Don't lose sight, it's about the music

 Sometimes when mixing I have a tendency to get too wrapped up in the technical side of things. Sometimes, I'll catch myself thinking...."If I apply ABC technique here that might sound good", "I wonder what kind of noise I can create with all my plugin choices.".
 I have to catch myself and remind myself that mixing is a musical experience and something that should be fun! If it's not fun for you, then it's not going to be fun for the listener (Emo music excluded of course).
 What I'm working on myself is to make my mixing less technical and more musical. It's not as easy as it seems because it is a technical job, true.. but it also is a musically creative one.
 When a listener hears a mix I did, I don't want them to hear the mix. For me, it's all about bringing the listener into the music so that they become a part of what the story is that the song is telling. They can't do that if I get in the way with technology. So for me, it's a new way to view how I work. A new way of working. Musically!

“You'll sound like a pro - even if you've never recorded a note before.”

 

Why does this bother me?  There are lots of lower end recording systems out there. Kids can start to record their own music and feel good about what the music they make but, I think it’s lines like the title of this post that bother me the most.

The title of this post is taken directly from the product description and I’m wondering how is it even possible?  Does the software magically inject years of study and training on proper mic placement, mixing techniques, ear training and mastering skills?  If so, why would one spend thousands of hours and dollars learning these skills when the software can make you sound professional? I know this sounds like what the Pro Tools TDM users were saying when LE first came out, but LE was still marketed to the Professional community, not customers at Toys R Us. What does this say to the value of our skill set? “Why hire an engineer? I can get the same results with little Johnny’s mbox”. Why would someone aspire to be an engineer these days, when there is a perception that if all you have is this product, that’s all that’s needed to get professional results. It is devaluing our craft.

Let’s be honest, I can go into Home Depot and buy a professional hammer. It does not promise that I can build houses just like a professional carpenter. I pound nails into a wall to hang pictures on. That’s the extent of my skill set with that tool. The problem is some of the people who use this product won’t know the difference. Then guys like me will get a call to help and get low balled on our rates to help fix crappy tracks. Or, even worse we don’t.

It’s funny to me to look at the big picture, we have the big studios that dislike me because I have a Nuendo system and mix at home instead of their facility and I get that. The difference here is, I have the training and the skills to walk into a studio and record a session and then take my tracks home to mix. Most of the People who buy this product do not. I have a session now that just sounds fantastic. Of course it does because it was recorded by a well known engineer in a stellar studio. A far cry from a lot of the tracks I get that are recorded in bathrooms and there is no hope of achieving the same results. But they expect the same results because they are told that they can achieve them with this product.

Thus ends my rant. I’m not against home recording at all. I’m just tired of the marketing hype and promises  devaluing a skill set that takes years to achieve. Let’s do what we can to add value to our community not take it away.