Tuite wrote:Your getting me wrong guys! I DO use my ears. I`m not worried about clipping at all, I turn up the gain until the signal is as hot as possible on the meter (close to 0), if its a vocal or kick or bass etc. it will be compressed too so its not goin to clip! Then I use the faders to mix. these are not "rules", more like guidelines. I like to raise the bass to the kick and then use my ears to see if it sounds right and for EQ etc. Of course I use my ears but is it not WAY easier when you have meters too?

i am absolutely baffled by this thread. when i am soundchecking, i try to match the gains on every channel so they all peak around 0dB, then make my adjustments with the faders (i thought that was how EVERYONE did it!), giving me a nice balanced mix.

Tuite wrote:Would it be acceptable to mix a band like Aerosmith or Bon Jovi or Pink etc. without meters?

elisha wiesner wrote:i've done lot's of live sound and really never look at the meters other than to see if i'm clipping. a lot of clubs have boards that don't have them.

scott wrote:all those rules you have about what instrument should be the same level as some other instrument, and how many dB louder or softer something must be... these are really crazy, to me. ears, not rules. if you are not mixing with your ears, you should not be mixing, someone else should. with their ears.

channel strips generally have a peak light. you should also be able to *hear* if clipping is occurring. there is no need for even one single meter.

if you're not using your ears, I'm sorry to say your mixes almost definitely sound bad.

USE YOUR EARS

terry manning wrote:About five years ago, I was mixing an album here at Compass Point for Capitol Records. I was in our Studio B, on an SSL 4048. The group's material was totally unknown to me, and I would only hear each song for the first time just as we started to mix each one.

The producer (and engineer) of the material was an acquaintance whom I had known for some time; he was also an excellent studio musician, and an actual member of this group. Because he was an engineer and producer as well as I, with his own 24 track studio, we would often discuss various aspects of tracking, mixing and production; one day while we were talking about mixing, I made certain comments about the way I approached a mix, which my friend found to be slightly off base relative to the way he approached that task. One thing led to another, and before long, for whatever reason, I had made several statements which he believed to be exaggerations. So I went even a bit further, and stated to him that I was so well practiced in mixing, having done so many for so long, that I didn't even need to hear the song to get a decent mix. When he snorted that this was ridiculous, how could this be possible, I said I could tell what to do by just looking at the meters, and that I could do it in a mere fifteen minutes! (Of course I was exaggerating by this time, to try to push him a bit over the edge.) But he took it to heart, and was outraged at the thought that I, or anyone, could properly mix without hearing what one was doing.

Well, having gone this far into the absurd conversation, I couldn't back down. He insisted that I take back what I had said, or prove it; he made a bet with me that it was impossible.

So I had no choice but to follow through. I told him to pick any song he wanted to, of the ones still left to mix. He knew full well that I had not heard these songs in any form before. We disconnected all monitor speakers and had them removed from the room. All track charts were likewise taken away.

I promised that I would perform a decent mix, with levels and panning properly placed, and equalisation, compression, and reverb alloted where needed to the correct instruments or vocals in a reasonable manner; I was to record this mix to a Dat tape for playback. I did insist that he leave the room so as not to distract me; TOTAL CONCENTRATION was going to be required! So our technician and assistant engineer, Osie Bowe, was stationed in the room to police the situation, to make sure that I did not cheat in any way (such as by using headphones). Since everyone trusts Osie, this was totally acceptable to him. Of course, by now word had spread, and the whole band was anxiously awaiting the outcome.

The clock was started, and off I went. (It was only later that I found out that he had purposely chosen a song which he felt was different than any other on the album, and on which the tracking [what sound was on what track] was different than any I had previously mixed for them. Using the meters only, I deduced what instruments or vocals were what, and placed levels and panning according to what I thought they might be. I added reverb to certain things, as well as a bit of EQ and compression. I did level changes based on what the meters told me, and what section of the song I thought we were in. I was ready to "go to tape" in just under 12 minutes, which was a good thing, as the song was just over 3 minutes long. The final chord went to tape exactly at the fifteen minute mark, as I carefully lowered the master fader for a smooth ending (I hoped!) Oh, I also had made a total recall save.

Everyone filed in to hear the results. The Genelec monitors were returned, and the tape replay chosen on the monitor matrix. Then for the first time, I heard the actual song I had just mixed! Fortunately, so did everyone else. Because after one listen, we made about two tiny changes, and printed it to 1/2' so we could go on to the next song.

I still have that DAT.