The tenth Yule Lad to come down from the mountains is Gluggagægir.

The English translation of his name is Window-Peeper and is described as "a voyeur who would look through windows in search of things to steal."

Yeah, that just sounds real weird and creepy doesn't it?

If you missed the first 9 tips in the series here are some links to get you started:

• Yuletide Tip #1 – Preparing for a Session
• Yuletide Audio Tip #2 – The Importance of Arrangement
• Yuletide Audio Tip #3 – The Gift of Microphones
• Yuletide Audio Tip #4 – How to mute arrangements to fit around your vocals
• Yuletide Audio Tip #5 – Get Groovy at Editing
• Yuletide Audio Tip #6 – The Power of Performance From Comping
• Yuletide Audio Tip #7 – Play With Your Room (And Use Your Acoustics)
• Yuletide Audio Tip #8 – Preparing Your Mixing Session
• Yuletide Audio Tip #9 – Simplifying Your Mixes

Gluggagægir has something to say about mixing from a non-technical point of view:

Think of all the capabilities of your DAW and your plug-ins as tools to make your art better. Take a break from the technical thought process of EQ'ing and compressing. Use the concept of "Shoshin" or "Beginner's Mind" when you're mixing and use any tool at your disposal to take your mix to where you want it. Think of your plug-ins as paintbrushes that add dynamics and contrast to your mixes. Think of the mix as "getting more exciting" not "more technically perfect." Use plug-in bundles such as the Maserati or CLA packages as artistic devices that can take your parts to a newer level. Don't stray away from using them just because you don't see the nitty-gritty technical details they're hiding behind the interface. Think of your rough recording as a block of marble and your plug-ins are your chisels. It doesn't matter what kind of plug-ins you are using, as long as the sculpture takes the shape you want it take. If you end up with a great mix after a rewarding creative effort on your part you've accomplished your goal, no matter how many "rules" you've broken.

Take that to heart. Start thinking about the end result as a piece of art, not an engineering project.

So many songs throughout the years have been technically imperfect.

And so what?

If the song is good and people love the art contained within the sound will matter less.

I'm not saying you shouldn't know how to get a good sound, I'm just saying the "song" is most important.

Even some of the drum sounds in the songs we discuss in Music Production Strategies are a bit distorted. Even some of the sounds in The Long Wait christmas songs are a bit off, but it doesn't matter because the fans loved the songs.

They don't care about the technical process we went through to get some of the sounds.

They just care about the song itself.

But if you want me to run through all the production decisions we made in The Long Wait for Christmas I'm offering them as a free bonus for anybody who grabs the Music Production Strategies packages until December 24th.

It doesn't make sense to give away Christmas videos after the 24th so you have to act now if you want your free bonus.

www.MusicProductionStrategies.com