HI there, So the MORE compressed sound in Dr. Compressor is the most raw sounding sound. Counter intuitive, but all my answers were correct with that strategy. Not that I understand it, but it will. In time.
I get what you mean but I think of it opposite from you. To me the more 'raw' sound is the one that sounds more like a fresh recording with no effects. So I generally see the 'raw' sounding one being the uncompressed one.
@jace @Matt thats what my idea was about a more or less compressed sound. The more compressed should be sounding more cleaner in my perception. But it tend to be the other way around. Like washing my hands makes them more dirty.
Yeah, that's a reasonable heuristic. That's interesting that your initial impression of compression was to make it cleaner. I kind of overlooked what compression could do for a long time, and when I finally did start uncorking it, it was because I felt it had the capacity to make things messy and chaotic. There's a lot of nuance in this world!
🎚️ Is there such a thing as a perfect mix, or is perfection all in the ear of the beholder? Some say mixing has clear rules and standards, others believe it’s pure subjectivity and vibe.
What do you think? Drop your take and let’s start the debate!
I want to thank everyone that contributed with their point of views in the comments regarding this topic (Mixing Philosophy), it makes me want to share my thoughts as well.
I truly believe you will never be completely satisfied with a mix you're working on, especially if it's your own song. What you can get better at though is to know when to cut the chord and move on. It's like no matter how many correct moves you make even more issues appear. That's why I need to work in short bursts with breaks in between when mixing. There's a very potent feeling you get when you lose perspective. You have to get out of the studio. Because if you don't, you are literally just bashing your head against a wall and it will get you nowhere productive. How do you know when you have regained perspective? Well, that's intuition. Sometimes it takes just an hour but sometimes it can take several days.
Improving workflow certainly helps, this is something that comes with experience and time as you need to know for some extent what you're doing first and what improving your workflow even means. If I look back on productions and mixes I were happy with 3 years ago I simply can not believe how I could be satisfied with that with today's perspective. That's progress. I still catch myself being very frustrated when I find myself in a situation where I know for sure what's missing and what needs to be done, yet I simply don't have the knowledge yet how to do it. This is where reaching out to other engineers is a great idea and that's something I'm extremely bad at to be completely honest.
At the end of the day you can only do your best, whatever that sounds like for you and for others, and try to claw your way forward one step at a time.
It is somewhat embarrassing admitting this but it took me about 4 years before I STARTED using a single saturator in my own productions (which has obviously improved my mixes drastically). Why you might ask? I never reached out to more seasoned folks and that led me to believe that saturation had less of an impact than it actually has.
If you read all of this, thank you and good luck with your own journey towards the stars.
My teacher says: The perfect mix is the one your customer likes. or -...- is the one you like. That's pretty need, whoever wants the mix is deciding what sounds best. And to everyone thinking there is only one style to mix: nope. Every song is different. Some songs need being super dry, some super wet and so on.
We use cookies to improve your experience. Essential cookies keep the site running. We also use optional cookies to enhance performance, analyze traffic, and personalize ads. By clicking “Accept”, you agree to the use of all cookies.
Sep 13, 19:22