It is possible to make a professional sounding mix with only stock plugins but how many of the best mixing engineers are doing that? If you watch interviews and tutorials from Grammy-winning mixing engineers, how many of them do you see demonstrating their mixing skills using only stock plugins and no outboard gear? Let’s talk… [Read More] When premium plugins beat stock plugins
Mixing Psychology
Let’s stop mixing this way
It’s time to talk about something subtle that affects a lot of engineers. This one little problem can affect us all in our daily lives but when it comes to mixing, its effects are particularly damaging. That one problem is impatience. I know that your biggest frustration might be with the fact that… [Read More] Let’s stop mixing this way
Your hearing is everything
Your hearing is everything. Without it, you can’t hear the beauty of music, let alone mix it. Throughout my life, I’ve been prone to inner ear infections. Luckily, they’re sporadic. But earlier this year I had an issue with my ears equalising pressure during a flight and it led to some extreme pain, balance issues… [Read More] Your hearing is everything
The one problem with Top Down Mixing
Top Down Mixing is by far one of the easiest and quickest ways to get your mixes sounding the way you want as quickly as possible. Here are the three biggest benefits of using the Top Down Mixing approach: You use a lot less plugins You save on processing power You mix a lot quicker… [Read More] The one problem with Top Down Mixing
5 quick steps to improve your mixing confidence
In everyday life, one of the worst things we can do is compare ourselves to others. We’re all at various stages on our journey and drawing comparisons between yourself and others will generally leave you feeling a little disappointed. Sometimes, it’ll provide you with motivation. The exact same can be said about mixing. Now,… [Read More] 5 quick steps to improve your mixing confidence
Why constructive criticism is good for your mixes
Your job as a mixing engineer is not to make sure you’re the star of the show. It’s to make sure the song is the star of the show. Every fader move, every EQ move and everything you compress should be done to get the best creative balance for the track in front of you.… [Read More] Why constructive criticism is good for your mixes