Getting Started With a Clean Mix Without the Overwhelm
A new project with a bunch of rough tracks can be daunting, like facing a big ball of twine. The drums are masking the guitar, the vocals aren’t sitting, and whenever you fix one thing, you’re messing up another. At this point don’t worry about manipulating frequencies yet. Start with balance. Bring all of your faders down, then bring the fader up for whatever is the most prominent instrument or vocal part until it’s comfortable. Then bring the next instrument or vocal part up just until it serves the track. Bring the next part up just until it serves the track, etc. It’s very important to learn to hear how things relate to each other, and at this point, a great balance is more important than your choice of plugin.
An easy trap to fall into is attempting to correct issues before the mix has structure. New mixers commonly push the low end of each instrument to give the impression of punch but soon find their low end turning to mush. When all is heavy, all feels weak. When a mix sounds cloudy, pull before you push. Cuts in the low frequency of a guitar or keyboard can often allow the kick and bass to have space. Knowing how to take away early on helps avoid a lifetime of chasing clarity.
Brief, targeted mixes train your ears more efficiently than long, sprawling mixing sessions. Even 15 minutes a day can make a big difference, as long as you have a specific goal in mind. For example, try mixing only the drums and bass together. When you get them sitting well together, stop. It’s irrelevant what the rest of the mix sounds like. Tomorrow, maybe mix only the vocals and whatever instruments support them. By going around in a circle like this, you’ll avoid ear fatigue, and your mixing instincts will become more solid over time.
If you start to feel frustrated, it’s probably because you’ve been listening too loudly or for too long. Your ears compress, and loud things sound good and quiet things sound weak. Turn it down to a speaking volume or go get a snack and come back. Your ears will tell you what was previously hiding. Also, try going to a single speaker or earbud for a few seconds; if you can still hear everything important, you’re on the right track.
Making gains in the sound department is the result of a series of micro adjustments rather than massive changes. What you are learning with each successive practice is how the music fills a room, how the balance between instruments generate excitement, and how important moments of nothingness are. Gradually, the jumbled mess of music starts to sound more like a performance. This is not achieved by discovering a magic formula, but more as a function of your developing ability to focus on the most important things: definition, balance and purpose.