Hey everyone, why do most mixing engineers like to mix music in regular rooms like bedrooms?

 

Last edited by a moderator: Aug 28, 2024

In the voice of David Attenborough: Here, in the kingdom of pillows thrives one peculiar creature: the mixing engineer. Amidst webs of cables and stacks of 500 series modules, the mixing engineer has found a sanctuary of solitude and, allegedly, creativity.

 

I'm not convinced of your premise, really.

 

Less treating of the walls a square room has less things for the sound waves to bounce off of and it’s good to mix in mono to prevent said sound waves from going everywhere

 

Most hobbyists mix in bedrooms because they can't afford a dedicated studio space.
Most professionals don't mix in their bedroom. Do you have any evidence supporting your claim or just hearsay?

 

Square room is the worst for monitoring, at least make it rectangular

 

If the question was about another room like a bathroom, would make it interesting. As it is now and in bold the answer is, they don't. Noobs.

 

"Noobs."

Boobs....LOL!!

 

I disagree with your premise.

They don't.

You can.

And I have.

It's not impossible.

But it's not ideal to be fighting different sonic obstacles when you are decision making.

 

True. I know a lot of people that prefer mixing in a dedicated space for this, because of their family, neighbours, better for meeting strangers than your home, or just because it's a spaced built for that task and no distraction at all. I mean, i'm not taking in consideration acoustic treatment and things like that because there are treated bedrooms and this is kind of a primary issue for pros.

But there are also people that prefer mixing in their homes and i can think of Dan Worrall, Leslie Brathwaite or Finneas. Why?

 

"I have a mastering facility in my house" is not the same as "I master in my bedroom."
For most professionals anyway.

And the "why" is so I can work without leaving my house and I don't pay rent on a facility. That's why I had a studio my house for many years.

 

Last edited: Aug 27, 2024

I don't mix in my bedroom.
It's too dark and I can't properly see the music.
Much prefer my bright living room

 

Yup, mono sound doesn't go anywhere. Mono devours itself before reflecting off surfaces and akin to a snake eating it's own tail! I'm surprised one can even hear a signal out of a single speaker.

 

Michael Brauer mixes in a room the size of a normal home bedroom. Maybe he had a "room inside the room" built, but no mention of that in the one video of him talking about moving from Electric Lady studio in NYC to his house. (and going ITB) during Covid. The #1 reason he cited, was money. He probably just has to deal with the sounds reflecting off all the gold records now.

Also, they are not recording anything and in a "real studio" there is always something going on, and an hourly rate is ticking away. A nice big empty room like you see in Luca Pretolisi videos would let you focus on your work. A couch for absorption, and maybe a quick break. What else should be in a room built only for mixing? You can negate nearly all aspects of a bad room with a really great pair of headphones for $1000 or less.

 

Last edited: Aug 27, 2024

Never saw anyone do this, all projects I worked on were recorded and mixed in studio control rooms, never saw any bedrooms in any recording studio except for the lounge area which only had sofas, TV's and coffee tables.
A friend had a small studio built in his basement that was half the size of his house with a lot of studio hardware a 32 channel mixer for recording and mixing small sessions.
Home PC mixing in your bedroom is not practical at all with limited space and hardly any equipment needed for serious work you really need a dedicated well equipped space where you won't disturb anyone, you can't do this in a bedroom.

 

I was an engineer here in Nashville for many years and worked exclusively in professional studios until technology shifted so many projects to home studios and remote sessions. I miss the days of a rhythm section, horns, strings, etc. showing up and playing music live.

I don't know anyone who ever mixed in professional studios and now prefers mixing in a bedroom. I would guess that the younger generation of people who have grown up only mixing in a bedroom are probably the only ones who are more comfortable doing it that way.

The key to me is mixing in the same environment and knowing the room. It took me a long time to get used to doing mixes in a bedroom. I was pretty spoiled by working in some of the best control rooms in Nashville. But if you have good ears, you can figure it out and make it work. Some of the best sounding things I've ever mixed were done in a spare bedroom with heavy blankets on the walls and a closet full of clothes serving as a vocal booth. And that was before all the tools engineers have now to digitally clean up noise and reflections. But I would never say I preferred mixing in a bedroom. I far preferred showing up to a professional recording studio and doing it that way. It's just that the economics of the recording industry make that an incredibly rare luxury these days.

 

This is simply a shift from an "Employee" mentality to that of a "Independent Contractor" mentality. You can go fishing on the nicest yacht in the world and still be a deckhand, doing all the dirty work for a tiny fraction of the money your work is generating. If given the option, most people would prefer to work on their own boat; if not all. Make your own schedule, take only the work you want, and the only boss to ever answer to is the customer. Not only this, but you can have whatever portion of your house that you use for work be a tax write off; plus all the other things which you buy and use for "your business", which you certainly can not do as an employee of someone else's business.

The original question is not about guys doing recording, or even producing. It's about these guys doing nothing but mixing. Even if you want to use hardware, they can still fit the majority of that into a (slightly big) desk. The answer is simple. It is money.

 

Maybe you guys know the answer....My new bedroom in the apartment we're renting is 14' x 20'. We have a queen sized bed, and my question is, should I put my mixing desk and monitors on the short wall or the long?

 

They don't. Most people here do yes, but professional mixing engineers use professional recording studios.