Mix engineers not doing their job!!

Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.
Something I found on Wikipedia that makes me mad.......
"Ninety five percent of people listen to music in their car or on a cheap home stereo; 5 percent may have a better systems; and maybe 1 percent have a $20,000 stereo. So if it doesn't sound good on something small, what's the point? You can mix in front of these huge, beautiful, pristine, $10,000 powered monitors all you want. But no one else has these monitors, so your likely to end up with a translation problem." Chris Lord-Alge, Mix Engineer.
!@#$%%%$#@#....Sounds like someones' falling down on the job to me!!
_________________________________________Rick.........
 
The last 3 Tori Amos CDs sound like they were mixed so they could be played back on small decorative speakers. You know - the ones women would pick out if left to thier own devices. Play them on a system with real, honest, 20 Hz bass and it sounds like your head is going to implode :D. On a powerful car sub, or a stack of lab horns it's almost beyond belief.

What's one person's loss is a bass freak's gain.
 
Richard Ellis said:
Something I found on Wikipedia that makes me mad.......
"Ninety five percent of people listen to music in their car or on a cheap home stereo; 5 percent may have a better systems; and maybe 1 percent have a $20,000 stereo. So if it doesn't sound good on something small, what's the point? You can mix in front of these huge, beautiful, pristine, $10,000 powered monitors all you want. But no one else has these monitors, so your likely to end up with a translation problem." Chris Lord-Alge, Mix Engineer.
!@#$%%%$#@#....Sounds like someones' falling down on the job to me!!
_________________________________________Rick.........
Though the result sucks for the very small percentage of use that care about how it sounds, he actually is doing his job correctly.

I am surprised anyone is surprised by this at all.
 
Disabled Account
Joined 2008
Re: Re: Mix engineers not doing their job!!

Brett said:
Though the result sucks for the very small percentage of use that care about how it sounds, he actually is doing his job correctly.

I am surprised anyone is surprised by this at all.

Brett, I find your surprise toward this surprise, surprising! :rolleyes:

Seriously though, I agree. Mixing for the average system is prudent. For those who feel their systems are exposing flaws in the mastering process: is the flaw in the recording or reproduction? Certainly there are cases where it is the fault of the recording, but odds are that some forms of program material are better at exposing the faults of a reproduction system. Maybe a OB woofer array with active bottom end shaping can keep up with Mozart, but runs out of steam when Sir Mix A-Lot sings about the shape of bottom ends!

JF
 
Re: Re: Mix engineers not doing their job!!

it would be interesting to see what a top end gourmet cook would produce for a soup kitchen..... or McDonalds !!

most studios I have been in will do their main mix on pretty decent speakers, then see what it sounds like on not so decent speakers. this is one reason that the NS-10 was quite popular, it was closer to what real people (not us) listen to.

unfortunately, what real people listen to seems to have dropped in quality somewhat over the last 10 years or so, thus creating further disparity between a "proper" system and the type of system many people really use to grate out their sound.

where should the cd mixing engineer aim at??.. tough question !!

some will aim at commercial reality, others will try to aim for some sort of higher ideal, then it gets handed to the mastering department :eek:
 
Re: Re: Re: Mix engineers not doing their job!!

J.R.Freeman said:


Brett, I find your surprise toward this surprise, surprising! :rolleyes:

Seriously though, I agree. Mixing for the average system is prudent. For those who feel their systems are exposing flaws in the mastering process: is the flaw in the recording or reproduction? Certainly there are cases where it is the fault of the recording, but odds are that some forms of program material are better at exposing the faults of a reproduction system. Maybe a OB woofer array with active bottom end shaping can keep up with Mozart, but runs out of steam when Sir Mix A-Lot sings about the shape of bottom ends!

JF
Less popular music on smaller labels has a better chance of sounding better for a host of reasons, including care taken, quest for HQ SR, target audience (cares more on average perhaps) etc etc. Mainly talking jazz and classical here.

For commercial modern music, the target audience is typically younger and more likely to use an ipod, car stereo or other simpler lower SQ system. So, if you were the producer which mix would you want? The one that the majority of buyers will prefer because of the chosen means of listening, or the 0.01% of us that care more?
If I were the producer and getting points on sales, I'll sell the lower SQ version that will hopefully increase sales and laugh all the way to the bank.

Perhaps, for artists that also care about their work's SQ, we may see 24/192 versions available for download in addition to the usual versions. Maybe.
 
Beck's album "The Information" was the best/worst example of the compression war I've ever come across. Too bad its pretty good otherwise. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL-lKik2cD0

I tried to get his track "movie theme" to match the rest of my mix. I had to lower the tracks whole average level by 15 dB using pro editing software.


I think it's the producer who is responsible as most artist's don't really have an input (power politics).
 
just think back when

They had half speed master records for the tru audiphile back then, but now they will have to come up remastered cds. It is ironic to think we were suppose to be moving ahead in technology to get better sound, but now it is worse. I guess we will have to start our own cd company for the true music lovers.

Ok now who has the biggest garage here and the best speakers to set up our own recording studio. It is time for a rebellion against these ipod gooks. If they want loud let us blast them with a bunch piezo tweeters and see how they like that music. LOL
 
Re: another engineering masterpiece

gainphile said:
That's why I'm a fan of Direct-to-Disc mastering, ripped at 24/96kHz .... :D

Not a guarantee of good dynamic range depends on when/if it was compressed. Once it's done (compression) it's done.

mcmahon48 said:
Pink Floyd Darkside of the moon cd when it was remixed for cd where all the alarm clocks going off and the depth after that

That's the scary thing with the back catalogs being "digitally remixed" and re-released. New and improved for the Ipod generation.:bawling:
 
strange my radio music is not bad But

The music is from cds from the 70,s 80s, 90s, maybe not as dynamic as original cds, for I like classical to hard rock and have not found to many new artist to be very good anyways. I have to listen to the Jonahs brother at work over and over, just a bunch of noise. You cant tell any more who really knows how to play a guitar. Like when you hear Boston's first album or Fleetwood Mac rumors. I think they turned the engineers into a bunch of trained monkeys, just to do what they are told.

Too bad there is not a bunch of people returning the cds and saying they are defective.
 
Interesting, I had just assumed that new artists were all hype without any actual skill. Perhaps they are in fact talented but with all of the loss of detail in the mastering process, they sound like just another noisy fatiguing band.

IMO, Ipods can be a good device if used properly. With a 60GB ipod, you can fit plenty of lossless tracks. Pair this with decent headphones and you are doing ok. It makes an excellent mobile music device. and it sure beats carrying a crate of vinyl.
 
Perhaps a few suggestions from all of us? A couple of modern recordings that aren't "stepped on"- She by Harry Connick and The Magic Hour by Wynton Marsalis Quartet. A couple of well recorded rock albums- Clutch's self titled and Aftertaste by Helmet.

Yep, I'd say smaller labels with smaller bands are a good place to start. Get the bands before their contracts bring in higher paid producers. The newer albums by Clutch and Helmet (among countless others) are full of good music but intollerable to listen to.

I've got a small-time producer buddy who is very competant and very experienced. He says that most times when the band listens to the final mix, they either go ballistic over how quiet it is and demand he fixes it or they smile smugly and take the original tracks to a producer who "knows what he's doing"...
 
Status
This old topic is closed. If you want to reopen this topic, contact a moderator using the "Report Post" button.