Grammy-winning mixer, and founder of The Mix Consultancy, Dom Morley, explores the benefits of mixing on a large format console system and how those benefits could be regained in a DAW mixing workflow.

About ten years ago I moved over from mixing on large format analogue consoles (varieties of SSL and Neve) to a hybrid DAW-with-analogue-outboard set up. The change took a while, and I have to say that from my point of view, while the two methods are obviously different, neither is obviously better. Currently, the hybrid method is my preferred one as it suits mine and my clients’ working practices, but that’s not to say this will always be the case. I’m always open to the possibilities of change.

In that vein, I did get to thinking what the benefits of mixing on large format console system are, and wondered how they might be incorporated into a DAW mixing workflow. What benefits have been lost and can they be regained through modern technology? The thing that struck me the most while I was thinking about the benefits of the console method was that pretty much everything that I was chalking up as a benefit was originally considered a limitation, and a reason to move away from consoles.

Few EQ and compression options (like, hardly any)

On a desk you have one flavour of EQ and compressor. Not just one brand, but one flavour of that brand. Compared to the ridiculously long list of plugins that I have now (the fruits of many a Black Friday), just having one flavour seems at first glance like a massive restriction. Of course it is, but I’m not seeing that restriction as a bad thing anymore.

‘Decision paralysis’ or ‘choice overload’ is not a strictly modern phenomenon, but it’s one that I’m certainly coming across now more than ever before. It’s defined as “cognitive impairment in which people have a difficult time making a decision when faced with many options”, and nicely describes me picking the ‘right’ EQ from my plugin list. I recently bought a Streamdeck (little box with a bunch of buttons which, when paired with Soundflow software, can reduce a lot of my usual ProTools moves to simple button pushes). To set it up I assigned six of my most used EQs and compressors to their own buttons, so with one touch they appear on whichever channel is highlighted in Pro Tools as the next plug-in in the chain. Neat.

Initially I worried that my mixes would suffer from such a lack of processing diversity, and that sticking to just a handful of favourites instead of painstakingly choosing each EQ and compressor as ‘perfectly matched’ to each channel and instrument would lead to a drop in quality in my mixes. I’ve found the opposite to be true though. I’m spending less time choosing and more time mixing. Less concentration is being wasted on “is this an SSL EQ kind of cowbell, or a Neve EQ kind of cowbell?” and this has allowed more focus to go into the actual job at hand. Better mixes have been the result.

Getting hands-on

I love modular synths. I have a veritable wall of them (it’s not a problem - I can stop anytime I like…). Much as I love the sound of the modules, what I love more is using them. I find the act of getting up from my computer, stepping away from the screen, and facing the instrument to be way more inspiring than any digital interface. The tactile process of dialling in the right sound and the fact that I have no visual representation of what I’m doing helps me to listen harder, and I think working on a desk does the same for you.

Although you can obviously put a screen in front of you on an analogue console, I never did. It was always to the side or behind me, so I would turn to it for bits of editing, but the mixing was always done without looking at a screen - just listening. I’m sure you get deeper into the mix quicker with this way of working.

Research has shown that people born blind or who become blind early in life have a better and more nuanced sense of hearing when compared to people who can see. The brain has a way of shifting its perception to the tools available to it. I think on a subtle level this happens when you mix without seeing your music. You have to listen harder to hear what’s going on - your eyes are telling you nothing. Although I think you can get to the same quality at the end of the mix, I would say that a deeper sense of ‘flow’ and focus on your mix can come to you quicker if you only have your ears to work with.

If any of that process sounds interesting to you, then let’s work out how we can get a similar mixing experience with a DAW or hybrid set-up. The first step is fairly easy - at the beginning of your mix decide which EQs, compressors and effects are in your ‘console’. I’m not saying you have to be too rigid about it - sometimes you reach for an odd plug-in as it serves a niche function (just as outboard gear did in the all-analogue days), but start with a handful of EQs, compressors and reverbs and don’t stray from those. The fewer the better.

The removal of a screen is harder as you obviously need to see where your mouse is pointing to mix in a DAW! What you can do though, is turn it off (or hide your DAW app) and just listen occasionally. Listen through the whole mix and makes notes on what you hear - what’s good and needs repeating, and what’s bad and needs to go. Listen a few times and really give your ears a chance to take over. I know this seems like you’re taking a break from getting the work done to just sit back and listen, but I bet you find your mixing speeding up by adopting this “one weird trick” (couldn’t help myself from using that phrase - apologies) as part of your process. Then if you find that working, you can even take it a step further by grabbing one of the many hardware controllers on the market that allow you to physically interface with certain plugins. With one of these in your arsenal you can use your screen less and less.

I know it can seem like quite a retro position to take - almost “how can we make mixing more like it was in the old days?” but that’s not what I’m aiming for. As with all progress, it’s worth looking around to check what you’re leaving behind when you leap forward. In the case of mixing, we gain so much from using a DAW over a tape machine and a desk, but we’ve left behind some of the reliance on our ears that I would argue is worth bringing back.

More Recording Resources From Dom Morley

Dom is the founder of the Mix Consultancy, a zero risk (money back guarantee) way to get notes on your tracks to help improve the sound. Whether you're an artist who likes to mix all their own work, a composer putting together a pitch on a limited budget, or an engineer who wants a discreet second opinion before sending a mix off to a client - we're here to help.

“I just completed a mix with the help of Dom Morley & The Mix Consultancy. The mix we turned over was qualitatively better than the one I would have gone with on my own.

It's been said that "a mix is never done, it's just abandoned", but the truth is, you *really* do feel a sense of completion and closure having worked with Dom because you know in your heart that you did everything you possibly could to get the best result possible for the client.

The beauty behind the process is that not only do you get a better mix for your client, but Dom's advice contains all kinds of gold that you can borrow and deploy in future mixes.”

Geoff Manchester

From engineering tips to production advice, EQ and compression basics to mix specifics, we’ll give you the information and guidance that you need to take your mixes to the next level. Find out more here

In addition to the one-to-one advice Dom has produced some excellent online courses;

• Everything You Need To Know About Recording Vocals
  Preproduction, DAW set-up, preparing the studio, psychology, equipment. Literally everything you need to know.

• Mixing 101

  This is a short, free, mini-course on the four things that you really need to know in order to get great mixes, and the four things that you really don't!

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