I've been busy for a month, and I come back to find you’ve uploaded an awesome new song and reached 24.1k subscribers… congrats! I've been fortunate enough to work in different studios and have had the chance to listen to my favorite music there, multiple times. My musical taste is pretty broad, so I’m not tied to one genre. Over the years, I keep discovering new artists that I love, so my personal "catalog" keeps expanding. I've listened to music using all kinds of earphones, headphones, speakers, boom boxes, TV sets, and in various environments, from rudimentary home setups to professional home studios, and even my purpose-built project studio designed and build by the best pros in Japan (still paying for it). What you said about listening to your favorite music in your own space really resonates. I spend hours doing the same, and I’ve become so familiar with my setup that if there’s even a slight shift in the angle of my monitors, like after a quake, I can notice it straight away. It feels very odd. But I don't do it in order to get familiar with the space, but because I just love it. Regarding reference mixes, I often have a few ones set to match the volume I usually mix at. For me, there are a few ways to approach using reference mixes. One is when I’m working in a space I’m unfamiliar with; it helps me adjust my ears to mixes I’ve known forever. Another is using a reference track that aligns with what I think the song should sound like, based on crowd control, frequencies, instrumentation, and masking. Sometimes, I'll even add a song I’d like the mix to sound like. And of course, 9 times out of 10, clients will send me reference mixes of what they want their song to sound like. I totally get why they do this, but many times the expectations aren’t very realistic. Once, I had a tough co-producer pushing John Mayer’s "Belief" as a reference for a mid-tempo Latin pop song. To make it worse, the rough mix he sent was the complete opposite of what he wanted. It ended up badly. I don’t know exactly what you’ve been going through lately with your depression, but I can tell you I’ve probably been in a similar place many times. I’m not going to offer empty words because I don’t think that really helps. But if we’ve both been there more than once and are still in the game, still pushing forward, that means we have what it takes for this work. We were born for it. I know I am, and you know you are too.
@customcutstudios
19 күн бұрын
Thank you! I really appreciate you saying that, and sharing this here. It's been a winding road, but a great one. I feel truly grateful to be able to share everything I've learned. Thank you for the kind words, and for sharing your experiences with your room, monitor setup, client interactions, and your own emotional state. So many of us go through the same thing. As you said, since we know this is who we are, we fight through it, and it gets easier all the time to snap out of it (even if we don't think it will be at first). It's truly great that you have spent the money and the time getting your room setup as best you can, and that you notice all the tiniest changes because you are so familiar with your room. That kind of familiarity is such a great tool while doing what we do. Like you, I also enjoy listening to other music in my listening position on a daily basis. It's a very welcome part of the day for me, that has proved valuable in many more ways than 1. Thanks again for being here! You are a very valued part of the channel. So much more to come (including more original music). All the best!
@andreflores5060
21 күн бұрын
Great tips here, especially the simple one of just listening to music you like on your monitors throughout the day
@customcutstudios
19 күн бұрын
Thank you! Yeah sometimes something so simple like that makes so much more of a difference than many people realize. I really appreciate you letting me know. Thanks for being part of this with me!
@NKWTI
20 күн бұрын
You're saying things I've always thought to myself and it's so good to hear someone else say it. Yes, we can be critical of what we listen to and notice things, but ultimately, there is a wide spectrum of how things are "allowed" to turn out, and they can all be considered different styles and preferences along the spectrum of acceptable, professional songs. You don't need to fret about things and let it get in the way of writing and creating amazing music. The best feeling in the world once you realize this (and kind of a pain too) is when you have a few mixes in your hand and you actually love all of them for different reasons and need to pick one!
@customcutstudios
19 күн бұрын
So true! You hit it on the head. I'm very glad this connected with you. Trying to prevent things from getting in the way of creating can be very difficult, but it's crucial. About your last sentence, when that happens I try to listen in a completely different place like the car or something. That will usually point me in the direction of the best mix if I happen to make 2 that are close and I'm trying to pick the one I like best. Great stuff! Thanks for sharing it.
@alekp6822
21 күн бұрын
It makes a big difference if you even take a step back and start using reference stems during the tracking stage. With so many stems out there, you ll get much better results early on.
@WhatJeanWants
16 күн бұрын
This was so good! Sometimes I reference other songs while mixing, but I couldn’t fully focus on why I was doing it. When you said that you match the kick drum you’re working on to the kick drum in the reference in order to understand where the bass guitar is sitting was my “aha” moment! That makes so much sense now. I get it, damn brilliant! You just changed my entire mixing approach with how I can apply that concept!! Thank you!!
@customcutstudios
6 күн бұрын
@WhatJeanWants I'm so happy this hit home with you like that and that this concept can help you with your mixes going forward. Those "aha" moments are major for us Mixers! I'm glad I got to share this with you. Thank you for being here as always! I appreciate you.
@hleet
21 күн бұрын
love the advices ❤
@customcutstudios
19 күн бұрын
I appreciate you saying that! Thank you very much and thanks for being here!
@braxal6983
21 күн бұрын
Evan, great video. This is very important video is probably one of the top things one should do and that does not matter what environment your in including a top end studio is to know the room!!!
@customcutstudios
19 күн бұрын
So true! I'm very happy this connected with you. It's often the simplest things that get overlooked by many people, and they are often the most helpful! Thanks for letting me know and for being here as always! I appreciate you!
@braxal6983
19 күн бұрын
@@customcutstudios Evan, I thought you knew that. haha . I was just adding my 2 cents. I hope that was ok? I love your videos! You do what other channels do not. Thank you!
@customcutstudios
18 күн бұрын
@@braxal6983 of course that’s ok! I always appreciate your two cents. I meant thank you for letting me (and others) know how important you think doing this is. I appreciate your compliment as well , and I appreciate you! Cheers!
@michaeljoedeal8686
21 күн бұрын
Ear protection mode great term brother!
@customcutstudios
19 күн бұрын
Thank you! I appreciate you letting me know. That's something I take very seriously. We only get 1 set of ears. Protect them at all costs, and you'll have a longer career with less hearing issues to worry about.
@Chaos-Dynamics
21 күн бұрын
What a great title for a song, ‘ Show me how to live ‘ A lot of people are very well capable of telling others how to live and as we can reed in comments on the internet they love judging other people choices but are mostly totally unknown about their own purpose of existence in life. I ‘m definitely going to listen to that song and maybe make some sense of the lyrics 😀 I like Adptr A/B for referencing and analyzing, a great tool. Learning your room an monitors is definitely important and if you know your system well enough you don’t need expensive speaker calibration or Trinov, when looking at amazing mix engineers their studio I notice that not all have extremely expensive monitors or even perfect room setup and still they do excellent mixes because they know their room and speakers very well. Like you mentioned our ears adapt to the sound we listen to, also mood and even atmospheric pressure can change our perception. I heard a very good guitar player who had perfect pitch say that there are days he couldn’t play because some days it just won’t sound right no matter what you try. Audio is such an interesting phenomenon, I like it a lot but however we need technical knowledge I think the creative aspect is far more important than perfection, but that’s my personal view. Most important is that we enjoy what we create and have a blast in doing so. Tonight I have three live bands to mix, tomorrow mixing in the studio for a new album for a band. I love it 😍 Have a musical weekend everyone 🤟🏼 And by the way I totally agree and appreciate your ideas, you have some great tips to share ❤ And yes getting consistently good at mixing takes years and it’s freaking cool and fun to do, I switch to speakers, headphones and earbuds while mixing and it’s definitely time to use more reference tracks 👍🏼 Just listened to the song and what a killer sound, love the kick and snare when it starts. Gonna listen to it again 😎
@customcutstudios
19 күн бұрын
It is such a great title for a song and song! I'm very happy you dig it. I got to check out Adptr A/B. So true about not all engineers needing the perfect setup. We all hear different, we all adapt to what we learn, and we can always make changes and modifications when we can't deal with issues that may happen in any particular room. I love how Andrew Scheps uses cheap headphones, and also says "I don't want the room to sound good" when he mixes without headphones. That's very interesting about somedays nothing sounding good because of the pressure in the air! I've felt that sometimes, but never heard anyone articulate it in that way, which makes so much sense. I've heard engineers (mainly live engineers) talk about how sound travels different in the cold / vs the hot weather vs, vs dry compared to more moisture in the air. I'm with you on all of this being so interesting, and extremely fun! It's hard to ever have a dull day, and I'm not complaining. Thank you for the kind words about the videos and ideas / tips I share. I'm very happy to have you here as a part of this, and I welcome your ideas as well. Your comments are always interesting with unique perspective, and seasoned wisdom. Always a pleasure to read. I hope your weekend went great, and that you made some amazing music! Thanks again!
@Chaos-Dynamics
19 күн бұрын
@@customcutstudios Thank you for your kind words, my weekend was great. Had a wonderful time with volunteers and some great musicians in the venue and made some new friends. Mixed on an Allen&Heath Avantis with a L-acoustics PA system, sounded freaking fantastic 👌🏼 Today mixing with an empty mixbus only a little eq but I’m gonna take it off too, see how far I can push the console 💪🏼
@CORLEYKG5000
21 күн бұрын
I have to take small breaks to avoid my ears from fatigued, I normally use Dr Dre Chronic 2001 as a reference or Sade greatest hits. Im trying to keep the mix away from being too bright just trying keep it warm, thanks for the advice thumb 👍
@GdpJapan
21 күн бұрын
Same here. My problem is that often I realize my ears are screwed when it's just too late. How do you deal with that?
@CORLEYKG5000
21 күн бұрын
@@GdpJapan I normally wear a wrist watch, I take a break every 15 - 20 minutes, I try to avoid the ear fatigue before it hits, sometimes stepping outside for a few minutes would help reset my ears.
@customcutstudios
19 күн бұрын
@CORLEYKG5000 Thank you! I'm happy to share this with you. I love that album! It sounds amazing and holds up so well all these years later. I agree that a mix that's too bright is my least favorite problem to have. Painful when things are too bright. Great call working in blocks with lots of short breaks. Very helpful to do that! The dim button on my monitor controller is constantly being pushed for me so that no matter what I do the volume stays well below "loud." I love working at low volumes.
@customcutstudios
19 күн бұрын
@GdpJapan So right about this. By the time you realize the fatigue is there, it's definitely too late. Setting a timer like @CORLEYKG5000 suggests is a great idea! Also, if you have a "dim" button on your monitor controller, get comfy with it. That prevents me from turning up better than anything (because I have to physically disengage it in order to turn up). It's more mental than anything else, but that extra step to turn it off helps more than you would think (for me at least).
@IanPetillo
21 күн бұрын
100% agree with your advice. I always mix at the same at the same volume doing my best to peak at -6 on every mix. Before I bounce, I walk out of the room and into the hallway and then further away in the kitchen. I've learned how the highs get diffused throughout my house and how the mix translates as I step away. I've also gotten used to how my reference tracks are effected with my stupid trick. It seems to really work for me. Does anyone else do this? I no longer feel I need to treat my room or do the dreaded car check. I agree that plugins that eq you monitors are pointless and confusing. Why not just learn how your speakers sound and mix accordingly?
@customcutstudios
19 күн бұрын
Im very happy you shared this! You are spot on. I've heard many people talk about doing this, and I do something similar. The way you step away from the control room and listen from a far away room is a very good call for both reset'ing your ears, and to give you a new perspective / vantage point that will allow you to really hear the bigger picture. If you've learned what it's supposed to sound like in that scenario and it works for you, that is great! Anything that works for you, is a great idea! I have a single BT speaker on the far side of my room off to one side (basically behind me). I check the mix on that, without even facing it, and that gives me a great final check because I know how that's supposed to sound when things are right. Great stuff!
@acewonda2812
18 күн бұрын
Bottom line is, "don't do that!" 😂 Great vid, I need to use references way more.
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