Here's how my students confidently finish their mixes and proudly release their records.
The best part is that if you follow their process you can do it too.
After more
than a decade of teaching musicians how to mix better music, the results speak for themselves.
In the last few emails I've shared the stories of some their success, and today I wanted to break down the simple formula for successful mixes.
So if you've spent over 8 hours tweaking your tracks thinking that you're "mixing" but all you end up with is a thin sounding top-end, masked instruments cluttered up with too much reverb and a boomy low end, maybe it's time to just follow the proven process and get it over with once and for all.
I mean, unless you just LOVE those
half-finished tracks on your hard drive, I think you owe it to yourself to release your work and get yourself out there.
You only have so much time to devote to your studio so I want to make sure you have something to show for it.
Now,
I know what you might be thinking...
"I've tried to learn to mix but even though I'm doing all the tricks I learn on Youtube, my mixes don't sound like pro records. I don't really know where I'm going and I jump from one plug-in to another without really knowing what the mix needs to sound finished"
This is a common thought process, but unfortunately it will only lead you in circles.
You'll jump from random trick to random trick instead of following a workflow that leads you to a finish line.
Giving you ALL the tips instead of a process is like giving you ALL the ingredients to a great meal but leaving out the recipe.
Sure, if you're already a great cook you can figure it out.
But if you've never made Beef Wellington before you're pretty much screwed.
So what can you do to get to the level where you're not only a great musician, BUT ALSO a great mixing engineer?
I'll tell you right now, but honestly, you
might be a bit surprised because you may think you're already doing these things.
But it's not just doing them, it's about doing them correctly, and often in the right order.
That's what separates amateur mixes from professional productions.
Transforming yourself from a musician into a skilled mixing engineer requires you to do these things:
Pre-Mixing:
The easiest way to destroy your mix is to sabotage it before you even start mixing.
You MUST understand when the production,
arrangement, and recording is ready for mixing and that your tracks are tight enough to easily get a rough mix without a lot of work.
Mix Setup:
It's easy to make better mixes in less time if you work from a proven process with a template that keeps your momentum going.
It's a better, more methodical way of
mixing that helps you finish better mixes, faster.
Start With the End in Mind:
Jumping from one thing to another is easy if you never planned what you were going to do in the first place.
That's why it's so important to critically listen to your mix so you can use the right mix approach depending on the
style of the song.
Understand the Audio Engineering:
Mixing is technical. It's called audio engineering for a reason.
Understanding the signal flow, routing, gain-staging and all that jazz is crucial so that your tracks sound good from the start and all the way through your plug-ins to the master
fader.
(it's actually the opposite of jazz but I digress...)
80/20 Mixing:
Every professional audio engineer worth their salt has mastered the five processors that move the needle the most in your mixes: EQ, compression, reverb, delay, and saturation.
Master these same plug-ins and you're guaranteed better mixes.
Mix
Translation:
If your mix only sounds good through the speakers of your home studio, it's not a good mix.
It HAS to translate because you never know who will listen to your music or what their speakers sound like.
Learning how to get your mixes to translate to every speaker you play them through is a
non-negotiable skill you can't neglect.
Mastering Your Mix:
If you skip this stage your song won’t ever sound competitive.
You can mix a great song, but if it's not mastered up to broadcast-ready standards, it'll be too quiet and weak to compete.
Mastering your mixes used to be the domain of the Voodoo Magic Sith Mastering Engineer who guarded all the secrets to loud and powerful records inside their Studio Temple of Sound.
Not anymore!
Now you can do it too, even if you don't have a high-end mastering studio or expensive outboard gear.
And RELEASE!
All of those things I mentioned above are pointless if you skip this final part.
If you want to have any hope of succeeding with your music, building a fan base, finding sync placements, getting clients as a producer, or just being heard in general you must RELEASE YOUR MUSIC!
Luckily, my flagship program, Mix Finisher Formula will help you achieve ALL of these things and more.
I've been tinkering under the hood of the program lately and I've been expanding the
course to help you go from great recordings to a finished, mastered mix you're proud to release.
You'll not only get my in-depth program materials, but you'll also get access to monthly coaching and feedback on your mixes so that you KNOW when your mix is ready to be
released.
The doors are open for new committed students who want to make music they're proud to release so join us here inside the program.
The
early-bird 50% off discount ends on Friday so make sure you enroll today if you want to take advantage of the huge savings.
Looking forward to helping you make a bigger impact with your mixes inside the Mix Finisher Formula!
Seeya soon!
Björgvin