Mix while you arrange, or mix after?

[lotus2035]

I do a fair bit of mixing as I go, I don't see the point in listening to a muddy mix for hours on end while composing if all it takes is some quick EQing to clean it up a bit. Makes the songwriting part more enjoyable.

[kevvvvv]

Like to mix as I go to get a real feel for the whole sound and the whole song.

This way I learn every inch of the song.

Then bounce to audio inc inserts, and remix again, using all the Izotope stuff, plus straightforward channel fx sends and more automation.

The final result is better.

[legendCNCD]

Both, but mainly first write the tune (during this phase natural sound and quick eq/fx adjustments are made anyway) then come back to mix it.

[Noobish]

Both!

Then just reset to unity,

What exactly do you mean by that ?

[dark_virus]

I always tried to arrange first but, for me, it proved an impossible task.

[toonertik]

Both!

While sound-designing, composing and arranging I think it's good practice to start to carve sounds to allow new, added instruments to be able to find their place. Otherwise, by the time you have drums, bass etc. all muddying up the bottom end, you're already going to start having issues when adding full-spectrum pads, guitars et al.

Once the piece has been fully recorded, it might be almost there. Then just reset to unity, sort out the gain structure, and start balancing levels, tweaking, and adding mix effects for the purpose of 'gluing'/homogenising the sound.

...is one way of doing it

That's how we did it in the old hardware days... "rough" mix to track and get sounds to fit...

come back to studio with tape and mixer is unity...
Now MIX...


then off to the mastering suit
I mean REAL mastering

and this is still how I work...
works for me>> when I work...
age has me effing lazy now... love noodles tho >>>

[Mathematics]

I do it all the time...on almost every single project. I'm a classically trained pianist, so I compose a basic melody on either a piano or some other instrument to gain inspiration. Then arrange, and mix only broad EQ moves. I do this as long as I can until I think what I have sounds like what I hear in my mind.

From this point, I stem things out and create a new project where I probably won't add any more instruments into the arrangement, but that if I do add another instrument, I can bump the buffers down to drop the latency enough that I can play in real-time yet and then bump up the buffer setting to go back to mixing.

Mastering is another project.

[musicguy3]

I find it is so much easier to arrange and record first then go back afterwards in your daw and clean up anything that is wrong in the mix,like automation or vocals came in too early ,vocals too loud etc.

As we only have two hands even with Daws its kind of impossible to mix,record,arrange,and do mastering all at same time.

You can however adjust levels ,and pan certain instruments and set limiter and so forth,then start recording just id mix and finalize everything at the end that is the way i have always done it.

[codec_spurt]

Sometimes you really don't want to be distracted by one when doing the other.

But most the time it's good to have a little quick EQ or Comp that you can just hook in to tweak a bit. Like Voxengo Prime EQ. Toneboosters track compressor. That should do you proud what with what you already have on the DAW.

But who cares? If you are making music. Just have to make sure you aren't going overboard and not catching any of those 'blow-out' signals like a low-end that just is destroying everything and can never be reckoned with later. Are you drunk? Stoned? Tired? Is that bass guitar that is fuzzing and blowing out your headphones (and is oh so nice to listen to while it rattles you little head while you are off your nut) just a tad too high in the mix perhaps? When it comes to correction later? You might want to adjust that now to save problems later on.

Really, if you are working with guitar, keyboard, vox, you should be pretty good. Keyboard and synth can get quite silly quite quickly, but it depends if you are doing this live or in the box.

Live signals can really blow up. In the box you should have stuff in place to stop that happening. Just work out a framework for you.

But yes, it's nice to EQ and Comp a little bit along the way to give you a delicious little signal path. Why not stick a Bus Comp on the 2-bus? It's all good. If you will be listening for 6-9 hours straight. Or more.

There is no answer to this question - it's all degrees and on the spectrum.

Does it sound good? Then it is good.

When I'm tracking songs and just guitar and vox I don't care about 'engineering' - I just care about getting the idea down. Even if it needs to be redone later.

Sometimes though, I like to just do a full on EQ's and Comp'd mix that is like gold dust to listen to for 8 hours solid.

It's hard listening to a drum and bass mix that is not set up properly for 7-8 hours.

You will work it out for yourself.

[alex2000261]

Guess it's just what works for you. I think some people find mixing takes up too much of their time and can inhibit their creative process, whereas people like myself just can't contemplate listening to a song again and again at the end to mix it. Whatever works for you! Try both options.