Practising Mixdowns

[mthrfnk]

Imo I need to improve my mixdowns a lot. So I'm looking for practise.

One idea I came up with is to open a track and then reset the whole mixer and all the channel volume settings and remix the track from the ground up.

Would this be a decent way to practise/improve my mixes - or is it just stupid?

[Shum]

I still do this regularly. Try and get your hands on other peoples tracks as well.

[Neuro Fiend]

Just make more tunes and mix those instead. Mixing down as you go along I find to be the easiest way to work. Also A/B with artists you like the production of that have a similar style to your track.

[Tracks To Wax]

sometime's bouncing all tracks to stems (midi tracks, fx etc) and re-opening in a new project can help...change the focus to just mix levels and EQ'ing

[mthrfnk]

Just make more tunes and mix those instead. Mixing down as you go along I find to be the easiest way to work. Also A/B with artists you like the production of that have a similar style to your track.

I do this constantly, but I've finally started making tracks I'm happy with and I'd rather improve those than make new ones. Also I already A/B stuff, I just find it hard knowing how to improve my stuff to sound like theirs.

sometime's bouncing all tracks to stems (midi tracks, fx etc) and re-opening in a new project can help...change the focus to just mix levels and EQ'ing

Thats a good idea, might try it.

[Aufnahmewindwuschel]

hm someone on dsf said sth for me really helpful.
it was sth along the lines of for him a good mixdown is when he doesnt think about the mix while listening and just enjoys the tune.
that is sth i am working towards now (not how hard the sub hits or how crispy the snare is just trying to make the listener happy or sad etc)
meaning i can easily forgive a lofi mix on a grooving chiptune or i even depend on a lofi mix for such things

i know thats totally not the question but i think it can still help in mixing too

[eldoogle]

I've never A/B'd my track to another track. When you guys do this do you look for and try to imitate the fullness of the track, or how loud it is? Or anything? Maybe I should try it.

[Neuro Fiend]

Just make more tunes and mix those instead. Mixing down as you go along I find to be the easiest way to work. Also A/B with artists you like the production of that have a similar style to your track.

I do this constantly, but I've finally started making tracks I'm happy with and I'd rather improve those than make new ones. Also I already A/B stuff, I just find it hard knowing how to improve my stuff to sound like theirs.

sometime's bouncing all tracks to stems (midi tracks, fx etc) and re-opening in a new project can help...change the focus to just mix levels and EQ'ing

Thats a good idea, might try it.

Well the reason I said to make new tunes is because mixing really does take a lot of time and patience, to get the the level of your favourite producers takes years. And whilst you learn you might as well come up with new material.

But if you want to redo the mix of an old track you could bounce the stems, but it may be easier just to 'save project as' and delete all the EQs and channel settings and start again. Mixing isn't just settings on the channels it goes right back to the source sound so it is always best to keep the project and have the synths there rather than just having stems of audio.

One of the best things you can do to help is treat your room it will really help you hear what is actually going on and make it easier to suss out what it is that needs to be improved.

[Neuro Fiend]

I've never A/B'd my track to another track. When you guys do this do you look for and try to imitate the fullness of the track, or how loud it is? Or anything? Maybe I should try it.

It's not for comparing loudness, when you A/B you should do it at the same perceived volume to your track which usually means turning the tune your comparing too down a bit. Your looking for things like how well the elements gel together and if there is anything in your mix which is much louder (or quieter) compared to the track you are A/Bing.

[NinjaEdit]

hm someone on dsf said sth for me really helpful.
it was sth along the lines of for him a good mixdown is when he doesnt think about the mix while listening and just enjoys the tune.

That's a transparent mix, it's one way of doing it. You can also have the mix be interesting on its own, with interesting effects, modulated panning etc.

Try some combination of both techniques, where appropriate.

[Aufnahmewindwuschel]

hm someone on dsf said sth for me really helpful.
it was sth along the lines of for him a good mixdown is when he doesnt think about the mix while listening and just enjoys the tune.

That's a transparent mix, it's one way of doing it. You can also have the mix be interesting on its own, with interesting effects, modulated panning etc.

Try some combination of both techniques, where appropriate.

what i meant is that he doesnt think about the mix of someone else as a listener there a barely any tunes made only for other producers

making your mix crazy with panning, binaural ,filters on hi hats etc is in the end just another way to make the listener happy what i meant is you can mix yourself into a corner at some point and forget the intentions you had when you started making music

[NinjaEdit]

What were your goals when you started making music? To have constructive fun at home during your spare time by creatively expressing yourself, communicating something new and demonstrating your worldview, and by contributing something original to your culture? How is this hindered, and not actually helped, by a creative mixdown?

Why do you think only other producers recognise that a sound moves from one speaker to another, repeats itself, sounds like it's in a cave, or becomes muffled? It's like saying rock music is only music for guitarists.

[Aufnahmewindwuschel]

yeah but what you are talking about is partly the arrangement and of course is a nice arrengment with lots of movement good but that doesnt mean that i have to analyse it while listening

rock music isnt only for guitarists but for people who enjoy the sound of a guitar or any other element in rock music
i totally see all your points but what i wanted to say is that in some areas of electronic music it seems that getting to a solid brickwall is all you have to do to get the people who enjoy music that is brickwalled to listen to it that means you can ignore most things that make a song by just using your mixdown as another element of your arrengement. for me arrengement and mixdown should be friends not conjoined twins

[lucozade]

keyp doin it til u relize u dwnt evn lik it. wank

[MassAphekt]

try going to places like beatport >sounds and see if there are any remix competitions in your favorite genre, downlaod the stems and study in mono, spectrum and stereo field of the particular mix elements you want to learn, I did this with datsik and zedd remix competitions, didnt intend on entering, just downloaded to study their synths and each effect, it helped to an extent but another thing you can try is dont even worry about making amazing musical content and just make your sounds and layering and whatever else you need help with in mixdowns, my personal struggle right now is fillers and drops tho so

[MaZa1]

I usually mix as i go, and when i get into some part of the track, so that i have like intro, drop maybe more, basically "all" the sounds that i need are playing in some part of the track, i do this mix checking. Everything peaks about where they should, no clashing etc.
And many times i save my project so that i have project1 and project2 and turn everything down at the second one, and mix things, mainly the levels, again and compare these two mixes so i can see if the new one is better or if i can make the first mix better by tweaking something.
Then i go back writing the rest of the track, maybe change some parts.