Are You New To Mixing? 10 Common Pain Points You Must Experience Before You Up Your Mixing Game
Mixing music isn’t difficult, especially if the music you are working on was arranged and tracked well. Those starting out in music production perceive the process of mixing as an art in itself, for the most part, that concept is true but I want to quote my colleague James Ivey who just the other day reminded me of this great piece of advice we should all take note of when we start a production:
“Track like there’s no mixing, mix like there’s no mastering”.
If you are new to mixing you may feel as though the creative and technical mix possibilities are endless, in some ways they are but an infinite amount of choice in a mix will never be a substitute for discipline and careful choices of balance, EQ, processors and effects. In order to become a great mix engineer you must first go through some pain points in your journey. Like any form of artistry, you must make mistakes in order to learn how to develop your own creative styles, tastes and workflow.
In this article we list a number of pain points everybody new to mixing experiences early on in their music production workflows.
Let’s start by highlighting some typical mix translation issues that are common amongst those new to mixing. Getting a mix to sound good in your studio is one thing, getting the same mix to sound good out in the real world on consumer playback systems is where the real challenges lie, being the major pain point to anyone new to mixing music.
My Mixes Sound Muddy
The term “muddy mix” is typically used to describe mixes that have way too much going on in the low-mid range. Poor separation between tracks is usually the cause of muddy mixes. The simplest and most effective tool to combat a muddy mix is a high pass (low cut) filter. Filter out low-end frequencies on individual tracks below the “weight” (fundamentals) of the source material. Do this across instruments and tracks that do not need low-end energy, such as vocals or acoustic guitars. Often this low-end energy isn't audible, but make no mistake low level low-end rumbles can sum together in the mix to cause flab and bulk in the overall picture of the mix. By filtering out useless low-end energy you are, in essence, carving out available space in the low-end range of the entire mix for instruments that need that range to resonate clearly, such as kick drums and bass instruments.
My Mixes Have Too Much Bass Or Not Enough Low-end
Low end is the range most people new to mixing focus on too much. A quality mix isn’t judged by how much bass there is, instead a quality mix is judged by how the bass has been managed and presented in relation to the mids and highs of the mix. Setting the level for bass instruments and overall bass energy of a mix isn’t always easy. This can be down to your studio having poor room acoustics, your monitors not being set up correctly… if your studio suffers from both these pitfalls then read on as we have some links in this article to help you improve your studio monitoring.
My Mixes Sound Dull Or Too Harsh
Oversweetening a track, mix bus or master can be very easy to do. Be aware that when you dial in “air” (top end) to anything in a mix you are running the risk of making your mix harsh or tinny. Top end shine should always be increased subtlety to ensure a comfortable listen. Our ears like the sound of top end being dialled in, its ear candy after all, just be aware that a little “air” goes a long way. In a lot of cases “top end” shine boosted across multiple tracks in a mix can actually do more harm than good.
Luckily there are some ways to combat these typical mix translation struggles:
Upgrade Your Ears - Learn To Hear & Understand Frequencies
Understanding how EQ works is surely the most important skill set to have in music production, right? Wrong! Understanding the fundamentals about frequencies is far more important than knowing how to use an EQ plug-in. If you do not know what to listen for in terms of frequencies you will always be shooting in the dark with an empty water gun every time you go to EQ anything.
If your critical listening skills have yet to develop an understanding of how different frequencies sound then you should consider trying a clever quiz style app called TrainYourEars EQ Edition which teaches you to identify frequency bands through a variety of exercises.
If you struggle to get the tonal balance of your mixes in shape then there could be a number of factors causing you to not actually hear your music in ideal circumstances:
Reposition You Studio Monitors For Better Performance
If little care was used in setting up your studio monitors then there’s a good chance you may not be hearing the fullest picture possible from your monitors in your studio when you mix your music. Your monitoring could be working against you! To ensure you have your monitors set up and positioned in the best possible way we recommend you read our article How To Position Your Studio Monitors For Optimal Sounding Results.
Speaker Calibration Software To The Rescue
Well thought out monitor placement will improve the performance of your monitors in your studio but there is another level up to consider… speaker calibration software. I’ve used Sonarworks for well over three years, the difference it made to my mixes, my workflow and mixing skills was night and day different. I’ve waxed lyrical about the powers of Reference by Sonarworks for years on Pro Tools Expert, free videos and articles about Speaker Calibration software we’ve published in the past can be viewed here.
Two Types Of Referencing To Help Your Mix Workflow
There are two forms of referencing you should be experimenting with in your mixing workflows:
Referencing on other playback systems: Checking mixes on other monitors, headphones and consumer audio players to hear how your mixes translate outside of your studio.
Referencing your mix against other mixes: While you mix, you compare (reference) your mix against other complete mixes so that you can compare overall tonal balance differences, stereo width and general instrument level choices.
Feedback - What Do Others Think Of Your Work?
Being open to receive and act upon constructive criticism is the best way to improve your mixing skills. If you are new to mixing you need to develop a small network of trusted and like-minded, people that will happily listen to your work with a critical set of ears. Be open to acting on the opinions from your network of trusted ears as their advice will help you to experiment with new ideas and also to dive deeper into learning new skills to make your next mix better than your previous.
The last set of pain points new mixers experience are more to do with emotions:
Stop Second Guessing Every Mix Decision You Make
It’s so easy to second guess every little mix decision you make. “Is that vocal too loud… is it now too quiet?” - “Is the reverb level too much????” These types of self-conscious thoughts can distract you from important elements in the music that matter more, such as “how does this song make me feel?”
If you find yourself second-guessing yourself every time you turn a plug-in dial or move a fader then you need to zoom out and listen to the mix as a whole.... Try to imagine stepping back from looking at a tiny detail within a picture only to discover you're looking at a beautiful painting. Try to connect with the mix emotionally, never forget that music is all about feel and vibe.
Not Trusting Your Musical Instincts Enough
Instincts play an integral role in the hearts and minds of musicians. We trust our instincts like nothing else in the world when we are songwriting, performing on stage or jamming with a group of musicians. When we mix a song, it’s equally important to rely on those exact same musical instincts to produce great sounding music. Your instincts should get you working with the music instead of to against it.
What are your ears telling you about the mix?
What is your heart making you feel about the music?
If you ignore your musical instincts when mixing a song you run the risk of your head taking control which can easily turn an organic and creative process into a painful, drawn-out mix riddled with self-doubt and confusion.
What Were Your Mixing Pain Points In The Early Days?
Those of you in The Production Expert Community who have been mixing professionally for years, please share the pain points you remember experiencing when you started out to help those in the community who are in the early stages of their mixing careers.