So I've been very confused about "Mixing". Every site that defines it, I realized, is talking about RECORDING SEPARATE INSTRUMENTS (voice counts as an "instrument"). Then "mixing" is putting them all together.
And I read up what "mixing" entails - setting relative volumes, tweaking the sounds, adding effects, etc... and again I realized: I do all those things WHILE composing. Not as a separate step afterwards.
So I want to propose something and see if anyone dis- or ag- rees:
If you're COMPOSING your song in a DAW, using all synths or samples, no microphones at all, then "mixing" is not a thing. You're "mixing" on the fly, AS you compose. Just as a classical composer would on their sheet-music, or a conductor trying to follow that sheet music.
I guess if you're "recording" a MIDI instrument, then that kind of falls in between pure DAW and "recording an instrument", but you know what I mean.
Yes/No?
I've also noticed that, from what I an tell, a lot of DAWs seem to be intended more for "mixing" than "composing". Not that I've tried any other DAW besides LMMS... but when all the tracks in some other DAW's "song editor" are shown as waveforms... that would certainly not be helpful for ME, anyway.
And I read up what "mixing" entails - setting relative volumes, tweaking the sounds, adding effects, etc... and again I realized: I do all those things WHILE composing. Not as a separate step afterwards.
So I want to propose something and see if anyone dis- or ag- rees:
If you're COMPOSING your song in a DAW, using all synths or samples, no microphones at all, then "mixing" is not a thing. You're "mixing" on the fly, AS you compose. Just as a classical composer would on their sheet-music, or a conductor trying to follow that sheet music.
I guess if you're "recording" a MIDI instrument, then that kind of falls in between pure DAW and "recording an instrument", but you know what I mean.
Yes/No?
I've also noticed that, from what I an tell, a lot of DAWs seem to be intended more for "mixing" than "composing". Not that I've tried any other DAW besides LMMS... but when all the tracks in some other DAW's "song editor" are shown as waveforms... that would certainly not be helpful for ME, anyway.