So I've been going to school on the newest Justin Bieber record...say what you may...but you can't deny its pop perfection. It got me thinkin about listening and stealing ideas from pro mixes and integrating them into your own productions.

Right off the top, I can't believe

1) the amount of air they get on his voice with ZERO sibilance

2) how his vocal seems to be protected by a forcefield from the rest of the (very dense) arrangements, though not feeling like it's way out in front

3) how huge the low end is without feeling lumpy and muddy...even sounding huge on my iPhone mono speaker

Anyway...I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts on the Bieber record or just any other techniques or ideas you stole from analyzing commercial mixes. It's amazing what A/Bing your mixes with references reveals...

Who's got somethin?

It's like another world, the professional productions out there.
There are any number of youtubes by renowned producers and mixdown pros,
yet none reveal anything where one can say - Ah. That's where I am going wrong.
 
My hero is Max Martin.

I am in your exact frame of mind, caminitic. I have the Chris Lord-Alge Audio Legends sessions and video. You can see (and hear) everything he does, as you load it in Sonar. BUT - the difference for me is in the tracks. Not only how they are recorded, but what the instrument/voice sounded like in the 1st place. There is no denying large format and pro ears to 'get it right going in'.

Yeah I was wondering how that CLA video series was...and I totally know what you mean about the quality of the raw tracks to start with.  Yet...I constantly hear about ITB mixes...watch similar YouTube videos and (like you) go...those don't sound at all like mine....

I am getting better at this point, but I sure as hell wouldn't say that I'm gonna have a late career change because of it!

We all need goals and there is nothing wrong with working towards something as lofty as a million dollar pop record. That's what's always been the way I work. 
Bottom line is it's not so much how you do something, it's all about the talent of the performer and everyone involved.  
 
I can have 2 people come into my studio and say sing and play guitar to the same song. 
Performer # 1 is an old pro with talent up the wazoo. 
Performer #2 is an amateur with lets just say blossoming talent. 
I will say, use the exact same set up and technique. 
There will always be a world of difference between the 2 performances.
Performer # 1 will pull off a perfect song in 1 or 2 takes.
Performer #2 will take multiple takes, copy/ paste, melodyn etc and it will still not compare to performer #1's song.  
 
Mr Bieber would probably sound good if recorded to a Casstte four track with a SM 58. 
But ya, they are very good people working with him, top grade everything, they have the budget and a highly marketable act. 
But what you are trying to do is a very good way to get better at your craft... Please don't think it's a pre set on pro channel,,, that's all hogwash. Good sound starts at the source. 

I'm not sure which song you're talking about, but I was recently helping a singer I know with a cover of the JB song 'Company'. And to me, one of the immediately striking things is the clarity of the arrangement. It's not just that, of course. But it's also not just mixing skill. It's not like there was a mess for the mix engineer to fix.

John TI'm not sure which song you're talking about, but I was recently helping a singer I know with a cover of the JB song 'Company'. And to me, one of the immediately striking things is the clarity of the arrangement. It's not just that, of course. But it's also not just mixing skill. It's not like there was a mess for the mix engineer to fix.

Yes yes YES...I have been listening to that song a ton, and in fact, that was the one that prompted me to post in the first place.  But...do you hear how crystal clean, airy, bright, present and non-harsh that vocal is?  It's ridiculous

Yes. There is indeed a lot of very skilled engineering going on.

Also, I'm no particular fan of the Beibs himself, but he has always been a very good singer, and I'm sure he's had the very best tuition in mic technique since his career got off the ground.
 
I suppose what I'm batting it is that it's the entire chain that makes it sound like that. Song, singer, players, arrangement, gear, mix, master, etc, etc. There's no magic trick that makes a thing sound that way. It's more that every link in the chain is of a very high standard.