Finish your mixing session as fast as you can. More time you spend = Just more confuse.
Be aggressive. Don't think a half dB EQ for minutes. Just do your mix instintively. Trust your feelings and always think big picture.
But don't finish a song in a day. Create your framework and come back tomorrow morning to more painting.
Don't mix nights because you need fresh ears.
Take breaks.

 

The template I have in place is getting good use. More mixes tricking in. The template allows for more songs to be mixed/mastered by the group, just gotta be willing to post your stems. I have people telling me to avoid the presets, but so far it seems to be working for me, and that is based on my ear.

 

this is the best advice i've seen here, now remember that your song can sound sped up on low levels that's because your SNR from your soundcard is conflicting with the frequencies of your song at such low levels (at least for those like me with cheap monitors and soundcard), so wiggle that gain from time to see if you're doing fine.

 

I would say EQ your vocal reverb ( low and high pass ) and add a compressor side chained to the vocal track to make the reverb pop when the singer stops singing, and avoid to get a ocean of reverb ( works even better with delays ) in your vocal track. You can try with different sources and FX dependig on the sound you are looking for.

I would add to this, Mix at different volumes , you would need to blast the speakers eventually to find harshness and other issues that can't be heard at low volumes, but for balancing a mix really low volumes work great.

 

mix trick / tip: keep your ears fresh. mix for an hour and a half, go outside for an hour, come back. switch between low and high levels
regularly (if your room allows). Rinse repeat.
mastering trick / tip: reference, reference & reference.(A/B) test, test & test on different kit. take it easy and keep the dynamics alive at all cost. loudness means nothing. dynamics are everything. (unless of course the client pays you to fuck shit up.)

 

Depends who the person is behind the speakers/headphones. Unfortunately, many cant afford a treated room/quality speakers, so its not a black and white kind of a scenario.

 

There are mastering headphones that send to your ear ,the sound of a perfect balanced room (diffuse field)
(note, you still alternate with speakers ( or virtual software) so you can hear the stereo width and depth correctly)
https://thenextweb.com/insider/2018/03/16/app-makes-headphones-sound-like-pro-recording-studio/

https://www.amazon.com/Astell-Kern-Angie-Monitors-Harvey/dp/B01AUVJ0C2

 

I know exactly at this point, about maybe 11 years in, how my Audio Tecnica ATH-M50/ M50X headphones translate to other systems and no longer am surprised when checking mixes in my car, various speaker systems and even my monitors. I don't solely depend on them, but I guess I could. Reference, reference, reference. When I had my first pair repaired after my then five year old daughter jumped onto the bed and destroyed the fragile mini jack connection, the fellow had taken off the heavy duty metal connector and replaced it with a plasticy feeling piece of garbage which altered the sound and was not close to the same as it was. I harangued the dude in his store in front of customers, not backing down to his assertion that it was the same until he finally broke down and had to buy me a brand new pair. Moral of the story...don't fuck around with my reference, I won't back down (thank you Tom Petty)

 

I learned this trick these last summer days from GOD

YESSSS, it´s very simple, but man, usually i use sausage every day for another pourposes, you know

it´s one of the best things for distort an 808(for example) as helllllll:

PUSHHHHH the GAINNNNN to INFINTYYYYY
and man...it´s drastic...but...When was hell frozen?

 

Last edited: Oct 14, 2018

This thing works!

 

Yes, it's another distort tone more out there, but it can be useful in a context, if you play with color and fatness you can find nice results.

 

There is so much gold in this thread, wanted to thank you very much for this one too.