Favourite mixdowns

[CTRLS]

I'm curious as to what producers you guys like technically. For me it'd have to be speedy j (his old stuff still sounds more punchy then a lot of what comes out today) and babicz i think. I also love the warm analog style mixdowns of robert hood's tracks.

[Mindful]

In techno... Orphx, Voidloss, Inigo Kennedy, Surgeon.
I like production that has a bit of soul and texture and isn't ALL about clarity, space and punch.
I think way too much techno sticks to a certain set of rules for how things should sound.. Being creative with your sound is just as important as being creative with the music. I mean whats the point in abstract music (not that much techno is abstract atm) If your going to present it in a pedestrian manner.
I get much more from listening to some kind of 'sonic picture' than I can from 'a sweet mix down'

Is also important to look outside techno (or music for that matter) for how sounds can be mixed together.

[CTRLS]

In techno... Orphx, Voidloss, Inigo Kennedy, Surgeon.
I like production that has a bit of soul and texture and isn't ALL about clarity, space and punch.
I think way too much techno sticks to a certain set of rules for how things should sound.. Being creative with your sound is just as important as being creative with the music. I mean whats the point in abstract music (not that much techno is abstract atm) If your going to present it in a pedestrian manner.
I get much more from listening to some kind of 'sonic picture' than I can from 'a sweet mix down'.

i'm with you in principle but not sure i agree on your choices, after surgeon went to ableton his tunes sound a bit too harsh for me (i'll still play them tho). speedy j is my fav precisely because he can control the dirt really well and deliver a vibe through his mixes and still be technically excellent.

its always sad when things get formulated (i come from drum'n'bass and that got REALLY bad 2 years ago, every tune sounded identical, much like minimal) but you also have to consider that if you get too creative things will turn to mush or at least sound strange on a big system. that and you have people's ears to consider. for example i love the darker harder industrial type sounds but if you go back a few years a lot of that stuff has no bass and no details were audible when played loud.

[Mindful]

Not really sure what Ableton has to do with it? Surgeons sound has allways been pretty much that way. Sounding harsh is a big part of harsh music in general... I think really that's the point.
If you listen to power electronics or industrial shiz like say Whithouse, Throbbing Gristle etc then a big part of that is the actual brutal use of sound and frequencies.
I understand if you like that or not is a matter of taste of course ;D

I agree 100% that Speedy J is technically excellent btw

I dont think things do turn to mush if you get too creative... not if done well and when you say sounds strange on a big system.. going off a few definitions of strange...
# being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird; not known before.
To me all good quality's (in techno at least)

One final word on how things sound on a big sound system.... Now not that I agree that the artist and style of production I mention sounds bad on big sound systems (I personaly think quite the opposite) BUT, I spend about 2 or 3 days (if that) a month listening to music on a club system. A club is probably the place I spend the smallest % of my time listening to music, where as I listen to music (mostly techno) EVERY day at home. Not all techno should be made for clubs so to me how it sounds in my room is more important to me.

I hope I don't sound argumentative as Im realy not meaning too... am just trying to explain the reasons behind my original answer to the question ;)

[Mindful]

anyways before I ramble off course too much. Robert Henke/Monolake has beautiful mix downs

[BloodStar]

producers i like and respect very much will deffinitelly start with voidloss. the real musical genious and production master. always inspiring music, never fails to impress.

robert babicz for knowing his analog guns fairly well. lot of depth and warmth in his music.

alexander kowalski for hitting the nail on head in melodic techno, for me.

cari lekebusch for being so versatile producers, bringing the right funkyness in his tunes,. one of first eps i ve ever bought around 98 was some cari lekebusch on hybrid, and apart they are brilliant tracks musiscally, they are prodced very well. can play them still today.

outside of techno, i like what RZA is doing. he produced all those legendary albums for wutang clan.

etc etc, there is plenty of good producers ou there....

[CTRLS]

Not really sure what Ableton has to do with it? Surgeons sound has allways been pretty much that way. Sounding harsh is a big part of harsh music in general... I think really that's the point.

sorry i can be a bit bad with jumping to conclusions on digital sound and i do appreciate your point about the harshness being a part of his sound. but if i compare the older tunes to things like the 46 remix and shed remix there's a pretty audible difference. analog style grit just sounds more 'right' to my ears. anyhow this wasnt meant to be a right or wrong thread, i'm just interested in what sort of textures/qualities other people are into and not least why it appeals to them. didnt mean to say the artist you mentioned sound bad, should really stop going on forums so late.


If you listen to power electronics or industrial shiz like say Whithouse, Throbbing Gristle etc then a big part of that is the actual brutal use of sound and frequencies.
I understand if you like that or not is a matter of taste of course ;D

I agree 100% that Speedy J is technically excellent btw

I dont think things do turn to mush if you get too creative... not if done well and when you say sounds strange on a big system.. going off a few definitions of strange...
# being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird; not known before.
To me all good quality's (in techno at least)

One final word on how things sound on a big sound system.... Now not that I agree that the artist and style of production I mention sounds bad on big sound systems (I personaly think quite the opposite) BUT, I spend about 2 or 3 days (if that) a month listening to music on a club system. A club is probably the place I spend the smallest % of my time listening to music, where as I listen to music (mostly techno) EVERY day at home. Not all techno should be made for clubs so to me how it sounds in my room is more important to me.

I hope I don't sound argumentative as Im realy not meaning too... am just trying to explain the reasons behind my original answer to the question ;)

all good points. there are definitely styles of mixdowns that dont translate well to clubs. club sound is another thing im bad at obsessing over :lol: kinda OT rant: on a personal club/big systems note i try not to deal with music that sounds like its actively designed to destroy your ears. crazy breakcore, industrial and things like that. a personal aesthetic choice like you said but life's just too short. i once met a schranz producer who preffered the old fruity loops with the dodgy output code because of the 'hard edge' sound. crusty old guitar amps and compressors, tape saturation and so on i can understand, but a digital 'hard edge' i dont think i'll come to appreciate. i wish they made replaceable ears so you could experience all types of sound without having to worry about permanent damage.