What Makes this Mix Great? Tame Impala: "The Less I Know The Better"

What makes this mix great? Justin Colletti analyzes the mix, production and arrangement for Tame Impala's "The Less I Know The Better".
►🎚Mixing Breakthroughs: mixingbreakthr...
►🎛Compression Breakthroughs: compressionbre...
►🎧 EQ Breakthroughs: EQBreakthrough...
►🔊Mastering Demystified: MasteringDemys...
►✅Become a channel member here: / @sonicscoop
Tame Impala's Kevin Parker has had a huge influence on indie pop and rock, and just how far sounds can be pushed toward their breaking point while still sounding impressive, musical and satisfying.
Take a deep dive into the sounds of "Currents" and "The Less I Know The Better" in this episode.
Big thanks to Soundtoys for making this episode possible.
►See free audio tutorial videos with Justin here:
• Justin Colletti Videos...
►Get the free mastering workshop:
sonicscoop.com...
►Get the free mixing workshop:
sonicscoop.com...
►Win free stuff at
sonicscoop.com...
► ✝️ Subscribe to the podcast or leave a rating and review here:
Apple: podcasts.apple...
Spotify: open.spotify.c...
#mixingengineer #tameimpala #kevinparker #davefridmann #musicproducer #audioengineer #justincolletti #sonicscoop #compression #eq #mixbus #mixingbreakthroughs #compressionbreakthroughs #masteringdemystified #mixingengineer #audioengineer #audioeducation #eqbreakthroughs #whatmakesthismixgreat

[@SonicScoop]

There's so much more I could have talked about here! The way the lowest notes in the bass riff are allowed to "blossom" compared to the upper notes... the way the vocal texture is created by layering multiple nearly identical takes... Parker's use of modulation effects... There are other thIngs I meant to mention, but didn't want to keep you for an hour! What else do you think I missed? ►🎚Mixing Breakthroughs: mixingbreakthroughs.com ►🎛Compression Breakthroughs: compressionbreakthroughs.com ►🎧 EQ Breakthroughs: EQBreakthroughs.com ►🔊Mastering Demystified: MasteringDemystified.com ►✅Become a channel member here: kzbin.info/door/qEKv3KIZoZrjv2LymD3iMgjoin

[@LuxLucidOfficial]

I agree vocal sits in the B tier, because IDK about you but I had trouble understanding the lyrics. Reminded me of Fever the Ghost's "Source" (check this out if you are unfamiliar!!), except that track may even be C tier... I think what helps the bass hit is the brightness, not only is it loud but I feel the upper end is way more pronounced than is typical. Plus, it *does* have some grungy distortion on it that just pops it right out. The first time you played the Intro and asked to listen critically, I was like WHOA most parts are played SUPER quiet and blown up, which I never really noticed before (I've listened to this track since release). I also suspected the vocal might be recorded a bit from the mic, or with a condenser w/ room noise; it is so strangely distant that you almost are FORCED to seek it out. Its effect may have been achieved all in post, there's just SOMETHING so special about it. What I wish you would have delved into is how he got all these searin' hot sounds to not crush the master, but I have to check out that compression video you suggested! I, too, find myself fearful of pushing comp hard on recorded 'analog' sounds (as I also do electronic styles that call for such mistreatment). IDK why I haven't noticed the sonic abuse on Mr Impala's tracks. I think because it's not smashed on the master, everything is still carefully balanced... Are there side chains? Sub busses? Really hard for me to tell the way-downstream mix elements like that. Thanks for reminding me this song exists, it's insanely inspiring.

[@boydw1]

One of the first things that jumps out to me (more so than the compression) is the gating. Right from the intro you have these really abrupt decays, which contrast with the more sustained sounds, and the bass line, which has a bit of both damped & sustained notes.

[@nathanmcclellan8078]

This guy [Tame Impala] is just a genius who would make me want to quit if I were a young man...your analysis is really awesome and I hadn't considered a few things the way you did. Many years ago now I worked with an actual producer and it became clear to me at that point that I needed to be a LOT more involved in the mechanical process of making the recordings if I ever hoped to have any say over my own visions and so I have slowly, painfully, learned how to get decent sounds out of a project studio. And through the years I have occasionally managed to get my tunes on the semi-serious radioshows [not just college stations that anyone can get into]----now I dabble and dream about mastering too. Anywho, That's my way of saying thank you for sharing your professional insights [I guess I think it might be meaningful to have an approximation of where I might be coming from]. From an ex-semi-pro who has gone full time hobbyist for the love of the art, it is greatly appreciated!

[@nefarooski]

The bass blossoms because the higher “bass” notes are actually from a guitar with a pedal pitch shifting the guitar an octave lower. Then that is layered with a real bass on the root notes

[@GravytyMusic]

It seems almost like he's splitting the bass pattern into tracks with each separate note, or at least splitting the low and high bass notes into two tracks, and adding more compression/limiting to the tops.

[@GloveBunniesVideos]

That mid-rangey intro forces people in their cars to turn up the volume and then BAM!

[@DjR3aper]

As a person with a super loud sound system (400 watts on mids/ highs and 6,300+ watts on subwoofers), it throws me off every time lol.

[@RickRubinTheOtherOne]

If a mix is technically "bad" but it suits the genre, the mood and the idea of a certain song, it's not a bad mix

[@GingerDrums]

In fact, you are describing a good mix by definition.

[@Durkhead]

Lol this describes my songs 🎵

[@SonicScoop]

100%. A good mix is one that serves the song and helps us recognize and focus on what makes it special. -Justin

[@officialWWM]

If it sounds good, it is good 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@brownmoney27]

If you are a mix engineer, I'd never listen to your music

[@nickjohnson398]

I never understood how engineers / producers as they get more advanced and hone their craft fall into the "right and wrong mindset" because as I've grown my ears are so much more keen to the texture and sonic character of different records and have just grown to appreciate so many different subtles of how different genres sound. I find myself now gravitating to mixes that bring something new to the table regardless of how traditionally right or wrong it may be.

[@Fr3nchFrise]

If there are rules to break, it's because there are basic rules. Life is not anarchy

[@teodordl]

@@Fr3nchFrisethey should be called conventions

[@mrnelsonius5631]

When I listen to Tame Impala’s “Currents” I hear an indie retro pop album that’s been produced like it’s EDM. That sounds all kinds of wrong on paper but I’m still blown away by it.

[@JamesMcMeeken]

Exactly what I was thinking all the way through this

[@planettelex-g9j]

This is album is one of my favorite sounding albums of all time.

[@Michaelvan-g3q]

You say in the first 10 seconds: "a great sounding track..." then at at 25 seconds: "it sounds terrible!" I think this song is yet another example for people (us music "experts") to FINALLY accept that there is no one way that ART is to be (sound). NO RULES!!! FIGHT THE POWER!!! CREATE WHAT WE WANT!!! 🎶🕺 just my humble opinion 😊 Great video Justin.... keep 'em coming 🤘

[@GilgameschUruk]

Fr fr. As long as it sounds good

[@milk_bath]

Some engineers forget that mixing is an art as much as it is a science.

[@adammcgill9844]

I use the trick of using compression at the end of a vocal chain specifically to bring up the volume of reverb tails, etc…I hate boring mixes. This Tame Impala record in particular is full of ear candy and I love it.

[@jamujesperandersen8699]

,,,,but try distortion for delay and reverb tails😎

[@futuresmiles5797]

Saturation is another one that works on reverb tails for me

[@Cugelclever]

Kevin Parker plays everything on this album. He also recorded everything. He then mixed it. Pretty impressive. He is actually a great engineer.

[@Journeymanlive]

This song is so ironic I think: it's a masterpiece, very integer and emotional, disguised in a pseudo clumsy lo-fi with almost ridicule lyrics. It's amazing to sound intense and true with all those elements: almost all sounds here are made with a synth guitar, falsetto voice in reverb, "holding hands with tevor" lyrics. Very bold, cool and true dressed as messy! love it. Thanks for the analysis Justin !

[@nicolasgullstrand]

An absolute iconic eighties song is “In a big country” by the band “Big Country” from their debut album “The Crossing “. Now when you talk a lot about compression and how to sometimes “over do it” I now understand why this song stands out, super compressed drums. Album was produced by Steve Lillywhite. Would be so interesting to listen to your analysis of it. I learn so much from your pedagogical way of explaining things. Thanks!

[@yucafries7681]

A good arrangement mixes itself

[@SonicScoop]

True story! -Justin

[@StratsRUs]

You nailed it ! Fridmann's finest work is with The Flaming Lips.Namely, The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi and Clouds Taste Metallic. The bass and general sounds of Impala are VERY reminiscent of Lips' Yoshimi phase.Lips had a genius run of those three albums.

[@j-star1]

BEst analysis of the track so far, subscribed!

[@SonicScoop]

Awesome to hear, thanks for joining!

[@barryrisper1166]

That weird distant separation of the vocal is one of my favorite things about this mix. I really appreciate you articulating how they may have achieved that!

[@SonicScoop]

Awesome! So glad to be helpful.

[@sungong8052]

I'd love to see a video like this for Lush's Sweetness and Light.

[@peredmova]

Thank you for this in-depth analysis of the mix. Compressor and limiter after delay/reverb makes so much sense, it's interesting to try. Greetings from Ukraine!

[@LoveStrokeRadio]

Love the way you view mixing and getting unique

[@FreakyBr0]

First off, I love the way you hear these elements and pick them apart, it reminds me of the way I actively listen. I think people are afraid to break from convention in many ways and that's part of what contributes to the homogenization of people's approaches to mix engineering and mastering... not all loud records/mixes/masters are bad or wrong, some sound fantastic, come to life in a way a more dynamic mix wouldn't... some loud masters hurt. but Tame Impala's never have hurt to my ear... Their first album like you allude to is masterful at being loud and yet musically dynamic and comforting. You gained a subscriber, I don't normally subscribe to anything to do with "mix advice" anymore because a lot of is crap. Thank you for reminding people to break out of instincts and 'best practices'; this is how we make groundbreaking records and earworms!!! For that matter, I'd like to point out that people used to mix records in absence of FFT analysis and just had to listen with their ears and decide from there, which also means people have to take care of their ears. I try to listen at low and high SPL levels to make sure I haven't sucked the life out of my tunes with compression and limiting...

[@keyboardwarrior9406]

A key thing here is this guy is playing every instrument and composing everything. So he is able to make absolutely every decision

[@kimseniorb]

was just relistening that album! love it.

[@IAMTKNR]

You can hear Kevin Parker’s production within Dua Lipa’s latest era. He produced both Houdini & Training Season.

[@lazy_entertainment]

Here's to hoping he had a hand in most of her new album

[@botbot3698]

I love the production on houdini

[@pimmspimms5462]

The production on ‘Houdini’ is sublime! I’m so much looking forward to Dua’s new album.

[@thisisampo]

When it sounds good, it is good.

[@bryanjs99]

Great Break down!! Tame Impala is Kevin Parker. Thanks for what you do.

[@SonicScoop]

Yup! Kevin is a real talent. I called him "Mr. Impala" only because I thought it sounded funny that way :-) (And to solicit comments, which help with the algorithm!) -Justin

[@coldacre]

and Jay Watson, Dom Simper & Cameron Avery.

[@KaneDWilliams]

I compress the vocal reverb with it side chained to th vocal so it’s larger in the gaps between the vocals and lower in level during the vocal. I know this is pretty normal but a good way to use larger reverbs but keep intelligibility in the vocals.

[@LoveStrokeRadio]

This is an incredible breakdown! Thank you.

[@blacksheep806]

This was super inspiring podcast! Really needed to hear this right now.

[@SonicScoop]

Awesome to hear! Thanks for tuning in.

[@DeSanKwuh]

most informative, objective and comprehensive mixing podcast on KZbin. There are lots of great ones out there, but always get so many gems here! 🙏

[@practice_Chinese_yoga]

It hit me as beautiful too, wonderful enthusiastic session

[@rickdeaguiar-musicreflecti7692]

Justin, thank you so much for this video. It is so inspiring and insightful :) I think it shows a great style for this artist. It works very well :)

[@entangle.d]

very good content sir. thanks for the video.

[@zacharyhill8405]

Devil Loc Deluxe is the best! The mix knob is crucial imo- it makes it so flexible for adding subtle flavor as well as extreme crushing.

[@BobCallejas]

My mom knows Kevin Parker. I haven’t stopped talking about him for ten years! I love Tame.

[@JacobraRecords]

This is awesome! I love how logical you are with your analysis

[@SonicScoop]

Great to hear! I'll be doing more in this format. Hope you enjoy them. -Justin

[@kimbeman]

Amazing video! Learned a lot 🙏 Also I have been listening to this track a lot and found it interesting. Thank you for this and greetings from Finland 🇫🇮

[@SonicScoop]

Thanks for listening! So glad to hear. -Justin

[@JimijaymesProductions]

I remember when studying audio we had to bring in a song we liked the sound off. I brought in a tame impala record. Other students hated it, stated how much pumping there was etc etc. All the stuff that's intentional they didn't like, my teacher was more understanding of the deliberate over compression (shure level lok)

[@officialWWM]

His name is Kevin Parker and he’s from Perth, Australia :)

[@SonicScoop]

True facts! -Justin

[@hellolondonmusic]

also known as "Mr. Impala" 🤣

[@mcentertain]

very well done thanks

[@cullenmarriott1864]

Just found your channel, this is awesome, man. Love how you walk us through it all with your ears and help us viewers understand the nuance and context. Keep it up!

[@SonicScoop]

Welcome aboard! Thanks for tuning in and hope to see more of you around the channel. -Justin

[@TSnippo]

“Make it more awesomer” put perfectly

[@lukerbob]

This was fantastic! Love ALL your videos, man :)

[@sigurdaas1929]

Love geeking out with you, Justin! Great stuff as always

[@FreakyBr0]

+1 for Devil Loc... one of a kind plugin

[@brunobonaventure2984]

I love melodic bass lines! You do have to start with one before laying out the rest of the arrangement, I think. It takes guts to take bass out of center though! I was hoping you would show a mix that you had "tame impalized" in master (and how). That could have been revealing for some of us! Thanks for the great content, Justin.

[@SonicScoop]

I’d love to do that sometime! For now, I have almost certainly done it in the members only mix feedback sessions from time to time.

[@ArmchairRamb0]

This is excellent advice and it tracks with my experience. Nicely done.

[@roger_rivas]

Great Video! 🙏

[@brianhalaburda]

Awesome discussion. Really insightful stuff here.

[@danjwalker]

LCD Soundsystem's "Dance Yrself Clean" and The Faint's "Posed to Death" are a couple of examples that popped in my head, of quite, mid-rangy intros. LCD's being very long before you blow out your speakers or ears.

[@liquidsolids9415]

“Life on a Chain” by Pete York is a great example of the lo-fi intro trick. Thanks, Justin!

[@NormanTiner]

I noticed the more technique I learned the more stale things became in my mix. I really needed this video. Basically rules are made to be broken.

[@thesearethesuns]

Listen to the album, Innerspeaker, by Tame Impala. The mixing is all over the place, but it sounds amazing, even cohesive in its own unique way. I absolutely love it. ❤

[@RichRobinson]

Superb content, sir. I really like this kind of analysis. It’s great to listen to people with an acute ear breaking down productions like this. Liked and subscribed, from the across the pond. 🇬🇧

[@stevenluna3756]

Long ago When I decided to take control of my own songs and mix them to my taste, an engineer kicked me out and decided not work with me anymore because I asked for too much 😅. Now I’m seeing that he was the one in the wrong and just didn’t want to put in that extra work to do something different

[@arielhill5711]

So happy I found your channel I love your take on mixing! 😍 thank you!

[@SonicScoop]

Awesome to hear Ariel, glad to have you tuning in! -Justin

[@MICHIEmusic]

At 26:30 ... how is he getting that bass so damn forward without it sounding imbalanced?

[@FourthCo]

I geek out on these videos. So happy I just found your channel!

[@anthonygolden1269]

Just came across this channel, was hoping to see tons of videos like this.

[@SonicScoop]

We will have a lot more like this coming, including one tomorrow. I hope to do at least one of these a month, probably more. It’s a new series, but we have almost a half dozen already. -Justin

[@stripedelicstudios]

Oh heck yea! Gonna watch this right now

[@crawlingman7003]

Very interesting mixes. Thank you. 👍

[@drewprezmusic]

Love your content! As an artist who's making a return after 8 years away & is planning to self produce & mix my first few releases, your content is invaluable. I'd LOVE to hear you speak on Blink 182's new record ONE MORE TIME as the mix has been a HUGE topic of discussion. I know pop punk probably isn't your go-to genre to review, but I would love to at least hear your thoughts on the production/mix!

[@stojjjski]

Amazing video. Nobody on youtube articulates the thought process like you. I would love a breakdown of Travis Scott’s goosebumps from his 2016 album. I believe Scott has developed a sonic style similar to Parker’s due to his self taught style. It also features a pretty prominent Kendrick Lamar verse. Thanks ! ❤

[@futuresmiles5797]

Ooh that would be sweet. I wanna say goosebumps is big on seasick LFOs bending that pitch everywhere

[@asterix4153]

Lots of love for your channel

[@dyonissiszoes3747]

Iconic track. It’s great having your vision of it 👍. Great video. Thanks a lot.

[@eelromance]

Speaking of creative compression, I’d love to see a breakdown of a Jai Paul mix

[@nefarooski]

Yes

[@futuresmiles5797]

+1 !! Jai Paul’s work is unreal

[@Javier-ox8ui]

Wow this made my day

[@GMatt193]

Maybe its not that relevant compared to more modern mixes, but i think there would be a lot to learn from an episode of this series on 'selling England by the pound' by Genesis. Its from 1973 but i think its a masterclass in everything that makes a good (or even perfect) album: composition, arrangement, performance delivery, mixing, there's so many little details and subtleties. Leaving this here hoping that you'll one day do this!

[@cammymusicc]

Thanks for this man! Super valuable.

[@hauntedbytheliving1175]

The texture and “soundscape” generated by the effects is a creative approach made popular in modern times by groups like Flaming Lips & Radiohead. It’s the equivalent to make-up… in a classical sense, one is not supposed to “see” the make-up, just experience the enhanced beauty… but then there exists bombastic theater-like bold make-up that is deliberately part of the aesthetic. There is more, not less, technical prowess on display here… technique in service of artistic vision rather than forcing art through a filter that makes everything sound and behave the same.

[@adventureproductionz]

this is the most entertaining way to learn about mixing

[@SonicScoop]

AWESOME TO HEAR!! I was worried that people would find this less entertaining than conventional DAW mix tutorials. Ironically, this approach is not only fun, but actually MORE USEFUL AND MORE INSTRUCTIVE, once you have a sense of what the controls do, and how audio works. And if you don't know what the controls do, or how audio works? It's still more interesting and relatable and accessible for non-producers than mousing around with effects and sharing "quick tricks and tips". -Justin

[@hectormann1843]

Thanks Justin! Great breakdown. To me it sounds like two bass tracks, one consistent and one for the hooks. Interesting with the cocept of tiers, you could almost say that the vocal is always A tier, no matter how quiet it is, our ears are drawn to the vocal first in a way. I feel like the vocal here is part of the synth layer, reverbs and the synth/pad sounds are melt together. You talk about the amount of compression and the level of the tune. can that be done without a clipper?

[@nicok5630]

Great breakdown. To sound like Impala, it probably helps to be stoned as well when mixing 🙂and listen to early Pink Floyd.

[@yebwulebdullah]

Glad you looked at lonerism, best work of his imo

[@Kris_jellybeard]

I learned not to follow always the rules but use my ears to make the sonics become well glued and sound enjoyable.

[@shaneboswell9872]

This is a perfect album

[@nathanbalmer3093]

awesome insights, really good analysis

[@malditopop2349]

thanks for your videos

[@Tormanoid]

Funny thing is I must've listened to this song hundreds of times on speakers and absolutely LOVED the sound. Once I got a good pair of headphones, I shockingly realized how much of an ear-bleeder it actually is. No amount of EQ could make it sound right.

[@imsamposener]

great video, love this breakdown, keep it up Justin, appreciate you

[@williamstreet1148]

I like the Miles Davis attitude that there are no mistakes. Maybe he said "no bad notes" and that the next note - the reaction to the 1st note in question - determines whether or not the 1st note sounds "wrong". My friend Jamal Moss aka Hieroglyphic Being made a name for himself making blown out "outsider" House music. Mixing is all about context, so to extrapolate from the Miles attitude about playing, mixing is about how you react and contextualize the elements you're mixing. Some of my favorite older tracks vary wildly in their comparitive levels and some are mixed really poorly (and now I can pick out the decisions that led to that) but they're still great tracks...although I have had to try and remaster a couple just to listen to them anymore because the mixing decisions become so glaring that's all I hear otherwise. That's the interesting thing - now we have all the tools to make everything sound "perfect" and sit along everything else and not sound "weird", but everything starts to have a sameness, so things that are considered "lofi" and weird become sought after.

[@donluis9039]

💯

[@justindpeak]

Great stuff here, instant subscriber!

[@cthncthn7405]

Great video! Great song which reminds me of the nostalgia of adolescence. You said something interesting at the end regarding the bass…if you are trying to make it sound out front like Tame Impala and have tried mixing it in a similar way, and it isn’t working, maybe it’s your bass part itself that isn’t working. Then, thinking of my own writing, maybe it’s how the bass sits compositionally against other instruments/vox. Maybe for the bass to sound like you want, everything but the bass needs to change for example. Then to really go on a tangent, I’ve been learning about the golden ratio which was used in classic art…and applying it to distances between elements in my compositions as a whole. Music, in one key aspect, is about distances. Scales, for example, are distances between notes, that essentially give us access to different flavors, or moods, that are now like languages infused into hundreds of years of our cultures. A visual representation of all this, to some degree, can be attributed to these distances between notes…or to get even further down, the selection of a group of frequency wavelengths. SOUND ITSELF IS AMAZING. Not that the goal should be for perfect adherence to some geometric rule- punk rock and blues for example explore the places in between in some sense in my speculative mind. Then I think about the relationship between order and chaos applied to music…just all of these concepts are fascinating to me. Of course for me, to find something beautiful, my favorite method is Marco Polo…getting hotter or getting colder. Which requires being in tune with your inner world, your emotions…trying to see if you can provoke them in some way that you find exciting. I’m finding it fun right now to do both- turn my left brain on enough to operate strictly within a mode, then start noodling while I introspect on whether there is something in it that moves me. One thing I can say for sure, is that there are so many flavors I never knew about. Never would have tasted. Ah I love coffee. Go write/mix /master something beautiful!

[@PoppaDocRocks]

When something works, it just works, regardless of the standard or usual practice.

[@SonicScoop]

For sure! -Justin

[@bongopro4401]

And this is why idc to follow mixing rules , tame impala sounds is a vibe of its own

[@mttlsa686]

If you carefully look at how the peaks are clipped It's clearly visible that the left channel is slightly louder, and you're right it's just because of the drums!

[@Marcoose81]

That's the benefit of being from Perth. There's no one to talk to and ask "how is it meant to be done?". He just did it, listened and liked it. No one else in the loop.

[@SonicScoop]

I don’t know about “no one else in the loop” since his first record was made with Dave Fridmann mixing, he has had other musicians, mastering engineers, label people, fans etc., in the equation of his creation, but I still like the spirit of what you are saying :-)

[@brookesjaynes2647]

The feel-good factor’s why we love it….maybe he’s absorbed a lot of different ‘pop’ sounds while he was becoming an experienced sound engineer.

[@guitargirlutube]

Oh this is interesting. There is so much to learn!!! )

[@MariJu1ce]

Suggestion of an awesome mix to dissect, «seventeen going under - Sam Fender». Would be cool to see a mastering engineers perspective. One of the best mixes ive ever heard

[@SonicScoop]

I'll check it our, thanks! -Justin

[@DangerousPOSSE]

what an incredible video

[@zynthio]

This song proves that there shouldn't be "rules" in the first place. And as someone who's starting to get into recording and mixing, I'm glad I don't have any of those kinds of preconceptions about music or mixing. If it sounds good then it is good. Mixing is as much a part of the artistry as the instrumentation or writing

[@subelotodo999]

You should do an analysis of borderline, I think it would be very interesting to hear your take on it

[@BoltBrethren]

When I first started recording songs, I made some pretty terrible mixes, but they were interesting later on. I decided I should try to learn to do things the “right way” which did improve many elements of my mixes, but I left out a lot of the character and they were very boring now looking back. I wish I had done them better, but going forward I can now combine both elements and realize it’s not incorrect to add some odd vocal effects.

[@sandrocestra4422]

This is killer content, great work!

[@SonicScoop]

Thank you! So glad to be useful. -Justin

[@Aaa-pz6nh]

I’m a fan on Tame Impala for sure. Thanks for this!I’m surprised you didn’t mention his use of Phasers which is really interesting. On Lonerism Kevin took more control of the process and some of the mixing, but still passed through Dave Friedman. Kevin’s mixes are not always technically perfect, but have a lot of character and sounds like him. Dave Pensado was once quoted as saying all he hears is a bunch of mistakes when listening to Tame Impala. Shawn Everett in the same convo said he thought Kevin was one of the best mixers around which tells you a lot of their approach to mixing.

[@SonicScoop]

Parker uses a lot of modulation effects for sure. They weren't the most prominent things to talk about in the sections we were listening to, but he definitely has mixes and moments where they are REALLY prominent. -Justin

[@coldacre]

Kevin uses his mixing techniques to his own advantage or for his own songs. He's also mixed a Pond album or two, who have a similar approach. what would be interesting would be hearing Kevin mix another artist / band who is more conventional.

[@linkinthechain4259]

I recorded and mixed the music. I was using really cheap computer speakers. It was before I purchased my monitors. I was looking for a Beatles vibe. In fact the session was done right after we finished re-recording The Beatles albums.

[@franciscoderege4603]

Great!

[@fenixfiretime]

Amazing video

[@SonicScoop]

Glad you dug it! Hope to see more of you around the channel. -Justin

[@G.GordonMidi]

Kevin was doing his best Dungen impression ;) He knocked it out of the park btw! But all the weird panning- the influence is all over his stuff Btw, his interview on Rick Rubin’s podcast gives some good insights into his thought process

[@SonicScoop]

I’ll have to check out that interview! -Justin

[@futuresmiles5797]

Ahhh yess, this plus the other comment about retro pop produced like EDM are totally unlocking this band for me, had lots of friends into them but it never really clicked with me before. Dungen rules

[@NTX_Rockwell]

Rule #1: Gain staging Rule #2: What rules? Great stuff, love the vid! Subbed.

[@SonicScoop]

Awesome to hear! Glad to have you tuning in. -Justin

[@alexanderjasper_]

Well, as we're from the same state/city as him, yes my mum has heard of Tame Impala