[Lzi]

Go to;

http://www.youtube.c...w/pensadosplace

Dave Pensado IS one of the industry's big mix guys. He's giving away his knowledge. The videos and interviews here are priceless!

I think you might find some treasure here...Happy mixing

Look past genre, watch, listen...learn from one of the greats!

[Simple Simon]

Yep. I've seen/heard some of this guy's videos before, and there's some excellent material in them. I love how he's so happy to share his knowledge and experience. I'd almost swear that the "raw" clip he's using here for his demo has already been Autotuned though! LOL

[Lzi]

Dave is a real music guy. He is not just another somebody on the internet making instructiuonal videos. You can trust Dave's knowledge. Isn't it wonderful when people can share their skills in such an open manner?

If you listen to the radio, you are hearing Dave's work constantly. What I think is super cool is, Dave still mixes for indie artists. Here is a man who truly loves his craft.

[porcupine]

The two biggest things I do that changes how I mix, is how its recorded.

1) Perform Well. One excuse I hear from alot of players that "watch the clock" in the studio is "we'll fix it in the mixdown". Wrong mind set. get the best perfromance everytime and start with drums. To me, the drums, even though Im not a drummer, really set everything up. They can influence the tone, eq and performance of every other instrument.

2) mess with the panning for the drums with the other instruments, sometimes placement of a highhat in the pan may sit better away for the ac guitar or other instruments in the same timber. same goes for doubling a guitar track.

Porcupine

[Lzi]

Well yeah Porcupine, I've been saying the very same thing here for a long time. I hear you on the hat placement. I hear you loudly on the drums. This goes without saying for me but, hey, we live in a music by numbers world now and everyone doesn't understand how a great recording is made, they seem to think tht they do though

Nothing is going to be "GREAT" unless first we begin with a "GREAT" song. Next, it's all about the performances that you record. THEN, and only then, does recording skill come into play. Without the song, without the performances, you might as well stay home in bed. You might understand this however, I don't think everyone on here gets this. This link here is about mixing skill. It goes without saying (for me at least) that, you have to have a great song, and great performances before you even consider mixing. Once you do have these two elements though, all is not a done-deal just yet, and THAT is where Dave Pensado comes in. Of course, if, you are involved in music, then you have to realize that, there are just a few guys who mix almost everything we hear today. Dave is one of today's top mix guys. You hear his work many times a day. Dave knows what he is doing, and if someone is sitting in their bedroom baffled about mixing then, clicking on Dave's link here may be just what they need to get over that hump. Or, you could just pay Dave to do your mixing for you. He is a really nice guy, he mixes for indie artists at indie artist rates.

I get you on the importance of capturing great performances of great songs, I really do, this is 2/3 of my musical M.O. but, great recordings of great songs do not simply mix themselves, it makes mixing easier, I will give you that but, you do have to know how to mix or, you'll just have a great song, and some great tracks, and that is only 2/3 of the way to the finish line. Mixing isn't about fixing anything, that is a very popular delusion though. You fix problems BEFORE you record, BEFORE they even have a chance of becoming problems. Of course, in todays rush, rush, hurry, hurry mentality a lot of really great songs never make it out of someone's bedroom simply because, they didn't expend enough care on them. If, you are the type of person who can care deeply about the tiniest element in a song then, you are a great candidate for learning how to mix. If you're not this way, stick to doing what you do best, and let somebody else mix...Simple.

Having on of the top mix guys in music mix your songs might be just what someone needs in order to make people listen to their music. From where I am sitting, writing, recording, mixing, and mastering all of your own recordings isn't the path you take when the destination is greatness...Just saying. Perspective is an extremely valuable tool. If you do everything there is only one perspective, and this isn't the path to greatness, it is the path to mediocrity. Or, if someone has an enormous ego they might feel this is the way but, if this happens to be your M.O. I have some news for you. There is a very high probability that you'll only be spinning your wheels...Like I said though, just sayin'

[Scotto]

I've been meaning to sit down and watch this but I haven't found the time yet.

Drums have been the hardest thing to get down for my recordings and they really make the song. Cheesy drums in a song makes the difference between just a scratch recording to something close to professional. I'll admit it. I've surrendered and I'm using loops from drums on demand or that monkey place, but for a nominal fee I'm getting drums recorded by professionals in professional settings with years experience that I could never duplicate. I mean yea sure if time and money were limitless resources I could... but they're not! I've found that I'm not surrendering the structure or rhythm of the songs I write hardly at all. Plus it is fun to free form a little and be inspired by the drum part itself sometimes. Songs are alive I tell you. Sometimes they tell you where they want to go...

[Lzi]

Scotto, on 23 April 2012 - 04:08 PM, said:

I've been meaning to sit down and watch this but I haven't found the time yet.

Drums have been the hardest thing to get down for my recordings and they really make the song. Cheesy drums in a song makes the difference between just a scratch recording to something close to professional. I'll admit it. I've surrendered and I'm using loops from drums on demand or that monkey place, but for a nominal fee I'm getting drums recorded by professionals in professional settings with years experience that I could never duplicate. I mean yea sure if time and money were limitless resources I could... but they're not! I've found that I'm not surrendering the structure or rhythm of the songs I write hardly at all. Plus it is fun to free form a little and be inspired by the drum part itself sometimes. Songs are alive I tell you. Sometimes they tell you where they want to go...

Yeah!!!!! Songs are alive! I have always felt this way, like I am simply grabbing a song that has already been written and bringing it to life, allowing the song to channel through me. This is exactly how I write music. I relate it to meditation. I sit and wait without a thought while allowing my fingers to roam the fretboard. It never fails. I'll have a cool riff in no time but, lyrics and melody flow out of me as well, as soon as I have a title. I aways tweak small things until I hear things begin to breathe for lack of a more descriptive word.

Back to recording...

If the song is the "Body" then the drums are the body's heartbeat, and without a heartbeat, the song would die. The drums make or break a recording IMO. You can have the best song in the world however, if the beat feels the slightest bit awkward everything feels wrong.

Drums call to our most primal instincts. Whether a person knows this is occuring or, not, their body understands already so, LISTEN to your body move! It will lead you without leading you. It's almost like a trance if you ask me.

One thing that really helps drums come alive is compression. This is why there are still people who insist upon cutting drums to tape. You can mimick this using plugins after the fact but, if you can find a way to run your drum loops through an outboard compressor this is where it is at but, never go overboard if, you even think you are overboard, back off because, you can add more compression as you mix using plugins.

The ambience around the drums is also vital and should sound as if thew drums are being played in a good sized room. This aspect is very important.

Another thing which helps me with drum loops is, I've recorded real drum kits in real rooms. Drums were my first instrument. I traded in my sticks for a guitar because, in those days they didn't have kits you could play through headphones, and I was the type of drummer who slammed into the kit so, I got very tired of being told to play quiter so, I found another instrument. Buy a Djembe, or some other type of hand drum, and become more of a drummer! It'll help you. It may not seem like it at first but, keep drumming and soon you'll be a drummer! The more you learn to think as a drummer thinks, the better your drum loop work will become. It's not the push-button way, it's the hands-on-drums way. It's a hardware solution LOL.

This is far more than simply one video. Dave site;

www.pensadosplace.tv

This is an ongoing learning experience, there are many videos and interviews. Stay tuned to this site and you will be mixing like a pro in no time.