Salvador Dali and the Persistence of Mixing
I spent the weekend in Philadelphia (yes I took a day off, I can't believe it either, but this was too important to miss), to see the special Salvador Dali exhibition, which to my knowledge is the biggest single collection of Dali's works ever displayed in America. I am a fan of Dali and seeing this collection was probably as close to a religious experience as I might ever get. Almost every major painting he's known for was on display (except the "Persistence of Memory" which I've seen in the past).
As a mixer, I can totally relate to and draw inspiration from Dali's works. He pays incredible attention to detail at miniscule levels, and often important details of his works are only recognizable from inches away. You have no idea sometimes the things I have to do to wrangle a mix into submission. My clients will never know some of the microscopic details I sometimes labor over to make sure a mix gets fully realized. You don't notice it, but you feel it, or perceive something better, something feels more musically or sonically complete. You might think I just turned some EQ knobs to get it that way, but often you'd be very wrong.
The distance at which you observe Dali's works completely changes your perception of the image. You'll notice details from a few inches away that are imperceptible at 3 feet, but sometimes you can't perceive the painting as a whole until you're across the room from it. The layers of imagery he uses, the symbolism, all changes depending on the distance you view the work, and his work is magical at any distance. And of course, a mix is the same way. Listen intently with headphones on, and things will come out that you don't hear the same way on speakers. Sit in mix position, in the middle of the speakers, and your perspective is completely different than from across the room. Hearing a mix in the club is totally different than hearing it on a boom box or on MTV. But the mix has to work at all of these perspectives, and should work on any speakers you listen on. This is not an easy trick to pull off. Anyone who thinks a great mix comes from the gear, just imagine being given all the same tools as a painter then having to create a work of art. Not so easy. I couldn't begin to do it.
One thing I notice about artists of all walks, they tend to see the world differently than the rest of us. Dali lived on his own plane of existence. Many of my favorite songwriters see the world with their own completely unique vision, and paint songs with words in ways that we would have never thought of, but can totally relate to. Now, I can't begin to understand what was swimming in Dali's head, but for some reason I connect with his work. Maybe I just like the colors, or the melted clocks. Maybe I like the way it allows my brain to escape from my own reality for a while and absorb the imagery on canvas. Whatever the reason, I am eternally grateful that artists exist on this Earth to create such thought provoking images with paint or words or music. I'm so lucky to work in field where I get to be creative every day and every day the musical canvas keeps changing.
-Ken
PS. Some of my other favorite Artists well represented at the spectacular Philadelphia Museum of Art include Renoir, Monet, Pissarro, Van Gogh, Rodin, Cezanne, and Toulouse-Latrec to name a very few. I love art.
As a mixer, I can totally relate to and draw inspiration from Dali's works. He pays incredible attention to detail at miniscule levels, and often important details of his works are only recognizable from inches away. You have no idea sometimes the things I have to do to wrangle a mix into submission. My clients will never know some of the microscopic details I sometimes labor over to make sure a mix gets fully realized. You don't notice it, but you feel it, or perceive something better, something feels more musically or sonically complete. You might think I just turned some EQ knobs to get it that way, but often you'd be very wrong.
The distance at which you observe Dali's works completely changes your perception of the image. You'll notice details from a few inches away that are imperceptible at 3 feet, but sometimes you can't perceive the painting as a whole until you're across the room from it. The layers of imagery he uses, the symbolism, all changes depending on the distance you view the work, and his work is magical at any distance. And of course, a mix is the same way. Listen intently with headphones on, and things will come out that you don't hear the same way on speakers. Sit in mix position, in the middle of the speakers, and your perspective is completely different than from across the room. Hearing a mix in the club is totally different than hearing it on a boom box or on MTV. But the mix has to work at all of these perspectives, and should work on any speakers you listen on. This is not an easy trick to pull off. Anyone who thinks a great mix comes from the gear, just imagine being given all the same tools as a painter then having to create a work of art. Not so easy. I couldn't begin to do it.
One thing I notice about artists of all walks, they tend to see the world differently than the rest of us. Dali lived on his own plane of existence. Many of my favorite songwriters see the world with their own completely unique vision, and paint songs with words in ways that we would have never thought of, but can totally relate to. Now, I can't begin to understand what was swimming in Dali's head, but for some reason I connect with his work. Maybe I just like the colors, or the melted clocks. Maybe I like the way it allows my brain to escape from my own reality for a while and absorb the imagery on canvas. Whatever the reason, I am eternally grateful that artists exist on this Earth to create such thought provoking images with paint or words or music. I'm so lucky to work in field where I get to be creative every day and every day the musical canvas keeps changing.
-Ken
PS. Some of my other favorite Artists well represented at the spectacular Philadelphia Museum of Art include Renoir, Monet, Pissarro, Van Gogh, Rodin, Cezanne, and Toulouse-Latrec to name a very few. I love art.
posted by Protools Mixing at 8:01 PM
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