#1 mistake made when mixing music
4 minmixing tip #016 - the number one mistake made when mixing music
Hallojis! This week, we’re talking about a common pitfall of producers and mix engineers (including me!). Let’s go!
Context: Humans are visual learners
Let’s be real, audio engineering can get super technical.
Software plug-in manufacturers like FabFilter have realized this and built GORGEOUS user interfaces for their tools. These tools tend to rely on creating a stunning visual to help you understand how you’re shaping a sound. And frankly, they’re GREAT.
However, it can lead to creating a bad habit:
the #1 mistake made when mixing music is mixing with your EYES and not your EARS.
So how do we avoid this? Here’s a couple ideas!
1. Adjust fader levels with your eyes closed.
When gain staging (aka setting your fader levels), start with them all at -INF. Close your eyes, and bring them up one by one until it SOUNDS about right in the context of the mix. This will help you squash your reliance on the dB numbers you see on the meter.
2. Turn off the spectrum analyzer on your EQ.
The spectrum analyzer is the visual— the bouncing shape you see on the plot of amplitude vs frequency. By turning this off (or alternatively using a non-visual EQ like the Pro Tools stock EQ), you squash your reliance on how different parts of the shape are perhaps bouncing higher than others. Again, it’s a way to force you to use your ears and not your eyes. Finally…
3. Don’t be afraid to make big cuts or boosts.
As a conservative mixer (any introverted mix engineers out there..?), I used to have a tendency to think I was doing something horribly wrong if I was making huge cuts or boosts. The truth is, if it sounds good in the context of the mix, it probably is.
Your job when you throw on your mixer hat is to make sure all the elements work together. If you need a “tinny” guitar sound but want to keep the guitar level low, shamelessly throw that 6 dB upper-mid boost on there.
Check out the video for more. Stay well, shine bright.
~Ravi
