Mixing

No, this post has nothing to do with socializing or, for that matter, baking. Sorry to disappoint. I'm raving about that glorious moment in the recording process where Benvereens producer/engineer/co-conspirator Dave uploads preliminary mixes for our upcoming album. So far we have just five songs ready for mixdown; the rest require a few vocal touches that we hope to complete next weekend.

It's best to evaluate mixes on equipment you're familiar with ... i.e., you know its sonic quirks and what your favourite music generally sounds like on it. After a worrisome first listen, I came to realize that the muddiness I was hearing was not in the mixes themselves but the skewed equalization profile of my computer speakers. This was borne out by a second go on my mp3 player, with earbuds. Hardly an audiophile's wet dream, but it's how I listen to most of my music these days.

And the verdict? A few minor issues aside, all five sound great. We have an eclectic batch of material, to be sure—from country ballads to Cajun folk-pop to near-psychedelia—so it's hard to compare one mix to the next. I do wonder how we'll craft the final product into a unified whole, but that's a challenge I relish.

Love this band, love working with Dave ... and can't wait to show off the results to you all—early summer, I'm hoping.