This was not the main point of Kenny's explanations in the video.
In music production, the mixing process is often given to much value.
This is not meant to diminish the value of mixing - on the contrary.
Nevertheless, the primary focus should be on getting the best out of each previous work phase.

The attitude "We'll fix it in the mix" is unfortunately a widespread but counterproductive approach, especially among beginners and hobbyists. This is often because they don't know that many aspects they postpone to the mixing phase should actually be addressed in earlier stages.
In fact, many of the problems one tries to solve during mixing actually originate in earlier phases and should ideally be addressed right there. This is usually not only way more efficient but often leads to significantly better results.

If the snare sounds like shit and clashes with the hihat, we as mixing engineers can fix that to a certain extent. But maybe you should think about why the snare sounds like shit and clashes with the hihats beforehand and start right there. The result will certainly sound better.

Or let's consider the treatment of vocal esses as an example!
Of course, you can de-ess vocals in the mix or - to some extent- even during mastering.
Mixing and mastering engineers do this daily. However, this is not the first and often not the optimal approach.
And - here I expressly disagree with you - there is definitely a hierarchy:

0. Writing: Yes, it all starts here!
1. Performance: The vocalist can optimize their pronunciation.
2. Room acoustics: Investments in room acoustics can reduce resonances in problematic frequency ranges.
3. Recording: Adjusted microphone placement can minimize esses during recording.
4. Editing: Esses can be manually edited.
5. Production: In most genres, there's a production step before the actual mixing where vocals are processed.

Depending on the genre, there are five to six phases available to treat esses before they even reach the mixing engineer. The earlier in this process the problem is addressed, the better the end result. Sounds like a hierarchy to me!

In practice, I often encounter similar situations.
Occasionally, I receive requests for mixing jobs where the production step has been completely skipped.

A funny example was a client who considered production and mixing to be identical.
The project presented itself as an unstructured collection of mismatched samples and instrument presets. Most of the instruments played through the whole song.
In many places, too many instruments played exactly the same thing (even in the same octave), which led to a mess. The electric guitars were only given as clean DI tracks. It lacked sound design, a balanced arrangement, and a coherent sound concept for the song. The client assumed that it was the mixing engineer's job to compensate for any deficiencies in all these areas.

I explained to him that while I could theoretically address all these issues, it would
A) involve considerable costs for him and
B) he would most likely be more satisfied with the end result if he first invested more creativity and work into his project himself.

Don't confuse mixing with producing. Recording engineers and producers also make use of tools such as EQs, compressors, delays, reverbs, etc. This is not a new phenomenon.

Of course, if it is necessary to put on a different hat here and there because the client lacks the skills for something, then I do that at the client's request, but my role as a mixing engineer is not to do the artists or producers work.

It's about correcting existing issues and building on an already existing vision of the artist to bring it to its full potential. To enhance what is already there. Each phase of the production process has its own significance and value. And the mixing phase is simply given too much importance.

 

Last edited: Aug 26, 2024

monetization of you. Each click brings you more shit just like what you clicked on, to trap you in a loop of your self interest until all your time is wasted watching, not doing, not living. just youtube zombies
blaze up and blaze your own path. No one on their death bed ever said, "I wished I spent more time watching Youtube Videos"...

 

Mixing is very important when making bake goods, otherwise its just a mess. Also for pizza dough.
If making Pesto, the oil and basil have to be totally mixed, then add the garlic and pine nuts or walnuts or even pecans.

When painting fences, the paint must be thouroghly mixed, as the pigment has a tendency to settle out of the carrier, a good paint mixer even a drill operated one is essential to a proper finished product.

Salad, you cant really have a decent salad if you don't mix the ingredients well. Always add some sliced tomato sprinkled with seasoned salt and dried basil as a garnish on top after the salad is mixed, its a meal for your eyes as well as your stomach.

When writing a song, you really have to mix up the chords a bit or lose your listeners, and a bored writer can't make an interesting song, so do it for yourself as well.

When responding to topics in internet forums try to mix in something the reader is unlikely to know as it will draw in their interest, and help them respond with little known facts that they have picked up, making it a real human conversation, not a bot fest, and resonating understanding and bonding between people as they realize we have far more in common than the machine will let us know.

in summation, Mixing is essential to all human activities and thoughts...

Mixing...... don't leave home without it....

 

saw the title at sisters site was ready to come in gun blazing lol but mixing should be after thought when in production stage. looping section 1000 times will change perspective....