Mixing for Feature Film

[minister]

thanks to richard for his detailed "peeves" -- it helps me to think these things through AND, for when i send music and design out of house to be mixed elsewhere....

[CCash]

Try a search on this forum for "x-curve"... plenty of info.

[Michael Price]

Hi Richard

I feel your pain. Hope the rest of the mix went OK and you got through it before last orders.

Your list of horrors is great. Required reading, particularly for composers mixing at home. I've always thought re-recording mixing was a tough chair, particularly on fast temps, with a whole bunch of half-finished elements you've never heard before coming at you thick and fast, and helpful directors/editors on the couch telling you you've done it wrong before you've even grabbed a fader.

On the other hand, I've mostly found myself in situations with fx + dialog editors on the stage, along with me flying in the music. Hopefully then we're not feeding the mixers too many nasty surprises. Or at least we can have the grace to apologise for it!

I hear what you say about the story being the thing. When the dub stage is running well as a whole, it does feels like all the elements (and their representatives) are working together to tell the story as effectively as possible. Sometimes, though, for any number of reasons, the mood does flip to a defensive and combative one, with everyone covering their own position.

This mostly seems to be caused by a shortage of danish pastries and coffee.

Cheers

Michael

[dr sound]

Richard,
Great Post. You have brought up some very fine points like usual!
I'm busy with the opening of the "New Dub Stage" so I'll have to go, but keep this topic going. It affects all of us Re-Recording Mixers on a daily basis.
Take Care,

[filmixer]

>can you elaborate on it? or point me to where i can read more about it?<
Hi,
Go here, www.dilettantesdictionary.com/index.php?let=x. I'd like to let everyone know about a really great site about film sound. It's www.filmsound.org. Lot's of info, links galore, especially to articles by well know sound designers. There are also a lot of fun things on the site. Check it out. It's where I found Dilettantes Dictionary. Don't worry too much about all these "curves" though. If you have active monitors, just switching the tweeter switch to the -2 or -3 db setting will be fine. Don't over EQ things. Let the re-recording mixer do the final tweeking to get the score to sound it's best in the context that it will be played. And Richard Fairbank's points are right on. The big one though is having elements separated into stems. This is the most helpful thing you can do. Melody separate from percussion which is separate from the pad etc. Hope this helps.

[Charles D. Ballard]

I nominate Richard for "Best DUC Advice" for 2004...

I'd be scared to hear your pet peeves for dialogue and effects editors.

[Henchman]

I hope my thoughts are relevant to you. I appologize if they are framed a little negatively. I am just taking a break from a mix, during which I have just been fighting with peeves #1,3,5 and 7, with a dash of 8. I have a headache.

Negative? Not at all. Everything you said was right on the m oney.