Predictably and rather pathetically I had my massive panic attack day on my day off, and then could not sleep from worrying about the mixes. I seem to have this moment mid mixing on all my albums – Everything is wrong! Everything is wrong! In fact, only one mix was wrong – Blue Like Mars. Problems with the other mixes are minor and easily remedied, I think…
I explain my issues to Olaf – they are mainly to do with brightness (of maybe too much high mid frequencies) in the drums and the rhythm guitar. He takes my point and we agree to revisit the mixes. He and Joerg get to work on Opposites Day and I set up in the downstairs studio and study the mixes we have done to be sure about my revision requests – conclusions above.
Opposites day is guitar mayhem and I didn’t expect it to be a quick mix, but we are finished by 6.30 or so. We have made a breakthrough with Matthew’s block vocals – they needed to be harsher (maybe throatier) sounding to cut through and now we should probably revisit the other two songs with this sound and apply this EQ setting…
At 6.30 I head to the laundrette (laundromat, wascherei) which is inexplicably closed on Sundays (isn’t that the day we all want to do laundry?), quick tapas and back to hotel for phone cal from Hosuk re-album artwork. I’m sure it will be great. Hosuk’s work always is.