How do you do it ?

Mixing that is .I mean do you write all the parts first,then EQ + Compress,then add the effects ?.Or do you prefer to process each part as you go along ?.
Just interested in how other people go about this ! I tend to process each part as I go along....
Kev

It is very difficult for me to make anything like good mixing decisions unless I am hearing the whole song. How can I tell what the bass should sound like without drums or guitar? The temptation is to mix everything as though it's a solo instrument, which usually results in a very bad mix.

The typical (and I believe best) way to create a record is to
1. write the songs, then
2. have the musician(s) learn and rehearse the songs and develop the different parts, then
3. Record the song essentially as it is played in rehearsal
4. If necessary, overdub individual parts, and/or do any "studio arranging" (adding intros, weird bridges, solos, bringing in other instruments, etc)
5. Mix the song

Certain sample/synth/loop-based styles of music blur the boundaries somewhat between songwriting, performance, and production. That is a very different way of working and it can be challenging for traditional musicians to keep focused if they are trying to do sound design at the same time they are writing and practicing and playing their instrument. Obviously, with a lot of electronica and hip-hop for instance, there is no conventional "song" in the sense of chord changes and melody, so the process changes.

But sticking with "small-m" musicians playing actual notes and chords on instruments, as opposed to broader producer/sound-designer types, I believe the greatest challenge in the studio is to keep the left-brain technical aspects from interfering with the right-brain creative flow and expression. This is probably the biggest advantage to working with an engineer, is that you don't have to think about impedance matching, compression ratios, digital overs, or predelay times while you are also trying to perform your magnum opus. It's kind of like trying to make love while doing your taxes.

To that end, I think most typical songwriter-performers are better off just turning off the computer until the song is actually written and rehearsed and ready to be performed live. *Then* you can go in and actually record it with confidence, without second-guessing each chord change at the same time that are second-guessing mic placement and reverb tails. Once you have that core structure down pat, it is relatively easy to add embellishments and accompaniments and so on. Then, once you have all the recorded tracks, you can go in and start to pick apart the sounds.

My two cents.

Cheers.

I usually wait until the project is near completion before I start adding all the other "stuff". I have found that from experience that when I added all my EQ, dynamic and fx processing, and then afterwards added additional instrumentation, it changed the entire mix. Now I do my best to wait untill I feel convinced that the song structure is completed.

Interesting thread.

I usually start with a somewhat "completed" song. However, after recording the whole thing straight through with maybe just voice and guitar, I will invariably make some basic structural changes. For example, I will often find myself cutting back on the number of chorus repititions - I get carried when I'm having fun.

I usually develop some kind of idea of the instrumentation for the song when writing it.

After it has has been fleshed out structurally, I just start recording each instrument part as needed. In the final mix some stay, some wind up on the cutting room floor.

I don't start mixing until I feel that I have EVERYTHING recorded that will be needed for the song.

ORIGINAL: dlogan

Although I almost always will end up tweaking or completely changing the effects later, I often add reverb or certain "key" effects early on while still tracking. For example, if the rhythm guitar was going to have a tremolo effect or delay that was key to the song's sound, I would add it right away because the other tracks are kind of building around that sound. But usually compression, EQ and things like that I will wait until the end.

Dave

www.soundclick.com/steakbone

Hmm...

I guess I should clarify my post above to say that I am almost always *monitoring* with effects while tracking, and sometimes even printing the effects as I go. I am also riding the faders and setting appropriate levels for headphone mixes and stuff like that.

But in my mind, that stuff is not the same as "mixing" with a capital M. Getting a bass sound that allows the bass player to hear herself and be inspired by is one thing, actually mixing the bass is something else. Maybe that's a semantic difference, but the main thing is to avoid getting caught in the mire of trying to write, record, mix, and produce one perfect measure at a time. I think that approach generally produces less satisfying results, or more commonly no results at all. By the time you've got two or three "perfect" measures you're so sick of the thing and unable to get it any further that it just sits languishing on the hard drive as another forgotten idea.

Cheers.

ORIGINAL: yep
To that end, I think most typical songwriter-performers are better off just turning off the computer until the song is actually written and rehearsed and ready to be performed live. *Then* you can go in and actually record it with confidence, without second-guessing each chord change at the same time that are second-guessing mic placement and reverb tails. Once you have that core structure down pat, it is relatively easy to add embellishments and accompaniments and so on. Then, once you have all the recorded tracks, you can go in and start to pick apart the sounds.

totally agree with this. for us solo people, of course we will have to record something to add parts, but i always do this in a 'scratch track' first, then get the rhythm (usually just drums for me, since i don't have a bass to play) and make another scratch track that follows the rhythm of the song. then sing or play over the scratch track until i have what i want.

while i have some EQ presets that i will use for tracks i typically don't mess with anything technical until i've laid most of the groundwork for the song. that doesn't mean i'm done adding stuff, but music first, tweaking second.