[Edit - The Beatles have been mentioned several times in the comments on my "LCR Mixing Sucks" post, and I was reminded of this post from way back - if you haven't already watched the video, I strongly recommend it !]
I’ve already labelledGeorge Martin as a “god-like-genius” amongst producers – although, after watching Elizabeth Gilbert’s inspiring TED talk on nurturing creativity, perhaps I should use different terminology…
Either way, his work with the Beatles means that over 30 years later he is still regarded by many as the ultimaterecord producer. A musician, engineer and inspirational collaborator, without whom the Beatles’ music would have been unrecognisable, and – in my opinion – nowhere near as fascinating, important or influential.
This post will tell you everything you need to know about mixing.
OK, not really. If that was possible there would be no need for this site ! In fact, it won’t even scratch the surface of everything there is to say about music and audio mixing – but it willtell you ten fundamental rules that – if you follow them – will enable you to make your mixes sound better and achieve the best possible results from your music and audio productions, every time.
But before I get to the rules, I want to point out a few things that DON’T matter. At least, no-where near as much as the things on the list. These things which are NOT important to achieving a great mix are:
People loved this when I posted it on Twitter, and I thought it was well worth putting it up here, too.
If you think you put loads of effort into your recording and mixing – watch this, and think again ! Brings new meaning to the phrase “playing the studio”. No extra commentary is needed from me, I don’t want to spoil the fun – enjoy.
This is an enjoyable short film about the making of Amon Tobin’s excellent Foley Room – a great album which you may already know about. If not, I strongly recommend it.
I talk a lot about classic albums, recording live instruments and ¨real, natural sound¨ on Production Advice, mainly because in this time of virtual instruments and laptop recording studios I think it’s becoming something of a lost art that needs highlighting.
BUT I have always had a passion for electronic and dance music – Jean Michel Jarre’s ‘Oxygene’ was the second tape ever played in my Sanyo personal cassette player (I couldn’t afford a Walkman !) and it would be hard to overstate the importance of Orbital in my music collection – to pick just two examples.
(What was the first tape ever played in my Walkman ? It’s too embarrassing to reveal in public, but ask me on Twitter and I’ll DM you the answer :-p )
So, do you see what I’ve done here ? This video is:
About a classic piece of music
A little Christmassy (Although “Do They Know It’s Christmas Time” has to be one of the least Christmassy tunes ever)
About recording and production (At least, it includes some footage of people in SARM studios)
Thought-provoking (I think), and
Includes loads of footage of eighties pop stars with ridiculous haircuts !
I’m feeling quite smug
More seriously though, I was really pleased to find this. Band Aid and Live Aid had huge impact on me when I was growing up – I believe the idea of pop music being used selflessly for the good of others is an inspirational one, regardless of how effective they were at achieving their goals with hindsight. There are many people who are cynical about this kind of thing – I’m not one of them.
"Everything you have advised us on has been invaluable... We learnt a hell of a lot from those two emails. We will absolutely be in touch regarding future mixes"
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