Tim Corder is lead audio engineer at Kensington Community Church in Troy, Michigan. His blog is at the top of my RSS reader and I always get something out of it. I’m posting a link to his most recent article (as of today) which is a link and a re-post of another article. This is a MUST READ for anyone in a creative role of any kind.
I don’t obsess over the perfect tones for each individual mix element. That bothers me some times. I’m not really an audiophile. Most people I work with assume I have a killer stereo at home and that I am always in pursuit of perfect sound. I mean, that’s what you sound guys do, right? They ask me for advice on what stereo or surround sound system to buy. I have no idea. I listen to music on my iPhone or iPod through the standard ear buds. Sometimes I’ll pump it through some really old, crappy computer speakers with a boxy sounding sub. I don’t love music for the way it sounds as much as I do for the way it makes me feel.
This translates over into the way I mix as well. I leave a few rough edges on things and let stuff roll. I’ll let the guitars bite a little and let the bass wash around down low a touch. It’s possible to polish the living soul out of anything; anything at all.
Balance is a language and in the creative world it’s about what you say with your sense of balance. Every so often you witness a balance that moves you; a balance you wouldn’t have thought of and it inspires you. Every art form from web design, graphic arts, web usability, painting, song arranging, mixing… is about balance, not perfection.
Here’s the link:
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Well said!!
“You don’t love music because of the way it sounds but the way it makes you feel”…that’s a great quote dude. I think back on the euphoria I felt as kid holding Kiss concerts in my room -on a suitcase-like record player that had a 4″ speaker. I didn’t care!!! I owned the world!!!
Ah yes, the frustration of perfection. When you try for perfection, you don’t get it and in fact loose the greatness as well. Don’t over engineer the mix, and that really goes for me and the studio.