So those stubborn people......need a hug.

[deadraven]

Brandon, can you make a category where we can rant about stubborn people in recording
I think it'd help us all out, so we can pat each other on the back and make us all feel good again.
I'm in need of one.

[String7th]

Originally Posted by deadraven

. . . I nearly said name a track right now where you know this happens . . .

Atreyu: Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses

But there's no right/wrong when it comes to recording. You have to get any "recording rules" right out of your head right now. If the guitarist wants to play 1 guitar part, dead center, or 42 parts panned accross the board, you have to learn to just let him try it.

Let the artists be creative and let them decide what's best. (Producers are exceptions) But it's not your job to tell the artist what to do. Your job is to capture a good source, let things mix well, and suggest ways it's done differently if it sounds funny.

[deadraven]

I had shown him both different ways, and from personal opinion, the part where it meant swapping their panning, sounded better and more punchy. His opinion was he couldnt hear any difference.

[String7th]

Oh, and a work around for technical things you know will not work from a mixing point of view, go ahead and try your idea and save the file as "Mix2", and see if they even notice without you mentioning it. If they notice right away, you have the original to fall back on and compare for themselves.

This works on drum replacement and eq effects a lot.

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by String7th

Oh, and a work around for technical things you know will not work from a mixing point of view, go ahead and try your idea and save the file as "Mix2", and see if they even notice without you mentioning it. If they notice right away, you have the original to fall back on and compare for themselves.

This works on drum replacement and eq effects a lot.

Yep, it sure does! Just like my desktop wallpaper has a big Pro Tools logo on both screens. Guess what? I'm not using Pro Tools, but they think I am! hahaha!

[String7th]

Oh, that's a good idea.

[newkid]

Originally Posted by deadraven

Brandon, can you make a category where we can rant about stubborn people in recording
I think it'd help us all out, so we can pat each other on the back and make us all feel good again.
I'm in need of one.
I have been recording my first project which is my own band which is tough in itself as I'm trying to learn as much as I can without sounding crap.

I've been trying to explain to one of the guitarists that, for instance most of his guitar will be panned left, and the other guitarist right, but at certain times in a track, they may actually have to be panned differently etc.

He claims that he hates it when a guitarist doesnt stay on the side he is panned to all the way throughout a track.

For me, I nearly said name a track right now where you know this happens, but I didnt want to escalate the situation further so I just closed up and thought bah to hell with it, I'll do it anyway.

Is this just a small taster of what is to come in the land of sound engineering?

As a listener, I think he is right.

I don't want things moving around like that.
Very unnatural.

I even pan the local FM station announcer back to the center.
They think it is neat to have a mono source moved to the side.

Could you be the stubborn one?

You can pan anything you want.
Might lose a guitarist.
This is how band breakups start.

[String7th]

Originally Posted by newkid

Could you be the stubborn one?
. . . . .
This is how band breakups start.

I hate to agree with Whomp but it sounds like a simple difference of opinion between band-mates. If it were a client or someone else's song, it would be easier to take my previous advice and just allow it thier way.

This situation is dangerous because you are a supposed to be an equal part of a band making an album, but it's easy to put on a producer/engineer hat, and decided you have more vote. Take a step back and make a band decision, by going for a vote, compromise, or expect conflict.

[deadraven]

Yeah I'm gonna see what the other dudes think and we'll all decide on it, this thread seems to have gone serious but trust me when it aint that bad

When you listen to something, and you just know what sounds better, you go with it right?
From a mixing standpoint, that is what I'm getting at.

I've learnt quickly to be neutral when it comes to mixing my own band, I have to be and its damned tough lol and I agree with the panning throughout a track, but when I couldnt get this certain section to sit right, I tried switching over, and it just sounded better.

[jagcmos]

Originally Posted by deadraven

I've learnt quickly to be neutral when it comes to mixing my own band

That's sometimes tough to do.
I've heard many albums recorded and mixed by a band, and with the exception of a few, I could tell what member (drummer, guitar, etc) mixed it.