Secrets Of The Mix Engineers: Demacio 'Demo' Castellon

[butterfly]

i thought the interview was just a lot of asskissin.

It was a total exercise in ass kissing, from yip Madonna don't need autotune, to the genius of the programming and topped off by Timbaland is the Mozart for the 21 st century, now if that weren't funny it would be just plain insulting to anyone with any musical knowledge whatsoever.

[phillysoulman]

Originally Posted by butterfly

It was a total exercise in ass kissing, from yip Madonna don't need autotune, to the genius of the programming and topped off by Timbaland is the Mozart for the 21 st century, now if that weren't funny it would be just plain insulting to anyone with any musical knowledge whatsoever.

I second that emotion.

Madonna REALLY need tuning..lets just say that I have seen her in action.....in the studio

And the word 'genius" for Tim????? give me a freakin break!!
Egotist..is more like it.
And as for for Demo...no wonder he uses that name as his shit sounds just like demos...and bad ones at that.

[gearaddict]

Originally Posted by phillysoulman

I second that emotion.

Madonna REALLY need tuning..lets just say that I have seen her in action.....in the studio

And the word 'genius" for Tim????? give me a freakin break!!
Egotist..is more like it.
And as for for Demo...no wonder he uses that name as his shit sounds just like demos...and bad ones at that.

So true...The dumb a*s takes up 59 sec. of the 4 min. with crap befor the real crap even comes in!!

[Masterer]

Just mastered a record and Demo mixed one of the songs on it [at least that's what I was told].
His mix sounded great and wasn't shredded. Pretty sure it was not a Tim production.
Maybe he got tired of that "sound" or maybe it was a Tim thing.

Whatever.... the guy has skills. Nice to hear a good sounding mix from him.

[meagsy]

Originally Posted by phillysoulman

I second that emotion.

Madonna REALLY need tuning..lets just say that I have seen her in action.....in the studio

And the word 'genius" for Tim????? give me a freakin break!!
Egotist..is more like it.
And as for for Demo...no wonder he uses that name as his shit sounds just like demos...and bad ones at that.

gee you are a bitter and jelous guy...know one is forcing you to listen to it...Demo, Timbaland and Madonna are all respected and known in there fields for being great at what they do....your not. Perhaps for guitar playing 50 years ago...
but certainly not production\mixing.....i find it quite bizzarre that given that, you feel able to tear down Timbo and Demo. Without backing up your view with any technical info\reasons.

I think its quite obvious to everyone why you reached your peak 50 years ago......

[Trell Blaze]

Originally Posted by meagsy

gee you are a bitter and jelous guy...know one is forcing you to listen to it...Demo, Timbaland and Madonna are all respected and known in there fields for being great at what they do....your not. Perhaps for guitar playing 50 years ago...
but certainly not production\mixing.....i find it quite bizzarre that given that, you feel able to tear down Timbo and Demo. Without backing up your view with any technical info\reasons.

I think its quite obvious to everyone why you reached your peak 50 years ago......

Have you ever gone back and read any of your own posts? You come off as a serious jock rider. I'm sure that's not your purpose but it seems that way when you jump to the defence of any celeb that gets trashed on this forum.Just a thought for you: Not every celebrity musician is good at what they do (see J Lo for example).

[Alxi]

One thing that intrigued me in this interview is when Demo said that he does level Automation before compression and eq.

I personnally do automations at the end of a mix.

Is that a common practice ? I know some people use level automation instead of compression on vox but is it really a good way to start a mix ??


-Alxi-

[computa]

Originally Posted by Trell Blaze

Not every celebrity musician is good at what they do (see J Lo for example).

In defense, after watching J Lo in "el cantante" on HBO when she is dancing in front of that TV early on in those booty shorts- she still got "it".

[UnMix Studio]

Originally Posted by Sirocco

weak dre mix compared to his others...vocals are lacking meat and sound very nasally as well

Word, but the album version is different (even the beat) and is a more traditional Dre mix.

[Say]

Where can I get a link to the pdf??
Thanx

[Lourson]

Originally Posted by Alxi

One thing that intrigued me in this interview is when Demo said that he does level Automation before compression and eq.

I personnally do automations at the end of a mix.

Is that a common practice ? I know some people use level automation instead of compression on vox but is it really a good way to start a mix ??


-Alxi-

this is something often called "gain riding". if a particular track is all over the place volume wise (and I see that often in vocal tracks, sometimes 15-20dbs of gain difference within the same track...), you need to even it out before you compress it. that way you're able to find a compression setting that works for the entire track, or else the compressor might crap out

[theblotted]

Originally Posted by Alxi

One thing that intrigued me in this interview is when Demo said that he does level Automation before compression and eq.

I personnally do automations at the end of a mix.

Is that a common practice ? I know some people use level automation instead of compression on vox but is it really a good way to start a mix ??


-Alxi-

i know a few top mix engineers start by getting their overall balance, including level automations for different sections. then use EQ and comp for fine tuning details.

depends on where you do the automation. if you do automation at the console, it'll be post-comp anyway, so as long as comp level is similar to bypassed level, it'll be fine. if it's pre-comp, it's a diff type of feel, but can work just as well. it's the same idea as mixing into a 2bus comp.

[phillysoulman]

Originally Posted by Alxi

One thing that intrigued me in this interview is when Demo said that he does level Automation before compression and eq.

I personnally do automations at the end of a mix.

Is that a common practice ? I know some people use level automation instead of compression on vox but is it really a good way to start a mix ??


-Alxi-

This is a VERY common practice and has been done for decades.
Its very important for all of you noobs to understand automation and how and when it is used.
Maybe then some of you all wouldnt have to over compress your shit.

[Alxi]

Allright, Thank you guys... i guess i will have to try this on my next mix thumbsup

-Alxi-

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by Trell Blaze

Have you ever gone back and read any of your own posts? You come off as a serious jock rider. I'm sure that's not your purpose but it seems that way when you jump to the defence of any celeb that gets trashed on this forum.Just a thought for you: Not every celebrity musician is good at what they do (see J Lo for example).

LOL......as stated before, there are more reasons people become famous in music than musical talent......

And there are after all plenty people out there that can spot the difference.......still.......

[butterfly]

LOL......as stated before, there are more reasons people become famous in music than musical talent......

And there are after all plenty people out there that can spot the difference.......still.......

How true, I suspect some people on this forum need to broaden their musical horizons a little, by the way Karloff love that little philosophical quote on your sig. where does it come from?

Life is a compromise between what your ego wants you to do, what your experience will let you do and what your nerves will stop you from doing

[coyotekells]

Originally Posted by Karloff70

LOL......as stated before, there are more reasons people become famous in music than musical talent......

And there are after all plenty people out there that can spot the difference.......still.......

As powerful as it is, music is a humble thing...

If you want to be famous, ****in' rights you better be able to hold in down in other areas!!

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by butterfly

How true, I suspect some people on this forum need to broaden their musical horizons a little, by the way Karloff love that little philosophical quote on your sig. where does it come from?

Sorry, can't remember....I think one of those mini-books with loads of 'wisdom'-type shite inside.......can't recall whose quote it is.....liked it myself though.....

[Karloff70]

Originally Posted by St. Kelly

As powerful as it is, music is a humble thing...

If you want to be famous, ****in' rights you better be able to hold in down in other areas!!

Not sure what you're saying here.....???

Music, indeed at best has some humility mixed with actual talent, but humility is somewhat out of fashion......besides whether someone likes to be respected for their work is one thing but not every sap actually wants to be famous as such believe it or not.....

Hold in down in other areas..???? What, like go to the gym and get a little red bracelet...???

[Masterer]

Originally Posted by Alxi

One thing that intrigued me in this interview is when Demo said that he does level Automation before compression and eq.

I personnally do automations at the end of a mix.

Is that a common practice ? I know some people use level automation instead of compression on vox but is it really a good way to start a mix ??


-Alxi-

I do level auto before compression 95% of the time [well, maybe not 95%]. This allows you to use less compression, and control the dynamics better while using the compressor for it's character and sound. Of course it depends on the situation and if you want things a little more wild or you want the compressor to pump in some spots and not in others then...

you could always use both techniques.