If your mixes don’t sound professional yet, but you’re not sure why…
Then you could be missing one of these 5 things that I’ve seen beginners skip time and time again.
Once you implement these 5 things into your mixes…
You’ll see an instant improvement — regardless of what skill level you’re at right now.
Let’s crack on…
1) Mixing can only enhance what’s already there (musically and sonically)
It’s important to recognize the limitations of mixing.
Even the best mix engineer in the world can only enhance what’s already there.
As soon as you cross the threshold from recording/production into mixing…
You stop ADDING new things and you start SHAPING the track.
So… don’t expect to take a track that’s a 3/10 in the recording phase to a 10/10 in mixing.
Instead, focus on creating an 8/10 track that you can improve to a 10/10 when it’s time to mix and master.
2) Mixing is simple (but hard)
Learning to mix can be overwhelming.
There’s a lot to learn in general. You can spend countless hours watching tutorials and reading books and still feel like you only understand 10%.
Then, when it comes time to actually mix, you’re trying to do 100 things at once and remember everything that needs to happen.
Let me help…
Mixing, at its core, is extremely simple.
There are 100 different things you COULD do…
But the only things that matter are:
- Volume
- Frequencies
- Dynamics
Nail the volume balance, and you’re 80% of the way there.
Use EQ to fix any major problems and create some separation, and you’re 85% of the way there.
Use compression to control and improve dynamics, and you’re 905 of the way there.
That last 10%?
That’s where the nuanced tools and tactics come into play…
But you can forget all about that until your mixes sound 90% of the way to a professional standard.
3) Mixing is a performance (not a mechanical process)
Much like the song that’s being captured…
Mixing itself is a performance.
From the moment you start…
The clock starts ticking.
Every second you’re mixing, you’re losing perspective, and your ears are getting fatigued.
Mixing should feel like a constant state of flow where you don’t stay on one issue for too long.
A good mix feels FUN and fluid.
It’s not a mechanical process where you go through the motions with no “feel”.
4) Mixing is subjective (there is no “right” or “wrong”)
If you listen to the way most people speak about mixing…
It seems like there’s a right and wrong way to do things.
But if that was true…
Then how come there’s so much disagreement on every aspect of the mixing process?
Here’s the truth:
Mixing is extremely subjective.
You can do whatever the hell you want.
The only goal?
To improve the music.
And since there is no objective standard for what good music is…
There is no objective standard for what a good mix is.
The only caveat is that there is consensus on how a modern mix should sound (full, clear, etc)
But once you’re in the ROUGH ballpark of what the end listener expects to hear — there’s a ton of room for interpretation and taste.
5) Mixing is an art form in of itself (not an obstacle)
If you’re a beginner when it comes to mixing, it probably means you’re a self-recording artist who’s trying to mix their music.
In the early days, mixing can feel like an obstacle.
After all, you didn’t get into this to become a professional mixer…
You just want your music to sound great.
But as you embark on this journey, you’ll probably find (pretty quickly) that you start enjoying the mixing process itself.
You might even be swayed to pursue a long-term (or even part-time) career as a mixing or mastering engineer.
This is what happens to the majority of students who join The Reverse Engineer.
They join the program very much identifying as “artists” but about halfway through, they start to see themselves as engineers too.
So…
Enjoy the process.
Mixing is incredibly fun.
It’s an art form in of itself and can bring creative exploration, creative freedom, and creative satisfaction all on its own.
Happy mixing!
