Mixing While Producing

[mrwonderful]

It's called a pre mix

[E.rOk.stA]

I do it all the time ,

[Chris Lago]

I do that as well.

[RiF]

I always "rough mix" on the go by just quickly slapping my goto tools on the tracks. Very little time goes into this, though.

[Kid_Fiction]

The mix is such a crucial part of the production, I don't think you can even really separate the two. I've never done a track and mixed it later, I'm mixing from the first part I record, and still adding sounds right up until the end of the mix. You can't separate mixing from producing.

[Bender412]

If you're a mix engineer, it just becomes automatic to mix as you compose/record. I personally can't do it any other way.

[Ezionjd]

I think everybody on a DAW does this.
Only when i write tunes on my guitar i dont worry about the layers, but make sure the song is cohesive.

Lets face it, were spoiled futuristic brats with 128+ track tape-recorders

[chris carter]

I mix while I'm producing music just to give context and help me make sure I'm heading in the right direction. And then when the music track is done I'll spend time tightening everything up, changing a few things. But this is only a temporary mix. When I cut the actual record I will revisit the music mix and I can promise things will change, sometimes drastically.

[goddfodder]

Yeah i def do do it. I mean roughly. I always know what's coming at the end, but I guess I view mixing as you go as a kind of preparation. Its also very much a curiosity as to how things are gonna pan out, I guess its just a way of working which evolved by itself through curiosity, and its just now a part of my process.

[p_marrison]

doing a pre mix helps make to process a little easier on the ear before the final mix and helps give you a vision of how you want final product to sound.

Normally i just perform some subtractive eq, pannng, levels, a little compression here and there as i already have templates for my busses from previous projects.

here is an interesting article you may want to read which i found to be a pretty safe way on how to approach a mix.

The Music Mixing Process Part 1

[TYPHY]

I dont completely mix my sounds.
I always do cuts, filters, harmonic exciters/distortion, reverb, delays, and other effects.

Once the song is arranged and fully composed... I finish the mix with compression, addictive EQ, and stereo widening.

I cant make a beat and not mix as I go.. it sounds like shit, which un-satisfies my ear and makes me lose inspiration.

[beyondat]

I mix as i go if you consider adjusting the levels of each instrument or EQing a kick mixing. I think that a beat should sound good in its raw state if its really a good beat.

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[Storyville]

Originally Posted by kefka

I was watching my friend in FL studio the other and he was mixing the track while he was creating the track. It completely freaked me out I never saw anyone produce like that before what are your opinions on this?

Kefka - what's your favorite Esper for bass and low end?

[mellocapp]

Usually just adjust volume levels, address panning, maybe a bit of high-pass cutoff in order to give yourself a preview of how it will sound.

[3rd Degree]

I mix as a go and for good reason. It's so easy to decide up front if something really fits or not, rather than making the decisions later. It also allows me to make better decisions of what to add and where.

That said, like many, I consider that my "pre-mix". I come back, usually not in the same day, and spend time actually mixing, usually making absolutely no changes outside of mixing, unless need be.

It actually takes me more time this way but I feel I achieve a better result.

[Marcel G]

I think he may be thinking of "master" while composing... But yes i always mix while i conpose or else it sounds like 10 people talking at the same time.

[smoke]

Originally Posted by Marcel G

I think he may be thinking of "master" while composing... But yes i always mix while i conpose or else it sounds like 10 people talking at the same time.

Good way of putting it!

I would like to separate the mixing from the creation better too.

I still have a hard time bouncing midi down to audio in a project, I like to keep my options open as long as I can, so having EQs all open, having fresh midi/VST ready to adjust and automate.. I mean it is technically stepping backwards to mix static channels, when I have dynamic, precise and efficient control over every single parameter already.

But yeah it is too much control, it is distracting, and dishonest.

I need that detachment from my projects, I need a change of perspective, I need to impose limits now that I have ALREADY spent my creative energies on a project that I've ALREADY determined finished.

This is a huge problem for me because I'm creatively thinking 24 hours a day. My brain is rarely logical. If I'm not doing music, I have to do visual art at a day job.

I can turn the monitor off, turn out the lights and just listen to the open mix from the DAW. No disruptions. 5 minutes, I am back inside tweaking. Guarantee. I'm going to tweak one midi note velocity one level, and slide it forward one tick.

If I had another place, another DAW, It would be easier to import stems over and pretend that other guy never existed. But for now... uh uh.

[Nealatosis]

I do basic mixing while I make a beat. Mostly adjusting levels and panning. After I make ten or so beats I then export them into my DAW and spend a week or so just mixing. I find it's nice to switch between creating beats and mixing beats. It makes it easier to focus on the sounds if I'm not worried about the chords or the rhythm. I just listen to the sounds in relation to each other if that makes sense.

[KevWest]

Its how I produced for years. Now though I use fx in creative ways and bounce those fx to stems then mix the stems its easier to get a great sounding mix when you aren't worried about mixing, composing and sound design all at once.

[Mosb]

I also do that. While mixing is also a time to fill in the gap where it empty and take away where it too busy. So it's not a strange thing to produce while mixing.

www.mos-be.com

[aproblem]

Basic leveling and panning, various FX, etc...most of these are more apart of production imo anyways. I automate them all live though, so it really becomes a part of the production process for me. Sometimes I'll process the shit out of something to see how it sounds, if it's cool then I'll make it a key feature of the track, really dominant in the mix, and build around it.

[Cal-E]

Originally Posted by kefka

I was watching my friend in FL studio the other and he was mixing the track while he was creating the track. It completely freaked me out I never saw anyone produce like that before what are your opinions on this?

God I get annoyed reading ppl who respond like they know it ALL in a negative way...I'd have to say that these ppl probably are losers in life, and over compensate when they respond...lol...ANYHOW...this is actually a smart thing to do for two reasons. A lot of ppl wonder why the stuff I produce sounds so much bigger than theirs when they bring me things...Its because of the two reasons...Mixing on the fly gives you a better Idea of what the track is going to sound like as you create it, which leads to reason number two, you are more likely to not CLUTTER the production and pick the sounds that compliment eachother...which then makes the overall mix easier, clear, brighter and bigger!

[kefka]

Originally Posted by Nealatosis

I do basic mixing while I make a beat. Mostly adjusting levels and panning. After I make ten or so beats I then export them into my DAW and spend a week or so just mixing. I find it's nice to switch between creating beats and mixing beats. It makes it easier to focus on the sounds if I'm not worried about the chords or the rhythm. I just listen to the sounds in relation to each other if that makes sense.

See this is how i've been doing it but I'm going to try it your guys way from now on probably will save me time. My favorite is Ifirit

[Storyville]

Originally Posted by kefka

See this is how i've been doing it but I'm going to try it your guys way from now on probably will save me time. My favorite is Ifirit

You find what works for your process. The advantage to mixing as you go is you get a somewhat more focus picture of how the sounds will fit together. The problem is that sometimes it's tempting to lean too heavily on mix techniques to get the desired sound, rather than selecting the best sounds and arrangement to begin with. The other issue is that if you start with a sound, and mix as you go, you base the overall outcome around that sound. If you want the focus of the mix to change - the central element(s) - that might prove more time consuming than it's worth.

I tend to veer toward doing broad strokes and production-mix moves (reverbs, flangers, special fx type of stuff). Not to get caught in the tiny stuff.

I prefer Terra. I work on a hybrid system. Not a Mega Ran fan by any chance?

[illynoise]

after years of practice, you can get it just about right, but it's always best to go back into the beat after the vocals are laid to get everything sounding right. The final instrument is the vocal.

[Apagon]

I do it all the time rough mix bro

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[Trell Blaze]

Originally Posted by Bender412

If you're a mix engineer, it just becomes automatic to mix as you compose/record. I personally can't do it any other way.

Repeat...

[beyondat]

I will say this mixing while producing thing is a product of technology. Its easy and you are more likely to do it if you are ITB. Not so easy with hardware, thats why i dont see it as necessary or better at all. I leave it for after the song is done. If a track sounds good in its raw state then you most likely have a keeper. Everyone makes a bad beat every so often and we sometimes dont realize that its wack until the next day . I would hate to waste time mixing a wack beat.

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[Bender412]

There's no time "wasted" if you're also a good mix engineer. At a certain point it just becomes instinct, and the 2 processes (composing and mixing) become 1 hybrid process. Of course, as others have mentioned, it's not a FINAL mix, but for me I'm usually at about 80% there by the time I'm done laying all the parts. It's the same scenario when I'm recording clients. Like I mentioned earlier, it's just automatic at some point and you don't even think about it.

You have a point about the ITB thing though ... If you use a lot of outboard for mixing then it wouldn't be the same.

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