Easiest Mix Ever.

[László]

Today I mixed a record for a wonderful singer/songwriter pal who cut a song with a few of the famous players and backup singers who've recorded with folks like James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, etc. You've heard them on a zillion records for many years.

The tracks are great - truly great - yet the feel is laid back like a comfortable pair of slippers. In every respect, most importantly in dynamics and feel, getting a basic mix together with them was child's play. There was some creative stuff I got to do, and I had a lot of fun with that, but once I got the idea of what to do with the song, and did a few subtle creative things, it came together in a few hours.

I've set this before, but I'll repeat it (because I must!):

If you want to cut a great sounding song, bring in the best players. It ain't about the gear - although knowing how to use the gear is a good thing - it's about the musicians. Nobody ever says, 'Wow, that's a Thingamajog Compressor on that track'. They say, 'That playing is great'.

It was a delight to mix these tracks.

 

[Greywolf]

Truth!
Talent shines through .. all the gear in the world won't make up for its absence

 

[László]

Truth!
Talent shines through .. all the gear in the world won't make up for its absence

Every track has a great vibe. No overplaying, every note on time, with the right dynamics and feel, backup singers are glorious, blah blah.

The players are the 'wrecking crew' for music we've heard since the '70s, and they're better than they ever were. I'll post a link once it's released and I get the OK. For now, I don't feel comfortable doing that, or mentioning the names of the players.

But they did a masterful job. My friend is also an incredible acoustic player, a good vocalist, and an award winning songwriter. So this was the perfect combination. I was privileged to work with these tracks.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I’ll never forget the first time I recorded a great drummer.

I had this whole signal chain that I’d developed over the years for drums, with compressors, gates, and limiters. I used them on pretty much every record and demo I made to keep drums manageable and address stuff like the snare dropping etc.

Then one day this dude named Craig came in with his band and set up and tuned real quick. I used the same mics as I always used, get basic levels and have the band run through a tune to check for bleed and see where they were gonna get too loud.

Anyway, they run through the song and I’m staring at the input gains on the mic pres, looking at the lil LED ladders on the console and then on the Adats.

Craig was perfect. He did all the drum “production” for me. I probably lost out on a few hundred bucks of pre-production and getting tones.

Fortunately, the rest of the band was horrible so I made up for it with guitar overdubs and vocals, but man… those drum tracks were an absolute pleasure to push the faders up on.

 

[Prina]

Must be so nice when the magic happens. Reminds me of this story:

"So, with David and Graham sitting next to me, I started to roll tape on the 16‑track and David signalled this to Stephen by making a circular motion with his hand above his head. Until then, Stephen had just been goofing around on his guitar, but suddenly he zeroed in on the microphone and started flailing away, and the sound was so bright that the compressor was way over‑compressed — instead of bouncing around like compressors do, it just laid down and sat there. There was also no bottom end. However, from my training with Heider I knew that I couldn't stop the take; I had to just let it go and then explain the problem and try to fix it later.

"Sitting there, I was already thinking about the things I could do to fix it, because I had totally overdone the sound, but Stephen was totally into what he was playing, and just when it looked like he was going to stop, he started another section and played some more. By now, my whole life was flashing in front of me, and certain that my career was over, I began to sweat. Meanwhile, Crosby and Nash were standing next to me, dancing — they were having a good time — and it wasn't until seven and a half minutes into the recording that the whole thing ended. Stephen had just played the basic track to 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes'

"It still gives me goose bumps when I listen to that recording, aware that he blew through seven‑and‑a‑half minutes with all the time changes, all the pauses, all the everything in just one take,” ...

 

[RC Mike]

I'm a person who is largely without musical talent. I'd like to think that makes me more appreciative of those who have it. Sometimes though... Sometimes I'm so far removed from understanding what I'm experiencing that it puts me in a very weird place.

An example of that was at Paisley Park in 2013ish. Prince's big band version of New Power Generation was having a reunion and my wife and I found ourselves there, with several hundred others. It was an incredibly diverse and talented group on stage. I've never really seen anything like it. The looseness of the social aspect they had, combined with the tightness of the musicianship. All I could do was stand there in awe and enjoy it, trying to be in the moment.

I'm not built that way and don't have those gifts--nothing remotely close to it. I don't have that dedication, drive, and focus. There was so much there to appreciate and be humbled by. And to enjoy, too.

 

[dmatthews]

That's awesome! When/where can we hear this?

 

[mixmkr]

It's the old adage....get it right at every stage. After *decent* instruments, next is the musicians, then mics, signal path.....snip.....mixing, mastering.

 

[JasonE]

^^^ This is exactly what I was thinking. Get it right at the source. It makes the rest of the process much easier.

The interesting thing is I think you have to be a bit of a seasoned musician to pick up on these things. I have always had a pretty good ear but I am still noticing growth in things I hear that add spice to a composition. I have also noticed things in mixes that have been out for many years that I didn't hear in my younger years.

 

[László]

That's awesome! When/where can we hear this?

I know nothing of when I can post it.

My friend is going to listen very closely today because he's working at large studio where he's cutting some other tracks, and they have a better monitoring system than he has at his home studio. So I said don't make any decisions until you listen there.

I figure there will be tweaks - there almost always are - and then mastering (which I might do, but he might want different ears on the master, which of course I'm fine with, it's standard operating procedure).

I have no idea how long he'll keep the tune close to the vest before giving me the go-ahead to share.

With something of this quality, the joy for me is in the process of mixing. Once it's out of my hands, they will do what they do. If they stick with it, great, and if not, I'll see if I can get permission to post my vision for the mix at some point.

 

[László]

^^^ This is exactly what I was thinking. Get it right at the source. It makes the rest of the process much easier.

The interesting thing is I think you have to be a bit of a seasoned musician to pick up on these things. I have always had a pretty good ear but I am still noticing growth in things I hear that add spice to a composition. I have also noticed things in mixes that have been out for many years that I didn't hear in my younger years.

The track set I got was pretty dense; dobro, acoustic guitar, two electric guitars, bass, drums, vocal, backing vocals, and Hammond B3. My vision for it was to cut some of the clutter and chaff, to give each element and phrase its own breathing space and vibe. Some of what I wanted to pull back in the mix was tasty, but un-needed. So that's really the rub; will the artist say, "Gee, I miss that little fillip that the slide player did at 1:27!"

And we have to let the artist make that call, even if it messes with your mixing concept. It's a collaborative process. I can only be a dictator with my own music!

 

[bodia]

Sounds like a great time!

 

[Joe sherman]

Cant wait to hear it Les!!!!!

 

[aphantomvaper]

Must be so nice when the magic happens. Reminds me of this story:

"So, with David and Graham sitting next to me, I started to roll tape on the 16‑track and David signalled this to Stephen by making a circular motion with his hand above his head. Until then, Stephen had just been goofing around on his guitar, but suddenly he zeroed in on the microphone and started flailing away, and the sound was so bright that the compressor was way over‑compressed — instead of bouncing around like compressors do, it just laid down and sat there. There was also no bottom end. However, from my training with Heider I knew that I couldn't stop the take; I had to just let it go and then explain the problem and try to fix it later.

"Sitting there, I was already thinking about the things I could do to fix it, because I had totally overdone the sound, but Stephen was totally into what he was playing, and just when it looked like he was going to stop, he started another section and played some more. By now, my whole life was flashing in front of me, and certain that my career was over, I began to sweat. Meanwhile, Crosby and Nash were standing next to me, dancing — they were having a good time — and it wasn't until seven and a half minutes into the recording that the whole thing ended. Stephen had just played the basic track to 'Suite: Judy Blue Eyes'

"It still gives me goose bumps when I listen to that recording, aware that he blew through seven‑and‑a‑half minutes with all the time changes, all the pauses, all the everything in just one take,” ...

Mickey Hart's mantra is "Lay it down dirty and play it back clean". Those GD and all the other recordings that happened there are proof it worked, for him.

The story you recounted perhaps is a good example of this.

Perhaps it isn't good for others.