February 27, 2021

WFH: DAY 41/LENT 10. 6.30 am: Proof of presence:

7.30 am: Studiology. To begin, each of the tracks comprising ‘Throw Stones Out of the Water’ was adjusted for tonality, compression, volume, and stereo-field position. The more I learn about mixing, the slower the process appears to get, the longer I take to resolve the outcome. ‘Optimisation’ is today’s key word. The aim is not to produce the best composition that I’ve ever made but, rather, to make this composition the best that it can be. I rethought the transverse of the reverse splash samples from left to right to left, from scratch.

11.00 am: The sun had blossomed. I could sense the composition tightening-up. I like the taste of honey, but I don’t like honey-flavoured foods and drinks. 11.30 pm: I sensed that finality was on the wind. I made minor adjustments to the volume of small areas and surveyed the overall balance, before creating a mixdown. My ears had become too accustomed to the sounds; objectivity was slipping away from me. 12.30 pm: A conclusion (or, at least until I listened to it on Monday.)

1.30 pm: After lunch, I spot-checked all the compositions for minor flaws that became immediately evident on hearing the whole for the first time in a week. Phase 3 of the mix was embarked. Phase 1 and 2, had been conducted using near-field monitors and headphones. Now, I’d be deploying the mid-field and far-field monitors, in order to confirm the breadth and integrity of the stereo image and hear, for the first time, the mix on an entirely different system.

4.30 pm: The initial sample of tracks was encouraging. The final mastering (Phase 4) would not take long. The end of the journey was in sight. 5.00 pm: The day was done.

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