Torched Laughter Studio Diary: Mixing Day 3

Mixing didn’t go so well because I’m not thrilled with the current reverbs I have. The ones I do have are good for providing space for a lot of tracks, but not very good for solo instruments or sparser environments. They’re too fake sounding. While reverb in itself is fake creating fake ambience, I would like to find a find one that at least simulates a medium-sized room well.

 

Plus, I really wasn’t in the mood to mix. It’s one of those things (like recording) where if you are not focused, you’re kind of doomed. The onus is on me to solve the technical problems. If I was a solely an old school producer and had an engineer in my employ, my mood wouldn’t really matter. I could yell and yell at the guy until it sounded correct. All I would have to do is listen and mercilessly criticize until I felt it was acceptable. Oh how I long to be in that state where I can bask in self-importance and make others feel awful. (Though those close to me may argue that this is a reality now)

 

Example now: Since the reverbs I have aren’t what I need for this project, I need to go hunting for a Convolution-based reverb and dip into my budget. If I was an old school producer, the scenario would go like this:

 

(Me is played by a cute little me with red demonic eyes)

 (Engineer is played by late 80’s hockey player Tim Kerr)

 

We need a convolution-based reverb for this track

 Ok. But I don’t have one here.

 You’re an engineer and don’t have one in your sonic repertoire? GET ONE NOW INGRATE!

SIR! YES SIR!

 

 

THAT’S RIGHT. MY HAND IS STRONG BOY.

 

See? Nice and easy. I can sit back in a leather couch, and just THINK. Think important things until the engineer (or his intern) comes back with the reverb. And look brooding. A girl who doesn’t talk and devoid of interpersonal skills will massage my shoulders.

 

I can wear vibrant feathery plumes, use a cane wherever I go and tell brilliant overqualified audio specialists how everything should sound. Then they can curse my name behind my back and blog about my incompetence and arrogance at their secret audio messageboards. They’ll make nasty audio technical jokes like `If he reduced the volume of his voice by -72db he’d sound fantastic!’ They’ll LOL, but it will be typed angrily.

 

But alas, this is not my reality. But I can dream. I will be testing out the reverb this weekend while traveling

~ by ikonowerk on June 7, 2008.