With the proliferation of videos using a variation on this topic I really wanted to make sure I dug deep and came up with the exact Top 10 Mixing Tips I actually do wish I’d known!For instance here’s a little taster of the topics I covered:
Don’t just use your room and/or headphones to Mix your own music, reference great music, great mixes, this will help you get to know your monitoring. If you’re using speakers sit in the Mix position, listen to great music where you work!
2. Make A Static Mix
The static mix serves as a foundation for the mixing process, providing a starting point from which the engineer can then refine and enhance the mix through careful automation and detailed adjustments.
3. Take Frequent Breaks
Taking breaks during the mixing process is highly advisable. Mixing is a detailed and focused task that requires attentive listening and critical decision-making. However, the longer you work on a mix without breaks, the more likely you are to experience ear fatigue and a loss of objectivity. Here are a few reasons why taking breaks is important
4. Monitor in Mono
Switch to mono periodically while mixing to check the mono compatibility of your mix. I’ve found that after mentoring for many years, listening to 1,000s of up and coming peoples mixes that many people find bussing or summing difficult to understand, for instance adding effects etc can create phase issues, where the dry signal gets delayed and messes with the phase. Simply switching to mono can reveal these issues quite dramatically, often whole portions, such as the low end of a track, can disappear, sometimes even completely due to frequency cancellation in the left and right channels. And of course checking in mono is also great as it ensures that your mix will sound good on systems that don’t have a stereo setup.
5. Mute More Than Solo:
Removing tracks to find a problem is far effective than soloing potentially hundreds of tracks to identify issues, plus it’s great ear training for identifying problems. Using solo too frequently and for too long loses objectivity and how the track sounds in context of the full mix.
6. Session Prep:
Preparing your sessions before diving into the mixing process is a crucial step that can greatly contribute to a more efficient and organised workflow. Session preparation involves various tasks that help set the stage for a successful mixing session.
7. Mix Tracks In Context:
Use Solo judiciously, it’s great tool for detailed work, however if you overuse you’ll lose the context the track in the mix.
8. Trust Your Ears:
Yes, I said it, despite all the available knowledge out there, all of the experts advice, ultimately your biggest asset is your ears! So protect your hearing, don’t monitor at high levels for long periods of time. Not only can your ears become fatigued over time, affecting your ability to make accurate judgments, they can also suffer irreparable damage, so don’t listen at high levels for long periods of time and take frequent breaks!
9. EQ Reverb and Delays:
EQing reverbs and delays is a very valuable technique in the mixing process. Applying equalization to these effects allows you to shape their tonal characteristics and ensure they compliment the overall mix.
10. Automation for Dynamic Elements:
Implement automation to control the volume, panning, and other parameters over time. This adds movement and dynamics to your mix, making it more engaging. Automation solves the need for excessive compression or even limiting by bringing up occasional lost musical elements rather than generically smashing the whole part.
And more…much more! It’s a 45 min video (don’t worry there’s markers! Ha)
Plus of course there is a link to download a detailed cheat sheet under the video if you want to have a permanent reminder!