mix translation problem

[goldphinga]

Hi all, i'm just finishing mixing my album at the mo but have noticed a strange problem that i want to know if anyone else has experienced. The main thing i have noticed is all my tracks seem to sound "faster" out of the studio than in. Its really starting to get to me.

Has anyone any idea why this may be happening, is it something to do with high frequencies in different rooms reaching our ears quicker? or something more fundamentally wrong in the mix. Damn it i'm starting to doubt my own abilities

[NathanEldred]

Don't stress goldphinga, life is too short. We all learn from our mistakes, that's how we get better the next time around. What do you mean by 'faster'? Tell us more of what you are hearing and we might be able to help.

[seb37000]

are you listening from a c.d ?
Maybe you've just listened to your album too much lately.
Listening to the same song over and over can make you hear differently from the first time.

[BevvyB]

Faster/Slower/What the F*** is going on?

I know exactly how you feel in this instance, but it's not only just after the mix I get it.

When I get tired while working on a track the tempo can appear to be too fast or too slow. If this happens I try to work on another song or listen to any other kind of music to try and reset my internal clock. Either that or stop working for the day, go to bed, or take a holiday.

Sometimes when I'm working on a song which has been developed from the initial demo, I get the realization that the song is in fact too fast for the words, arrangement or both. A song can sound like it's at the correct tempo, but as you layer arrangement stuff into the mix the arrangement gives it more movement and thus it appears faster and/or cluttered. My usual approach now is to be very wary of the tempo of demos and to try and live with a couple of different tempos before I commit to one. I now tend to favour tracks that appear to be a little slow in the demo, knowing that once the arrangement is in, the whole thing will appear to be a lot faster. Also, it gives you more space for vocals I find, and forces you to focus on getting a better arrangment to make the song pacy, instead of just relying on the fact that the tempo is running away with the song...

When you're working on something for a long period of time, your subjectivity can go out of the window, you really need to listen to other peoples music while you're in the studio which is off the same ilk. An easy going 'All I Wanna Do' song can be ruined by being a couple of bpm over, but it's easy to miss the problem until it's too late.

Another thing it may be is that you're just not used to hearing the top end of your recording, which may also be because you went a bit top-deaf during mixing. The high end clank can be responsible for a lot of the movement in a track, when this has be hightened due to mastering or monitoring situation it can be a surprise to hear all this stuff going on which is pushing the track forward, when all you were concentrating on in the mix was the bottom end and the groove of the kick, snare and bass line.

I feel your pain.

Nowadays I am very careful about tempos. And an absolute bitch about getting the correct key. I have rough demos in slighly differing tempos and keys - 2 bpm and a semitone can be a night and day difference - and the difference between a hit or not IMHO.

I've also made demos which are close to masters and had to throw them out because the way the words worked out gave the singer too much to sing and not enough time to sing it! (And had to admit it... groan...)

If it ain't right, it ain't right...

Bev

[max cooper]

You ever say a word over and over and over until it seems like it's nonsense? Same idea.

[Bob Olhsson]

Before you go looking for a shrink, make sure somebody hasn't left a slow clock setting feeding the digital chain or you haven't been running 48k files with a 44.1 clock. Both of those have happened to me.

[audioez]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

Before you go looking for a shrink, make sure somebody hasn't left a slow clock setting feeding the digital chain or you haven't been running 48k files with a 44.1 clock. Both of those have happened to me.

bob,
we think a like!!!
sounds like a sample rate problem

[Ruudman]

I got an old Sony ES player that runs about 2% faster;
used to freak me out before I found out.
How's your studio clock?

Could also be an impression thing, after long hours with a song
you're entirely sick of.

ruudman

[warhead]

I've never had this problem but I'm interested in knowing the final solution if there is an issue!

War

[goldphinga]

Thanks Nathan for calming me down! I'm finishing my first album for a new uk label and i'm writing producing and mixing the whole thing myself on a tight budget and with limited equipment. The vibe of the album is sort of like Herbie Hancock and the headhunters meets Jazzanova so there is lots of Rhodes, Moogs etc but with programmed beats from exs24 and my akai mpc 3000.I have a couple of bits of gear which are really letting me down (mackie 1604 vlz eek!!! and an original motu 828mk1 enough said!) but until this album is out and paying for itself i cant stretch to a rosetta just yet!

Anyway, the main problem i'm encountering is this. My mixes sound great in he studio on the HR824's and my room is well treated. Generally my mixes translate well but i sometimes have a problem with certain tracks where the tempo of the tracks appear faster and more pushing than they did in the studio. I think its something to do with the high end in the beats not gelling with the instruments as well as they could. Maybe the beats need tucking into the mix more with a little subtle compression or more reverb. Also when i have been monitoring in the studio i run a lex pcm60 in mono across the mix but have no way to record this back into the computer so my final mixes miss this as well,maybe this is a major factor.

I'm gonna keep experimenting anyways and will report back but just wanted to see if anyone could relate to my current experience, bit of a weird one !

[Ruudman]

Originally Posted by goldphinga

Also when i have been monitoring in the studio i run a lex pcm60 in mono across the mix but have no way to record this back into the computer so my final mixes miss this as well,maybe this is a major factor

Ouch! Very dangerous to listen to something that ain't gonna be used.

ruudman

BTW, I'm curious, why do you do that?