Re: Anyone here do top-down mixing regularly?
I'm a hack from way back, so basically whatever instrument I take the inspiration from - guitar figure, bass pattern, drum groove and tone, etc - will get the most attention. I do try to get everything "pre-mixed" going into the track - if I start with the drums' overall tone, I dial up a bass tone that won't get buried by the kick or multiply its low-end (buh-bye, speakers!), then the guitar tone gets EQ'd so it doesn't multiply the bass or the kick, but also doesn't boost the cymbals' sizzle or sound like a droning buzz (unless I want a droning buzz layer).
Or if I start with the drums' overall tone, I'll get the guitar tone going and then try to weasel the bass in there last.
If it starts with the guitar tone, the drums go down just as a time-keeper initially, as I usually have a bass tone and sequence in mind as the guitar parts flesh out (the bass could be busy under the sustained chords, so it has to stand out without stepping on anything), and then I fight with the drum EQ to keep everything audible but separate as much as possible.
In the rare cases where I get the guitar first and drums second, the bass will most likely get a very low "throb" tone that accents the kick, or otherwise holds a steady pattern.
I despise post-work, especially when the equipment offers enough options of getting a "mixed" tone as it records the tracks, but I have been contemplating the possibilities of a wider range of tonal options with recording everything as clean, flat, and dry as possible and then futzing with post-processing. On average it takes about the same amount of time as presetting everything so it goes in the way I want it to come out, but offers very little flexibility in the event I actually play in a live environment and need to compensate for the room.
