Inside the Mix of Rihanna's "Diamonds" with Phil Tan
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2013
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Full Sail Recording Arts graduate/Hall of Fame inductee Phil Tan dives into his mix session for Rihanna's chart-topping hit single, "Diamonds," talks plug-ins, and answers questions about his mixing techniques.
As a Graduate of Full Sail's Recording Arts program in 1990, Phil earned some of his first engineering credits working with Kriss Kross, Run DMC and Toni Braxton. Since those early years, Phil has also served as a solid member of Rapper / Producer / Songwriter / Record Mogul Jermaine Dupri's camp in Atlanta. Phil's studio work includes Mix Engineer credits on GRAMMY Nominated releases by TLC, Will Smith, Brandy, Usher, Lil Kim, Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Anthony Hamilton, Snoop Dogg & Pharrell, Omarion, Nelly, Destiny's Child, Gwen Stefani, and Mariah Carey to name a few. Phil has also served as a Trustee for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Phil has been awarded three GRAMMYs for his work with Rihanna, Mariah Carey and Ludacris.
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![Mick Guzauski Masterclass on Pop and Funk Mixing [ft. Jamiroquai]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/cFx4gBSwM3g/mqdefault.jpg)
A lot of people are bashing this guy saying things like "all he did was add EQ, Compression, and Reverb" or " he has no clue what he did in the project" as if that makes him a bad engineer. News flash, the majority of mixing is EQ, Compression, and Reverb. Let me put it like this, if it was so easy that everybody could do it then EVERYBODY would be successful engineers. Mixing isn't about how many plugins are on the tracks, it's about balancing, adjusting, and overall just getting sounds to fit well together. It's like saying Michelangelo wasn't an amazing sculptor because he didn't use 50 tools to sculpt.
Not everybody will be able to know which frequencies to EQ out or how much compression fits or how a certain compressor colors the sound. The reason why the "top" engineers don't tell you the "secrets" is because there ARE NONE. It's a combination of all the basics plus a good EAR. What you think sounds good and what someone else thinks sound good is different, different strokes for different folks.
My point is, don't bash this guy because he doesn't mix YOUR way. Instead, be glad that he's doing something that he worked for. Musicians need to support each other instead of turning things into a damn competition. Whether you want to admit it or not, he gets paid a lot to mix for people like Rihanna. Who wouldn't want to do what they love and get paid good money for it? I give him props for making it this far, I sure the hell haven't.
Truy that
KeizeShow He said he didn't put any compression or eq on the kicks because they sounded ok already.
KeizeShow
Believe it or not a lot of producer have already compressed their kicks by the time the mixer gets them. Kanye Wests engineer Mike Dean almost never compresses any of his kick drums. The reason, most drum samples have already been compressed. Compression can kill the dynamics. The best engineers no when not to touch a sound.
People don't understand how many variables determine what type of glue is needed to bring a track together, or if maybe none at all is needed for certain parts.. I was showing a buddy of mine (a bass guitarist) this song I was making in Reason 7... I had a few different bass lines, but they didn't sit right with the rest of the song musically, so I was asking his opinion, seeing if he could come up with something... First words out his mouth "Just hit the magic button".... ME: "what?".....HIM: "The button that makes all the sounds come together right"... This is a bass player that has been on tour, been in studios, everything...
The best advice he gave on here is "get your hands dirty" and the part about the original sound when he said Dr. Dre "spends days" looking for the right kick.. That's so he doesn't have to compress, EQ, add reverb, etc.. Because the sound is already right for the mix. This leaves headroom so the dynamics of the song can work properly and you don't end up with a "big block of sound", like he said..
Well, most higher level producers have already processed each sound accordingly for sonic taste. then if the mixer needs to do further compression or eqing, they can do it to their taste. Some producers even premix most of their audio tracks so that when the mixer receives the session it kind of makes sense. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule especially when dealing with bands/live drums etc... as opposed to sample based drum production. If Phil Tan had received this session from a less experienced producer, he might have to really tweak everything hard. The best engineers know when to leave things as is. Of course, I'm referring to pro level production as opposed to independent producers that may not have developed there technical side in terms of compression etc..Phil Tans track record speaks for itself, even though he is humble and low key.
"If the process is enjoyable, the results will be fine". Words to live by.
Yeah it takes time, and thoughtful time. I spent a long time trying to get mixes to sound good, but after I put in a few years of dedicated study, the mixes sound a lot better. Keep going!
I enjoy murdering people.
More generic stuff? Great, awesome, who knew
"Let the music tell you what it wants to be". Damn that quote right there is gonna change how I mix forever no lie.
+Luminous B i already learnt this lesson and magically music is asking you to put some notes here and there while you listen to it, maybe it sounds weird but this is my way to compose music
I like how it's feeding back in the recording school,,,,
This man's humility is something else
Phil: I don't mix in mono .. like a boss haha
Phil Tan is a Zen Master. Humble to a fault. He is saying what they don't want to hear. At the end of the day, it's all about vibes. every song is unique. There is no golden formula. He mixes with his gut, not by rote. It's why he has mixed over 50 number 1's and has 3 Grammy's..All the people commenting that he is not teaching them anything have missed the point completely
You dont know what a zen master is, so dont use this word. A zen master does not bother with songs and entertainment, he is free from need for pleasure, and inconditionally happier than anyone trough zen practice
@@MrFree-vj8qj Mr. Free, where do I sign if I want you to mentor me how to become Zen Master?
@@MrFree-vj8qj i want to sign up too..
Patient, humble, unassuming, thoughtful and kind. What a pleasure to hear this man speak.
- Dont Think of goals! Focus more on the process, make the process comfortable, and the goal you reach will be ok! Always!
this way you will also be open to things that happen on the way
- not the strongest survive, the most adaptible survive
- When mixing, producing… dont tell the music what to be - let the music tell you where to go!
- Be reliable, like you want others to be reliable for you
that mike noise is ripping my soul apart to it's inner core.
lol!!it's rather annoying!
People are heavily criticizing this guy. I see a lot of unnecessary disrespectful remarks. I would love to hear their work, being they are so much better, yet set up a tutorial as well. He is professional and humble. Some say the most important chain in recording are the monitors. Not at all. It's the attitude of the person.
Mr. Tan said one of the smartest things I have ever heard anyone say on RUclips. At 57:52, He advised the students to get in the habit of continously learning new skills during the course of their career because continously learning new skils makes them more adaptable, and to the extent a new entrant is able to adaptable to change in their field will increase the likelihood of having a very long and rewarding career.
k roninson It depends what you're looking for. He told the other guy to forget about engineering and random skills and just produce. Learning skills is good, but you also need to specialize.
k roninson I think music production and engineering is an iterative process: you need to be put on track, getting the basics and then go out and practice. You'll end up having questions real soon. You should be able to take these questions to an old rat in the business. And then back to practice. I think that's the only way to really learn. Because let's admit it, with all the plug-ins etc, the rule is that there are no rules.
If you had dared placing 3 compressors after each other in the 60's, someone would have probably kicked your ass. Now it's common practice because it's cool etc. There really are no limits. There is only 1 rule: if it sounds great and cool, just do it. Period.
And then exchange the tricks.
+purpleblueunicorn Don't EVER put all your eggs in one basket. You'll learn more being assistant than trying to be a full on producer at the beginning of your career.
+Deefex Synth I was just repeating what the guy in the video (Phil Tan) said. He said, if you really know what you want to do, specialize, don't waste time being an assistant.
This mans credits are incredible. He know what he’s doing! So many amazing songs that he’s mixed. Too many songs
I didn't know Phil Tan, but this lecture was truly inspiring.
holy crab. this is very very first video ever on youtube that I'm watching 1 shot from start to end almost 1.5 hours. great video Full Sail. thankyou very much Phil! awesome person!
Phil Tan walks in the room
Other producers - "why do i hear boss music?"
Phill is, like other Pro mixers, great at what he does, but you'll never learn how to mix from these guys by listening to a few hours of Q&A?! Even though he's being honest in his answers, the real truth is that great mixes are based on DECISION MAKING! It's not just knowing how to compress a Bass Guitar, but it's more about deciding how to compress that bass within the texture of the particular song you're working on. These mixers have seasoned ears, from years of working alongside other great mixers, who took these guys under their wings and passed down the insider secrets that help to mold hit records! U can't learn this stuff even at FULL SAIL! It's like writing a hit song. When u mix, u are basically freestyling, except it's a technical freestyle! When I mix, I'm grabbing plugins based on what I'm hearing, feeling, and envisioning! Not just because I know this needs EQ or compressing. I'm vibing. It's like I'm making this song all over again, by adding my "flavor" to it. That's why Phill said that if he was to mix a song on a different day, it would come out completely different. He's just mixing as he goes along, grabbing whatever plug-in or piece of gear that he feels is necessary to get the vibe across, that he's hearing in his mind! That's artistry in itself! And even though he didn't mention it, these mixes are anywhere from 10, 15 or more hours long! Sometimes across days! Not 2 or 3 hour mixes.
I agree with all - but how are ''some people'' making $5,000 a mix (proven) and they mix for 2 hours? Are they that good or what?
spcexodus
If he mixes in 2 hours, I assure you most of these mixer including Phil have assistants that do all of the dirty work which might take 1 to 2 days. The average mixer at the top level spends 1 to 3 or somtimes 5 days to mix a song with assistants helping.
Well stated. The average top level mixers take 2 to 4 days sometimes longer to mix with the help of assistants prepping etc...
fledsup he told us he don´t get too much dirty work to mix, all comes recorded at it´s best, but the rest is true, this guys was born to do that, cause as you said it, they passed they life learning from other great masters, and his way of making decisions is the key... poor guy! he can´t explain us what he have learn in 20 years in one hour ;-) anyway thanks to him for sharing some of his process and philosophy, which by the way is quite good too
Thanks for taking the time to share your skills and experience! :) Much appreciated!! Keep up the good work!
I really appreciate phil sharing his knowledge on the business and how he mixes the diamond song. The point he is really trying to make is that, don't get caught up in rules of music and every single guidelines, be creative try new things and mostly do what works for u, what sounds good even if u break the rules to get that sound.
I got more wisdom from this guy than from everyone I have studied so far. Humble and unpretentious, with every word being meaningful. He explained what is really important in achieving success and it turns out it's not the plugins...
Thanks for sharing this. really interesting stuff, watching it from Switzerland.
I wish our Schools/Universities would be like this.
How adaptable you are in the market place will determine whether survive -Phil Tan
This dude has so much wisdom and humility at the end of the day successful people live simple and don’t even know their successful! Boss
Man drops gems and is so laid back 💥👏🏾
Some very insightfull answers about career objectives and doing your part in the bigger picture. great interview
Wow, this was amazing to watch.
Wise person
Very, very humble guy. Yet his wisdom shines through like a bright light. Greatness.
Love this guy. So full of wisdom.
This guy is awesome! I know there are some Full Sail people who can enjoy my work!
Thiz was Amazin' one of the Best
I love this videos!
this guy is awesome .. what a track..
Nicely done
Great, valuable, insightful, useful presentation. Thumbs Up
Thank you mr Tan
I see all you talking negatives things about this guys are probably still recording in your bedroom, and probably using cracked pluggins, and and have no respect for people. He may not be the right person to give out a lecture on production or mixing, but he is where you all will never be.
Just be humble, and anything you can learn appreciate it because we all wish to be in his shoes.
Tal cual... Mucho imbécil por aqui... Lo de siempre en este mundo. Gente comentando en calzoncillos desde su portátil el trabajo que hacemos los demás. Por que claro, es muy cómodo criticar desde el ordenador...(se que el comentario tiene 6 años, pero no habia visto el video hasta ahora jaja) Si dedicaran a trabajar la mitad de esfuerzo de la que dedican a buscar plugins con presets milagrosos, a lo mejor llegarian a algo y apreciarían un poco el trabajo de los que llevamos trabajando más tiempo del que hace que ellos saben siquiera lo que es una mezcla.
It's amazing how insightful he is on one question, then immediately misses the next by a mile. Not saying anything he said was BS. He just didn't understand a good amount of the questions apparently.
19:15 The producer literally put every sound he/she had in his computer into the song hahaha
Amazing
Great video!!!
Super cool guy, excellent info and wisdom.
Wow this is extremely good
That's freaking awesome! Even the sound quality is not good. So great to hear a separate parts of a track that is not really recognizible in the mix. Thanks Phil Tan, so inspiring!!!
the people who hit dislike on this will never make it in this business. knowledge from someone who's where you wanna be is vital in learning the do's and donts of the game. but I'm sure they are all major in their own minds lol
Thats really a GODLIKE Mix :D
awesome thanks!
Master Class.. Amazing👍
I love it hahaha maybe this guy could teach his audio engineer about gain structure that feedback coming off his mic lol
You know he must be good because he'snot doing too much he shouldn't
Most people would just pile a bunch of plugins on lol
We all have to remember that Tam mixes in a console, so that said we have to understand that things like panning, gate, compression and Gain staging is mostly done jn the console. That's why if you double check the session that he presented, there is no panning, sidechain compression and so on.
There's not a single song today without NI Massive,and kids thinking it's used only for dubstep..
Amazing synth!!!
Fractal R producers who are stuck one genre think that
perfect
You'd think that a school that teaches music production could get rid of that high end feedback on his voice............
Or fix the microphone so it doesn't make a bunch of noise when he moves...
Hahahaha!!!
This is like the McDonald's of music production schools...
Sota Kidd successful and worldwide?
Cheap and unhealthy.
Great stuff.
It's amazing how the guy mixed such a huge song with only Pro Tools plugins and a couple more.
The vocals at 20:45, they're titled "COMP" - does that mean they were comped down / rendered from somewhere else, where the real processing was done? That would explain why there's only 3 effects on his chain here I guess
"stack the layers"
- AcesToAces
Thanks very much for this... what do you really like to do? Follow what is most important to you and you will be ok... that is a very very very meaningful line...
What a great guy.
Yeah humble but strong. Great chap. Could listen to him all day.
yehh but the real question is... could you make love to him all day aswell ?
this is awesome new to pro tools not taking class but learning to use it to cut down on studio sessions and only pay for mix
Ehm why does a sound-focused university ask an audio engineer to give a lecture and then they give him the worst ear-mic ever made and then they sit a 5year old at the mixing console. Is it some kind of a weird joke that I dont understand? That guy cant even move his head how scared he is of the feedback. Oh dear.
omg! that noise + feedback is really annoying and distract my attention... i can't focus on what he is saying and i have listened only 3:39 minutes!.. im agree with you.. why they don't give him a wired microphone at least?...
where does he talk about putting a reverb on the master fader as a "standard thing he does all the time"? I can't find it anymore...]
great guy
Guys is it normal to process or put any plugins on the Master Channel when sending the mix to Mastering?
40:50 damn so many feels
This conversation with Mr. Tan was amazing to listen to and experience; priceless. It was so much fun. But, one question: what was the sampling rate and bit depth?
6 years on and we still don't know LOL
This mf spittin🔥🔥🔥
Fuck off, 'fire' is so overused. This isn't fucking trap bullshit.
Thanks
thx Riles
i watched this to find out what is the plugins used on vocal in a vocal chain... can someone help me to mix professionally... i got wave plugin.. i use logic pro 9
What I like about Phil is that he tries not to give you concrete answers knowing that there is no such thing as a universal method... The Students are looking for an absolute resolve but the reality is, that in mixing, this does not exist! What you should take from this video is, that you should trust the process, and go with your intuition ( let the tracks tell you how it wants to be expressed) ...!
good parties in the states.
that fucking movement on the mic driving me crazy
I do agree with you chemistry is key.ive been in sessions where tho artist was talented the vibe just wasn't right.
im very confused about mono and stereo.. what's the difference. i mix beats on fl.. when i mix is it on stereo by default. and if it is how would i change it to mono
Bill lom Hi there bill the reason why they say mix or reference in mono is so the mix stays balanced and accurate in the stereo field hence it translates well on all devices, most times certain effects can make the mono signal weak making it collapse and even cause phase problems, thats why it is essential for the mix to be well balanced in mono so whatever material you mix it translates well and information in the mid channel is not lost or weak, effects like reverb, chorus, doublers, stereo imaging and any type of time manipulation effects can really unbalance and negatively effect your mix if used excessively, while mixing you should always monitor or reference your mix to see if the effects your adding don't mess your imaging up, a good way to understand and learn about mono and stereo is to listen to material your familiar with in mono and referencing your own work in mono vs the music you listen to in order for you to understand. I hope that helps with your question.
Respect to Phil,really great guy! No bs! This was really interesting!
I've been mixing a song for 10 straight hours already(first time ever doing it with no experience) and I just can't mind the sound of a mic or a rock being dragged back and forth on a table and the reverb, echo, and gain changes on the mic. You know for a school who produced a very successful sound engineer you'd think they'd have a live mic mix down.
I do think your success in music is way more about being in the right place & moment than your talent, expertise etc.
Far more.
And even more so if we're talking about commercial success.
Cool guy! I tend to use mono just for bass!
Recommending you guys to hear Raz Klinghoffer's mixes... amazing
@Hello ?
What was the sample rate and bit depth?
I'm here thanks to rilès, I will try to introduce myself to learn how to mix ;)
he put a limiter on the delay bus before the delay, is that to compress the vocals that way the delay has a tamed dynamic so some parts of the delay arent distracting
For a lecture about sound from a bunch of sound engineers, you think they would have managed to not record the sound of the chair creeking/line buzz/distortion/random feedback....
Someone there should major in front of house
Hear, hear. This is just unbelievable. That's beyond irritating, that constant rubbing/dragging noise in the background - and what CRETIN was CAUSING the noise in the first place?
Hahaha I thought the same thing!
They left his ear mic on for whatever reason 🙄
OMG its unbearable for such a talk and then the weird panning of his voice from right to left every now and again. I just want to slap the computer. Great talk otherwise.
"Yeah, let me speak on that--" CRACKLECRACKLECRACKLE
is this the full mix that he showed? for instance I don't see any high pass filters on things or EQ on for instance a bass to compensate for the kick drum - I am guessing the tracks are EQ'd before he gets them?
+Clive Kennedy Mixing depend on the track, do not expect the same processing in every track, that is a very deadly mentality. By the way, this whole low cut, high cut theories are just myths, it depends on the track.
Arrangment, performance and the right instruments is 90% of a great mix / song. 9% panning and volume. 1% eq, compression, verb, delay
Sounds like you know a lot about music!
@@fullsailuniversity well, thanks haha. Spent many years trying to mix my way out of a bad song / track lol. The hardest part is actually writing a song. Still havent written "the one" yet but I'll keep trying
Keep going for "the one". 🙌
I heard that some producers make some sort of a premix themselves, so that the mixing engineer can refer to it while mixing the track professionally. I think it's a crucial part of mixing, because say if i tweak a sound so much that you won't even understand what the original sound sounded like, i don't have to necessarily bounce the original audio track, i can bounce and send him the sound which I got after using some plugins, right. Does anybody agree with me?
you can send both one as reference to what you need it to sound like and the other raw so he can then bring it to life his own way while using your ear with his otherwise there is no need to hire a mixing engineer.
yeah kind of... it is hard for a producer to give out raw material and avoid getting into the engineers job too much.
Yes! a producer is the first engineer on any composition without them engineers have no job #fact
Pretty sure I'm not the only one that seen it but...Why did he not want to answer the question of what the bit depth & sample rate of the track was? It's not that big of a secret or well it shouldn't be...i noticed that is why he has the water..if he drinks its the Q to let the staff know he does not want to answer a question.
But thats an odd one not to want to answer...???
i think he did answer it, he just showed it on the big screen
But yeah, he pulled up the project settings in PT
He did show it, You can see at 1:19:17
Lol I stopped the video when it happened to see if anyone commented about it haha. Sure enough my boy SSO was like... "huh?"
Because the guy asked one of the most stupid questions. You're in full sail and you don't know what regular cds & commercial mp3s sample rate and bit depth are? Even I know that and I didn't go to any school. That also has to do with the recording and producing process, not further down the chain into the mixing aspect.
25:30 love that voice
35:38 if the process is enjoyable the end result will fine
Great points in here. Don't be mindlessly chained to "-6dB", etc etc, as some rock hard standard. It's all about what your ears and your room are saying. Learn the reference points, but the reference points come from what the music tells your ears when things start clipping. Know the basic "101" reference point, yes. But trust your ears more than your meters! It's ALL about what you hear or don't hear and how to make the difference happen. Great guy, too. Honesty. Yeah.
pretty lame background noise for a sound school eh?
They suppose to teach audio :)
+archstudioRAM well they are really good; i go there and have graduated there.. for the most part they're in the auditorium ...quick set up type stuff but i agree, they've had better sounding setups though
+Ricardo Wheelock yeeaahh
44.1
not sure when you see it but it get shown
Whats happen when he ask about samle rate :D ? 1:04:46
love this seminar, to check out a cool hip hop rmx of diamonds search shoelace diamondez on google:) props to phil
seems like engineer is either screwing the music or refining the music, good engineer has to be able really understand the music so that he/she knows what to emphasize or diminish. not a easy job, that is also why he is so humble
does anyone know if he mixed the song in mono or stereo? I didn’t catch it if he mentioned it.
Kevin Campos he said he never mixes in mono even if ppl say that he should bcuhz he’s used to the sound of his room and monitors
Phil Tan is great. I also enjoy the amount of feedback and squealing throughout a professional audio engineering lecture.
That is a joke.
:)
47:38 lovely singing voice