Let's Get this straight once and for all! Final mixing in Pro Tools, before Mastering

[M2E]

I own a PT24mix+ w/2extra farm cards and thinking about purchaseing some more. But the only thing stopping me is this.
1. Should I pursuit the doing it all in Pro tools qwest, recording, editing, and finally mixing it.
I just built a studio just for this cause of doing everything from the my studio thing, and having a mixer come in and do the final mix or if I have the time, I'll do it.
I'm doing major project in USA and Internationally, and I ask my friend who do the same thing I do and they say don't put anymore money into Pro Tools. It's just a great editing machine, either take it to a major studio or buy a Big Board and do it from the house yourself.
I hear that Ricky Martin first single was done on PT including the mix.
Well I do Hip Hop R&B and that's totally different from POP MUSIC.
We have more low end and the whole mix has to be punchy.If you know what I mean.
Some people tell me to run and get an Yamaha
because of the Apogee converters that they have for them. AD8000 like converters.
2. Should I get a Big Board from Amek and do it that way?
3. Or just record and edit, and take it to a studio like Larabee LA which cost around 2500.00 a day, get a mixer Dave Pensado, Rob Charrleli, John Gass which all of them cost around 3,000 a mix, some not including PT itself which cost another 2,000 in rentals a engineer to run it and so on and so on.
I've used Dave and Rob before, and don't get me wrong-THEY ARE GREAT MIXERS!!!!!
And yes it true I don't have to pay for it, It's all in the budget. But when your budget is only 25,000 grand and more than half of that is goin to mixing. I guess you start saying- Is there another way?
And of course I love that SSL sound, that no one can get other than useing the SSL itself.

I don't know anymore, What should I do?
Come one come all.
professional mixers, professional producers, etc.
M2E

[Gulliver]

The major film studios are still using Tascam 8 track recorders networked with a pair of sneakers. The big recording studios are jumping on the Pro Tools bandwagon by the bus load. The truth is that most of the big players are so involved in pumping out product, they are technologically in the dark ages. Most of them are just starting to upgrade; both technology and ideals.

Why don't you hire someone who can produce an excellent master from Pro Tools. Your friends will all be doing it this way two years from now anyway.

[Corey Shay]

I think you by far get the most bang for your dollar with the ProTools TDM systems for mixing when you factor it all in. While an SSL or Amek might subjectively sound better on a mix, I think it's really up to the engineer to make it all sound good. I think that when done right, ProTools mixes can sound amazing, and honestly you can make it so no one can tell the difference.

Plus complete session recall... Don't get me started. It's really changed the way I mix. When I get sick of mixing a song, I can decide to put it on hold and mix another, and come back to have the entire mix exactly the way I left it. Make a small change after 2 months? easy...

[blairl]

I'm doing major project in USA and Internationally, and I ask my friend who do the same thing I do and they say don't put anymore money into Pro Tools. It's just a great editing machine, either take it to a major studio or buy a Big Board and do it from the house yourself.

Absolutely not. Great mixes can be done entirely within Pro Tools. It's the guy behind the controls that makes the difference.

I have heard horrible mixes done in Pro Tools. I have also heard great mixes done in Pro Tools. Maybe the reason people are getting better results with major studios, is that the guy working there happens to have a lot of experience and he knows what he's doing regardless of the equipment used. An experienced, knowledgeable engineer can get great mixes out of Pro Tools.

People can't just go out and buy a Pro Tools system and all of a sudden expect to have great mixes. It just doesn't work like that. You have to know what you are doing. You have to have experience. This is a huge problem in this industry. Equipment like Pro Tools is a double edged sword. In the right hands, it's great. Otherwise it's a very dangerous thing. Imagine someone having enough money to go out and buy a small plane. All of a sudden they call themselves a pilot and start flying without any training. Scarry stuff!

[adamflys]

keep this one thing in mind:
Everything in your PT mix must be "handled" - its not like tape where you can "assume" anything sonically. every track- every sound must be looked at and checked. Mixes in PT can be totally amazing - but so then is the PT operator. Tape and mixers have their own "thing" -its mostly where you can count on a level ground that you have heard time and again in the studio enviroment. PT doesnt know that level ground or "zero"- it is a wide open canvas that can and will be anything you make it - i find that mixes in PT never end - the operator just "quits"
good luck

[ditherwerk]

Very well put!

I for one am all for working at making great DSP mixes.

[M2E]

yeh I see what your saying. Thanx for all the reply's. I also have heard that PT has a Phase problem. Of course I have'nt heard it in my mixes but again I'm use a 8 by ten room until my studio is done. So I can't tell. What about that?
Also what about this.
I sometime use plugins to record my vocals like Mic Moldler, Focusrite, and a Digi gate.
Am I breaking the rules here? Is the out of phase so great that I have to worry about that later when I go to have someone mix it.
I've seen a few topics in this forum and they all say DO NOT RECORD WITH PLUGINS!!!
It will hurt you in the long run.
but sometime my Demeter pre amp and AKG TL2 mic can't give me the level I need.
Plus everyone is giving the ok on PT being a mix system except a few emails I got. My studio is pretty much built around the pro tools equiptment. I have a Arogsy board with the HUI laying in there so nice. But will I be hurt in the long run? Will plugins be as good as the hardware? Are they now? Should I go out and get a Yamaha 02R, and have a pro tools/Yamaha sound? I heard Hans Zimmer got rid of his Euphonix Board to get 3 02R's. Huh-is there something I'm missing?
I mixed a group from London called the Honeyz
in protools and the mix came out good but not great, thick, and humpin like when I went to Townhouse studio in London and mixed a song for Mercury Records. yeh I know I can't compare the two but when I a/b it. It really does not compare. What is pro tools missing? 1073 Neve's under the hood with a SSL stereo compressor. What. help me here? I want to go all out and get all the dope plugins like Bombfactory, Real reverb, etc.
And sit and take my time and mix these songs, turn it into the record company's, and they smile and say My My M2E, Where did you do this mix at-Conway, you must have because I can tell it, yep a Conway mix. And I just smile and say yeh, Conway Mix.
Am I dreaming? Or what. Digi what is your thought about this? I would like to hear from someone at digi that mixes records. Or knows somebody that does it....

[vudoo]

you should probable check out Roger Nichols forum. It's over at eqmag.com.
I really like Roger's work. Lately he has been mixing quite a few projects all in PT or PT and Sony DMX100. Go out and buy those records and check them out.
One thing we all have to remember is that, a lot of these great engineers have the luxury to work with world class musicians.
Trust me, when you have guys like Abe Laboriel jr., Manu Katche....tracking on the album...it's almost impossible to not get at least a decent mix !!!

[bluemt]

M2E

Get real man. You've got a mix + system? How about using it for more than a paper weight? Put your nose to grindstone and get to work. Wouldn't that answer all of your questions?

You can go on about "dope" plug-ins and ssls all you want but until you can answer these questions yourself, your the dope.

[bluemt]

M2E

Get real man. You've got a mix + system? How about using it for more than a paper weight? Put your nose to grindstone and get to work. Wouldn't that answer all of your questions?

You can go on about "dope" plug-ins and ssls all you want but until you can answer these questions yourself, your the dope.