What is the most difficult thing you have to do?

To cut a diamond from a pebble. It is much easier to make something that comes in as a minus 1 come out with the predicate 1 plus. On the other hand, it is much more problematic to turn something that comes in as a 2 minus into a 1 product. That's the hardest thing to do.
Bob Katz

 

Last edited: Sep 4, 2022

mine was, mix with low volume!

 

Don't start mixing unfinished songs.

 

Don't overdo it.

 

Yeah I remember spending like two hours on a mix only to realize the next day that it was absolute shit

 

Even what should have been good and almost finished, turned into a mess just because our ears were "tired" because of the long mixing process

 

After you understand this will happen, the next time you listen you can listen way too much to the mistakes; but end up doing little about them because you listen more (repeating sometimes) and re-adjust to them. Try someday to trust your initial reaction to the "fresh listen" and make your adjustments then. Save the two versions or bounce them, etc so you can compare them. That first "it's too loud" impulse when you hear a part come in, is almost always the correct decision. Just an example.

 

"Don't watch the screen as you mix, listen to the music" Lois Lane said to himself.

 

I think it's always a good idea to set up a timelimit for yourself when mixing to avoid these kind of problems.
Makes you work much more efficient and better

 

mine was: forget it! ...leave the mixing to the pros ! ...just keep playing and we'll take care of the rest

...needles to say, it worked like a charm

 

Shit on Input -> Shit on Output

 

Nothing specific but the best mixing advice I ever got came from these two Youtube channels: Sage Audio & The House Of Kush

Sage Audio always gives you cool new tricks and techniques to try while the Kush man is wise and just as chill as can be.

 

Best mixing tip I got has nothing to do with mixing. Starting with a great song, great arrangement, played by great musicians and make it sound as good as you possibly can during the recording process. This should leave you with minor tweaks during the mixing process such as hi pass filters and eq carving particularly watching midrange build up. Then compression as needed followed by creative effects while being mindful that most times, less is better.

 

KISS it. (Keep It Simple Stupid) Learn the art of simplicity or that doing less means more.

Learn to trust your ears.

Mix with purpose. If you can't explain what you are doing, you should not be doing it.

Mixing is all about energy manipulation.

Always take short breaks while mixing, the time away from the mix will benefit you much more than you can imagine.

"The song is the power; the singer is the messenger. The greatest singer in the world cannot save a bad song. I learned that 50 years ago, and it’s the single greatest lesson I ever learned as a producer. If you don’t have a great song, it doesn’t matter what else you put around it." - Quincy Jones

 

Last edited: Sep 4, 2022

Gain-staging.
Subtractive EQ/filtering.
Subtractive mixing.
Mix at comfortable (conversational) monitor level.
Tune/treat your room acoustically.
Learn your speakers in that treated room (can take years).

 

Last edited: Sep 4, 2022

Even if you're going for that Wall of Sound kind of style?

 

Mine is kind of two:
- Mix groups of track with similar spectrum points NEVER in solo (ex: always mix the bass while listening to the kick and toms aswel). Nonetheless, solo for weird ressonances.
- Think like a channel strip - the limitations of a channel strip make you focus on what is actually necessary for a sound to sound like it should in a mix. The funny part is that it'll likely sound like shit in solo but great in a mix.

 

Last edited: Sep 4, 2022

Everytime I put an EQ on something it seems I lose like 3dB of headroom even when I do low / high cuts as OP said. Not in linear phase mode, but that shit is not affordable everywhere. How do I reduce headroom after I remove frequencies? A zero latency EQ also fuck up a compressed sound's dynamic range.

 

Disagree on that. I mix through the whole process. Adding elements while ignoring their context at the time and leaving it all for later is creating a nightmare imho. Every stage of the process I like to know how my puzzle pieces fit. But of course, don't lock anything in until you see the whole picture.

 

This gives me an idea...