Composers: Mixing & Mastering

[AngelCityOutlaw]

So, this topic was lightly touched on in another thread here in music composition & production and I've just been thinking about it ever since.

The point of discussion was essentially that, in the professional world of film and game scores, at least orchestral ones, it's standard that the finished recordings are engineered, mixed and mastered by different pairs of ears belonging to specialists in each field. It's still the case in realm of popular music - most professional bands still go to recording facilities that have the space, gear and staff to get the best recording possible, but often resort to cheaper amps and what not while on the road. Touring with expensive gear can cause that expensive gear to become a liability. Many electronic producers and many modern composers do have their own facilities and great engineering skills, but these people have often learned recording and began building their studios at roughly the same time they started learning to compose.

My question is regarding upcoming and coming or indie composers and bands. Do you think that these people should hone "producing" and "composition" skills at the same time, spending equal amounts of time and money into both, or, is that money better spent on focusing all your time on composing, making believable mock-ups and a modest recording setup to make demos with while outsourcing mixing, mastering, re-amping etc. to the pros? In the latter case, you'd have to spend more money in the long-run, but you'd have a stronger portfolio right out of the gate.

Do you think it's reasonable that many indie directors/game devs seemingly expect young composers to be a master of all these trades, which, were historically divided among experts? 

Anyway, just wondering what everyone thinks and what method they've gone and if they would've done it differently if they could go back in time.

 

[Skrypnyk]

Again, depends on what you're trying to do.  If you're an garage band then production isn't that big of a factor, if you're trying to be a trap producer then composition isn't that important.

I think that many directors want young people to be master of these trades because it'd be cheaper or easier to hire someone who knows everything rather than someone who excels in one field but needs training in the other.  There's also at least one person out there who knows everything and times better spent finding them rather than taking on someone who's lacking?

I don't know if I could go back in time would I have done anything differently.  I'm kinda where I personally want to be.  Not looking into getting that AAA job or film composer position, but doing my own thing on my own terms

[Neifion]

I think, like Skrypnyk said, there's always someone out there who can do everything. So might as well learn both. I don't think it matters which you focus on first. I learned production at the same time I learned composition, I'm still learning both, and I will until the day I drop dead probably. And I also mix my music as I compose, rather than mix at the end, which I now know is not the way everyone works, but some do.

Come to think of it, I don't really think about production much anymore. I used to agonize over EQ, compression, reverb, etc. Now I don't EQ at all unless there's a harsh high frequency or muddy bass frequency. I completely stopped compressing and now I just focus on the dynamics as I perform. I add a touch of simple reverb and that's it. I don't know if it's because I got so used to production that it's second-nature, or I just don't give a fuck anymore, lol.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

1 hour ago, Neifion said:

I think, like Skrypnyk said, there's always someone out there who can do everything. So might as well learn both. I don't think it matters which you focus on first. I learned production at the same time I learned composition, I'm still learning both, and I will until the day I drop dead probably. And I also mix my music as I compose, rather than mix at the end, which I now know is not the way everyone works, but some do.

Come to think of it, I don't really think about production much anymore. I used to agonize over EQ, compression, reverb, etc. Now I don't EQ at all unless there's a harsh high frequency or muddy bass frequency. I completely stopped compressing and now I just focus on the dynamics as I perform. I add a touch of simple reverb and that's it. I don't know if it's because I got so used to production that it's second-nature, or I just don't give a fuck anymore, lol.

Lol, nice.

My personal opinion on it is pretty much in line with Skryp's as well. I think that if I was doing serious business rock/metal music, I would probably outsource, vocals, live drums and re-amping guitars with legit amps and mic'd cabinets.  I suppose anyone in a band situation may be best off to outsource that kind of thing all the time, because bands might make an album once every year or 2. At that rate, keep your own equipment at what you need for writing songs and playing live, while keeping the high-end stuff and recording space at a studio. 

If you're a composer or electronic producer, you're probably going to be dealing with mostly samples and synths while having to produce more music, more often.

[timaeus222]

1 hour ago, Neifion said:

I think, like Skrypnyk said, there's always someone out there who can do everything. So might as well learn both. I don't think it matters which you focus on first. I learned production at the same time I learned composition, I'm still learning both, and I will until the day I drop dead probably. And I also mix my music as I compose, rather than mix at the end, which I now know is not the way everyone works, but some do.

Come to think of it, I don't really think about production much anymore. I used to agonize over EQ, compression, reverb, etc. Now I don't EQ at all unless there's a harsh high frequency or muddy bass frequency. I completely stopped compressing and now I just focus on the dynamics as I perform. I add a touch of simple reverb and that's it. I don't know if it's because I got so used to production that it's second-nature, or I just don't give a fuck anymore, lol.

Quoted for truth; I'm pretty much the same way, except for that last phrase.

I do, however, still compress, but that's because I write punchy electronic music, so that's normal. I do EQ a bit less drastically these days, but that's mostly because I've designed many of my go-to sounds to be polished and usable right out of the box, in EQ, reverb, tweakability (XY, Modwheel, etc), and so on. I do mix while I compose as well, and it's so I can know how my track sounds in context at each given moment. I never feel like I can make a good decision on sound selection unless I've considered the mixing aspect of it as well.

I wouldn't say it's crucial to learn both composition and mixing to the same extent, but if you have the motivation, definitely go for it. Better to be well-rounded, IMO.

[ShadowRaz]

Agree that it's good to be able to perform everything on your own, being a musician nowadays requires a lot, as there is a lot competition, so knowing how to make a complete track from start to finish is an asset.

I have had enormous troubles with mixing and mastering since the day i started producing and composing. I don't know what all causes it, for example if i mix and master basically on the same day or even day or two after that i finish composing, producing and designing the track, i simply won't hear some small details i would have with time. But sometimes it's just lack of skill or even patience to fine tune, and my hearing is selective and ain't the best on my right ear. Gotta work on skill and patience at least. But as far as hearing goes, not much i can do although i have wanted to check my right ear for long time, if there were anything unwanted hard earwax in there since it gets "blocked" occasionally and i seriously can't hear with it as well as with my left ear.. I don't know how much checking my ear would cost though and i already have 1 dentist bill unpaid so it shall wait.

[Nabeel Ansari]

I'm not really sure if there's a reason to focus on one specifically, unless one is particularly deficient like was the case for me for a long time (had to set production aside since my comp was bad and it distracted me from improving it). You need to be able to do both, especially to do pitches and make your portfolio look impressive. A large amount of gigs still expect the composer to be a one-stop-shop, especially in mobile games.

There is a point however where your composition will get better but other people won't really notice. It's up to you at that point if you want to keep improving it, otherwise keep streamlining the production skills. Fast composers can charge more and get more work because dey so fast.