The Mixing Process

I had been paying attention to the mixes of albums and groups I really liked for many years. All of them had common elements which I had determined was what I really liked about them...and I wanted this album to reflect those common elements as much as possible. I found out once I started the mixing process that knowing what I wanted to hear...and being able to "pull" that out of basic "dry" recordings were two very different things. Mixing is an art. It takes a lot of practice, working with many different tools and technologies, in many different situations, before one is able to "dial up" a finished product that accurately reflects a creative vision. Sometimes just the selection of a different microphone during the recording phase and how or where that mic is placed can make an incredible difference in one's ability to manipulate a recording during the mixing process in order to achieve a desired result. Since I was learning how to produce and mix my music as I went along...a lot of this became clear to me only after the recording phase was finished...and so there were many things that I had hoped I'd be able to do during the mixing process that I discovered I couldn't do...because I had made some errors in mic selection or placement during the recording phase. The albums that I was hoping to emulate had been produced by Glyn Johns, Bill Szymczyk, and "Mutt" Lange...whom I considered the three best record producers in rock music. Regardless of the groups these producers worked with...the end products always sounded the way I always thought rock albums should sound like. I loved the mixes they created, and the clarity, power, and presence of the music on the albums they were involved with. They obviously knew exactly which mics to use, where to place them, how to EQ them, and how to use compressors, digital delays, flangers, and all the other tools available in recording studios to enhance the sound of a recording to achieve that killer end result. And I'm sure that they learned that over many years, through trial and error, and through associations with other producers and engineers who were able to pass along trade secrets to them to help them become the masters they are. They also had the benefit of being able to record in the best and most expensive state-of-the-art studios in the world...with unlimited choice of microphones, recorders, mixing consoles, effects processors,and any other tools they might require...to go along with that wealth of experience. But I, on the other hand, had a limited budget, no real experience, no trade secrets that had been shared with me, and a relatively small and limited studio in East Hartford, Conn. to work with. I set my sights high...knowing that I would inevitably fall short of my goal...but at least I knew exactly what I was shooting for. That was very important, and very helpful, I think, because so many groups go into the studio with no model to work from, no clear goal in mind, other than the hope that they can get a "good sounding recording." What I knew for sure, from listening to all those albums was....that the drums and vocals were always the loudest and clearest things on the mix....that the seperation of instruments in the mix is crucial.....that effects should be, for the most part, subtle, and almost unnoticeable...and when they are noticeable...they should be dazzling, but should still sound natural and real......that every note of music from every instrument should always be clearly audible at all times....and whatever is  supposed to be the focus point, whether it be a vocal part or a guitar solo should always be easy to hear, without being overbearing.....and that changes in levels on any track should be undetectable, but precise.....and when everything is done right, the final product should almost make it seem like the band is playing right there in the room with the listener. 

That was the model I started with, and the goal I was shooting for...and what I found out was...that doing that is much more difficult to accomplish than I had ever imagined. The more time I spent in the studio, the more I realized how little experience I really had...and I found myself wishing I could spend the next few years of my life in there...learning all that I could about the process. Since that was a complete fantasy, and I knew it...I decided that the best thing I could do was...to just do the very best I could do with what I had to work with...and learn as much as I could from the opportunity that was in front of me...but as I started the process...I really wished I had gotten the chance to meet Tony Oteda...and had gotten the chance to record in that new studio he had built for Foghat...