Hey Drew, you caught me at a good time, I neglect FB most of the time. I'll do my best with your Questions… you're bang on with Cascade Mixing. thats exactly what we've done. Think of your CD player as 2 channels, your 5.1 DVD System as 6 channels of audio… I mixed this record to 32 channels, and KEPT IT in a 32 channel format for the DURATION of the Mixing AND mastering, (Where Most people Mix down to a 2 Mix Bounce) However after WE Finished all mixes, we could enhance change, or work on virtually any element of the mix, even in mastering. (what I meant by "Workable", certainly not workable "Easier Work flow", but workable as in "Easy to change, modify, enhance anything… even during Mastering" through the WHOLE Game (Guess I chose "Workable" in an odd way. "High Quality Manipulatable " may have been a better choice of words, just harder to type
The objective here was to Keep everything incredibly High Quality, and Not finally Summed to 2mix until DURING Mastering.
It is finished now… mastered, and archived with Recall Sheets, meaning that in 50 years, you can recall our Mix, from that Neve Console (Very famous Console at Quad Nashville made ALOT of hit records), Just as it was that day, ALL 32 channels from that console have been printed, and saved. Maybe 5.1 will be 10.1 by then - who knows what will be the standard… but we saved everything Hi Resolution 32tk Mix. (With the Session Archive of EVERY track recorded Individually - Still all 100+ tracks)
Now, your question about "Ping Ponging" or "Sound On Sound" from the Analog Tape workflow… In the Other extreme (Of sacrificing quality, and recall of individual elements) … Think of Bohemian Rhapsody having been "ping Ponged" as you say, well over 100 Freddy Mercury vocals were recorded, in 4 Parts, or 6 parts then "Ping Ponged" to make 100+ tracks span less then 20 tracks of Tape. EVEN With ALL OF THAT ping ponging on Analog Tape… think of how fantastic THAT records sounds. Shows what a GREAT engineer can do.
Now days, everything that was ever recorded, is still on a hidden track, and if I want to Raise a Jon Cain Vocal in a stack of Vocals, I temporarily disable my 2 CH BGV Stem, re activate the 5 Layers of Cain… push one up on the console, brighten or compress it, do what ever I want… then re record, or "punch that Track, back into MY Stem. NO Quality Loss, instantly being able to modify the "Stems Contributors" at any time by activating any of their elements, modifying it, and punching into the stem.
Complete control of every element ever recorded onto the project, at all times Taken to Mastering as a 32 Channel Mix, NOT a "2 Channel Left Right Mix" -
We'll let the record speak for itself, some will hate it no matter what, and crucify us all for making a record if THEY don't relate to it. - but Journey fans that want to rock, to A great, BIG sounding record, will be re kindled, excited, and effected by this record.
I'm out in SF Mixing 2 Neal Schon Solo records, and I just Mixed their live show, the last 2 days of rehearsal on their Live touring console (Which will remember my settings and sounds) and they hired a World Class, INCREDIBLE FOH mixer, for the next 2 years recommended to them from Allan Parsons, named Martin Frey to take it on the road every night, and dial this show, and these sounds in with his P.A. Brilliance. (Starting this week in Nevada) so this tour is going to sound amazing. These guys are pulling out all the stops on this one, nothing but the best, all around.
There will always be those that will Crucify Journey themselves, Kevin's production, My mix or Mastering, for any, or any / all of the elements anyone worked on this thing contributed. Probably right down to the Album Graphics, and title... (it's pretty much that way for every artist, on every record out there) - but for the "Believers" I really think they'll be blown away.
Send me a link to your conversation / forum, and I'll keep an eye on it. Maybe pop in from time to time, anser a few Q's i'm allowed to... like I did, at that other place, Is it friendly? or a "Pack of Trolls" ?
Kalmusky
