when is a mix finished?

[Alexi]

hey there,



i always find myself doing too much in a mix......compressing, eqing etc....



When do you guys draw a personal line - - - - this mix is finished now ?

I know this is kind of an odd question cause lots of you guys will probably say: "when it sounds good to my ears"........but since i work all in the box i always find myself going back and chankging stuff back and forth.......i hope you guys get the point.


Any tactics?



Andy Wallace (from the Mix interview):

"It's difficult for me when I have a mix that I know is sounding good and the artist and the producer, or whoever is appropriate, starts getting too involved in little things that really don't make a big difference; they're not making a better mix out of it, they're just changing things. I don't mind that to a point, but if it gets almost endless — you know, where they just can't let go and need to keep changing things — then I feel like I'm just doing damage control, trying to keep the thing from eroding. Sometimes that'll happen. They'll ask me, “What do you think?” and I'll say, “I liked the way it was when I played it for you; otherwise, I wouldn't have played it.” Is it possible to make some changes to it without my hating it? Sure. Are any of the changes you're making, in my estimation, making it any better? No. And, collectively, when you keep doing it, sooner or later we're going to get past where we are. So that's always difficult when I get into a situation like that where it's getting overboard."






ch rs



alex

[Fletcher]

A mix is finished when it's in the stores and/or on the radio... thats when you start the "re-mixes".

[dreamsongs]

My perfectionist nature tells me that it's never finished, but I know at some point I have to let it go.

My approach is that I spend a considerable amount of time in my first mix to get it to where I like it. Then, the process begins where I take it to as many sources I can to "verify" the mix.

After I've heard it a few times in different sources, I notice a few things and begin the twithcing process for a little while. I listen to it again thru those same sources and perfect it thru the same process again.

After a few days I find I hate the mix and start all over again...no, just kiddin' !

Actually, there has been a few songs that I heard weeks or even months later and wished I could take it back but it's rare. When I let it go, it's pretty final.

Although to be perfectly honest and going back to my first sentence, I'm seldom 100% satisfied with the mix until it comes back from mastering. And even then I'm still not sure.

It would help if I had a better room but you know what, I still would bitch about the mix. I guess after all the answer is I will never be happy...

[XSergeantD]

A mix is never finished, it's just abandoned.



I can ask you Fletchers question "How long is a piece of string?"

[espasonico]

For me, a mix is finished when I can enjoy the SONG. There´s no point in listening to mixes, I have to listen to the song and enjoy.

[NathanEldred]

When the technology becomes invisible and the arrangement is appropriately represented.

[axeman]

Nathan: That´s a really good answer!

[gsharp]

when every member of the band hates it equally

[mixerguy]

Originally Posted by gsharp

when every member of the band hates it equally

dude.... you rock

thumbsup

[rainsinvelvet]

when your out of time and / or money


ERic

[Jim vanBergen]

When I'm satisfied...which is almost never.

Mixes can almost ALWAYS be better.

[NathanEldred]

Originally Posted by axeman

Nathan: That´s a really good answer!

Thanks....I learned that at the school of hard knocks.

[Mikey MTC]

A mix is never finished, it's just abandoned.

That sounds like a really negative approach but you're 100% right.
You just have to walk away and it's often really hard because you know you MIGHT be able to make it better tomorrow, but the deadline is today.

[mrface2112]

the mix is finished when it gets out of the way of the song.

i find that i'm finished with a mix when i sit back and find myself just listening and enjoying the song and bobbing my head to the music........and don't immediately reach for something to "fix".

that's when i'll print it and walk away from it for a few days. then i'll listen to the printed mix and see if it has the same impact as it did. and then it's like a repeat of the process--if i find myself enjoying the song instead of finding things to "fix" then the mix is truly done.


cheers,
wade

[dreamsongs]

Originally Posted by mrface2112

the mix is finished when it gets out of the way of the song.

i find that i'm finished with a mix when i sit back and find myself just listening and enjoying the song and bobbing my head to the music........and don't immediately reach for something to "fix".

that's when i'll print it and walk away from it for a few days. then i'll listen to the printed mix and see if it has the same impact as it did. and then it's like a repeat of the process--if i find myself enjoying the song instead of finding things to "fix" then the mix is truly done.


cheers,
wade

Good answer and always true...

[marcan]

Funny to see I'm not the only one
I always want to improve my mix. I try to stop when the client is happy, but I might continue the mix just for me.
Anyway, the base of the mix takes few hours, after it's sonic masturbation but it's probably what I like the most...