certain song section to really make the song dynamic, bring clarity, and not just playing it safe. I’d sometimes have another guy with more experience mixing getting nervous next to me, but always have audience members or listeners giving me compliments on how powerful the song or recording was right where it needed to be “Man, that bridge was epic... The guitars rocked my face off... that singer, she just sailed...” etc. but they wouldn’t necessary be able to put it into technical mix or even musical terms. Yes, you have to start with balance, but you have to be willing to take risks in the mix to really hit people in the gut musically and get the emotional payoff you’re looking for. It’s really an old-school approach and mindset cause the technology back when wouldn’t allow you to do otherwise. - Hence what you’re preaching. Keep going against the grain, Gregory. No school like the old-school.🤘😎🎸🔥
So often my first rough version of my track is the one I end up liking vs the sanitized bleached meh version after a couple of days. In the same way a perfectly recorded grand piano can sound way less emotional and almost less real than one recorded with the microphones in another room .... perfect is not always the best. Loving these little philosophical thoughts Gregory, they genuinely are teaching me to stop worrying and truly go with what sounds right.
All about how it sounds.
Make sure when you compress you drop the dB gain back to about what the sound was like before with some A/B sound checks
i love this quote I recently heard about mixing, "remember when mixing, balance is not about stillness"
Hi Gregory, just found your channel. I love recording at home but hate falling down the rabbit hole of techno babble and gear talk.
Your vids are great. Thanks.
This is simply a piece of advice for a certain mix approach. This is why I like this guy, because the advice is always good...whether you want to appy it or not is up to you. This particular video will ruffle some feathers because "sound" is so subjective, there are no rules. Either way, this would be a fun and interesting exercise to implement in a mix at some point just to see what happens.
I know what you mean, but he's completely speaking to me. I often find myself telling myself to be more bold, but then I'll hold back because I think something is "wrong" with what I'm doing. Ironically, I'm completely free form when I write music, but engineering has been a struggle to not think so black and white.
@@cbrooks0905 You're not alone on that. Even today, 2 decades in, I *still* have a little devil on my shoulder when mixing, talkin' shit in my ear about what I'm doing wrong. I usually take that as my cue to go farther :-P
This video makes sense, though. It's good to think about one or two elements being more aggressive than "balanced."
There are rules. Always.
@@executionsquad3926 uhh not really... not ones that u have to follow at least (or even should follow) which makes them not rules
Damn, these sessions have really changed my perception and understanding of mixing philosophy. Thank you so much!
There’s this one funk tune that I COULD NOT GET sounding right and I had to send it out yesterday. In a last ditch attempt I just was like... “fuck it I’ll crank the organ” and they LOVED it.
Now I understand why.
all of my mixes were SO BALANCED.
I’m about to pull up my DAW and start a brand new approach! Thanks man ❤️
Oh shit, is this why live mixes often sound kind of lifeless? Because the engineer is kinda forced to either balance everything or bias one of the instruments/musicians??? Except even with amazing compression there’s really no way to get a perfect live mix without sacrificing SOMETHING... oh my goodness it’s all making since
I can't stop listening to this guy, and I don't know nor care about mixing.
But please don't stop exactly what you are doing, the look the feel the topics the sound. But I need way more.
the philosophy of music engineering is vastly underplayed man. Knowing the process by which our brain psychologically divulges sounds, plays a large part in how well mixes come out. I am glad you spend alot of your time in the video discussing the questions we should be asking ourselves while mixing and less about "the rules are x y and z". Much appreciated and lovin your videos dawg
I recall a similar discussion in Zen and the Art of Mixing. I like these videos about the more philosophical thoughts about mixing rather than the overly technical discussions.
On point!
Man, this dude has the most calming voice. He's a whisper talker. Would make a great late night DJ :)
This is also why the reap secret to a great mix is a great arrangement. When everything is gelling together rhythmically it’s way easier to achieve this “imbalance” because all the elements are flowing in and out of one another. I always use “Doing It To Death” by The JBs as a masterful example of this.
This is so true. I've come to realize that about 80% of the mix is established in the arrangement.
Finally someone that can apply spirituality in his works. That makes you stand out from so many online tutorials. 🧘🏻♂️
Now I get why I sometimes create walls of mush.
Faders= old School...
“I’m Old School”
Me: Subscribed😁
HELL YEAH
I LIKE physical faders. Got a half decent audio interface.... Love it.
Still brought a nice little Soundcraft desk for some sneaky analogue fader action.
The Owen Wilson combined with Bob Ross of mixing
With occasional Matthew McCaunaghey coming through
why is this more helpful than mixing videos actually showing you things in a daw
I agree. A dynamic mix is NOT equal. Passages should very in dynamics. That makes a song fun to listen to.
can you plz do a vid where you discuss ambiance (i.e. reverb v. delay, how to choose delay times, how to choose reverb types, etc) ? i'm struggling to have clean ambiance in my mixes. love your more philosophical approach to explaining these concepts
sidechain the reverb and cut the lows
oh and pan the verb different from the source, cheers!
create virtual rooms thru bus sends
This is one of really deep questions and I don't think one can fit it in 5-10 minute video...
It's not that deep...and it could be 20 mins if needed.
From my own perspective when I say that a mix is balanced is not actually that everything is audible. Is the opposite. It’s like math: 1 + (-1) = 0 (not sure if the real equation is this but you get the point). So for me balance is when elements in the mix complement each other, exactly by somehow being at different spaces (EQ, effects, volume, etc). I get what you mean, though, because it’s pretty common to see people (especially when it comes to bands) where each person wants to hear their instrument instead of understanding their role in the mix.
Great video as usual, regardless. It’s always good to look at other perspectives and understanding what other people define as A or B. Keep the videos coming 😊
This is gold. This type of content is hard to come by in a mediocre EDM/hip-hop production infested UA-cam.
My mixes are always unbalanced but not because I know what I am doing XD thank you for the insight
Somehow you always nail it right on the head for what I'm currently doing and/or battling with. Can't thank you enough for your time making these videos. You've given me several light-bulb moments over the past months. Godbless you and your family!
true man! for me too!
I'm brand new to recording and mixing, but as a long time musician and as someone who has been around recording for years, no one has brought to light exciting and interesting ways of approaching tracks the way you have. Thanks for all your tips and advice! Hope this channel is around for the long haul.
Thanks man, that's definitely the plan, I enjoy doing these!
I"m addicted to your videos now...
So awesome! That's just exactly what I always did wrong in my Mixes - balancing equally. I will try different now 😼
Wow! Love this philosofical issues. well it makes me remember when learning classicall guitar my teacher told me, "play the melody way tool loud and the notes that are part of the accompaniment WAY to soft, and then, exaggerate it". I found that that concept brought a three dimensionality to my playing. Then people would describe it as "magical" or as "you sound like playing three guitars at once".
Well said!
THIS IS HOW YOU EXPLAIN AUDIO!!!!!!!
I’m currently in college at HOFA (Germany). I left The Art Institute after purchasing HOFA’s mastering software that a friend of mine (Chris Athens) suggested when I told him I wanted to start applying my own mastering to my production mixes. It was right before I released my first instrumental album, Black Sand. They sent me en email a while after that purchase, and I discovered the fact that they had a program for audio engineering. That small dialogue with a Chris put me on an entirely different path. Needless to say; when he shared one of your-you tube videos on Facebook; I was all over it, and I immediately subscribed. Between HOFA and your videos; I’ve learned so much in such a short amount of time, and I’m really excited about where I’m headed as an aspiring engineer. The gratitude I expressed to Chris is the same I intend to express to you. I really appreciate what you’re doing on this page, man. Thank you so much for sharing the genius and passion of your craft. I’m growing by leaps and bounds; Exposure is everything. I intend to purchase some of your software, even though HOFA has given me access to everything they have. Again, thank you for sharing tour vast knowledge in your videos. You’re really making a difference in the lives of those who listen in and soak up the advice you freely give. You’re certainly making a difference in my journey.
Peace.
Timzo, The Creator.
Thanks for taking the time to say thanks! I'm just paying it forward, so much of what I know was passed to me in the same way. Keep at it!
I kid you not the light bulb clicked in my head. Makes perfect sense, goal is to automate at least 3 instruments in and out of the mix. Thanks for sharing my students will be amazed by the knowledges you just shared.
Think of all the songs that you’ve heard the raw tracks of and found stuff you had no idea exists. Or perhaps someone pointed out in a favorite song of yours.
Having things that you don’t know are there until someone points it out is like an Easter egg. It still adds interest to your mix! It could be felt instead of heard.
I'm always excited when I see there is new Kush after hours video!
Good stuff keep it up!
I'm old school too, Gregory. The way I look at it is - focal point vs. the wall of instruments working together to hold up that front end. People put way too much emphasis on making every instrument crystal clear as opposed to making the instruments work together like one big instrument, or sound that is the foundation for what listener's actually here.
Two primary elements of every mix. The front end and the back end. Imagine having only 4-tracks to work with, and take it from there.
I come from a background of neuroscience with attention and memory being one of my key interests. To me mixing was always the art of purposefully guiding the listeners attention to what one finds relevant about a song - while on the way solving the competition of different elements for the same perceptual ressources to make the process of listening as effortless as possible.
Another master class in the Psychology of Mixing!
Almost every video you've released addresses problems I've been having engineer-wise. You're doing divine work my man! 👊🏻
I feel like we're gonna wake your kids if we talk any louder... Much love Gregory, cheers for the great chats!
We would indeed, I got a 2 year old in the next room and a lady sleeping down the hall, that's pretty much the reason this show looks and sounds the way it does 😛
@@TheHouseofKushTV ah yep! Been there before 😊👍
Thank you, Gregory!
I've been feeling super burned out and really needed to hear this
Awesome Gregory! Most vital lecture yet! Indeed! We are only at ground zero
by the time things are prepped, balanced and listenable :) As always, it’s about
music, energy and style… nothing else truly matters.
Audio engineering as life philosophy, dig it
Very true. Sometimes you'll have a vocal or guitar and think 'hmm could try changing the balance to bring this through' it sounded fine before and you decide to bring it out, it takes way more of a boost than you think before it sounds 'too loud'
Exactly! And sometimes 'too loud' is exactly what's needed!
I think it was more than philosophical, it was selfless!! Thanks!! ❤️
Early Rush records revealed this concept to me......which in turn really sharpened my listening skills.
Terry Brown was an amazing producer, such big and honest tones from everything. The drum sound on Caress of Steel is still a benchmark/reference for me 🥁
@@TheHouseofKushTV Well said! Yes, Caress of Steel is pure sonic magic with the drums. I just found your channel today and totally dig your production style and vibe......You really have a gift for explaining complex concepts with an extremely understandable delivery. I learned more about compressors in just one of your vids in all the 23 years of engineering. I highly appreciate what you are sharing. The best to you, kind friend!!!
Genius! And I think it's like: No problem the kick being louder than the vocal.
It's not unheard on older rock n' roll songs.
There's no balance, and there's no "right way to make it unbalancend."
I believe is more about serving the song. (Even though we all "serve the song" based on each background, so it's kinda hard to judge what "serves the song" or not.)
Serving the song - just what great live musicians do.
I read that neuropsychologist Carl Jung said, "if we listen to a continuous note on the fringe of audibility the sound seems to stop at regular intervals and start again, such oscillations are due to an increase and decrease in one's attention, not to a change in the note." I feel this is readily applicable to this video and use it to really be conscious and critical of what tracks are playing when, sometimes even if a track doesn't sound bad in context with others it might be better to remove it to add some clarity and direct your listener's attention intentionally to your other more prominent tracks. Great video by the way!
I'm really happy I saw this video today. I was fretting over this one track I was producing for weeks to get it JUST right and it had me listening back to realize an old mix of the track was the mix I was looking for all along
Been there! I have a habit now, at the end of a mix session I'll often revert to where I was at before the session, and listen casually. Most times, I'm happy with where I took things. Sometimes I'll notice that something good, something meaningful, got lost, usually due to overthinking or overprocessing. And once in a while, it's clear that all I did that day was ruin a good thing. This is my favorite aspect of ITB workflow, the ability to work in branches, explore and experiment, assess, and only keep the best of the best. Amazing!
It's nice to hear this put into words. I've been doing this recently without realizing it - I call the "sabotage state". I think I've gotten the mix right, I excitedly give it a top-to-bottom listen but feel nothing. It's correct but boring. Maybe I repeat this process 15 times. Eventually I think "whatever, this mix is hopeless" and during one last listen-through I somewhat sabotage the mix with dramatic fader moves, barely paying attention to what I'm doing. When I listen back to the mix the next morning it's almost perfect. Now that seems to always be my process - scientifically mix 'till I'm bored & frustrated, then sabotage it
Sounds like you're eventually (and finally) letting go and allowing your instinct to take over without fear or hesitation. Awesome!! Now... just try to get there sooner. Have you seen the episode on mixing too slow? If not, check it out, it might hold the key to your freedom :-P
Thank u Kushmaster
First of all, brilliant.
I had to click on this because of a conversation I had with a friend (who happens to be the engineer /mixer on one the of most revered pieces of work by one of the most revered bands ever, but I won’t divulge his identity cause he’s very private) last year about this very subject.
It was a simple concept, but staggeringly profound.
He said, “every good mix has one thing out of balance, maybe not the same element through the whole song, but there’s always one thing that’s noticeably farther out front than anything else, almost too far out front”. I went back and listened to my favorite albums, and 90% of the time I heard it.
It’s that thing that the normal listener grabs on to.
Yes!! The most critical things in this craft, they almost always are that simple.
Man buddy. You are a true Jedi in the art of listening. Thanks so much
I’ve tried to sell clients on “it’s so cool when something is too loud!” For so long.
Singer: my voice is too loud.
Band members: isn't loud enough, is too loud.
Mix engineer: kill me now please.
The House of Kush I’d definitely be interested in anyone’s methods on how to break this cycle. I’m heavily inspired by things in music that I have to really lean in to listen to. Sometimes I get it wrong, but sometimes the more a band gives notes about just volume, the more I find myself flattening it out until nothing grabs me anymore.
@@stevedoesnt I guess you then need to play around with panning,eq,compression and reverb/distortion to give everything a place.
Volume is the least sophisticated tool to make something stand out in a mix...cheers!
@@stevedoesnt I have had that happen a lot, it's a drag. When I'm producing as well, I'll really try to imagine a place I can push the artist towards. Usually during prepro I'll start to push the artist into making more daring choices; it's helped me to be constructively-assertive-with-a-smile, pulling up some examples of how making big choices can elevate the material (whether that be sounds, arrangement or mix). I'll usually play some Nine Inch Nails for alternative/rock stuff, or Elbow for indie/folk/singersongwriter stuff.
+Really hammer home that the experience REALLY changes once the music comes out of 2 speakers instead of a rehearsal room (it usually gets more detailed, but isn't as physically exciting), and to emphasize what qualities of theirs you'd like to highlight (usually for me that's (the beginnings of) a stylistic nuance that sets them apart.)
That does put the onus on you to 1. make the artist trust you and your ability+dedication to the project (just talking about music over coffee or beer never hurts) and 2. to communicate your vision and convince them to go along. That's hard of course, not all songs respond equally to a different type of execution + at any point they might get cold feet, when some ideas only work as a finished whole.
If I'm truly convinced that the choices they're making are gonna hurt the project in the end, I'll tell them that 'look, of course this is your record and I'll always do what you want, but here's why I think you don't want X because Y and/or Z. For me, when I'm passionate, give waaay too much long-winded context for my point of view (see this whole comment as an example), and be considerate of their emotional+financial investment, the artist has usually swayed (at least somewhat).
When I'm only mixing I'll still talk about their influences, what I like and want to highlight (like on X song/album), what THEY like about the versions they have at that point, what they like about my work, get some enthusiasm going. Of course, you haven't had as much control, so your tools for improvement are limited. If you try something, you better nail it, haha.
Then again, sometimes you just have those artists/groups who just haven't matured enough musically to listen beyond their own instrumentalism, and there's no fighting it. -I've even had a band come to me to record their EP (mostly kinda forgettable songs with a lead guitarist who plays 2000x too many notes), then completely balk at the mere notion I might want to actually, y'know, change stuff. If you don't want my input, don't come to me.
Good luck dude!
Steve B >> (My) joking aside, I think artists get short shrift sometimes because they don't have a language for sound the way we do. But if you interpret what they say less literally, make it more vague and emotional, "my guitar isn't loud enough here" becomes "I'm not feeling this part of the song because something is off." That's often a good instinct that *something* can be made more interesting or dramatic.
Challenge yourself (and the artist, if there's trust) to find a different way to solve their problem. It might be the spatial aspect of their instrument, or the frequency aspect of a different one. Sometimes they actually don't love their part or their performance, but they couldn't know that until the production is mature, and their head is in 'analyze sound' mode so they focus on sound. Your job is always 1 part engineering and 4 parts psychotherapy, and IME if you're dogged from day one about reassuring the artist that you're committed to their music and bringing their vision to life by any means, they'll be more open to creative solutions and giving you space to work things out less rigidly.
you know a channel is gold when you click without even looking at the title
Bizarrely you are one of the only channel offering a counter intuitive perspective to mixing. UA-cam is flooded with generic by numbers technical mixing videos that are done by people that ignore the feeling side of music and how it is perceived
I think you are the only channel I watch that fully takes advantage of my Sennheiser 650's. Every time I listen to a video I feel inspired.
More of these sexy philosophical insights please.
Hey FF nine years later and the hair is back...
I just had a 1on1 session with mr. nathan daniel! you guys kick ass. We actually talked about this in my mix and it helped tremendously. Coming to mixing from a musician's perspective, mixing seems to be like playing an instrument: a weird instrument that has great prerecorded sounds, and your main method of emotional control is dynamics (aka faders). does that make sense?
It makes total sense, and if you ever hear Michael Brauer or CLA talk, that's exactly how they describe it: the console as an instrument :-)
Love this dude! Keep up the good work, my guy!
Great tips here man. 10 years of producing, and I’ve never approached it like this. Thank you!
Gregory Scott : "It might be 3dB, it might be 5dB, it might only be one, but my guess is gonna be more like 3 or 4 or 5..."
...And Justice For All : Hold my bass
I would’ve been first to comment but got caught up in watching the video.
2:32 - Bad Tee, Bad Tscha, Back & Bim.
I knew mixing and mastering was sorcery based!!
Thanks for sharing your tips & points!!
This is incredible! Love this perspective!
girl what is going on with your hair lol? i love it ;P
The more 2020 I see, the more 1975 I be.
Best mixing channel out there, big ups!
the main thing is easy to put up front. But when I started to realize the power of leaving something quiet, my mixes got an upgrade. I realized after careful observation that the 'pro sound' we think of when we hear pro audio is the careful selection of what is quiet, how the main things get quiet, and how the sound moves from a loud section to a softer section. It is control of the softer elements, and precisely the attack and release of these that helped me go to another level in my mixing. The moments of change in a mix offer the ability to shift focus and the flow and mood can be altered at the same time. A critical part of the mood is the contrast of volume achieved in different sections. This is something I hear no one talk much about but its what I spend a lot of time tuning in my mixes.
100% completely and totally agreed on all counts. I've stressed the power of section-to-section contrast in roughly half my videos so far (vocal automation, fills and decrescendos, automated mutes, mixing for spatial transitions, arranging and mixing elements to come and go dramatically across sections...). You're right, it's not talked about nearly enough in other places, but you're in The House of Kush now :-)
This channel changed my life.
I AM OBSESSED WITH YOUR VIDEOS
That's always helpful when Kush is speaking. Great job as always.
Some songs a particular instrument literally stands out so much if u are able to notice it. They are so loud compared to vocals and yet it still feels right.
I try to always have that, one instrument that fully supports or even trades off with the lead vocal, sometimes a pair of instruments acting as one if they’re layered or panned out. Push and pull, question and answer!
This is exactly where I am in my mixing journey - I have strong confidence that I can achieve "balance" in a mix, but still learning how to make things "engaging". Great tips here, thanks!
Love these pep talks. Mixing philosopher
I needed to hear it, thank you Gregory!
This is exactly what I needed to hear right now. Thanks for the amazing content as always!
Man, I love your vids. Valuable.
Wow this totally goes in line with something I was working on a couple days ago, but you’ve made me think about it in a better way!
Just fantastic advice for aspiring mix engineers! Huge respect!
love these videos, the way you provide exercises rather than purely technical advice is so much better
Thanks for the advice! It helps out a lot 🙏🏼
Recently found this channel, another great After Hours segment. Keep them coming!
Awesome advice love your tips my friend. Keep them coming.
Please never stop making these videos!
its so much fun listening to your sessions! thanks