Chapter Eleven: Midterm - Posted on 2017-02-13 by Sonya Glaessner

The last observation I was privileged enough to sit in on was watching Mark mix up in the mezzanine. The artist was an unknown band from London, and the song Mark Mixed was called Angela. I am not one to sit and judge whether or not someone has talent, however, I would say I am somewhat picky when it comes to listening to music, especially new music. I have to say, this band's sound wasn't my favorite. Although the potential was definitely there, the overall execution of the song was, in my opinion, less than ideal. Mark was really facing a challenge. The mix was all over the place, with a vocalist whose voice was pitchy and out of tune instruments. The only thing he seemed to really have going for him was the fact that the tracks were recorded using decent mics. This observation definitely taught me a few different lessons. First of all, I was able to really understand the importance of organization within Pro Tools. There were so many different tracks in this song and Mark really had to separate each track by name and color. In order to efficiently work on a song, one has to be organized. I also found I was given a better understanding as to how to approach a song that is for lack of a better word, bad. Mark had to make adjustments, and mix the song to the best of his ability without actually changing the song entirely. He didn't take the easy way out by auto tuning this girls voice or mixing the track in a way that it stripped it of its original form. I felt the lesson I really walked away with was how to maintain a level of professionalism. Despite this clients  less than ideal sound, Mark still mixed the song. He didn't let his personal feelings or idea about the song cloud his ability to be professional and provide the artist with the service they'd requested. I think this is important to acknowledge because it can be challenging to not allow one's creativity take over and mask one's professional demeanor. At the end of the day, we are being paid to be of service to the artist, and while the job allows us to be creative, we must remember we are not the ones in creative control.