Quote:
Originally Posted by Kadden Heart  ...
i'd like to see peoples opinions on starting with kick and bass and then letting stuff fall on top of that.
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This approach has been considered a general rule of thumb by engineers both live and in studios, because of the basic understanding that songs usually center around a foundation of drums and bass. It would stand to reason that when you working with styles of music which are oriented towards this, that this tactic makes sense. However, I agree with Peeder that starting the mixing process in a more comprehensive manner may help you create a mix which is more honest to the song.
We could also get into the discussion about musical trends. For example, it has been noted that the 80s was a time where music reflected an approach of making each instrument sound huge and independent. In retrospect, and in my opinion, much of this production style sounds awful. I've always liked music with a more organic sound. Even if it is rock, I like mixes which are more unified. So from my own experience, I like getting a song together as a whole first. Most of the fundamentals should always fall into place nicely if their tracked well.
It doesn't mean mixing kick 1st, etc. should never be done. The truth about engineering has always been that there are no ultimate rules. So if that's the way a certain engineer works... be my guest. But if I tried to mix elements without the context of the mix, I would feel like I was shooting in the dark.
-SD