Finding a Baseline

Finding a baseline in my mixing technique has been a huge focus of mine lately. Here's what I mean by that: I've been on VENUE for over 5 years now mixing almost 4 times a week. That's a lot of hours getting used to certain "perks" and features that are specific to VENUE systems. Especially the TDM plug-ins and the large selection of EQs, dynamics, and FXs all just a mouse click away. Working at House of Blues as well as Onstage Systems has forced my to try and find either analogue replacements for some key processors in my mix setup or spend loads of time trying to create the same sounds with different digital consoles.  It's a fun journey to find my mix style so to speak with other consoles, but it definitely makes me appreciate mixing on VENUE on Sundays. One piece of advice I can give anyone out there having to branch out and mix on a ton of different consoles is this: Throw away any numbers or setting you have in you head and just listen. Listen with your ears and start from scratch if you've never mixed on that particular console before. I used to walk up to a new console and try to "pre-mix" the drums channels and never was please with the results. Each console, preamp, and PA will have a completely different response then one of a different make and model. Even guys who carry their own mics and console must still focus on the system side of things and try and mold the existing system to fit their mix. Unless I'm doing a show with our PA, consoles and mics, I try not to get too far ahead of myself in terms of pre-mixing.

  Some of the things I've been considering to help duplicate my mix more consistently from console to console has been Waves Multirack. Multirack utilizes any audio interface as an insert point for Waves native plug-ins running on your laptop or desktop. This would allow me to say drop an 1176 on my lead vocal and an API2500 compressor on my master bus. Depending on the size and capabilities of your audio interface, you can insert plug-ins until your computer freezes or you run out of channels. For me personally I love the color that the 1176 adds to guitars and vocals and quite honestly probably rely too much on it to help color my sounds. I'm not 100% obsessed with plug-ins, just 90%. All kidding aside I do go to great lengths and spend time with the bands to make sure the source sounds good to begin with. I also check my mic positions and have taken the long walk to the stage many of times to correct a mic position on say a guitar cab or floor tom. (MON guys never seem to pay attention to the com flashing lol) Another thing I've considered is buying a few key hardware compressors such as the API2500 for my master bus and an 1176 or LA-2A for my lead vocal. I've seen alot of guys carrying channel strips for the lead vocals and have also considered those, but I find that if I can get the right mic for the vocalist I'm working with, the typical 4-band parametric on the console strip will suffice.

  Lastly; I've also taken a step back from the gear craze and considered this: I had the privilege of working with my friend Scott Ragsdale on a Lincoln Brewster gig and was blown away by the mix he got up and running with Brewster's personal Yamaha LS9/16. For starters when the MON tech pulled out the LS9 I almost offered to rent them a Profile out of my own pocket lol. Scott assured me that Brewster has been touring with that setup and everything was pretty dialed in, but still I was doubtful about the quality of the mix. After line check the band took the stage and all I can say is WOW.  Is Brewster's band amazing? Yes, and it does all start with the source. Scott maybe took 6 minutes to dial in the band and then we started walking around the room listening to the band and checking the PA coverage. No high end channel strips or compressors. No $80,000 console or Meyer MILO PA.....just a great band and great FOH engineer. That day was definitely an eye opener for me in terms of gear usage. Do I one day want to own my own Profile(or whatever new amazing console Avid releases)? Yes! Do I try to always carrying my mic pack on my gigs? Yes! Do I want have a few pieces of hardware comps and pres that I can carry for my vocal chain? Yes! More important then all that is this: I want to be the engineer who walks in and regardless of the console, mics, outboard gear, or PA, creates an amazing mix for the artist and the audience! That is why I am in this business and why I hope everyone else is as well. The love for the mix.