There Should be a Mixing Critique Thread
 

I'm guessing that almost everyone here mixes or records music... and we also have some very experienced engineers who could give valuable advice or insight to people's mixes... So why not have a section primarily for people who seek advice on their mix, want to share their mix(es) with people (more specifically mixers / engineers), or just seek critique. I think this Avid forum is the perfect place for these kind of people who seek advice on their mixes. So creating this section would be extremely beneficial for mixers / engineers and at at the same time would promote Avid products because a lot of people on here use Avid products to achieve a desired sound or feel for there mixes. This may encourage other people to purchase Avid products after hearing other mixer's get great results. But more importantly, I think it would be a great opportunity for us mixers / engineers. What do you guys think?

Re: There Should be a Mixing Critique Thread
 

Good question, but not so easy to answer. On the one hand, the public can be a good barometer(post stuff on youtube and see what happens):o. Many do post right here in this section of the DUC, and I have offered opinion, along with many others here. I always feel a bit hesitant to be too critical as I have no gold records hanging on my wall(yet:rolleyes:), but there are many here that offer good insight(and hopefully, mine is constructive too). Post away with a tune or two, but be choosy about what you post, due to copyright laws(maybe only upload a verse and chorus, so you don't risk the whole song). In the end, your ears(trained and experienced) and comparison against commercial releases in a similar style will get you pretty far:D

Re: There Should be a Mixing Critique Thread
 

i appreciate the comment! but youtube isn't a good place to put your mixes if you seek advice in regards to mixing... it just isn't. a good platform to share your music, yes. but deff. not a good place to go to if all you want is mixing critique. i feel what your saying about relying on your ear and I 100% completely agree... but it is always great to get an opinion / insight on your mix from an outside source... i just think a section like this would make perfect sense, especially being that is is a community in which there are hundreds maybe even thousands of mixers / engineers who range in very different experience levels and musical genres that could offer great help and insight to people's mixes, you know? :D

Re: There Should be a Mixing Critique Thread
 

If you are lucky, maybe there are some mastering houses in your area. Call and book an hour and bring some mixes to an ME to critique.

Re: There Should be a Mixing Critique Thread
 

nope, there aren't any here unfortunately. :( and i know a lot of ppl don't have one either, that's why a mixing critique thread would be great :p

Re: There Should be a Mixing Critique Thread
 

Go for a good mixer rather than a mastering engineer. They each know their own thing. Find a good guy and ask him some time if you can hover and ask questions. Hire him to do a mix for you and tell him why. One of the best experiences I had was when somebody used my room and they hired a Grammy-winning mix engineer. So I just glued myself to his elbow for a week. That's when you realize it's not the gear, it's the talent using it.

Re: There Should be a Mixing Critique Thread
 

thanks for the response, I appreciate it! but to be honest it wasn't very helpful, no offense. not everyone has access to a "grammy-winning mixing engineer" or even outside opinions from other mixers / engineers for that matter. that's why creating a mixing critique section would be great. Gearslutz has a section like this where people post new music / mixed piratically every hour and it truly is helpful in so many different ways. This forum just has so many great mixers and engineers who would be willing to give constructive criticism to people who seek it, it would be a shame not to do this imo.

Re: There Should be a Mixing Critique Thread
 

Yeah sorry I'm not trying to diss the idea of the mixing critique. It's just that if you did have anybody local whose brain you could pick....

The point is that sometimes the real knowledge comes in the step-by-step process, like getting good sounds at the source, and knowing what the point is of slapping on the various plugs. The devil in the details. It's hard to get that sometimes after the fait accompli, vs. seeing the whole process as it grows. But certainly there's a lot to said about the sharing of work online, so bring it on...

Re: There Should be a Mixing Critique Thread
 

We have a sticky thread for this that's been around for 12 years or so and still very active. There actually use to be two back in the day(they may have been merged since then), as the Mac forum had one also. You'll find the mixing/critique sticky thread here at the top of General Discussion.

Hope that helps.

Shane

Re: There Should be a Mixing Critique Thread
 

Yea the Let's hear your latest stuff thread was always a place to get feedback on your mixes. It actually used to frustrate me because I would always want to post a SONG, and all people wanted to comment on was the mix, whether you wanted it or not! :D

I finally decided to post my songs to the music listeners and leave my mixes out of the critique. If my mix doesn't sound good, I don't need someone else to tell me. I should already know whether it is good or not because I've been listening to other "good" mixes all my life. If I couldn't figure out what was wrong on my own I would ask specifically. Generally after a while of practice and trial and error, you won't need to ask.