I have no issue with these methods when used for the right reasons.
For theoretical work, or for preparing a technically perfect mix for listening in the car, it is great.
In practical use or trying to play it off as live, it is a strict no-no.
It is a completely different feel, and takes a lot more time in prep than a straight live mix.
And let be very clear that 99.99% of all commercial mix CDs have been done in the same way for the last 20 years.
bored, curious, deaf or just bad taste in music?
finally a mix by me
and what's this, another shoddy mix...another dull mix
Using those methods... I made a lot of mixes in Mixmiester and a few in Cubase over the years. What i found is... It takes way longer and the mixes are much harder to get right. A simple fade does not work. When it came to the perfect Demo, my OCD was at an extreme. It's much easier to ride the mix live, with EQ, if your not happy with it, skip the tune back and splice it out later.
Not like the old days recording to tape, especially the 90's, messing up the last mix. At least with an hour tape you got a brake at 30 mins. Trying to punch in on cassette was a nightmare but did occasionally work. On some Mini disks players it was easy but once we get to Cool Edit, it can be done, PERFECTLY! One learns to see the waveform as sound, recognise the exact same bit, loops, etc, like the Matrix.
The first thing to learn with timeline mixing, use a master compressor. The second, remove all anchor points, add 1.
^^^ Again, this.
What do you mean "remove all anchor points, add 1" ?
Also, I've never got round to using a compressor on actual mixes, I always do them "dry" do you do it live, or do you do it afterwards? I have some great ones on Reason 8.
Although using one could mask stuff that maybe should be apparent for improvement purposes? But for a production demo I can see it has a good use. Multiband compressor might be nice...
Last edited by Puregroove; 10-30-2016 at 01:05 PM.
In a DAW we don't have anchor points but in Mixmeister we do. Anchor points are great for live recorded music that falls off beat but not so for EDM. As EDM is 1 solids BPM remove those anchor point, it will mess with the phasing. Mixmeister will add hundreds to 1 track. I spent hours slightly moving them, bad, just remove them and add 1, possibly 2.
As for compression/limiter (especially Mixmiester), if you export a standard mix and load it in cool edit, the mix itself will be many db's louder than the track, even if you spend hours adjusting the automation to get the perfect blend. Getting all the factors right, a mix where the volumes sound as you want them, that won't clip and will keep a consistent volume through the entire set, is next to impossible. My first trick was to over Normalise, then i learned about Master Limiters, kjaerhus.
If you're mixing live into a DAW, I'd have a compressor set to catch any random peaks to prevent clipping but I wouldn't ride it. Once recorded, some automation and a bit of limiting to bring the rest of the volume up where the tracks are lower in volume. Essentially Mastering your mix!!!
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Last edited by ImNoDJNo; 10-30-2016 at 07:35 PM.
Beatmatch, mix 1+/-1 on key or the corresponding letter same number,
get to feel music by its intensity,
sometimes waveforms give you this indication,
oh yeah vocals should not clash
phrasing
and real clean mixes need live EQ control when transitioning
remixes should have some pure vocals and instrumental elements for smooth clean sound
I am interested to hear what else people feel is important, until you are the president of sound(imaginary title) you can always learn.
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Mixing in key is nice, but can only go so far. The trick is to learn your tracks inside and out to learn when phrases start and end. It's a bit more than counting 1-2-3-4, 2-2-3-4, etc., since phrases can vary in length, obviously. If you're using serato/traktor/rekordbox - look at the waveform and study it as you listen to your tracks - you'll be able to get a better idea of where stuff begins and ends with regards to phrasing.
Remember: Beats, Bars, & Phrases
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