I’m currently mixing a project and was wondering which methods were primarily preferred by the "normal" audio listener as opposed to an audiophile or "elitist"...

So the question is when mixing drums, do we like audience perspective or musician perspective?

I've noticed that most commercial recordings are mixed in audience perspective but I couldn't imagine air drumming along to something mixed in such fashion.

Suggestions please.

Audience perspective is the norm. Absolutely.

But I personally can't stand it. As a drummer I find it totally distracting. I usually talk to the band that I'm recording and find out which they prefer but if it were up to me it would be drummer's perspective, always.

noise&light wrote:Audience perspective is the norm. Absolutely.

But I personally can't stand it. As a drummer I find it totally distracting. I usually talk to the band that I'm recording and find out which they prefer but if it were up to me it would be drummer's perspective, always.

i agree whole heartedly! thanks for responding!

Maybe I'm not getting the thrust of what you guys are saying here, but when I mix it is from the audience's perspective. I would most definitely not want the mix to represent what the drummer alone hears, balance-wise...I like the sound of the front of the kit much better than the sound of the snare punching me in the face.

rayj wrote:Maybe I'm not getting the thrust of what you guys are saying here, but when I mix it is from the audience's perspective. I would most definitely not want the mix to represent what the drummer alone hears, balance-wise...I like the sound of the front of the kit much better than the sound of the snare punching me in the face.

I'm talking specifically about Left to Right vs. Right to Left and not about the balance of the drums within the overall kit.

I let the band decide.

I think there was another thread about mixing drums from the drummer's perspective vs. "audience" perspective.

When I started recording, I always mixed from the drummer's perspective, especially because I was the guy playing drums.

But I was mixing a record a few weeks ago and somehow had the left/right connections of my monitors mixed up. I ended up mixing the drums from the audience's perspective. It seemed to work just fine.

So, in short, I guess it doesn't matter as long as it sounds good to you. Or the band.

Or just go mono.

noir deuil wrote:which methods were primarily preferred by the "normal" audio listener ...

The "normal" end consumer listens to nothing, save maybe sections of the vocals.

How do you think Jet keeps selling records?

That being said, I've always mixed drums from the musician's perspective, mainly because I'm a musician, and the people I record are (usually) musicians as well. I usually mix guitars from the audience perspective, though. Go figure.

However, after mixing the music for record I'm working on now I am definitely pro-mono drums. Try it - hear how the guitars suddenly jump out of the speakers and into the room.

noise&light wrote:

rayj wrote:Maybe I'm not getting the thrust of what you guys are saying here, but when I mix it is from the audience's perspective. I would most definitely not want the mix to represent what the drummer alone hears, balance-wise...I like the sound of the front of the kit much better than the sound of the snare punching me in the face.

I'm talking specifically about Left to Right vs. Right to Left and not about the balance of the drums within the overall kit.

Oh, gotcha.

The few times I have recorded someone else's stuff, I start by mixing how I see them when they are playing together (I don't usually use iso rooms, except for extra amps/gimmicky stuff). Audience perspective, you would say. Just because it's easier to remember where the drum mics want to see the amps' bleed...not that I usually keep them 'there'...

Actually, is this a good practice? I just assumed so, but it might be cooler to have the direct sound L with the room bleed balanced R...Hmm...

Now I don't know.

Yeah, the other thread is right here. Drummer's perspective. Can't stand when it's switched around. If my client wants them the other way around of course I'll do it. But man, I can't stand that crap.