"Blind" Mixing

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Sometimes I will make level and EQ moves without listening to what I am doing until I render. It's not true non-listening in that I do evenutally listen to what I've done but just not in real time as I am doing it. I am surprised at how well this works. It saves me a lot of time. I was wondering if anyone else uses efficiencies like this.
Last edited by plexuss on Mon Mar 25, 2024 12:52 am, edited 3 times in total.

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Blind mixing is truly blind when one has no mixer at all... Like Cakewalk Project5, MED SoundStudio, Delta SP/Oscillastation, AXS Tracker, etc, etc. So I guess I been doing it for years & still do. A great many Tracker folk have as well>>>

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By blind mixing, you seem to be describing 'deaf mixing', or maybe I'm just too tired to make sense of this.

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swilow11 wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 5:56 am By blind mixing, you seem to be describing 'deaf mixing', or maybe I'm just too tired to make sense of this.
"Blind" with quotes. It's a concept. An analogy.
Last edited by plexuss on Mon Mar 25, 2024 12:53 am, edited 1 time in total.

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I find my mixes sound better when I listen to what I'm doing.
But I will turn my monitors off and give it a go.
THIS MUSIC HAS BEEN MIXED TO BE PLAYED LOUD SO TURN IT UP

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jamcat wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2024 5:04 am I find my mixes sound better when I listen to what I'm doing.
But I will turn my monitors off and give it a go.
Cute. And off point. :clap:

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plexuss wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2024 3:34 am
swilow11 wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 5:56 am By blind mixing, you seem to be describing 'deaf mixing', or maybe I'm just too tired to make sense of this.
Yes, of course. However Deaf Mixing doesn't sound right. The word "blind" is often used to mean "without knowing what is typically required to achieve a goal" and I am using it in that sense.
Yep, I got it. 👍

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plexuss wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2024 9:29 pm I call it Mixing "Blind. It's really mixing without listening so in that sense I am "blind" as to what I am
really doing because I am not listening to the changes I make

...

I sometimes do Blind Mixing when I feel I can with confidence. It generally works out and saves me
time listening and comparing. ... I consder it a optimization of my workflow. Anyone else Blind Mix?
So - the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that
"blind mixing" offers fantastic advantages:

1. You don't need expensive monitors or speakers that are
somewhere in the room and take up a lot of space.

2. You don't need to optimize the room acoustically, which
can be relatively expensive and time-consuming.

3. You don't get tired so quickly when mixing - by listening
and analyzing the song and the sounds and the interaction
carefully and for a long time.

4. You can also mix songs that you don't actually like - or that
sound bad per se. Because: You just don't listen at all!

“Blind mixing” is a brilliant suggestion! Why didn't I think of
this before? :?: :?: :?:
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But... why not automate the whole process ?

btw: I personally find the rendered graph plots of EQs distracting. With just knobs to twist I have to trust and rely on my ears. With a graph plot I often think "naah, that can't be right" while it's pretty good.
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BertKoor wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2024 8:26 am btw: I personally find the rendered graph plots of EQs distracting. With just knobs to twist I have to trust and rely on my ears. With a graph plot I often think "naah, that can't be right" while it's pretty good.
This makes alot of sense. Will definitely try that! :tu:

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Last edited by ahuman on Mon Mar 25, 2024 9:39 am, edited 1 time in total.

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The technique sounds hardly recommendable, because the spectrum plot hardly reveals how it sounds.

Also, the listeners only hear, they don't even seen plug-in GUIs.

What's recommended:

Mix without looking at the knobs or visualizers or the screen. Listen to the mix how a listener would.

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:o :lol:

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swilow11 wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2024 5:56 am By blind mixing, you seem to be describing 'deaf mixing', or maybe I'm just too tired to make sense of this.
Dumb mixing.
THIS MUSIC HAS BEEN MIXED TO BE PLAYED LOUD SO TURN IT UP

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plexuss wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2024 9:29 pm Sometimes I will make level and EQ moves without listening to what I am doing until I render. It's not true non-listening in that I do evenutally listen to what I've done but just not in real time as I am doing it. I am surprised at how well this works. It saves me a lot of time.
Why not save even more time and not make any level or EQ adjustments at all? I mean, if you aren't even going to listen to what you are doing, what is the point of doing it in the first place?
I was wondering if anyone else uses efficiencies like this.
I rarely use any effects or EQ at all, which is far more efficient. To be fair, I do rely on on-board effects a lot more than I used to, and I also spend a lot more time making sure all the patches work well within the context of the mix, but in terms of efficiency has it allowed us to use a Core i5 laptop on stage without having to worry about putting too much strain on the CPU.
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