Discuss the various methods you use in music production, from compressor settings to equipment type.
By J-MURDA Mon Jun 07, 2004 8:50 pm
I was just wondering if yall just make the beat then sell to the buyer as is and let him take it to the studio and worry bout having the engineer there mix it, compress it etc...or do you do it all ?
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By Iceberg-Slim Tue Jun 08, 2004 1:16 am
depends on your skills, and the artist, also the money involved
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By cyrus Thu Jun 17, 2004 5:52 am
Iceberg-Slim wrote:depends on your skills, and the artist, also the money involved


id take the time to do it myself......or take it in to get mastered.

half my beats that others use, they take it straight to thier performance cds. To me, its kind of embarising if its not mixed right, or bangin how id like. ITs a personal thing, id notice all the flaws and couldnt enjoy it, unless it was deemed "finished" and that means taking it to a studio for final touches.

so why would i let someone else bump it with wack mixing? someone else may notice and say something and ruin your name. The average person does not realize, "oh, this isnt banging yet, it needs to be mastered" no....the say "oh, that isnt as good as dr.dre's" ya know?

peace

By Concertmate Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:00 am
It's the same as releasing a pumpin track of your own. - You wouldn't hand it out and tell your buyers to mix it themselves.

You want to release something that is pumpin so ya mix and master it the best ya can - that way the user doesn't have to worry bout that and just make da music. (Not that I sell beats)
By Teh-Wei Fri Jun 18, 2004 6:07 am
J-MURDA wrote:I was just wondering if yall just make the beat then sell to the buyer as is and let him take it to the studio and worry bout having the engineer there mix it, compress it etc...or do you do it all ?


I mix it, you gotta have it sound the way you intended to. I try to go to the studio wit em. that way you have more control, cut thangs in and out
to fit the vox, make it a song. I know when I make a beat, I already have an idea of how many bars the verses are gon be and where a breakdown
should be.

By mpire45 Sat Jun 19, 2004 4:17 am
Most times it's best to take it to the studio to get it tracked...And, be active in the mixing session at the studio.

I've had cats bring their instrumentals to my studio already "mixed". Some cats can do it right, but most can't. Their mixes are either bass heavy or bass light (due to their listening enviroment), lack depth (due to lack of proper panning and poor use of spatial effects), and over normalized or hard limited (PLEASE, put the plugins down). Also, you may have to shift certain frequencies in the instrumental once the vocal is added...You can't do that if the track is already "mixed".

Let your tracks excel with the help of an experienced engineer...You may learn a thing or two...In time, those skills will help propel you from "beat maker" to true Producer.

45/Vaughan

PS. To many of the DIY producers, please don't take offense...I want ya'll to learn in order to keep the art progressin'.

By J-MURDA Sat Jun 19, 2004 10:03 am
Yeah thats exactly the reason i wanted to take my mpc and keyboards down to the studio. Let the engineers worry bout the mix while i concentrate on beat makin.

By mpire45 Sun Jun 20, 2004 2:43 am
Yeah thats exactly the reason i wanted to take my mpc and keyboards down to the studio. Let the engineers worry bout the mix while i concentrate on beat makin.


Exactly, let everybody play their position...the music will benefit. Make sure that you're present during the tracking AND the mixing.; you'll learn alot and your music will sound alot better.

By Frankly Mon Jun 21, 2004 10:18 pm
Word Mpire45, that's the truth you speak. I tried saying this before on these forums, but was shot down. Probably wouldn't have if I was as eloquent. The DIY attitude will only get you so far.

By mpire45 Mon Jun 21, 2004 11:43 pm
Word Mpire45, that's the truth you speak. I tried saying this before on these forums, but was shot down. Probably wouldn't have if I was as eloquent. The DIY attitude will only get you so far.


I'm glad my words and experience are appreciated. I'm just trying to help the youngsters...LOL
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By scizz Tue Jun 22, 2004 6:36 am
that's laziness, anyone can make a beat, ur only 1/2 a producer if u dont at least mix ur song (if mastering is out of the queston). But if that's all ur capable of than maybe that's what's best for u but dont go tellin"youngstas" to do that.
IGNORANCE and LAZINESS.
only thru hard work and patience will anyone make a slammin track
" let everybody play their position"
EXACTLY
play ur position. it's ur music not the engineer's.

peace

By Frankly Tue Jun 22, 2004 7:00 am
First off, no one said you shouldn't learn how to mix, and strive to have the ear of an engineer.

Second, take a look at song credits, and tell me how many producers mix their music by themselves. If anything, they share credit with an established engineer...from Premier to Kanye to Dre to the Neptunes, they use engineers.

There is no doubt a producer should learn how to mix. You should always have a good pre-mix, so you know how you are going to want it to sound. Also, you should be in the studio with the mixing engineer, guiding the proccess. Granted, some engineers work differently...some will want you in the session with him, some will call you in afterwards and ask you what you want changed. Still, your pre-mix should have given him a good idea of the direction nonetheless.

Respect the art of mixing, and the engineers who master the craft. If everything was DIY, then you would be singing beautiful melodies like D'Angelo or spitting groundbreaking rhymes like Rakim.
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By scizz Tue Jun 22, 2004 8:58 am
respeck

(still think they're lazy, including dre, premo, whoever...)
only let someone else mix my sht if he's my brother.
peace
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By dubmunkey Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:35 am
nah i think time restarint often mean different people do different things....even though prince was meant to have 'done it all' i doubt he really did 100% of it....

if i had the choice between me and a pro mixer mixing my tunes i know who i would choose and it wouldn't be me...g

greg

By mpire45 Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:28 pm
(still think they're lazy, including dre, premo, whoever...)


I understand your plight...I agree, producers should learn what's involved with real world mixing. Believe or not, engineering and producing are two different states of mind...Engineers and producers have to look at the project from different angles, but still be focused on the primary vision. The engineer must understand the goal of the producer and make his vision even more vivid by utilizing his woking skills and knowledge of recording and mixing. Almost all of the producers I engineer for often leave me with a rough mix that shows me what they're trying to achieve with the mix. Often times, the mix sounds great, but, I'll make it sound better without compromising the integrity of his/her vision....that's my job.

I admire and support the DIY movement. But, a good engineer knows how to make speakers move better than most producers...That's their job and their primary focus. A real world producer's real job is to make sure every element in the production is handled properly and in line with the vision of the project. The producer has to combine the studio, the artist(s), the musicians, the engineers, the pre-production, the recording, the mixing, the post-production, and the delievery of the final product. The producer has to make sure that every element is handled and completed within the given timeframes. That's why real world producers don't spend hours tweeking a mix...He may just assist and approve the mix because his hands are full with the other responsibilites.

In a nutshell, I've heard many good songs by DIY producers that could've been great with a better mix. Lastly, you DO need to know the elements of mixing in order to call yourself a producer. Also, let's stop confusing beatmakers with producers...that's another forum in itself.