Originally Posted By: Noel96
Hi Russ,

I don't know who said "bedroom mixes are no good" but whoever it was would seem to be a die-hard enthusiast of 'out of the box' mixing. Digital technology means that one can record and mix pretty much anywhere!
.....
What I've found is that the only factors that limit my mixes sounds are my ears and my lack of technical understanding. As I get more knowledge from reading, my mixes get better.

Noel


I don't think that exact quote was used..... but, perhaps close.

We've been discussing the need or not, to make a special and specific mix for a live PA gig vs using a well balanced and EQ'd studio mix.

Bob has pointed to one article which briefly mentions taking the recorder/mixer to the rehearsal hall, playing the material through the PA to judge the MONO characteristics of the mix in playback. It mentions in the same paragraph about using small studio speakers. In the story, which I read briefly, this is the only paragraph that even approaches the topic we were discussing.

It can be very hard to judge the playback mix while you're at home in your studio, especially if your studio uses small speakers. Large PA systems give a very different bass response, and rehearsal-room monitor speakers will introduce their own 'idiosyncratic' tonal characteristics! When it comes to committing to a mix, a practical solution could be to take your original multitrack machine (be it ADAT, Tascam eight-track, computer or whatever) to the rehearsal room along with a small mixing desk. Then you can set up each song and have the band play along to it, while a band member stands in front of the PA speakers and makes a judgement about the mix of the mono playback material.

One writer's opinion is hardly a consensus or an industry standard. In all my years in live music and playing with professional bands and artists, I have never come across any FOH engineers who use anything other than studio recorded mixes when they are playing background music.

What the writer says is often true. If you mix in a studio using small cone speakers.... I've seen some small stuff but generally 5" or smaller qualify in my book, it can be difficult for the novice to get a balanced low end to the mix because the smaller cones simply don't move the air that the big ones do. So taking a mix that is mixed on small cones and as a result biased bass/bottom heavy as a result of the "mix engineer" not being able to hear the material ACCURATELY..... yeah, plug that into a PA with some nice 15" subs and mid range cabs and you will have a mix that is a mess on the bottom.....

BUT... that is NOT the fault of the PA system or the room. It comes from the mix not being heard accurately. I believe I addressed that issue when I referred to a "balanced mix" in the studio.

This factor generally exists in home studios where the person mixing is not experienced enough to know, and the speakers are too small to produce the bottom end that actually exists in the tracks.

Professional studios, on the other hand, and more experienced home studios, have the gear and the skills to know about this and it's all part of the days work.

I'm not an expert by any means nor a defining authority on this topic. I'm simply a musician who happens to have decades of experience in this field of live and recorded music and I'm always learning new things. However, in all those years, I have never seen, nor have I heard of anything other than studio mixes on the music. Certainly, if this was industry standard, to have unique mixes (not talking about stems) for live shows, it would be widely known. Ya?

To any and all who reply: Feel free to respond with a valid argument and POV. Keep it intellectual.

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 02/23/14 06:49 AM.
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