For this week we have been asked to visually represent a mix of a track. For this I have chosen “Watchin’” by the Freemasons (Freemasons, 2021). It is a track that I have listened to for many years and danced to on more than one occasion. The track was released in 2006, though the YouTube clip that I found was uploaded in 2021.
After reading through “Chapter 2: Visual Representations of ‘Imaging’” from “The art of mixing” (Gibson, 2019) I will create a visual of the mix elements I can hear on the track and see if I can listen closely enough to create a good image.
In this instance I am going to start with the most prominent things I can hear. The vocals and the bass/kick. The kick sounds like a 909 and is quite punchy. I can hear it sitting around 40-100Hz. The bass has a little more going on with the attack and is sitting a higher in the mix. The vocals have quite a lot of frequencies in them and while there is some space for the piano and vocals to sit, they tend to occupy some of the same frequency range. The spiccato strings and hi-hats fill in a lot of the higher frequencies. In terms of panning, there is not a whole lot going on. All of this adds up to a dense mix with a lot of energy.
I can also say that this was a great exercise and helped a lot with critical listening.
References:
Freemasons (2021) Watchin’ (feat. Amanda Wilson), YouTube. Freemasons. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6hxLLdc0Ww (Accessed: March 11, 2023).
Gibson, D. (2019) “Chapter 2: Visual Representations of ‘Imaging,’” in The art of mixing: A visual guide to recording, engineering, and production. New York, NY: Routledge, pp. 38–62.