A plug-n is a tool, use it badly and things will not turn out the way you may have intended; also happy accidents can happen too. What's the old saying "A bad workman blames his tools" but truth be told the same workman can do a better job with the right tool and the knowledge of which tool is "right" for the job. Short version it's not just how.. it's where and when.
How not to get caught in an endless loop of using plugins on top of more plugins. When and where to use them is key, and for what specific things, as creative tools to achieve certain sounds. Great point about intention it’s probably the most important thing in production, as well as inspiration.
This morning someone tweeted about using 20 plugins on a single channel, and then this comes out... coincidence? I don't think so:)) Besides, is it really clickbait if you put it in the title? Or perhaps it's even MORE clickbait because you put it in the title. I don't know. Warren's playing Jedi mind tricks with us. Join the dark side, Warren... we have infinite plugins!:)))
I'm so glad I'm not crazy for doing this. I've been intentionally limiting myself for awhile now trying to recreate some old signal chains from the 60s with plugins. It really helps you get creative when recording because you know you can't magically fix it later in mixing. If you want a good bass tone, well you better record a good bass tone and figure out the best mic placement, tone settings, etc. The more I've done that the more I've discovered my "sweet spots" and go-to mic placements.... Just like they did in the 60s.
I'm 74 and been messing about with my hobby 'studio' for years. Now I know why most of my projects go unfinished and only semi-satisfying ... if you don't start knowing where you're going it's hard to know when you get there and far too easy to get lost. Thank you!
Intentions in sound during the production and recording stage is something my band is currently working on and the results are incredible! Our rough mixes sound very close to finished! This is huge
This video is literally what i realise in my 5 years of my experience. I started producing long back when i didnt had any idea what is mixing and mastering is i just used to produce on the DAW and never compared with other professional tracks it just sound good to me. Then i met a " sound engineer" and he told me that he would make my music sound good and then he made it worse with all the cracked plugins he had. And he asked me to remove all the FX plugins which i had done it with some intention at that time. So the song was ruined by this SE.. I wish this video was posted long long back. Thanks dear warren sir for this marvelous video.
Dear Warren... Our band loves your stuff... We learnt the art of mixing from good souls like yourself, Graham Cochrane(Recording Revolution), Michael White ( Mixing with Mike).. We got our minds clear about the technical stuff... But we were really lacking something... Intention... What an eye opener?... Hope you're marvelously well.. Love from India... FreeTracks..
Back in the day when I started in the music industry (1970’s), we had very limited equipment options. The creation of a good recorded song or album came out of imagination. Every sound we created was very deliberate as we searched to achieve what we imagined or what we heard from another band. Everything we did was intentional and often analytical. When there are limited equipment choices, you become very specific about how you use the equipment. Now here we are in 2020, with everything we ever dreamed of at our fingertips, and still, great music can only be created with intention, because we still have to know what we want to achieve. The 435 plugins in your folder are not going to create a song that resonates with the listener. That only comes from intention. Thanks Warren!
Loved this. I think people definitely miss that some of their old favorites are not “perfect” audio. And like you said, that’s exactly what makes them what they were. Especially liked the tip of using specific EQ, compression, etc and not using an infinitely adjustable EQ when the sound was shaped with something basic.
What an enlightening perspective. Thanks Warren! What is has become clear to me over time is that better results will come from making decisions as early in the process and sound source as possible, starting with instrument selection, what model of bass. Then microphone and preamp selection. Mic positioning, etc. When mixing, don't fix things on the busses, but on the source tracks. What you are saying seems to dovetail with this nicely.
The more I learn from great engineers like you, the more I realize that most of the time they don`t care about the technical side or witch plugins they use as long as it does the trick. I love when they just switch from one plugin to another looking for a sound, a vibe or just because they feel like it and that most of time they don`t know or care what was the specific setting it just sound and fell gooooooood . Thanks for another great Video
Your intention was to deliver a message which when done successfully equates to great content and once again you knocked it out of the park. Great video.
That is wonderful advice Warren! Agree all the big records were recorded with intention & the sounds they wanted were done at the time of recording & mixing was tidying it up at the end.
I totally agree with Warren - use intention! Also, limitations is why I use nearly exclusively analog and analog emulation gear. Minimal controls, minimal things to mess up. It just makes things move quicker, smoother, and easier when you do less but you do big things and know what direction you are heading! For example, my favourite de-esser is on the BSS DPR 402 (and the other similar DPR units). It is 2 controls: frequency and attenuation. No matter what I run through it, it always gives me perfect high end. Every other de-esser I have used either has too many parameters, or just doesn't sound as good. Same thing with an LA2A on vocals or bass. There is just so little you can do you'd have to be *trying* to make it sound bad.
I don't have the space or budget for that but I did deliberately strip down my VSTs to the bare essentials only and I actually finished a track for the first time in years :)
@@Producelikeapro Thanks dude. It really helped me to focus on what I was trying to create and not get too worried about tones and suchlike. The end result might not be very polished, but it's a complete track which is a step up for me. Keep these great videos coming man, you're a fantastic teacher.
Thanks, Warren. I’ve heard and read variations on the following from so many notable producers and engineers: “You are ALWAYS mixing.“ This can’t take place without clear intention. With a specific aim in mind, you’re focused and making decisions all the way through the process instead of putting them off for later. It’s just easier!
Another great point I think that comes from what you're saying is that while the records we love didn't do or use a plethora of gear, the QUALITY of what they had access to was amazing. It's better having one great preamp and eq than having 600 average plugs. Same with one great musician and one guitar is better than 300 amp sims and pedals. You made some great points in this.
I was doing some session bass work with a drummer, and the engineer at the studio knew exactly what kind of sound to shoot for - certain parts of the kit going through 1073 preamps, other parts going through API, the bass going through a Coil Audio preamp... he knew exactly what was what, which mics to use, which preamps, compressors, and so on, and getting the sound right at source - very old school, and the end result is a sound that won’t need much processing afterwards. Ideal!
There is one word to sum up this video, without "intending" to inflate your ego at all: BRILLIANT! A Cricket analogy - It's like one of Jofra Archer's slower balls. The intent is to deceive the batter. OR, a knuckle ball in Baseball.
Great post mate. You explain mixing so easily to understand. Directly after your "intention" then "Commit to the sound", which I think is your best word of advice. Rock on brother!
Great video. I tend to go into projects without a clear intention. When I do, the most effective solution is to fiddle around with plugins until something clicks, then scrap everything and start over -- recording and all -- with my new-found intention.
I don't watch a lot of interviews from older mixers, but the talk of intention made me realize I typically committed to sounds and dynamics at the recording stage before and often stuck with a polished off tracking mix. I think somewhere in there I got stuck in that mentality of "save mixing for the end" and my overall mixes and such suffered because of it.
There's this Joe Chiccarelli MWTM video where he records a band and I was shocked how well everything sounded during the recording stage. Barely did anything for the mix.
Intention really is everything when it comes to production and mixing yet this might actually be the only video on it. Very important video for sure. If you can really wrap your head around this notion you will save years of your life. Once again Warren, thank you 🙏
Your advice applies to many things in life beyond recording and mixing. Before can can decide which direction to go you need to know where you are and where you want end up.
Great video Warren thank you! I've been doing this recording thing for a while too and it still surprises me how many times I hear, "Don't worry too much about my sound while I'm tracking, I'd like to do all that in the mix".....??? Intension is missed and very often misunderstood during communication too! Thanks again Warren.....it desperately needed to be said, love your work! Ajay.
So true Warren, recorded a Martin D35 into a TLM103 equed through a AMS 1073SPX and the intention should be slapping you in the face. The instruments do the talking and the talent should compliment, engage and enthrall. This can only be done with intention! Keep it simple, sweet and with mood and intention! You're absolutely spot on!
Thank you Warren. So true. Lack of commitment is truly at fault here and mostly because we have no intention. That's probably the most valuable video you've released.
Great advice Warren. In regards to your comment about EDM producers mixing with more intention... I mix what some may call EDM... more specifically, Tropical House, and yes... I do mix as I go for this reason, although many videos online have led me to believe I'm doing it wrong by doing this. But as you say, things need to fit in a mix correctly, and ever since I started using reference tracks things really do become much easier. I've definitely found that mixing before going on to the next thing does help me make huge strides forward for making tracks. I think you're the only person to actually make this comment on youtube about making things sound the way you want it before moving on.
Warren, I did this with some music recently. I had my sound in mind, and I spent a bit of time getting my drum sound before mixing. By that I meant just to blends of various parts without eqing or any other processing. I use Addictive etc with samples over it to thicken it out and It's really nice and beefy (as far as samples etc go). And I purposefully made sure performance in singing was better than good. Worked on my voice, worked on getting precision double ups (I wasn't working on that much which caused so much editing headaches). Worked with mic placements etc and was blown away by how my song sounded "mixed" before mixed. Basically, by taking all the right steps, you can get a recording where you can visualize the road map for mixing when you RECORD with intention, you know right away where to go, and mixing becomes quick and creative and FUN. This is a lesson I learned after spending so long wondering why recordings were so muddy and provided no road map where to go. So yes, intention, arrangement, blending etc, and performance. Get it ALL together before mixing. Mixing will simply compliment an already great recording. If its bad, mixing is only going to highlight how bad you recorded. So record well and with intention!
Haha great question. Whenever I'm recording (usually other people/artists) once I get what we need, I move on. Probably been doing it wrong, as they say but time is and was always a factor. That includes the desire to finish the project/recording too. Glad you've been staying safe down there in Socal!😁
Experience, Wisdom, Logic, Generosity. This video should be every aspiring recording artist's first instruction. Thanks so much WH. What I have learned so far in watching many of your your vids is not just what I'm doing wrong, but also what I thought was 'my silly little way' of doing things - are actually right!!
I am firmly planted in analog style recording. I use a Midas M32 console, I love the pre's and I am using both console processing and plug in's to shape the sounds I am going after. I was using just plug in's until You, Warren reminded me of getting back to how to go for shaping the tone going into the date. You are the best at explaining things in a way us old school guys can apply and use with the new technology, THANK YOU for all you do in these videos.
I really appreciate the message of this video, for I am working as a live-sound-engineer (well, not quite at the moment, because of that special situation we‘re in), and it is all so much about gear and not so much about intension in my scene. It started all about analogue vs digital and now we have a what I called „brand-war“. So, at last, the intension is the weapon of choice, because gear will led you nowhere without intension. I never claimed to be a technical genius as mor loving music itself as the driving force. I don‘t know too much about all the machines and physics involved, but I always try to fulfill my vision of a sound as FoH-mixer. Sure, you learn a lot about all the other stuff working in the scene nearly 25 years. But the center of all my effort is knowing where to go with it. So , I am thankful of hearing this from a respected and experienced person like Warren about this and having the feeling to be in the right place with this channel.
I mix dialogue, music and effects for film, television and streaming. Intention is our time saver. Foley is ALWAYS recorded with intention as you put it Warren. In fact, the less money/time we have, the more focused on the intended result we have to be during recording. That goes for foley, effects all the way to foreign language dubs. One of my first gigs in post was working on a daily soap opera. The production sound mixer had already shaped the sound to be almost ready to go. That was easy to mix. That‘s one of the reasons I‘ve never recorded an uncompressed bass guitar. „Do we at least have a DBX166? 3:1, let‘s go.“ At what point would I not know what I want ? And what’s wrong with re-recording a take because you didn’t get what you needed ? Mic choice, position, preamp selection, perhaps comp, perhaps eq , ON the recording. Now I WILL sometimes record with nothing but mic, mic position and preamp selection, but only because I know what to reach for on my DAW by now to get my intended sound. It takes time to build your palette so get cracking! Try, fail, learn and apply until the day they nail the coffin shut. Yuck, what a cliche, but also a reason I still love it after over 20 years.
Spot on Warren! I actually removed a lot of plug-ins a couple of months ago from my default list of plug-ins because of this reason. Used to spend too much time thinking of what plug-in to use. Now I have about three or four compressors, four or five EQs (one is sweepable) and a couple of reverbs and delays. All the rest is there but I have to actually search. to find them and I am to "lazy" to do it. Really helped to speed things up.
your videos bring me comfort. I was just the other day at my friends. and damn...... he had the freaking most awesome pluggins and made everything sound very dope. well i have learned from your videos that, learn your own tools, master them and one does not need to have everything to achieve great stuff :) Even if is not crystal clear and everything is not placed excatly where they're supposed to be -- the track may translate better
Thank you for the great perspective. I remember back when "I didn't know what I was doing but I knew what I wanted" recording was so much easier... recently I've been spending too much time "tweeking things" ... I need to stop with "optionizing" and get my intentions right !
Great video - I recently decided to stop picking up new 'great' plugins mostly to start saving money until I start making return on the 'investments.' An intended but great benefit you've helped me understand is that I'll also avoid optionitis and work on developing more of the intention (and improving on the work I do too!)
Thank you Warren! I love limiting myself because it makes me more creative and record the way I want to hear it. Like you said: track through plugins! I love doing this. I record the dry signal, but leave the plugin there so I know what my sound is going to be. One of the reasons why I've spent a bit more on my computer, less latency! Like you said... The great thing about recording the way you want to hear it: you don't have to do a lot of mixing!
Been watching your videos for while now (and all are great!), but this one hits home like no other. How often do we hear cliché analogies comparing mixing too cooking or painting, well they must stem from some form of truth. For example; something that greatly helped improve my cooking was watching Gordon Ramsay's Master Chef shows some years ago, and how he often commented about the 'hero" of the dish getting lost, buried in a gamut of ingredients that don't even blend well. The dish lost its identity, its hero, as there were too many things going on, I truly believe same goes with mixing. The "intention" behind the sound and tone you're after is the sonic hero. ie: If someone wants that Massive Attack-style fat, dark, brooding synth bass tone, then focus on that from the very beginning. Start with the right synth, the right patch, preset/programming, and tweak away until your intention to get that sound is there (or very close to it). That bass tone and pattern is your hero, at the forefront, and everything else in the mix are merely its allies. Find your sun - whether it's a bass, a vocal, a synth hook, etc, then start adding your planets, your moons, your stars and comets to orbit around it. Shape them, color them, whatever you do, but let the sun be the hero, the one that engages the listener right away. Your Pretenders bass sound example is spot on, as well as the AC/DC drum tones. Get that tone first, anchor down on the intention, and everything else can be mixed around it with more ease and efficiency. Really starting to love these videos with no audio nor screenshots of a DAW, only explaining the philosophies behind what we do. Brilliant, love this one, Warren.
If my software was realised as a hardware studio it would be the size of Versailles. Lol. Just took a listen to this after tearing my hair out looking for a synth to provide a mid range layer for another synth bass part I'd written . You know what? It sounds good as it is. Not every bass part needs to be arranged or processed in that way. Just fell into a habit with that one. A behavioural impulse that often acts contra to intention, especially with of all stuff we have available to us right now. You can really forget what you're trying to achieve. Nice talk man.
Completely unrelated, or maybe not, I love the children's artwork on your desk... I have that too, and it re-grounds me in *my* intention to enjoy what I do, and to keep me honest about what's truly important in life.
This is probably the best clickbait ever! Thanks Warren for existing! Intention it is then! What happens for me is this --- suppose I'm trying to mix a strummed acoustic guitar I often try to compare it with other songs with strummed acoustic guitars and make a judgement on my session. I recently learnt that this is the opposite of what I should be doing. The gritty but gorgeous sound of ac guitars from Trains by Porcupine Tree might not work In my mix's context. Maybe it needs that imprecise room tone with some low-mid emphasis! Generalising how certain elements of my mix should sound like is taking away the character the mix would otherwise have.
And that's why the multitracks inside the academy sound great and are great to mix, a good proportion have gone through this lovely analogue gear when tracking! Along with careful choices when doing so. It's a vaulable resource to learn from and try to impart "that" sound onto your own recordings when mixing. Great video!
Great discussion and definitely got me thinking. The thing I hear from great mixers is that they know how they want something to sound. As a novice mixer but long time musician, this is the hardest part for me. Intention. What do I want it to sound like and how can make all of these marvelous tools to sculpt it? Such a wonderful problem to have. Thank you Warren!
Very well put Warren. Optionitis is a real killer, for me anyway. Having worked in the early 90's in local studios you only had a handful of options and sometimes the equipment was not up to scratch too so you really had to work on your intentions.
I think it is SO important...to feel the limits of your gear. I on purpose limit myself to 2 compressors...etc. My plugin menu is quite small...easier workflow as well.
Thank you for the video! I am still learning my self and most of the time i found my self to not know what MOST plugins do. I mix pretty fast and was left wondering why some people took it like its a nightmare or something. your video explains exactly what was going on. most of the time before recording i already have a sound in my mind and have an idea where to navigate and expect. I agree with the part of having an Intention or a sound in your head before doing recording / mixing. it makes the mix easy and saves time.
This video has been somewhat of a revelation for me, this morning. I’m an electronic music producer and label owner. I’ve had some recent success so I decided to work extremely hard on my mixing skills and knowledge, during lockdown, in an attempt to push on from my success. As I’m preparing my upcoming EP for release, sure it sounds objectively “better”, the mix is more modern, but watching this video has given me a lightbulb moment, in the back of my mind, although it sounds “better”, I don’t like it, it doesn’t sound like me. Oh well, let’s pull up those three projects, again 🤷♂️😬
I have this talk with people often. In recent years I realized I loved recording, mixing and producing more when I had LESS. No joke, the most amazing records I created and released were with a simple Mackie mixer (as my pre) a DBX compressor and wayyy early Cubase. Then I would route all the outs back through the board and then straight to the DAT. Who knew as a teen I was mixing and summing better than I did as an adult, lol. Digital rules and I love what I learned and aquired over the years but that 4 track cassette tape mix was special to me, lol. The intention rule is true!
I was fortunate, having started recording in the 70s, to be forced to have intention right from the start because I had so few tracks to work with. My first recorder was a Teac A3440 4 channel. So every sound was processed as it was recorded and, as you said, everything else was fit around it. Today, we are so spoiled with the options we have. And yet, with all the plugins I own, I find myself turning to the same 5 or 6 because that's all I need. The 70s were good for my discipline.
Fascinating points which really made me think. I have found that the 'production' role in a process where I fulfil all roles, is the most difficult. It is, as you say, because I haven't really defined the intention. Each song leads its own process and approach and whilst the musicianship is bound by ability and the mixing by ability and kit, the production is the challenge I have realised as the most difficult, the one that fails me. Even selecting reference tracks is currently eluding me. I don't know who I want to sound like. Anyway, thanks for the video. I like the philosophical ones.
I think one key element is the change of mindset from first demoing your songs to construct the final version of the song right from the start. Skip the demo part. Abandon that whole idea of a demo and develope the song from the blank DAW session. Or better, create the song in your head first and only start recording if the melody, lyrics and song structure are 75% ready in your mind. (The moments between day and dream, with cell phones turned off, are best to meditate on the end result.) If you have the vision ready, the rest is so much easier to finish. Hope any of this makes sense, it's hard to translate creative process into words. That's why I hope to see more video's on songwriting and pre-production. Thought of a cool new phrase: the intention span! Besides intention, the other powerful word is urgency. A nice pair, if you ask me.
Thanks, Warren, This is really great. I work on an old Tascam 24 hard disc recorder and I don't have any plugins. I find using intention to be the best tool and always get the sounds I want even before recording but always have a sound of what I want it to sound like as a whole for the end product is the best thing to keep in mind. Thanks again.Invaluable
Exactly!!! This is perfect... I really try to get the best performance and try not to”fix” it in the mix... just ends up sounding like you said!!!! Thanks for encouraging this mindset!!!
Thanks Warren, perfect timing, I was just thinking earlier I have so many compositional options and that it leads me to not doing anything for fear of whatever I do not being good. It’s such a stupid mindset and an excuse for not having “intention” 😜 and going with it!
I already wrote one answer underneath your pinned comment and I wrote it before I watched the whole thing. Turned out you and I were in agreement the whole time =] But you are absolutely right. I may not use the word intention, but I definitely believe that you need to have a vision of what you are doing whilst tracking and mixing. Hell, that alone can already determine what you will use. So you want to sound like a 1970s punk rock group? Easy: find the things that will help you get there and a lot of times, it’s about keeping it simple (unless you are Martin Hannett and then you can go a bit more wild 😉). But a lot of times, it starts with the source: the instruments, the voice, whatever you can do right then and there. Everything else goes on from there. And if you chose your elements well, the mixing is the easiest thing and all you are really doing is either making sure they work together better or if you want to add that extra bit of spice that you couldn’t really do whilst tracking. And yeah, having rules beforehand helps as well. For instance, limiting your choices to use only “stock plugins” (and depending on your DAW, you can easily get away with it) or only of a certain series. So yes. Intention. Vision. That’s more important than any tools you are using =] Cheers
My solution to this was a bit backwards, I swapped the box for a hardware mixer, some outboard gear and only permitting VST plugins on a send (via the audio interface) and seeing what I could do with a minimal amount of tools. Carried that philosophy back into the box and suddenly 90% of the mud was gone from my mix and I was vastly more creative with fewer plugins. I think working on hardware is a very, very valuable experience for the theory/creativity side of mixing and producing. Not a cheap thing to do, but it's saved me from buying any more plugins unless I can really think of a use case for them.
You're awesome Warren! You always have such a great way to touch on subjects that are crucial to music and also core values. We must all know ourselves and our intention. Know Thyself! Thanks for the wonderful reminder to just have confidence in ourselves and the work we pour our hearts into.
My philosophy for many years is "less is more" that also counts for plugins. Simplicity is perfection. I'm in to audio now for about 39 years. And that way of thinking never let me down. Great lesson again warren. Btw my intentions are to mix with, lots of dynamic, open sound and not over driven all instruments. Some can be distorted, but not too much. You forgot 1 thing imo, technique, you have to know how all your gear sounds, outbox and in the box. If you don't know your gear you can have intentions what you want, but it will not work.
Really helpful stuff Warren! I particularly like the illustration about the AC/DC sound...I’d love to see a vid from you about how you might, in theory, achieve other classic sounds. I think in modern music there is a general lack of a sonic ‘fingerprint’... and I suspect it’s party due to the fact that there are a lot of people (myself included) who are producing and mixing music but have never had any experience using real analog gear (consoles, character pre amps, tape machines ect.). So when it comes to using references to achieve a sound it ends up being a lot of guess work... which in some cases can be a good thing! But I’d love to just be able to reference a classic song and instantly know what analog emulation to pull up.. or at least have a framework for finding the right plug in! Love your stuff warren..! Learning heaps Ethan
The common solution would be stems or tracks that have the “intention” applied. You can always include the dry ones just don’t expect the project to be portable. If someone else is going to work on it send them tracks that are done..as intended.
I found some early Queen multi tracks online. You load the into your DAW, bring up the faders and... it’s the song, pretty much exactly as it was released. No mixing required (maybe a hint of eq here and there), they just sound exactly how they intended it to, exactly as Warren describes.
What I love about your point about intention is that there is a human intellect behind each decision. I think that’s the secret. THINK and hear your intentions. The method is merely that. God bless.
Thank you. When I started recording/mixing, I put too many effects etc and made it hard for myself, I also used to record from start to finish and leave it until the end, which made it difficult. 13 years later and I've found that less is more and I record in sections and eq and mix as I go. It's no surprise that thing's are a lot easier now.
Would love to hear a typical interaction between you and a client, just to get a look into that side of the process of making a record. Thank you once again Sir.
I didn't intend to leave a comment, but I believe in putting stuff between the source and the computer. I've been using a ART Pro Channel for tube preamp and opto compressor for years. Now I have 2 Lindell 6x-500 preamps and 7x-500 compressors along with 2 Lewitt 441-Flex mics (mics at a great discount thanks to Produce Like A Pro Academy and Vintage King). The point is, when I got the Lewitt mics and the Lindell stuff I made test recording just playing mandolin and singing, maximizing the gain, eq, and compression on the way in. It was only 2 tracks but I printed the master without any plugins on either channel or the master bus, and it sounded great! Loud and good.
I had a mix of ours I'd been working on and sent it off to Yukon our mastering guy. He noticed a lot of extra noise, it was too much buildup of the analog switches or the 50 or 60 hz buttons on CLA 76, waves pultec etc. also removed a couple of extra API plugins I didn't need in the mix. That was all it took. Definitely was good to have a second set of ears, I was so deep in the mix I didn't notice.
I agree with this topic 110%. Just few days ago,i ranted on FB about the lack of feeling / intent in a mix. I really hate it when i let the music invade my space, only to find that the mix has hardly any intent. It makes the whole song feel aimless and totally lost. What is the character of your or my mix? Is your/my mix like a brat who can kick your ass, is the mix happy, sad, passive aggressive, manic, lazy ,about-to-burst happy, aloof, loving, etc,etc. You know what i mean? Personally,i feel that if a song does not give me any vision at all, if i don't "see" anything when i hear the song, i might need a break from the mixing. Even if you don't like the song you're working on, you will " see" something when you hear it the first time. Follow what you " see". Like Warren said here, have intent in what you do. Personally, i'd rather hear a cluttered mix with an idea,than a clear mix that has no idea where to go and what to be. Take your idea and push it thru, be proud of your vision for the mix, and take no shit for it. Stop second guessing your mix to death. Ok,rant over.
I've never understood why people talk about recording and mixing as separate processes. At least for me, they happen at the same time. I'm not saying I achieve a final mix as I'm recording, but I at least pick out sounds that fit together and try to have the levels right. How can I tell if a guitar and bass part sound good together if I've got the wrong sounds and levels? Even a lot of the songwriting happens while I'm recording. Not the chords and melody, but much of the accompaniment.
I agree but it's still worth practicing good gain staging for decent quality recordings. What I mean is that, even if you know a part is going to be very quiet, it might not be a great idea to record it very quietly as you good end up with noisy recordings, especially if it's dynamic and gets very quiet.
I find the ' intention ' aspect of the process some of the most fun. I'm always trying to tell a story with my music and part of that is deciding what sonic flavour I wish to bring to it. Do I want to go bright and sparkly? Ok, call up that SSL emu on my guitars and piano. Am I trying to invoke a feeling of nostalgia for those who, like me, were kids in the 1980s? Right, lets put a gated Lexicon plate on my drums, etc etc. Surely without the intention we are just stumbling round in the dark?..another great vid. Cheers Warren.
How do you avoid using too many plugins on your recordings?
A plug-n is a tool, use it badly and things will not turn out the way you may have intended; also happy accidents can happen too. What's the old saying "A bad workman blames his tools" but truth be told the same workman can do a better job with the right tool and the knowledge of which tool is "right" for the job. Short version it's not just how.. it's where and when.
How not to get caught in an endless loop of using plugins on top of more plugins. When and where to use them is key, and for what specific things, as creative tools to achieve certain sounds. Great point about intention it’s probably the most important thing in production, as well as inspiration.
I bought analoge gear. just the basics tube amp,tube pre amp mixer,mics,re amp box and a di box.
This morning someone tweeted about using 20 plugins on a single channel, and then this comes out... coincidence? I don't think so:))
Besides, is it really clickbait if you put it in the title? Or perhaps it's even MORE clickbait because you put it in the title. I don't know. Warren's playing Jedi mind tricks with us. Join the dark side, Warren... we have infinite plugins!:)))
and a tape machine and somebody is building me a driver pedal for my 8 ohms twin reverb tanks.
If you go to food store intent on steak and onions, it won't matter how many salad dressing options there are, you'll just walk right by them!
Very nicely put!
nom nom nom
@@BRIGGS2710 yes, very tasty indeed!
Words of wisdom from a guy who knows what he is talking about!
Thanks ever so much Tim!
@@Producelikeapro you Warren are already a legend here on youtube..and you're a Brit so I am so proud of you :)
@@Soulnutriabeats you’re very kind! I’m happy to be able to help!
I'm so glad I'm not crazy for doing this. I've been intentionally limiting myself for awhile now trying to recreate some old signal chains from the 60s with plugins. It really helps you get creative when recording because you know you can't magically fix it later in mixing. If you want a good bass tone, well you better record a good bass tone and figure out the best mic placement, tone settings, etc. The more I've done that the more I've discovered my "sweet spots" and go-to mic placements.... Just like they did in the 60s.
Warren, the quality of your channel is incalculable. THANK YOU.
I'm 74 and been messing about with my hobby 'studio' for years. Now I know why most of my projects go unfinished and only semi-satisfying ... if you don't start knowing where you're going it's hard to know when you get there and far too easy to get lost. Thank you!
Intentions in sound during the production and recording stage is something my band is currently working on and the results are incredible! Our rough mixes sound very close to finished! This is huge
This video is literally what i realise in my 5 years of my experience. I started producing long back when i didnt had any idea what is mixing and mastering is i just used to produce on the DAW and never compared with other professional tracks it just sound good to me. Then i met a " sound engineer" and he told me that he would make my music sound good and then he made it worse with all the cracked plugins he had.
And he asked me to remove all the FX plugins which i had done it with some intention at that time.
So the song was ruined by this SE..
I wish this video was posted long long back.
Thanks dear warren sir for this marvelous video.
Dear Warren... Our band loves your stuff... We learnt the art of mixing from good souls like yourself, Graham Cochrane(Recording Revolution), Michael White ( Mixing with Mike).. We got our minds clear about the technical stuff... But we were really lacking something... Intention... What an eye opener?... Hope you're marvelously well.. Love from India... FreeTracks..
Wow! Thanks ever so much for your kind words! I’m glad to be able to help!
Back in the day when I started in the music industry (1970’s), we had very limited equipment options. The creation of a good recorded song or album came out of imagination. Every sound we created was very deliberate as we searched to achieve what we imagined or what we heard from another band. Everything we did was intentional and often analytical. When there are limited equipment choices, you become very specific about how you use the equipment. Now here we are in 2020, with everything we ever dreamed of at our fingertips, and still, great music can only be created with intention, because we still have to know what we want to achieve. The 435 plugins in your folder are not going to create a song that resonates with the listener. That only comes from intention. Thanks Warren!
Loved this. I think people definitely miss that some of their old favorites are not “perfect” audio. And like you said, that’s exactly what makes them what they were. Especially liked the tip of using specific EQ, compression, etc and not using an infinitely adjustable EQ when the sound was shaped with something basic.
What an enlightening perspective. Thanks Warren! What is has become clear to me over time is that better results will come from making decisions as early in the process and sound source as possible, starting with instrument selection, what model of bass. Then microphone and preamp selection. Mic positioning, etc. When mixing, don't fix things on the busses, but on the source tracks. What you are saying seems to dovetail with this nicely.
The more I learn from great engineers like you, the more I realize that most of the time they don`t care about the technical side or witch plugins they use as long as it does the trick. I love when they just switch from one plugin to another looking for a sound, a vibe or just because they feel like it and that most of time they don`t know or care what was the specific setting it just sound and fell gooooooood . Thanks for another great Video
Huge clickbait, but one of the most important suggestions ever!
Haha Exactly! Thanks ever so much!
Your intention was to deliver a message which when done successfully equates to great content and once again you knocked it out of the park. Great video.
Wow! Thanks ever so much my friend!!
Warren, great quote!!! I'm constantly telling my daughter (same age as your son) that the trick to being productive is acting only with intention.
Thanks ever so much Jacob! You Rock! Yes, we are here to help them grow, indeed, with intention!
Possibly the most inspiring commentary you have done, Mr H.
Wow! Thanks ever so much!
That is wonderful advice Warren! Agree all the big records were recorded with intention & the sounds they wanted were done at the time of recording & mixing was tidying it up at the end.
I totally agree with Warren - use intention! Also, limitations is why I use nearly exclusively analog and analog emulation gear. Minimal controls, minimal things to mess up.
It just makes things move quicker, smoother, and easier when you do less but you do big things and know what direction you are heading! For example, my favourite de-esser is on the BSS DPR 402 (and the other similar DPR units). It is 2 controls: frequency and attenuation. No matter what I run through it, it always gives me perfect high end. Every other de-esser I have used either has too many parameters, or just doesn't sound as good. Same thing with an LA2A on vocals or bass. There is just so little you can do you'd have to be *trying* to make it sound bad.
I don't have the space or budget for that but I did deliberately strip down my VSTs to the bare essentials only and I actually finished a track for the first time in years :)
Thanks ever so much Odin!! You Rock!!
@@PJBonoVox great stuff!! Thanks ever so much for sharing!
@@Producelikeapro Thanks dude. It really helped me to focus on what I was trying to create and not get too worried about tones and suchlike. The end result might not be very polished, but it's a complete track which is a step up for me. Keep these great videos coming man, you're a fantastic teacher.
Thanks, Warren. I’ve heard and read variations on the following from so many notable producers and engineers: “You are ALWAYS mixing.“ This can’t take place without clear intention. With a specific aim in mind, you’re focused and making decisions all the way through the process instead of putting them off for later. It’s just easier!
Another great point I think that comes from what you're saying is that while the records we love didn't do or use a plethora of gear, the QUALITY of what they had access to was amazing. It's better having one great preamp and eq than having 600 average plugs. Same with one great musician and one guitar is better than 300 amp sims and pedals. You made some great points in this.
I believe that the equipment is only as good as the person who uses it, which can apply to a multitude of ideas. Awesome work!
Yes, but when I need to hammer something... I like to use a hammer.
right! I feel like having less actually makes people work more creatively
When I need to hammer something I usually use a rubber.
Thanks RC32! And yes, agreed!
@@DorianTwist haha that might be the problem...although I know the joke you are trying to make!
I was doing some session bass work with a drummer, and the engineer at the studio knew exactly what kind of sound to shoot for - certain parts of the kit going through 1073 preamps, other parts going through API, the bass going through a Coil Audio preamp... he knew exactly what was what, which mics to use, which preamps, compressors, and so on, and getting the sound right at source - very old school, and the end result is a sound that won’t need much processing afterwards. Ideal!
Totally agree. Intension is very important when it comes to creating great mixes.
There is one word to sum up this video, without "intending" to inflate your ego at all: BRILLIANT! A Cricket analogy - It's like one of Jofra Archer's slower balls. The intent is to deceive the batter. OR, a knuckle ball in Baseball.
Thanks ever so much Jonny!! You ROCK!
Great post mate. You explain mixing so easily to understand. Directly after your "intention" then "Commit to the sound", which I think is your best word of advice. Rock on brother!
Great video. I tend to go into projects without a clear intention. When I do, the most effective solution is to fiddle around with plugins until something clicks, then scrap everything and start over -- recording and all -- with my new-found intention.
I don't watch a lot of interviews from older mixers, but the talk of intention made me realize I typically committed to sounds and dynamics at the recording stage before and often stuck with a polished off tracking mix. I think somewhere in there I got stuck in that mentality of "save mixing for the end" and my overall mixes and such suffered because of it.
There's this Joe Chiccarelli MWTM video where he records a band and I was shocked how well everything sounded during the recording stage. Barely did anything for the mix.
Intention really is everything when it comes to production and mixing yet this might actually be the only video on it. Very important video for sure. If you can really wrap your head around this notion you will save years of your life. Once again Warren, thank you 🙏
Your advice applies to many things in life beyond recording and mixing. Before can can decide which direction to go you need to know where you are and where you want end up.
Great video Warren thank you!
I've been doing this recording thing for a while too and it still surprises me how many times I hear,
"Don't worry too much about my sound while I'm tracking, I'd like to do all that in the mix".....???
Intension is missed and very often misunderstood during communication too!
Thanks again Warren.....it desperately needed to be said, love your work!
Ajay.
This was great Warren. Thank you so much! Hope you’re having a marvelous day ☺️
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks ever so much
So true Warren, recorded a Martin D35 into a TLM103 equed through a AMS 1073SPX and the intention should be slapping you in the face. The instruments do the talking and the talent should compliment, engage and enthrall. This can only be done with intention! Keep it simple, sweet and with mood and intention! You're absolutely spot on!
Thank you Warren. So true. Lack of commitment is truly at fault here and mostly because we have no intention. That's probably the most valuable video you've released.
Great advice Warren. In regards to your comment about EDM producers mixing with more intention... I mix what some may call EDM... more specifically, Tropical House, and yes... I do mix as I go for this reason, although many videos online have led me to believe I'm doing it wrong by doing this. But as you say, things need to fit in a mix correctly, and ever since I started using reference tracks things really do become much easier. I've definitely found that mixing before going on to the next thing does help me make huge strides forward for making tracks. I think you're the only person to actually make this comment on youtube about making things sound the way you want it before moving on.
Warren, I did this with some music recently. I had my sound in mind, and I spent a bit of time getting my drum sound before mixing. By that I meant just to blends of various parts without eqing or any other processing. I use Addictive etc with samples over it to thicken it out and It's really nice and beefy (as far as samples etc go). And I purposefully made sure performance in singing was better than good. Worked on my voice, worked on getting precision double ups (I wasn't working on that much which caused so much editing headaches). Worked with mic placements etc and was blown away by how my song sounded "mixed" before mixed. Basically, by taking all the right steps, you can get a recording where you can visualize the road map for mixing when you RECORD with intention, you know right away where to go, and mixing becomes quick and creative and FUN. This is a lesson I learned after spending so long wondering why recordings were so muddy and provided no road map where to go. So yes, intention, arrangement, blending etc, and performance. Get it ALL together before mixing. Mixing will simply compliment an already great recording. If its bad, mixing is only going to highlight how bad you recorded. So record well and with intention!
Well I'm confused. I googled for the "Intention" plugin and found nothing.
Haha nicely done!
Right now, it's just available on VCV rack. If you like, I can add you to the beta testing team for the vst though.
Haha great question. Whenever I'm recording (usually other people/artists) once I get what we need, I move on. Probably been doing it wrong, as they say but time is and was always a factor. That includes the desire to finish the project/recording too. Glad you've been staying safe down there in Socal!😁
This is one of your best videos so far. Wisdom like this is priceless and so appreciated. Thank you so, so much!!!
Thanks ever so much!
Experience, Wisdom, Logic, Generosity. This video should be every aspiring recording artist's first instruction. Thanks so much WH.
What I have learned so far in watching many of your your vids is not just what I'm doing wrong, but also what I thought was 'my silly little way' of doing things - are actually right!!
Thanks ever so much I really appreciate your kind words!
This is the type of Mr. Miyagi wisdom that I really appreciate! Thank you for always keeping it real, much respect.
Thanks ever so much Zachary! That's very kind of you!
I am firmly planted in analog style recording. I use a Midas M32 console, I love the pre's and I am using both console processing and plug in's to shape the sounds I am going after. I was using just plug in's until You, Warren reminded me of getting back to how to go for shaping the tone going into the date. You are the best at explaining things in a way us old school guys can apply and use with the new technology, THANK YOU for all you do in these videos.
That would be DAW not date.
I really appreciate the message of this video, for I am working as a live-sound-engineer (well, not quite at the moment, because of that special situation we‘re in), and it is all so much about gear and not so much about intension in my scene. It started all about analogue vs digital and now we have a what I called „brand-war“.
So, at last, the intension is the weapon of choice, because gear will led you nowhere without intension. I never claimed to be a technical genius as mor loving music itself as the driving force. I don‘t know too much about all the machines and physics involved, but I always try to fulfill my vision of a sound as FoH-mixer. Sure, you learn a lot about all the other stuff working in the scene nearly 25 years. But the center of all my effort is knowing where to go with it. So , I am thankful of hearing this from a respected and experienced person like Warren about this and having the feeling to be in the right place with this channel.
I mix dialogue, music and effects for film, television and streaming. Intention is our time saver. Foley is ALWAYS recorded with intention as you put it Warren. In fact, the less money/time we have, the more focused on the intended result we have to be during recording. That goes for foley, effects all the way to foreign language dubs. One of my first gigs in post was working on a daily soap opera. The production sound mixer had already shaped the sound to be almost ready to go. That was easy to mix. That‘s one of the reasons I‘ve never recorded an uncompressed bass guitar. „Do we at least have a DBX166? 3:1, let‘s go.“ At what point would I not know what I want ? And what’s wrong with re-recording a take because you didn’t get what you needed ? Mic choice, position, preamp selection, perhaps comp, perhaps eq , ON the recording. Now I WILL sometimes record with nothing but mic, mic position and preamp selection, but only because I know what to reach for on my DAW by now to get my intended sound. It takes time to build your palette so get cracking!
Try, fail, learn and apply until the day they nail the coffin shut. Yuck, what a cliche, but also a reason I still love it after over 20 years.
Spot on Warren! I actually removed a lot of plug-ins a couple of months ago from my default list of plug-ins because of this reason. Used to spend too much time thinking of what plug-in to use. Now I have about three or four compressors, four or five EQs (one is sweepable) and a couple of reverbs and delays. All the rest is there but I have to actually search. to find them and I am to "lazy" to do it. Really helped to speed things up.
I like how you wrapped that back around to EDM and the sense of ‘intention’ that’s there. Not my cup of tea, but that was a mind opening notion.
your videos bring me comfort. I was just the other day at my friends. and damn...... he had the freaking most awesome pluggins and made everything sound very dope. well i have learned from your videos that, learn your own tools, master them and one does not need to have everything to achieve great stuff :) Even if is not crystal clear and everything is not placed excatly where they're supposed to be -- the track may translate better
We are so lucky to hear you share your advice . That was very helpful .
Thanks ever so much!!
Thank you for the great perspective.
I remember back when "I didn't know what I was doing but I knew what I wanted" recording was so much easier... recently I've been spending too much time "tweeking things" ... I need to stop with "optionizing" and get my intentions right !
Great video - I recently decided to stop picking up new 'great' plugins mostly to start saving money until I start making return on the 'investments.' An intended but great benefit you've helped me understand is that I'll also avoid optionitis and work on developing more of the intention (and improving on the work I do too!)
Thank you Warren! I love limiting myself because it makes me more creative and record the way I want to hear it. Like you said: track through plugins! I love doing this. I record the dry signal, but leave the plugin there so I know what my sound is going to be. One of the reasons why I've spent a bit more on my computer, less latency!
Like you said... The great thing about recording the way you want to hear it: you don't have to do a lot of mixing!
Thanks Warren for reminding us to stay focused on intention as that results in inspiration, something you cant add in the mix later.
Been watching your videos for while now (and all are great!), but this one hits home like no other. How often do we hear cliché analogies comparing mixing too cooking or painting, well they must stem from some form of truth. For example; something that greatly helped improve my cooking was watching Gordon Ramsay's Master Chef shows some years ago, and how he often commented about the 'hero" of the dish getting lost, buried in a gamut of ingredients that don't even blend well. The dish lost its identity, its hero, as there were too many things going on, I truly believe same goes with mixing. The "intention" behind the sound and tone you're after is the sonic hero.
ie: If someone wants that Massive Attack-style fat, dark, brooding synth bass tone, then focus on that from the very beginning. Start with the right synth, the right patch, preset/programming, and tweak away until your intention to get that sound is there (or very close to it). That bass tone and pattern is your hero, at the forefront, and everything else in the mix are merely its allies.
Find your sun - whether it's a bass, a vocal, a synth hook, etc, then start adding your planets, your moons, your stars and comets to orbit around it. Shape them, color them, whatever you do, but let the sun be the hero, the one that engages the listener right away.
Your Pretenders bass sound example is spot on, as well as the AC/DC drum tones.
Get that tone first, anchor down on the intention, and everything else can be mixed around it with more ease and efficiency.
Really starting to love these videos with no audio nor screenshots of a DAW, only explaining the philosophies behind what we do.
Brilliant, love this one, Warren.
If my software was realised as a hardware studio it would be the size of Versailles. Lol.
Just took a listen to this after tearing my hair out looking for a synth to provide a mid range layer for another synth bass part I'd written . You know what? It sounds good as it is. Not every bass part needs to be arranged or processed in that way. Just fell into a habit with that one. A behavioural impulse that often acts contra to intention, especially with of all stuff we have available to us right now. You can really forget what you're trying to achieve. Nice talk man.
Completely unrelated, or maybe not, I love the children's artwork on your desk... I have that too, and it re-grounds me in *my* intention to enjoy what I do, and to keep me honest about what's truly important in life.
Thanks ever so much Joris! I really appreciate it! Yes, our kids give us so much motivation!
This is probably the best clickbait ever! Thanks Warren for existing! Intention it is then! What happens for me is this --- suppose I'm trying to mix a strummed acoustic guitar I often try to compare it with other songs with strummed acoustic guitars and make a judgement on my session. I recently learnt that this is the opposite of what I should be doing. The gritty but gorgeous sound of ac guitars from Trains by Porcupine Tree might not work In my mix's context. Maybe it needs that imprecise room tone with some low-mid emphasis! Generalising how certain elements of my mix should sound like is taking away the character the mix would otherwise have.
And that's why the multitracks inside the academy sound great and are great to mix, a good proportion have gone through this lovely analogue gear when tracking! Along with careful choices when doing so. It's a vaulable resource to learn from and try to impart "that" sound onto your own recordings when mixing. Great video!
Thanks ever so much Chris!! You Rock my friend!
I completely agree. Inspiration is more easily found when you’re working with inspired tracks!
Great discussion and definitely got me thinking. The thing I hear from great mixers is that they know how they want something to sound. As a novice mixer but long time musician, this is the hardest part for me. Intention. What do I want it to sound like and how can make all of these marvelous tools to sculpt it? Such a wonderful problem to have. Thank you Warren!
Brilliant video again! This is how I view everything I record. I’m a mix as I go chap. Great video Warren!
Thanks ever so much Richard!
Very well put Warren. Optionitis is a real killer, for me anyway. Having worked in the early 90's in local studios you only had a handful of options and sometimes the equipment was not up to scratch too so you really had to work on your intentions.
I think it is SO important...to feel the limits of your gear. I on purpose limit myself to 2 compressors...etc. My plugin menu is quite small...easier workflow as well.
Fantastic 'Focus' Video Warren.
Thanks ever so much Trevor!
Thank you for the video! I am still learning my self and most of the time i found my self to not know what MOST plugins do. I mix pretty fast and was left wondering why some people took it like its a nightmare or something. your video explains exactly what was going on. most of the time before recording i already have a sound in my mind and have an idea where to navigate and expect. I agree with the part of having an Intention or a sound in your head before doing recording / mixing. it makes the mix easy and saves time.
This video has been somewhat of a revelation for me, this morning. I’m an electronic music producer and label owner. I’ve had some recent success so I decided to work extremely hard on my mixing skills and knowledge, during lockdown, in an attempt to push on from my success. As I’m preparing my upcoming EP for release, sure it sounds objectively “better”, the mix is more modern, but watching this video has given me a lightbulb moment, in the back of my mind, although it sounds “better”, I don’t like it, it doesn’t sound like me. Oh well, let’s pull up those three projects, again 🤷♂️😬
I have this talk with people often. In recent years I realized I loved recording, mixing and producing more when I had LESS. No joke, the most amazing records I created and released were with a simple Mackie mixer (as my pre) a DBX compressor and wayyy early Cubase. Then I would route all the outs back through the board and then straight to the DAT. Who knew as a teen I was mixing and summing better than I did as an adult, lol. Digital rules and I love what I learned and aquired over the years but that 4 track cassette tape mix was special to me, lol. The intention rule is true!
This is one of the most precious videos I've seen about music production!
Wow! Thanks ever so much Nuno!
I was fortunate, having started recording in the 70s, to be forced to have intention right from the start because I had so few tracks to work with. My first recorder was a Teac A3440 4 channel. So every sound was processed as it was recorded and, as you said, everything else was fit around it. Today, we are so spoiled with the options we have. And yet, with all the plugins I own, I find myself turning to the same 5 or 6 because that's all I need.
The 70s were good for my discipline.
Fascinating points which really made me think. I have found that the 'production' role in a process where I fulfil all roles, is the most difficult. It is, as you say, because I haven't really defined the intention. Each song leads its own process and approach and whilst the musicianship is bound by ability and the mixing by ability and kit, the production is the challenge I have realised as the most difficult, the one that fails me. Even selecting reference tracks is currently eluding me. I don't know who I want to sound like. Anyway, thanks for the video. I like the philosophical ones.
That being said: it helps to know what "forest green" looks like before you reach for the crayon.
I think one key element is the change of mindset from first demoing your songs to construct the final version of the song right from the start.
Skip the demo part. Abandon that whole idea of a demo and develope the song from the blank DAW session. Or better, create the song in your head first and only start recording if the melody, lyrics and song structure are 75% ready in your mind. (The moments between day and dream, with cell phones turned off, are best to meditate on the end result.) If you have the vision ready, the rest is so much easier to finish. Hope any of this makes sense, it's hard to translate creative process into words. That's why I hope to see more video's on songwriting and pre-production.
Thought of a cool new phrase: the intention span! Besides intention, the other powerful word is urgency. A nice pair, if you ask me.
Thanks, Warren, This is really great. I work on an old Tascam 24 hard disc recorder and I don't have any plugins. I find using intention to be the best tool and always get the sounds I want even before recording but always have a sound of what I want it to sound like as a whole for the end product is the best thing to keep in mind. Thanks again.Invaluable
Exactly!!! This is perfect... I really try to get the best performance and try not to”fix” it in the mix... just ends up sounding like you said!!!! Thanks for encouraging this mindset!!!
Thanks Warren, perfect timing, I was just thinking earlier I have so many compositional options and that it leads me to not doing anything for fear of whatever I do not being good. It’s such a stupid mindset and an excuse for not having “intention” 😜 and going with it!
“I hope you intend to leave a comment below”.
Laughed so hard on that.
Great video and advice as usual Warren.
Many thanks for sharing n
Thanks ever so much Jesús!
I already wrote one answer underneath your pinned comment and I wrote it before I watched the whole thing. Turned out you and I were in agreement the whole time =]
But you are absolutely right. I may not use the word intention, but I definitely believe that you need to have a vision of what you are doing whilst tracking and mixing. Hell, that alone can already determine what you will use. So you want to sound like a 1970s punk rock group? Easy: find the things that will help you get there and a lot of times, it’s about keeping it simple (unless you are Martin Hannett and then you can go a bit more wild 😉). But a lot of times, it starts with the source: the instruments, the voice, whatever you can do right then and there. Everything else goes on from there. And if you chose your elements well, the mixing is the easiest thing and all you are really doing is either making sure they work together better or if you want to add that extra bit of spice that you couldn’t really do whilst tracking.
And yeah, having rules beforehand helps as well. For instance, limiting your choices to use only “stock plugins” (and depending on your DAW, you can easily get away with it) or only of a certain series.
So yes. Intention. Vision. That’s more important than any tools you are using =]
Cheers
This video has G0LD advice, even for the ones who already are aware of this. Really good perspective and we all need to be reminded!
Intention! :D Love it! So much clarity right there! Thank you for yet another inspiring video Warren! Cheers!
you sir said a WHOLE lot revolving our problems in this relatively short video. Amazing advice!
My solution to this was a bit backwards, I swapped the box for a hardware mixer, some outboard gear and only permitting VST plugins on a send (via the audio interface) and seeing what I could do with a minimal amount of tools. Carried that philosophy back into the box and suddenly 90% of the mud was gone from my mix and I was vastly more creative with fewer plugins. I think working on hardware is a very, very valuable experience for the theory/creativity side of mixing and producing. Not a cheap thing to do, but it's saved me from buying any more plugins unless I can really think of a use case for them.
You're awesome Warren! You always have such a great way to touch on subjects that are crucial to music and also core values. We must all know ourselves and our intention. Know Thyself! Thanks for the wonderful reminder to just have confidence in ourselves and the work we pour our hearts into.
:-)
Yes indeed!
My philosophy for many years is "less is more" that also counts for plugins. Simplicity is perfection. I'm in to audio now for about 39 years. And that way of thinking never let me down. Great lesson again warren. Btw my intentions are to mix with, lots of dynamic, open sound and not over driven all instruments. Some can be distorted, but not too much. You forgot 1 thing imo, technique, you have to know how all your gear sounds, outbox and in the box. If you don't know your gear you can have intentions what you want, but it will not work.
Really helpful stuff Warren! I particularly like the illustration about the AC/DC sound...I’d love to see a vid from you about how you might, in theory, achieve other classic sounds. I think in modern music there is a general lack of a sonic ‘fingerprint’... and I suspect it’s party due to the fact that there are a lot of people (myself included) who are producing and mixing music but have never had any experience using real analog gear (consoles, character pre amps, tape machines ect.). So when it comes to using references to achieve a sound it ends up being a lot of guess work... which in some cases can be a good thing! But I’d love to just be able to reference a classic song and instantly know what analog emulation to pull up.. or at least have a framework for finding the right plug in!
Love your stuff warren..! Learning heaps
Ethan
So true.
Across so many artistic fields as well!
Great video!
I love the honesty about its clickbait, and love the content even MORE haha!
Thanks ever so much!!
The common solution would be stems or tracks that have the “intention” applied. You can always include the dry ones just don’t expect the project to be portable. If someone else is going to work on it send them tracks that are done..as intended.
Indeed!! Totally right!
Thanks ever so much Tony
Every mixing engineer should listen to Warrens words.... Intention .. I am from the old school of recording , mixing and cutting records..
I found some early Queen multi tracks online. You load the into your DAW, bring up the faders and... it’s the song, pretty much exactly as it was released. No mixing required (maybe a hint of eq here and there), they just sound exactly how they intended it to, exactly as Warren describes.
What I love about your point about intention is that there is a human intellect behind each decision. I think that’s the secret. THINK and hear your intentions. The method is merely that. God bless.
Thanks ever so much! Absolutely! Thanks Michael! Well said!
I like these recording philosophy discussions. Great vid Warren. Cheers!
Whenever i watch your videos idk why makes me happy.
Thank you.
When I started recording/mixing, I put too many effects etc and made it hard for myself, I also used to record from start to finish and leave it until the end, which made it difficult.
13 years later and I've found that less is more and I record in sections and eq and mix as I go. It's no surprise that thing's are a lot easier now.
Would love to hear a typical interaction between you and a client, just to get a look into that side of the process of making a record. Thank you once again Sir.
I didn't intend to leave a comment, but I believe in putting stuff between the source and the computer. I've been using a ART Pro Channel for tube preamp and opto compressor for years. Now I have 2 Lindell 6x-500 preamps and 7x-500 compressors along with 2 Lewitt 441-Flex mics (mics at a great discount thanks to Produce Like A Pro Academy and Vintage King). The point is, when I got the Lewitt mics and the Lindell stuff I made test recording just playing mandolin and singing, maximizing the gain, eq, and compression on the way in. It was only 2 tracks but I printed the master without any plugins on either channel or the master bus, and it sounded great! Loud and good.
I had a mix of ours I'd been working on and sent it off to Yukon our mastering guy. He noticed a lot of extra noise, it was too much buildup of the analog switches or the 50 or 60 hz buttons on CLA 76, waves pultec etc. also removed a couple of extra API plugins I didn't need in the mix. That was all it took. Definitely was good to have a second set of ears, I was so deep in the mix I didn't notice.
Thanks ever so much for sharing your experience and insight!
using Waves plugins always makes the sound worse for me, so much I stoped using them at all... there are better plugins out there
I agree with this topic 110%. Just few days ago,i ranted on FB about the lack of feeling / intent in a mix. I really hate it when i let the music invade my space, only to find that the mix has hardly any intent. It makes the whole song feel aimless and totally lost.
What is the character of your or my mix? Is your/my mix like a brat who can kick your ass, is the mix happy, sad, passive aggressive, manic, lazy ,about-to-burst happy, aloof, loving, etc,etc. You know what i mean?
Personally,i feel that if a song does not give me any vision at all, if i don't "see" anything when i hear the song, i might need a break from the mixing. Even if you don't like the song you're working on, you will " see" something when you hear it the first time.
Follow what you " see". Like Warren said here, have intent in what you do.
Personally, i'd rather hear a cluttered mix with an idea,than a clear mix that has no idea where to go and what to be.
Take your idea and push it thru, be proud of your vision for the mix, and take no shit for it. Stop second guessing your mix to death.
Ok,rant over.
Fantastic advice. EQing using 'Neve-like' settings is smart.
Thanks ever so much Joe!
@@Producelikeapro Always :)
I've never understood why people talk about recording and mixing as separate processes. At least for me, they happen at the same time. I'm not saying I achieve a final mix as I'm recording, but I at least pick out sounds that fit together and try to have the levels right. How can I tell if a guitar and bass part sound good together if I've got the wrong sounds and levels? Even a lot of the songwriting happens while I'm recording. Not the chords and melody, but much of the accompaniment.
Absolutely! So well said! It's all one process!!
I agree but it's still worth practicing good gain staging for decent quality recordings. What I mean is that, even if you know a part is going to be very quiet, it might not be a great idea to record it very quietly as you good end up with noisy recordings, especially if it's dynamic and gets very quiet.
I find the ' intention ' aspect of the process some of the most fun. I'm always trying to tell a story with my music and part of that is deciding what sonic flavour I wish to bring to it. Do I want to go bright and sparkly? Ok, call up that SSL emu on my guitars and piano. Am I trying to invoke a feeling of nostalgia for those who, like me, were kids in the 1980s? Right, lets put a gated Lexicon plate on my drums, etc etc. Surely without the intention we are just stumbling round in the dark?..another great vid. Cheers Warren.
thanks Warren... always a pleasure to hear from you... "Intention"...i caught some nuggets in that...Wm.