Just a reminder that mixing music is all about making what you hear sound awesome. It is NOT about getting every vocal perfectly quantised or everything looking beautiful for your eyes.
If you are like me - a visually inclined person then this warning is for you too. How many times have I not let what I see in the editors window of Logic Pro make me waste time? Countless hours of adjusting the beginning or middle or end of a word have been spent through the years and the song didn't sound all that much better for it. Sometimes over-editing has even ruined a track! I have been starting to do things a smarter way and this is how:
After each session I bounce a mix and then listen to it outside of my studio the next day without stopping it or making any notes. After the trace is finally over, then I write down the main few things I need to change in order for the mix to sound better. Then I set a timer for about 15 minutes or so and go to it to get those few things changed (forcing myself not to change anything else that day). I keep to my list. All the while I am letting my ears make the decision and trying to keep my eyes off that darn monitor.
I saw Brauer's video today and I thought it was good to remind you and me that it is for ears we are mixing music. Please don't waste your time being distracted or even hypnotised by the monitor. Just trust your ears.
Training your ears is a great thing to do by the way and here is a good video on this. It explains each range in the frequency spectrum and the importance of each one. Being aware of this will help you mix better - with your ears, of course! It's the ears that matter most!
Until next time!
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An Indie Musician's Diary Volume 4: Album two in the making
Non-FictionAfter years of learning the basics of music creation, production, promotion and distribution I feel like I am just about getting the hang of this crazy music business. Of course I will never know everything or even ever create the perfect mix. Can a...
