What's a bad mixed song? What's a good mixed song?

[harryupbabble]

songwriters shouldn't have to worry about mixing
just write the song
get a million dollars
or whatever a mixer person cost
maybe they don't cost that much
money is not important to you

heck, have the song mixed by different mixers
choose the one you like the best
you, the songwriter

[harryupbabble]

hay...
are you a songwriter?

[mjudge55]

To me a bad mix is one that undermines the song’s purpose, strengths and emotional content. It’s very subjective and situational.

[VOODOO U]

To me a bad mix is one that undermines the song’s purpose, strengths and emotional content. It’s very subjective and situational.

Echo and the Bunnymen's 86? 87? self titled album is a good example of that.
I know at least Ian hates the mix of that album.

[mjudge55]

To me a bad mix is one that undermines the song’s purpose, strengths and emotional content. It’s very subjective and situational.

Echo and the Bunnymen's 86? 87? self titled album is a good example of that.
I know at least Ian hates the mix of that album.

I could see that. On the opposite end, you have My Bloody Valentine's Loveless and Jesus & Mary Chain's Psychocandy -- two albums I can agree don't sound "accomplished" in terms of mix but are better for it.

[VOODOO U]

There is nothing JaMC can do that would even amount to anything good in my book.
MBV i do like cuts off the first album. Not sure about the other 2? 3?
If we have to go this route, ill vote Monster. Just for the record i absolutely *HATE* R.E.M.
But the one album die hards hate because of the bad mix, i like. Go figure.

[mjudge55]

There is nothing JaMC can do that would even amount to anything good in my book.
MBV i do like cuts off the first album. Not sure about the other 2? 3?
If we have to go this route, ill vote Monster. Just for the record i absolutely *HATE* R.E.M.
But the one album die hards hate because of the bad mix, i like. Go figure.

Uh... what? We've established its subjective, in any case

[VOODOO U]

There is nothing JaMC can do that would even amount to anything good in my book.
MBV i do like cuts off the first album. Not sure about the other 2? 3?
If we have to go this route, ill vote Monster. Just for the record i absolutely *HATE* R.E.M.
But the one album die hards hate because of the bad mix, i like. Go figure.

Uh... what? We've established its subjective, in any case

Yeah I get it. Monster is an example of that.

[mjudge55]

There is nothing JaMC can do that would even amount to anything good in my book.
MBV i do like cuts off the first album. Not sure about the other 2? 3?
If we have to go this route, ill vote Monster. Just for the record i absolutely *HATE* R.E.M.
But the one album die hards hate because of the bad mix, i like. Go figure.

Uh... what? We've established its subjective, in any case

Yeah I get it. Monster is an example of that.

I was just ribbing you about your taste, good naturedly.

[VOODOO U]

Oh! Havent had my beer yet. Sorry.

[holmer]

I could make a mediocre mix for you, then you have a yardstick in the middle.

[Crowzilla]

A bad mix is something that a mastering engineer of the yesteryear would refuse to master. By this logic or standard, there are no "bad mixes" in all the commercially released music. This would be true in a sense that you could take a mix that you hate and think sucks (in a commercially released mastered music) and blast it and it would not blow out your speakers. So at least one could say that truly terrible mixes have been released and mastered to be playable on any playback system.

These days I'm sure that there are more bad mixes than ever before and they are not stopped at the mastering stage, but are "mastered" by someone somewhere and they may end up being listeneable with earbuds (or with some other form of headphones), but are not anything that would sound even decent on the loudspeakers. (but more power to them, you live and learn.)

[VOODOO U]

A bad mix is something that a mastering engineer of the yesteryear would refuse to master. By this logic or standard, there are no "bad mixes" in all the commercially released music. This would be true in a sense that you could take a mix that you hate and think sucks (in a commercially released mastered music) and blast it and it would not blow out your speakers. So at least one could say that truly terrible mixes have been released and mastered to be playable on any playback system.

When we say "bad mix", we are talking about losing the "soul" of a song. The power akin to wattage in an electeical circuit.
I can make a circuit that doesn't short so the LED lights up, but there could be too much resistance where the LED lacks it's full potential (it's very dim).
So yes, the song plays back beautifully in a variety of mediums - but the sound recording lost its mojo thanks to one individual's (in most cases) point of view as to how that sound recording should be balanced.

[harryupbabble]

bob dylan
the ultimate busker
just a guitar and a harmonica
he could do his entire song catalogue on any street
unmiked, unelectrified, unmixed

it's the songs
it's not the mixing

okay, maybe in other cases, the mixing does matter
like, dark side of the moon
but still
it's 95 percent the songs, man

[WackyZoundz]

That's what I would call a bad mix:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tccZs_veliA

It's just one step away from comb-filtered white noise.