Hi Tchad,
Your approach to mixing reminds me of the state of mind of a jazz improviser. In this state, musicians dive into the song with an open mind. The late great Wayne Shorter used to ask: how do you rehearse the unexpected?
As far as mixing goes, how do you cultivate that state of mind?
As long as I can remember I’ve liked improvising. In my teens I read about the surrealists and automatic writing. I saw lots of live jazz. I also played guitar for a time. I don’t know how to play piano really, but I love to sit at one and pretend I do. All improvising.
I don’t have a mind for visualising ideas.
When I bring up the channels in a session and hear the interactions, my mind starts moving in a random direction. I don’t know what the mix will sound like in 10 minutes. I just keep moving with the music. It’s the leader. No expectations. Mine or anyone else’s. That’s why it’s important for me to, at the very least, mix the first couple of hours alone. I also prefer not to know what the artist wants to begin with.
I fully understand this will not work with many artists or for artist/labels looking for hits or something specific. Sometimes I wish I could be more flexible but my imagination struggles when there’s a target to hit.
Thanks for your answer, Tchad. I’m glad to know my intuition was right about the improvisation.
I have a jazz composition/arranging background so I guess that’s why I resonnate both with the way you mix (your process, as seen here) and the way it sounds (the final “result”.)
I have to say I can achieve that state of mind while playing guitar, but I’m not there yet as far as mixing goes. Work in progress! ha ha haaa!
Thanks again!