Sun, 06 Jul 2008
Sound Mixing
Eddie Bazil, Sound Mixing Tips and Tricks,
PC Publishing
No matter how knowledgable you are, there is usually always
something new to be found in these sorts of books - ways of getting
a balance, small technical details, or even ways of looking at a
problem.
Eddie Bazil takes us through his way of doing things by first looking
at what he thinks is good; then the listening environment; personal
preparation; tools; headphones and speakers; noise; and then a whole
bunch of things to do with the mix.
The rub comes when we consider where he's coming from which is basicly
that of an engineer who's being paid to capture whatever's going as best
he can. This constitutes a certain way of looking at things and a certain
way of judging things that might not be helpful for home studio people for
example, or for project studio people involved with working bands. The
first rule, or anti-rule, for such situations is ... make a virtue of
necessity! In other words if you have gear that produces distortion, use it!
That sort of creativity is hard to teach but it's the product of attitude and
an open mind... and good ears and instincts.
Also in that line is a pronouncement about genres - does the recording
actually fit?! This kind of thinking is quite valid at times for a certain
sort of band but completely antithetical to the great hordes of artists who
don't want to fit at all!
And then there's the use of Cubase for examples. Well, hmmm, who uses
Cubase in a pro environment?
Having said all that, there's plenty to take on board here, but, as with
any book of this sort, or perhaps any factual book, slavish copying just makes
you ... a slave.
(John Littler)
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pre Dec 04 reviews are here