In this article Dom Morley considers the question of which is more important to a good mix, the equipment or the person using the equipment?
Gear or Ears?
It’s the age-old question in sound engineering – what’s more important, the gear being used or the ears (judgement / taste / experience / know-how) of the person using that gear? Well I think I have a perspective on this that might be useful, via a confession that you are about to read below, and I’m also going to dive into another world of engineering to find some parallels which might help answer the question.
First, a confession. I started out my career working in commercial recording studios. Some of them were very nice and extremely well-equipped. Occasionally as an in-house assistant engineer, I was allowed to use the studios for ‘downtime’ sessions – ie. working with a mate’s band in the studios when it was empty over a weekend. I mixed on the big analogue desks and plugged in all the posh outboard gear. And my mixes were awful. Really, really bad. I had (access to) all the gear, and I had no idea. So, I can confirm that good gear on it’s own cannot save you.
Inevitable Car Analogy!
My favourite analogy to this is in the world of motor racing. Give me a Formula One car and I will not set a track record with it. In fact, I’ll probably stall the car six times trying to get out of the pit and then call it a day. I have no idea what I’m doing with a car like that and certainly don’t know how to get the best out of it.
Fast forward to today and I have a studio full of outboard gear that I’ve had to pay for myself. To be clear, I’m no gear junkie. I would much rather spend money on holidays than compressors, and I never had any ambitions to be a studio owner. However, I do think the equipment that I have gets me better mixes and gets me to the end result quicker. After more than 20 years of mixing I’ve got a lot better at it, and I’m much more aware of what these bits of outboard gear are capable of, and where that fits into my workflow and the sounds I’m going for. As a better engineer I find the gear gives me a boost, and I can identify where and when that’s happening. I also know that using this gear is definitely not as important as getting the balance, EQ, compression and effects right. It all comes second to those things. I wish that weren’t the case – I wish my expensive bus compressor did all the work for me - but sadly it doesn’t, and gear is not a shortcut.
To reach even more tenuously into my Formula One analogy, if Lewis Hamilton were given a Ford Transit van to drive around the Nürburgring he’d likely set a record for going round that track in a Transit, but it wouldn’t be a track record. He would need a Formula One car to do that.
Gear Is Definitely Important
So my experience tells me that gear can help, but only up to a point, and more importantly, only from a point. If you’re starting out it won’t make much of a difference as you’ve got a lot to learn about details of EQ, balance etc which will make WAY more of a difference to your mixes than whether you use a valve compressor or not over the mix. One of my many professional hats is Professor of Music Production at Leeds Conservatoire, and I’ve got an MA student right now whose mixes are excellent, and he’s never used a third-party plug-in in his life. Logic stock plug-ins is all he uses, and to great effect. He is mastering the techniques of mixing, and then perhaps in the future he’ll get into the world of plug-in and/or outboard gear flavours. He might be only driving the Transit van right now, but he’s flying round the track with it (I promise I’ll stop using the F1 analogy now).
What To Do To Improve You Mixes
What’s the best move then, I hear you ask, if I have some budget to move my mixing forward? I would say when you are starting out (and I’ll assume you’ve already got a DAW) it should be a ratio of 90% education to 10% gear. If you have the time and money then full-time education is obviously a great option, but if not, then there are subscription services like Mix with The Masters or PureMix loaded with info, or more bespoke services like The Mix Consultancy (full disclosure – that’s me) with which you can tailor your learning curve. As you progress you can shift your budget if you like, from education to gear. Here are some milestones to look for that show your progress, and I would consider shifting the balance with each one.
Your mixes are getting the attention of people you don’t know
Friends are asking you to mix their music for them
Strangers are asking you to mix their music for them
You can charge what you consider decent money for your mixes
Mixing becomes a significant income stream for you
The next obvious question to ask is what your gear budget should be spent on. The answer is very much dependant on your circumstances and goals, but remember that these are the things that should drive your choices – circumstances and goals – not whatever is new, shiny, or your mate has and it looks cool (I might be speaking from experience here). Excellent monitoring should always be a starting point – great speakers, great headphones, great interface – build a great signal chain from your DAW to your ears. The more clearly you can hear what you’re working on the better. And everything else from there is a luxury.
More Recording Resources From Dom Morley
Dom is the founder of the Mix Consultancy, a zero risk (money back guarantee) way to get notes on your tracks to help improve the sound. Whether you're an artist who likes to mix all their own work, a composer putting together a pitch on a limited budget, or an engineer who wants a discreet second opinion before sending a mix off to a client - we're here to help.
“I just completed a mix with the help of Dom Morley & The Mix Consultancy. The mix we turned over was qualitatively better than the one I would have gone with on my own.
It's been said that "a mix is never done, it's just abandoned", but the truth is, you *really* do feel a sense of completion and closure having worked with Dom because you know in your heart that you did everything you possibly could to get the best result possible for the client.
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In addition to the one-to-one advice Dom has produced some excellent online courses;
Everything You Need To Know About Recording Vocals
Preproduction, DAW set-up, preparing the studio, psychology, equipment. Literally everything you need to know.This is a short, free, mini-course on the four things that you really need to know in order to get great mixes, and the four things that you really don't!
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