[u b k]

as you probably already suspect, not everything can be loud and not everything can be up front. some things have to be small and sit farther back.

listen closely, i mean REALLY closely, to the mixes you admire. listen to how the hugeness of one or two elements gives an overall impression of hugeness to the whole mix. usually, drums are a lot smaller than you remember them being. guitars are a lot more band-limited. all that compression happens in small stages, and --- this is the part you're not gonna like --- it happens with analog compressors. the plugs don't cut it.

the importance of arrangement cannot be overstated. how the parts fit, how they overlap, and how the performance makes them land, all of this impacts what you as a mixer can do. likewise with the choice of tones and timbres. the fate of a mix a largely sealed when the tracks are recorded.

to sum it all up: do the best you can, and move on. there's only so much one song can teach you, and your job is not to learn or figure it out but to get it done and get on with the next. the learning happens as a matter of course, you will get better whether you want to or not.

and you're right: less compression is generally better, until you get better at compression, and then you can start to lay it on like you mean it.

last, if your monitors aren't up to snuff, nothing else matters. spend a few bucks to get into a good room with a talented guy and watch him work. you'll learn more in two days than 6 months holed up in your bedroom.

struggle is overrated.


gregoire
del
ubk
.