Mixing in the Box: A Real-Time Journey From Scratch to Finished Mix

Warren Huart

12 months ago

How I Filmed Every Mistake, and Why That Made It One of the Best Courses I’ve Ever Created.

Ten years ago, I did something I’d never done before, I mixed a track entirely in the box and filmed the whole thing in real time. No outboard gear, no SSL console, no safety net.

At the time, I was still working primarily on my SSL, doing the heavy lifting on the desk but making additional moves in Pro Tools. That was my comfort zone. So I decided to step away from it and go all in on the DAW. I wanted to prove to myself, and to everyone watching, that you could still get a truly great mix working 100% in the box.

Over the course of three days, I mixed a song called “Love Me I’m Rich”, which I co-wrote with Chris Hall from Stabbing Westward. The song itself has a bit of swagger and satire, it’s inspired by a particular rockstar, though I’ll let you guess who that might be…

Each day, I sat down for a couple of hours, made my moves, and the next day I’d open the session up again with fresh ears. Sometimes I loved what I heard, sometimes I absolutely hated it, and I didn’t cut any of that out.

The course is warts and all.

You’ll hear me say things like, “Oof, that was terrible”, and then go back in to make it better.

No edits, no polish, no pretending I nailed it first time.

That’s why I’m so proud of this course.

It’s not a highlight reel, it’s a real mix, from scratch, in real time. You get to see the missteps, the problem solving, the turning points, and ultimately, the moment it all comes together.

I genuinely believe this kind of transparency is more valuable than watching a “perfect” tutorial with all the bumps edited out.

And the best part? This full course is available inside the Produce Like A Pro Academy, along with hundreds of hours of other content, multitracks, and tutorials from myself and some of the best mixers in the business.

Right now, as part of our $99 Summer Sale, you can join the Academy and get access to everything, including this full real-time mixing course, for less than the price of a single plugin.

So if you’ve ever wanted to sit in on a real session, watch the whole messy beautiful process unfold, and learn by seeing the truth behind the mix, this is for you.