Hey there. So in order to discuss what I have in mind we first have to consider following:

Statements (at least how I imagine them) divide into two categories: those that appear to be personal, and those that appear to be universal. But is some group of people homogenous enough to be called a single personality (how a gang or a state speaks for itself through the language of rules or laws), and, isn't the word "universe" inexplicitly suggesting us that all things have one single beginning? And what if, in reality, we rather live in a "biverse" or "biversum" (in a sense that things are always "this" or "that" at the same time, simultaneously)?

That's why when we read researches, authors usually start in a form of a "bias check" of some kind, in order to present themselves and way in which their unique perspective on reality may influence what are they saying.

I am 26 now, and I am from the Eastern Europe. I still live with my parents, because my hobbies doesen't get any money (Yet), and my physical qualities don't let me to do the 'regular job'.

After the beginning of a new stage of Russian crisis, I began to realize that my life's been cursed, but that's probably theme of another topic.

For a long time now I've been thinking of myself as a sort of 'jack-of-all-trades" (and a master of none), but keep in mind that with an infinite access to YouTube basically anyony could call himself that.

My interest in music mixing exists mainly because I make something that may or may not be called a 'music', so, having little hope that someone may be actually interested in helping me delivering my 'musical message' (or that I ever will have enough money to pay for a good production), I started learning this and that, not unsimilarly of how peasants built their own shacks (what a DIY-hipsters, eh!)

I want to start with the statement that music nowadays is a very unprestigious line of work, when compared to other entertainment sectors. F.e., if we try to take cinema or videogames, there are always some really talented people in the avant-garde, that are both popular and on the edge of the 'current thing'. Contrary, music seriosuly degraded during the punk-revolution of the late 70's and the following 'new wave'. Now there aren't really any avant-garde music, the whole sector is radically devided into genres, hobby clubs, and scenes. There is NOTHING happening in the music, that every conscious person really has to hear, in order to reactualize their own meaning of life, so to say.

Classical music is for old people, and it doesen't have the capacity to sustain itself, because its really hard, and we (As humanity) are getting really stupid en masse.

Rap is utterly anti-intellectual (and this is a consequence of punk-revolution, which protested against the complexity of form in progressive rock, in order to make music dance'able again), and in the best case (Kendrick Lamar or whatever) - it is just a third-rate speculation on some literary themes.

Rock is non-existent since seventies. All stuff we call 'rock' after the year 1975, doesen't have any relation to it, because rock was a specific historical event, a certain practice of communication between the musician and the audience. Metal, which is a derivative from punk, on the other hand, is made for the deaf people. Metal has its groove, yes, but not more than that.

EDM... well, if you like drugs, or if you don't even need em to be high... Then this text is probably not for you.

Now, I don't want you to think that I am an esoteric of some kind, or even a luddhist. Things that've happened to music probably had their reasons, namely - the sophistication of reality itself, and inability to 'describe the reality' with music.

So, in this situation of a real decadence of music, we are faced with countless (!!!) videos and courses about mixing, mastering, sound design, music business stragegies etc etc.

While music itself has shrinked into a mere soundtrack for people doing whatever they are doing (in contrast to communicational function, when music is used to transfer ideas), its production techniques developement isn't stopping, and my guess is that we're just trying to make the music more pleasing, we're investigating new methods of delivering all kinds of eargasms to ourselves.

Meanwhile, there is a whole discussion in the 'art spheres', concerning the question of whether the art should please the audience, or interact with it in some... other way; the question of authenticity, in other words.

Paul Virilio said that camera becamse a 'prosthesis' to a human eye, in a sense that we can see further, see many things at once, but also that we can endure a sight of something we couldn't with our bare eyes (like a snuff video). So a camera is a tool for 'alienated vision'. We photograph ourselves and our environment in order to see it differently, as a practice of self-knowledge.

Let's try while keeping that in mind ask ourselves following: can a good song be badly mixed? Can a bad song be mixed well? What is a bad song at all? Are 16th century madrigals a bad songs? Is new Miley Cyrus hit a bad song?

Ok, we may have specific guide-lines, different for classical music and a modern one. And that's where we can see that pop-music, while being inferior in basically everything except its 'pleasing' capability, in reality is extremely sophisticated when we talk from a technicians perspective! You see, the whole nature of 'pop-music' is a constant fusion of the most recognizable tunes and cliches from all genres, in order to keep the audiences attention drawn. How can you make a guideline for that, huh?? You obviously can't, and a proper pop-producers intellectual qualities must be not afar from those working in computer science...

That's where pop-music and something that's completely opposite to it (let's call it 'DIY-music') finally meet together, since the goal for the artist in both cases is to deliver something yet unheard

But their ways of achieving that, I suggest, must still be completely opposite. And that's where the 'non-mixing' concept finally appears.

Of course the most straightforward way to overcome the 'chosen one' obsession would be to practice a 'non-music' approach, giving up the idea of making music at all. But we humans aren't really rational beings, aren't we??

The 'non-mixing' is something complete amateurs do, before they actually drown in the tide of countless plugin reviews and mixing techniques. 'Non-mixing' is the way of actual swimming without knowing how to!

Of course the 'non-mixing' must never be confused with the 'anti-mixing' (which is just a bad mixing) - overencumbering music with compressors, saturators and soundgoodizers. 'Non-mixing' is something real pro's do, being able with just a bare touch make music from 'OK' sounding into a real masterpiece.

Just a simple touch.

How is it achieved? Let's discuss, I won't be able to find out withour your help.

 

Last edited: Dec 14, 2024 at 9:50 PM

To limit the daily flood of information, I recommend that you turn off your TV and smartphone for a longer period of time. Instead, read a few books, learn an instrument and go out into nature. Everyone sees reality through their own glasses.

Invite a few friends to a campfire in nature, leave your cell phone at home and write a song together which you can then sing together. Everyone should bring a household appliance such as a cooking pot or a washboard that you can use to make music.
All of this without electricity, it will be great fun and a great experience for everyone.

 

Last edited: Dec 14, 2024 at 6:42 PM

That's very Fosteresic.

 

"Real pros" work with other real pros who worked with other real pros who learned from other real pros etc...

They developed a personal taste trying different sound and techniques and experimented themself what pleased or not pleased the ear throughout the years.

It happens that what pleases one ear often pleases others ears too and that gives birth to the development of certain musical styles and techniques that in the case of mixing we can describe them as sounding like pros.

For pros is easy because the simply know what to do or not do when mixing and they work with people who know what to do when tracking, arranging etc... Those bare touches are the only thing needed but it takes time to learn what you need (or don't) in mixing just like every other thing in life.

When you really master your job you simplify as much as you can what you previously did with many passages and that could be called "non-mixing" but in reality that is the "proper mixing", whatever that means.

 

By creating a space around from real reflective space isolated instruments and spreading them in this created space.

 

Luddhite fans of René Guénon love to invite everyone to "the forest passage", thus escaping from the "cruel modernity". But I wonder, - have neanderthals too, at some point, tried to 'preserve the neanderthality/neanderthaliness' by doing all these undoubdetly nice little things you suggested me to do?

 

You must first prove to me that you exist before I engage.

 

...that's what she said!