9 Mixing Habits

That Will Set

You Up For
Success

by Sara Carter
 9 Mixing Habits That Will Set You Up For Success

Mixing music comes with its challenges especially if you’ve written,

performed, recorded and edited it; now when it’s time to mix you’ve lost all
perspective.

"I don’t know anymore, I’ve listened to it so many times I’ve lost my
objectivity”

Have you ever encountered this problem? Yes? So, how can you keep your
objectivity when mixing music?

I have some habits to instil into your mixing routine to help you keep fresh
and focused when mixing. Keep reading to find out more...

The problem
I get it, it’s hard.

You might have written, played, recorded and arranged the song and it’s
taken weeks, if not months, of iteration to get to this point but it’s just not
quite right somehow.

You might feel a bit overwhelmed.

You can’t stop tweaking it and you suspect the mix sounded better about
four days ago, just after you added the tambourine solo, maybe that was a
step too far...

You can’t help yourself, you want it to sound amazing, you want it perfect.

But finished is always better than perfect and that goes for many creative
professions such as writing, graphic design, web design, photography and
songwriting.

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 9 Mixing Habits That Will Set You Up For Success

As creatives, we find decision making hard. We can’t help it, we seek

perfection. But perfection, my friend, is the killer of progress. It’s only by
releasing music regularly that you can learn, grow and get better, releasing
yourself to move on to the next idea and the next mix.

The 9 habits
Here are my nine habits for success when it comes to mixing music:

1. have a plan for the mix

2. schedule plenty of time to mix but commit to a deadline
3. compile a playlist of 1-2 commercial references
4. always keep re-focusing on what's important
5. get the arrangement right
6. mix on a different day to editing or tracking
7. listen to your gut
8. make notes in the early stages of the mix
9. choose which instrument will take the lowest end of the freq range

1. Have a plan
Even just a simple plan will keep you on track here. Put in place a few goals
for the mixing day to keep you focused.

Think about your mix preparation goals:

  re there any tracks surplus to requirements?

a
 when will I get all the editing done by?
 can I add any sound FX to add impact?
 mono up any stereo tracks that don’t need to be stereo
 batch tune all the vocals
 organise your DAW session logically
 name the tracks and audio files

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 9 Mixing Habits That Will Set You Up For Success

  hase checks on the drums

p
 colour code your tracks
 get markers in place for easy location changes
Think about your mixing goals:

  re all the choruses going to be the same structure and

a
instrumentation?
 how long am I going to give myself to complete the 1st mix?
 do I need that tambourine solo in the bridge? Really??
 do I need to use drum samples?

2. Build in some reflection time

By having a well thought out plan that builds in some downtime for
reflection, you take the pressure off, enabling you to keep your creative
juices flowing.

Have a rough idea of when you’d like to finish the mix and add the date to
your calendar but resist the urge to work back to back days.

To maintain objectivity, it’s crucial to allow time for creative thoughts to

develop and to tune back into your gut feeling about the whole mix.

The first listen is the most important. I can’t stress this enough. It’s where
you make your best decisions. Once it’s gone, it’s gone for the rest of the
session. You can get it back again but only after taking a break. The longer
the better.

The Golden Hour

Aim to get your "static" or "rough" mix done within an hour if you can to
make the most of this precious first listen. I call it the "Golden Hour".

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 9 Mixing Habits That Will Set You Up For Success

Once the static mix is done, find a work time block that works for you. It
could be an hour, it could be two hours. Play around and be aware of how
you’re feeling and decide on a work time block that suits your style of
working. Then, take short breaks after each time block.

Pomodoro Technique
The break time is again up to you but I would say no less than 15 mins. Give
your ears a rest, go make coffee or have a snack. Better still, go for a walk
(my preferred option). Read up about the Pomodoro Technique if you want
to know why and how this works.

You aren’t helping yourself by working longer hours. To avoid this, give
yourself plenty of time for each task but not without a deadline. By giving
yourself a deadline, you’ll actually finish your project.

Leaving project timelines open ended is a mistake that can lead to you
never actually finishing mixes. You'll be frustrated because you’re not
sharing your music, gaining new followers or getting any nearer to your
career dreams.

3. Referencing
Compile a playlist of songs in a similar genre that you’d love your mix to
come somewhat close to.

You only need one or two songs, songs that you think sound amazing
wherever you listen to them and listen to these before you start to mix, to
calibrate your ears.

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 9 Mixing Habits That Will Set You Up For Success

Another approach is to have examples of certain elements you’d like to aim

for in the mix. A particular snare sound or guitar sound that you’ve heard in
different songs. Perhaps you like the way a particular transition works or a
reverse reverb or stutter effect you’d like to try.

Having the references close to hand will speed up your workflow and help
you to make quicker decisions.

Build up a library of references in multiple playlists. For example, I have

playlists for each element of the drum kit, female vocals, rock guitars, bass
guitar, indie music, alternative, riot girl, punk vocals… etc.

There are plugins that can help here too.

I use "adptr Metric AB" from Plugin Alliance because it gives me the ability
to quickly switch between a reference track and my mix. I find even a few
seconds lost between switching means I lose my ability to analyse as
effectively.

4. Re-focus on what's important

This is so important for maintaining objectivity and perspective.

I mentioned it earlier, but the more you listen to something, the more you
lose perspective. Things start to sound the same.

Keeping the playhead moving whilst mixing can also help because you are
being hit with new things as the song progresses through the timeline.

Keeping the song playing through instead of stopping, working on an

element in solo for 10 mins, then moving on is a real time and objectivity
suck.

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 9 Mixing Habits That Will Set You Up For Success

I have a post it note on my monitor that says “KEEP MOVING” to remind me

to do just that. Not physically, but in the mix. I avoid getting bogged down
on just one element for more that a few minutes, I can always go back to it
later, and often, I find it's actually no longer bugging me once I've zoomed
out to look at the bigger picture.

I also have a timer that is set to go off after 45 mins where I then, stand up
go downstairs and grab a drink or comfort break for 15 mins. I can
sometimes fit in a brisk walk around the block!

I’m experimenting with the work time block because I’m also aware of
falling out of my flow state by doing this so, it depends where my head is at
when the timer goes off. I’m edging more towards 1 hour 15 mins lately.

The most effective break is by calling it a day and coming back in the
morning or even the day after. This is more effective the further into the
mixing process you get, particularly if the mix is extending into days when
you only intended to spend 5 or 6 hours, which happens.

When you get back from your break, can you listen on a different set of
monitors or headphones? Make notes of anything that jumps out on that
fresh listen. This is a golden opportunity to either hear something pop out
or to call it finished.

5. Get the arrangement right

Don’t fall into the trap of having hundreds of tracks just because you can,
or playing the same instrument through every section of the song without
changing something or adding extra interest somehow.

Add interest by bringing in different instruments and sounds as the song

progresses so it builds and keeps the listener engaged.

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 9 Mixing Habits That Will Set You Up For Success

Think about this carefully, listen to your favourite tracks and analyse how
they flow, listening for when new parts come in or drop out. Are there any
commonalities? What can you do differently?

I find myself appreciating the little things that lift a section like a subtle
tambourine or a change in hi-hat pattern. It doesn’t have to be dramatic to
be noticed.

A word of caution though. It’s all too easy to fill your DAW timeline with
stuff that will get lost in the mix. Think about the other instruments playing
at the same time, what will help the snare cut through in those busy
choruses? Yes! A tambourine! (Gotta love a bit of tambourine…or is that just
me?)

Keeping the track count short means you can find things quicker and it will
give you a wider sounding mix, where there’s more separation and
interesting left-right movement that adds to the groove and excitement.

A well-structured arrangement will make mixing oh so much easier and

listening, a pleasure I promise you!

6. Separate mixing from tracking

Schedule a clear day just for mixing.

This is really important from a creativity standpoint as well as for

maintaining objectivity.

Start the mixing phase on a new day, once the arrangement, editing, tuning
and session preparation is complete.

Keeping your left brain and right brain activities separated will help you to
mix quickly and make better creative decisions.

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 9 Mixing Habits That Will Set You Up For Success

Try to make all those production choices before mixing day, so you can
react to that elusive gut feeling in the moment because once you’ve lost it,
it’s gone until the next mixing session.

Sum groups of instruments down to something more manageable. Do you

really need 18 tracks of guitars? Can they be sub-mixed down to a stereo
track? Be bold. Save versions so you can go back and unpick a bounce if
you have to.

7. Listen to your gut

I know, I must have mentioned your gut a million times so far but I cannot
stress how important it is for objectivity.

For you, it might not be your gut. It might be a fleeting thought or

goosebumps. The point is to be aware of your instincts however they
happen to make themselves known to you.

Use the technique I mentioned earlier; keeping a song playing over and
over. Set up a loop and try not to press stop until something really jumps
out at you. Stop, fix it asap, then move on. You don’t have to get it right the
first time! Keep moving until the next problem hits you, fix that by spending
5 mins on it then move on to the next.

Keep cycling through the song on loop and if one of the things you tried to
fix earlier still bugs you, stop and have another go for 5 or 10 mins then
move on again.

This keeps your objectivity engaged for longer and stops you from
spending too long on one element that didn’t need it.

This is how Andrew Scheps and Tony Maserati mix and if it’s good enough
for them…

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 9 Mixing Habits That Will Set You Up For Success

8. Have a notebook handy

Have a simple notebook or pad handy to jot down ideas in the early stages
of each fresh listen.

If you prefer a phone or iPad app like Evernote or Notion then, use that.

You want to avoid stopping the playback if you can, so you can feel the
transitions from section to section and get an overview across the mix as a
whole.

  hat’s bugging you?

w
 what’s not working in the bridge?
 do the guitars need to be wider in the choruses
 Woah! Those backing vocals are 'effin LOUD!
 does the tambourine need some love in the last chorus? (Haha! Just
kidding)
Taking notes like this is perfect for quickly capturing those fleeting
thoughts without interrupting your flow. Become a ninja at it by only using
single words and a timeline reference.

9. Choose only one lowest element

This is vitally important and should be part of your initial mix plan.

Pick only one element to occupy the lowest end of your mix, will it be the
kick drum, the bass guitar or bass synth?

If you can't decide, go back to your references and see where your
preferences lie.

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 9 Mixing Habits That Will Set You Up For Success

If you're working for a client, listen to the references they've given you.

Use EQ filters to get rid of excessive low end in your bass elements and
carve out "slots" for the kick and bass to sit in and work with each other for
a tight focused low end.

When things start to overlap excessively you're going to get a muddy,

mushy low end.

If you find you can't hear the bass guitar or kick drum as well as you'd like,
then turn to the mid frequencies to bring in definition. Having a small
speaker like a kitchen radio or bluetooth speaker can be great here to dial
in some 4 or 5kHz so you can hear the bass but without blowing up your
sub and low mid areas.

Thanks for reading this guide!

If you have any questions or would like some advice about mixing your
own music then get in touch and I try to help.

I really want to help you mix better music at home so why not join our
private Facebook community of like minded music makers and share your
struggles and experiences. You'll find us a friendly bunch, come say hello!

Who am I?
Hi, I'm Sara Carter and I've been recording and mixing music professionally
for over 10 years and before that, I had a home studio hobby that started
because I wanted to be a better guitar player.

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 9 Mixing Habits That Will Set You Up For Success

I studied at the SAE Institute in London gaining an Audio Engineering

Diploma, then went on to work for the BBC in London as a Studio Manager
where I engineered many of the UK's most popular radio shows and live
music sessions. Working from the BBC's Maida Vale Studios, I developed
my critical listening skills by working with a wide variety of artists on
numerous sessions and I've been credited on records by Corrine Bailey Rae
and KT Tunstall amongst others.

I now run my online mixing and mastering business, working mostly with
unsigned rock and indie bands from all over the world.

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