What things do you wish you'd known when you first started? Download the 10 Mixing Tips I Wish I'd Known When I First Started Cheat Sheet here: producelikeapro.lpages.co/top-10-mixing-tips-i-wish-i-had-known-when-i-first-started-cheatsheet/
Personally, I would have safe hundred of hours understanding gain staging and phase correlation. And as a bonus, to respect artist vision over what I thought was "better"
Warren is a real class act, were all fortunate he shares his experience and wisdom with us like this, now let's all get out and record some great songs with all this
Mix referencing is a bit like jumping into a hot jacuzzi; you get acclimated. You sit in the jacuzzi and, after a while, you get comfortable with the heat. It's only when you get out of the heat and jump into the cold pool that you realize how much you've adjusted your senses. Reference mixes are that cold pool; they reset your senses and let you judge with a fresh perspective. Thanks Warren!
This is just a great master class, Warren. Going right back to the basics was genius. The quality of your work is evident in the 23 seconds of your theme music.
A sincere thank you to Warren and PLAP for such a long and meaningful body of work. You kept me company in the purgatory of 12 years between audio school to now working full time as an audio engineer. Much love from Kansas City!
My student note on this pro course : 1. Ignoring common sense 2. Overcomplicate think 3. Too much information = confusing 4. Know your monitoring /Room or Headphones, how ? = 5 5. Reference tracks / Listen in the sweet spot 6. Make a static mix (Static volume and panning) 7. Bounce the static mix 8. Take breacks / Ear fatigue / No rest = No objectivity = Wrong decisions 9. Don't ignore mental and physical health 10. Stay hydrated, Rest, and get fruits, nuts ... 11. Check your mix in mono 12. Mute more than solo'ing will tell you far more, mixing in solo doesn't work in the track most of the time 13. Session Prep (Naming, Grouping, Color Coding) and Cleaning the session up 14. Commit the best sounding mic, remove unessary mic that doesn't sound good together, commit to one 15. This is 13 one but clean the audio clips, remove noise and silence 16. Gain Stage (I use reaper when there no balance and normalize to -20dbpeak) 17. Don't be affraid to edit, especially drums, if It don"'t knock don't rush on compressor, edit, nudge it so they bang 18. Label the arrangement 19. Tuning can be useful, you can edit just a bit area when Its needed, have good taste. 20. Mix in contest; solo is to find, adress issues, try solo'ing the groups of tracks also 21. Trust your ears, the only thing that matters, don't damage it so take breaks, watch out about volume, look about 8 22. EQ your effects, low end on reverb can destroy the mix, de esser on vocal verb is huge 23. AUTOMATION !!!!!! Its a massive part of the mix, automate panning, volume, verb is what separe great mix to pro mix
I have a pair of Beyer dynamic DT990’s. I mix 98% of my music on them and then check mixes in my Neumann KH120 monitors in a totally untreated room. I know what I am doing, know my gear very well. I mix songs for bands that have got videos on RUclips with millions of hits. People love the mixes. As Warren says. KNOW YOUR GEAR.
I literally do the exact same thing as you with the same headphones lol I love the 990's for the price. I also use SoundID reference for them, but I find since my ears are already used to my room and the headphones I don't really need it. But I recommend people who are buying headphones recently to use SoundID reference with them
After my emotional meltdown stressing over MID-SIDE EQ RUclips blather? This is all not only awesome and reassuring, it’s UNDERSTANDABLE and FUN. . . a mixing emotional rescue, even. Thank you!
Just a couple years away from 50, I’m still learning, Warren. In fact I may be learning even faster, certainly more important things than previously. It’s like golf, so nuanced a skill it can’t be done perfectly. That hunger for the new will keep it thrilling forever.
"There were many nights where I just didn't sleep, or if I did sleep I'd be dreaming about snare drums." I don't think I've related to a line in a video so much. I'm going to school for Audio engineering; this video was extremely helpful and all around a great watch!
Templates for me are a game changer, I have a template for each main genre or style I work in, I have effects and plug ins already on certain tracks, its so much faster and I dont have the plug in option paralysis and means im working more in the same plugs and learning them inside out, then when I feel confident with an effect of processor I might flip to a new option to listen . Also getting an SSL uf8 and UC1 means I can mix with my ears not my eyes and a mouse arrow
Literally like you are reading my mind after two years, myself looking for tips... You brother are on the top of whatever I found out there, I spend gazillion hours of listening,, gurus, pros,... But you do all clear, you are doing the sound big and pro... Cheers bro, keep it up
as a guy who is just scratching the surface of all of this - mono idea is something I'm kicking myself in the butt about now! Funny enough - fortunately mute more vs. solo just made more sense to me inherently and has been my general go too. I really appreciate these videos that you do Warren! Thank you kindly
I like doing a fair amount in mono when using headphones. Headphones give more prominence to far panned sounds, you then play on speakers or in mono and you find all your lovely stereo ping pongs disappear. Use mono to find some compromise volume for extreme panned sounds.
My best sessions are ones where I maintain the mindfulness to take frequent breaks. Also, I mix much better (maintain perspective and make better decisions) when I’m well-rested. Thanks for the great tips!
halleluiah! @1:14 'in today's world you can mix using only headphones' -- this is very encouraging. Of course decent headphones, EQ correction and maybe room sim are all good additions. Great vid, cheers :)
I've found this channel to be a godsend, thanks for the content. As a hobby songwriter who gets zero streams a year, I can't justify spending money on a mix so I need to learn to do it myself, and I've found a lot of self-improvement with practice and lessons like these. Thanks and I enjoyed the Andertons cross-over vids.
You just confirmed all of my best practices. Maybe it's because I've watched you over the years, maybe it's cuz I have just put in enough time on it. Good on you mate
Your passion for mixing and mastering is very obvious; just the emotion you show when explaining things like the effectiveness of automation. Man, this is just one factor that separates the okay from the great.
Wonderful summary, as always Warren. I like you are telling honestly were you struggled and how you learned. Others often just tell rules, taking the position of an authority, but I am not looking for such rules, I am looking for honest experiences 👍
Thanks for the pointers Warren!! Last night I watched a video with Bruce Swedeen and got a nice chuckle out of 'compression is for kids'. In my twenty years of mixing as a hobby musician, I realized that mixing is an art similar to painting. As such, it first and foremost requires natural talent. Hence, only a handful of mixing engineers are 'really' good and as such will achieve true success. A slightly bigger minority, mainly comprised of fast learners, will make a living out of it, and a vast, untalented majority will either do it for a while, striving to become successful or do it forever, just for their enthusiasm. I'm sad to admit that I belong to the enthusiast's majority.
The truth is I've heard all these things before, often from you Warren! I heard about reference tracks in a million videos. I don't know why, but it took me 3 years that I finally started working with reference tracks. And after a few tries, I thought this becomes ridicoulous easy, when you just have to A/B the songs and you JUST HAVE TO LISTEN TO WHAT THEY ARE DOING . And I'm not talking about fickle things like Send return busses or masking but volume and levels of basic things. How loud are the drums? Where is the vocal? where are the guitars? AHA!! Thx as always Warren!
How long do you work before taking a break? How long of a break? In one of your mixing courses; Urich Wild said, back in the days of tape recording, there was a break, when the tape rewound. He suggested not looping a song or a part too long.
Less is better, is what I wish I knew. Cant tell you how many times I over processed each individual track. Starting with a static mix is the most valuable suggestion. Thanks.
Reference tracks are such a big one! Checking back and forth with them helps greatly. And trust those tracks, don't make "the low end bigger" than your favourite track. It will most likely suck on any other playback system...
Great video Warren. When should I bounce a track? Should I get a rough mix in place first where I'm happy with the levels and overall sound of that particular track in the mix before bouncing EQ-ing etc?
Really great summary Warren! For sure I'll be sticking your cheat sheet into your masterpiece "Complete Guide Home Studio Recording". I've been telling my friends that that guide is literally the "bible" to all things music making and production 👍 Many thanks for your invaluable knowledge sharing
This is fantastic, starting from Tip 1. You could just leave it there. Great stuff, as always. *When I started, I wish I’d known…. Save up for good speakers including a great PA. I bought extra instruments and high wattage amp heads and cabs but I wish I’d spent more bucks on a hi fidelity PA, so we could’ve really heard the details, even if not as loud.
Killer video. Some new stuff I didn't really think about much, and lots of refresher kind of topics. I've been at this 30+ years, and ALL your videos still help. Makes you look at things from other angles sometimes. Thanks so much for this. Wise and generous man! Yes, I remember splitting tracks and sending stuff out many channels on my DDA, and eq'ing and effecting them differently. Mute. Unmute....arghh! MUCH easier now! Awesome video, thanks again for your effort! P.S.: Even with all the various thousands of channels on this stuff now? Yours is still the best. Love it man. Please don't ever quit.
I tend to automate tracks before I put compression on these tracks - often compression can be used in a much more economical way after some first automation was done...
Warren, This was an excellent video. I come from the old days when there were no such thing as a DAW. We have so many tools at our disposal today! I love hybrid mixing.
HAH! Mute! This got me to pause the video and comment. I’ve been listening to a region in a current work that had me baffled on why it doesn’t sound right. Muting tracks in the region found the culprit! 👌🏼 Thanks! Now back to tip 5. Gianni❤
These are all such wonderful things to remember! I definitely will be making a more solid plan going into new mixes and applying some of the techniques. You rock!
1. Know your monitoring Take time to know your room, headphones and speakers: not just work but do casual listening to good music to realize referencing 2. Make a static mix / don’t lose the initial groove A static mix = a rough mix where you do quick balancing and basic processing of the tracks (battle masking & etc.) 3. Take breaks during mixing = refresh your ears and gain fresh perspective 4. Mixing can be mentally and physically hard and thus u becoming tired u might do changes that’re not enhancing but damaging your mix 5. Don’t forget to switch to mono to check stereocompability 6. Mute > solo / mute several tracks better then soloing a single one Keeps u away from overthinking processing on a one specific track 7. Prepare your session - Logical naming / track & bus proper names - Group instruments w color coding - Clear unnecessary / unnecessary duplicative tracks & etc. - Remove unused plugins / save your CPU and prevent unpleasant “all of a sudden moments” - gain staging / make everything hearable and visible - a little bit track editing - labeling sections of a song / improves your navigation and collaboration w other people - don’t be afraid of vocal tuning just be gentle 8. trust your ears - it’s your best asset sometimes obvious thing r the most right *protect your ears n take frequent brakes 9. eqing effects (reverb, delay etc.)can make drastic changes to mix Also try putting a eq first in send chains in front of verb n delay *abbey road trick Ty Warren, these topics’re really deeper then it seems to the first sight ❤
Thank you Warren! Absolute fundamentals that anyone aspiring to be a pro or semi pro mixer should master before anything else. So much noise from people trying to monetize any morsel of information they can muster and it’s awful. One thing I would love to see you touch on is the responsibility the mixer has to the arrangement of the song. With producers trying to prove their value to a song or record, especially on projects that have multiple of them, you have in many cases all these extra percussion and ear candy tracks that when mixed in tend to deprive the song of the meaning and emotion it’s trying to convey. You touched on this a little with the multiple mic example. The arrangement should be finalized while forming the static mix. The static mix should be the song as it needs to be heard just without any nuanced processing as you mentioned. You won’t feel as sexy at first but you need to practice making a song “happen” with nothing more than volume, panning, editing, and automation. I just finished a mix for a band that starts as a ballad with an 808 and lots of loops and other electronic elements then blossoms into this big rock climax by the end. It’s an anthem and I was essentially mixing two separate songs that combine together, an electronica ballad and a rock song. Out of 80+ tracks I eliminated almost 30, mostly from the 1st part because they made it less intimate. Almost like they become smog in the atmosphere when what we wish for is a clear sunny day. I had to go as far as editing the 808 kick and other rhythmic extras along with even some BGVs and synth parts to give the song a more emotional and impactful progression. I needed to make it ‘feel’ good. You always need to do what the client wants ultimately but you have real power when you can provide a product that not only meets their expectations but also sets them apart because emotionally there’s something for the listener to grab on to. Emotion can be achieved through the effective management of negative space. I know you wanted to keep it at a nice round number so if we go up to 12 I’d add arrangement and contrast because I think they’re equally important to the other 10. What made the 2nd half of this mix explode and have impact was just a simple ‘Wish You Were Here’ style phone eq curve on the acoustic guitar that bridges the two sections of the song together. This isn’t something the band or producer asked for but it did two things: it added a small element of familiarity and the contrast made that section come in like a punch in the gut so it became an essential element of the mix. You need to KNOW music. What makes veteran DJs such good producers and mixers is that they spent a substantial amount of time listening and living intimately with good music. Spend some time DJing and you’ll really start to understand what makes a song great for the listener because that’s who all of this is for. The listener who all they want is to be able to find sanctuary in your song.
I'm so glad you brought up mute. I somehow have forgot about the power of muting. When i have a track thats just not working mute can make the track come alive. For me the other thing I have so much trouble is recalling shortcuts. I have a stream deck and all my short cuts saved to the stream deck. im 57 and i cant remember crap. I found this a big help. For mono I have a momentary switch sent on a korg nano controller i just pop in and out.. works slick. I spent most of my life at FOH position. You are muting things all the time to see how much stage bleed you have and how the are fitting in the mix! You cant solo the guitar you gotta mute for a sec. Also your last video on compression with Sara Carter is the best walk through video on the internet. If you don't understand comp this is the video. Wish i would have had this information in the gold old days. i have loads of old music that you can hear the comp and not in a good way. I had a old DBX 163 on the MB in 1980.. and thats why i now can hear pumping a mile away... Hay old Rhett less would have been so much better... lol Stay safe sorry for the long post.. to much coffee,
Really great and easily applicable tips. Thank you, Warren! Regarding Tip #1 (Listen to music with a great track record): As I've listened more and more closely to well-known music, I'm surprised how often I hear production "errors", or things that could be improved upon. Most listeners I discuss this with don't believe me. Have you ever considered doing a video on this?
Wow, thanks for this one! I'm saving it for future reference. Please do more on automation, you mentioned several interesting uses that I never even imagined. So grateful.
As a songwriter and a self-produced artist, mixing is my least favorite thing to do the necessary evil I guess in the trio of things necessary for an independent artist. But the way Warren presents these videos with his not only obvious technical expertise but just his enthusiasm about mixing and making something magic just makes me want to go home and mix music all night it's just great and I really really appreciate it
Interesting. I self produce, write, and play drums, bass, guitar, keys, vocals and I really enjoy the mixing. But sometimes it does get tedious and it would be interesting to see how someone else would mix down my stuff.
Great advice as always ... mixing through the night then coming back in to find the mix is worse than it was to start with! ...I'm sure a lot of us can empathise with that!
I really thank you for this massive sum of wisdom - struggling at the moment to mix some live recordings of my trio this will get me started all over again and hopefully getting there !
I probably rank in the high millions of the world's greatest mixers, but the thing that took my mixes from trash to listenable was the way I think about faders. They don't control volume. They control the front to back position of the track. Position your tracks in the right place according to where they sound best in the mix. Don't just throw fate to the wind and hope you've got everything at the right "volume"
Warren,.. this is all nice and well. You know,... with the static mixing and stuff. But that is not how I work. I have a small home studio where I record and write my own music. I don't start off with 27 tracks already recorded. I start with 3 or 4. Then.. to get some inspiration I usually start mixing right away. Including compression and reverb, delay and all that fun stuff. So I mix while I write. But that also brings a lot of complexity to my mix and I never really get good professional end results. Are you saying that at a certain point I need to remove everything and start mixing from scratch?
What a GREAT video🎼even if you’ve been producing for years this is a perfect watch for creating a consistent work flow and for overthinkers like myself. Love it!!
Wow brilliant warren, only on point two as ijam my leadlines on my unplugged indi les paul (gig tomorrow) i have to keep stopping to imbue these salient points, super useful even for an olde head like me who'se a bit thick sometimes, marvellous.
What things do you wish you'd known when you first started? Download the 10 Mixing Tips I Wish I'd Known When I First Started Cheat Sheet here: producelikeapro.lpages.co/top-10-mixing-tips-i-wish-i-had-known-when-i-first-started-cheatsheet/
Great advise. The best piece of advise is about workflow and getting something I know, that’s repeatable. Hope to see you at NAMM!
Personally, I would have safe hundred of hours understanding gain staging and phase correlation. And as a bonus, to respect artist vision over what I thought was "better"
Thanks ever so much for sharing@@shooten1st
Marvellous!@@rudolfbaethge282
Warren,
How do you decide between turning a fader up versus using EQ to bring out an element in your mix?
Time stamps:
1) 1:07 - Know your monitoring
2) 3:34 - Make a static mix
3) 6:42 - Take frequent breaks
4) 9:24 - Mixing in mono
5) 11:12 - Mute more than solo
6) 12:52 - Session preparation
7) 21:57 - Mix tracks in context
8) 25:01 - Trust your ears
9) 26:59 - EQ your effects
10) 31:20 - Automation
😁
Thanks ever so much! You Rock!
@@Producelikeapro Not a problem, sir.
Very cool! Thanks@@rossco78
Warren is a real class act, were all fortunate he shares his experience and wisdom with us like this, now let's all get out and record some great songs with all this
All I know is from warrens videos - they work !
Yes :)
You're very kind! Thanks ever so much!
Here Here!! 👏
@@streetmansam5073thanks ever so much
This is one of those timeless everyweek watch videos.
Wow! Thanks ever so much
I am at a point where I understood exactly what you said. thank you so much
That's great to hear!
Putting the DI through the reverb is a really cool idea.
Glad you like it! Thanks ever so much
@@Producelikeapromaybe the reverb on the DI is full wet / no dry signal aye ?
Yes, zero dry signal@@chinmeysway
Mix referencing is a bit like jumping into a hot jacuzzi; you get acclimated. You sit in the jacuzzi and, after a while, you get comfortable with the heat. It's only when you get out of the heat and jump into the cold pool that you realize how much you've adjusted your senses. Reference mixes are that cold pool; they reset your senses and let you judge with a fresh perspective. Thanks Warren!
Nicely said! Great analogy
Brilliantly put ❤
What a wonderful analogy!
Agreed 100%!@@Turd_Polish
Indeed@@owlmuso
Know your monitors is definitely one of the best tips ever! Great tips!!
Marvellous! Thanks ever so much!
This is just a great master class, Warren. Going right back to the basics was genius.
The quality of your work is evident in the 23 seconds of your theme music.
Thanks ever so much!
Great tips! Thanks for this, stop Solo’ing Warren😂
Haha thanks
very solid advice warren thank you.
Thanks ever so much!
A sincere thank you to Warren and PLAP for such a long and meaningful body of work. You kept me company in the purgatory of 12 years between audio school to now working full time as an audio engineer. Much love from Kansas City!
Thanks ever so much! I really appreciate it!
My student note on this pro course :
1. Ignoring common sense
2. Overcomplicate think
3. Too much information = confusing
4. Know your monitoring /Room or Headphones, how ? = 5
5. Reference tracks / Listen in the sweet spot
6. Make a static mix (Static volume and panning)
7. Bounce the static mix
8. Take breacks / Ear fatigue / No rest = No objectivity = Wrong decisions
9. Don't ignore mental and physical health
10. Stay hydrated, Rest, and get fruits, nuts ...
11. Check your mix in mono
12. Mute more than solo'ing will tell you far more, mixing in solo doesn't work in the track most of the time
13. Session Prep (Naming, Grouping, Color Coding) and Cleaning the session up
14. Commit the best sounding mic, remove unessary mic that doesn't sound good together, commit to one
15. This is 13 one but clean the audio clips, remove noise and silence
16. Gain Stage (I use reaper when there no balance and normalize to -20dbpeak)
17. Don't be affraid to edit, especially drums, if It don"'t knock don't rush on compressor, edit, nudge it so they bang
18. Label the arrangement
19. Tuning can be useful, you can edit just a bit area when Its needed, have good taste.
20. Mix in contest; solo is to find, adress issues, try solo'ing the groups of tracks also
21. Trust your ears, the only thing that matters, don't damage it so take breaks, watch out about volume, look about 8
22. EQ your effects, low end on reverb can destroy the mix, de esser on vocal verb is huge
23. AUTOMATION !!!!!! Its a massive part of the mix, automate panning, volume, verb is what separe great mix to pro mix
Wow!! Very succinct!!
I have a pair of Beyer dynamic DT990’s.
I mix 98% of my music on them and then check mixes in my Neumann KH120 monitors in a totally untreated room.
I know what I am doing, know my gear very well.
I mix songs for bands that have got videos on RUclips with millions of hits.
People love the mixes.
As Warren says.
KNOW YOUR GEAR.
I literally do the exact same thing as you with the same headphones lol I love the 990's for the price. I also use SoundID reference for them, but I find since my ears are already used to my room and the headphones I don't really need it. But I recommend people who are buying headphones recently to use SoundID reference with them
Really good. I don’t need to watch any more videos like this. Covered it all
Wow! Thanks ever so much
After my emotional meltdown stressing over MID-SIDE EQ RUclips blather? This is all not only awesome and reassuring, it’s UNDERSTANDABLE and FUN. . . a mixing emotional rescue, even. Thank you!
Great advice Warren. Your insights suggest you have been a great listener you whole life. I agree with your high praise of Bob Clearmountain.
Thanks ever so much Stuart!
great advise.
Brilliant.Thanks
Aw shucks! Thanks ever so much
Just a couple years away from 50, I’m still learning, Warren. In fact I may be learning even faster, certainly more important things than previously. It’s like golf, so nuanced a skill it can’t be done perfectly. That hunger for the new will keep it thrilling forever.
After feeling really crappy about my mixing literally today, this has come at a very good time. Thanks Warren!
Thanks ever so much for the great comment!
"There were many nights where I just didn't sleep, or if I did sleep I'd be dreaming about snare drums." I don't think I've related to a line in a video so much. I'm going to school for Audio engineering; this video was extremely helpful and all around a great watch!
Templates for me are a game changer, I have a template for each main genre or style I work in, I have effects and plug ins already on certain tracks, its so much faster and I dont have the plug in option paralysis and means im working more in the same plugs and learning them inside out, then when I feel confident with an effect of processor I might flip to a new option to listen .
Also getting an SSL uf8 and UC1 means I can mix with my ears not my eyes and a mouse arrow
He's thought of everything. Can you imagine him in about 20 years. He can flip this and push a button and BAM. You are perfectly set. Love it 😎
Haha thanks ever so much
Literally like you are reading my mind after two years, myself looking for tips... You brother are on the top of whatever I found out there, I spend gazillion hours of listening,, gurus, pros,... But you do all clear, you are doing the sound big and pro... Cheers bro, keep it up
Any time i have any doubts about something, your channel always gives me the best clarity every time. Thanks Warren
So true
as a guy who is just scratching the surface of all of this - mono idea is something I'm kicking myself in the butt about now! Funny enough - fortunately mute more vs. solo just made more sense to me inherently and has been my general go too. I really appreciate these videos that you do Warren! Thank you kindly
I like doing a fair amount in mono when using headphones. Headphones give more prominence to far panned sounds, you then play on speakers or in mono and you find all your lovely stereo ping pongs disappear. Use mono to find some compromise volume for extreme panned sounds.
My best sessions are ones where I maintain the mindfulness to take frequent breaks. Also, I mix much better (maintain perspective and make better decisions) when I’m well-rested. Thanks for the great tips!
Great talk! Always good to be reminded. Thanks Warren.
Thanks Brian!
halleluiah! @1:14 'in today's world you can mix using only headphones' -- this is very encouraging. Of course decent headphones, EQ correction and maybe room sim are all good additions. Great vid, cheers :)
You'd be amazed how many tracks I've muted out from all them amazing multis we get to do mixes and prods of! :) Absolutely fantastic tips!
Thanks ever so much Karl
I've found this channel to be a godsend, thanks for the content. As a hobby songwriter who gets zero streams a year, I can't justify spending money on a mix so I need to learn to do it myself, and I've found a lot of self-improvement with practice and lessons like these. Thanks and I enjoyed the Andertons cross-over vids.
This is the type of content that is worth taking the time to watch it. Amazing thanks you!
Glad you enjoyed it! Wow! Thanks ever so much!
You just confirmed all of my best practices. Maybe it's because I've watched you over the years, maybe it's cuz I have just put in enough time on it. Good on you mate
The Static Mix thing is really good. Since I create as I go (as the artist + mixer) I can start getting into plugins too early.
Marvellous! Thanks for sharing
I thought I was the only one who dreamt of snare Tracks at night. Good to know I'm not alone in my insanity. LOL!❤
Haha no, not at all! You're amongst friends! Many of us!
We've all been there! Hahahaha
Your passion for mixing and mastering is very obvious; just the emotion you show when explaining things like the effectiveness of automation. Man, this is just one factor that separates the okay from the great.
Wonderful summary, as always Warren. I like you are telling honestly were you struggled and how you learned. Others often just tell rules, taking the position of an authority, but I am not looking for such rules, I am looking for honest experiences 👍
I'm glad I'm doing so many of these recommendations, yet like always, I've learned so much, too. Thanks, Warren!
Glad you like them!
@@Producelikeapro I wish had someone like you Warren to listen with a new set of ears on the song I'm mixing.
Join us inside the Produce Like A Pro Academy!@@boogybass
So much great stuff here!
Much appreciated!
Thanks for the pointers Warren!! Last night I watched a video with Bruce Swedeen and got a nice chuckle out of 'compression is for kids'.
In my twenty years of mixing as a hobby musician, I realized that mixing is an art similar to painting. As such, it first and foremost requires natural talent. Hence, only a handful of mixing engineers are 'really' good and as such will achieve true success. A slightly bigger minority, mainly comprised of fast learners, will make a living out of it, and a vast, untalented majority will either do it for a while, striving to become successful or do it forever, just for their enthusiasm. I'm sad to admit that I belong to the enthusiast's majority.
Great as always. Pure gold. Thank you Warren! Greetings from Poland!
The truth is I've heard all these things before, often from you Warren! I heard about reference tracks in a million videos. I don't know why, but it took me 3 years that I finally started working with reference tracks. And after a few tries, I thought this becomes ridicoulous easy, when you just have to A/B the songs and you JUST HAVE TO LISTEN TO WHAT THEY ARE DOING . And I'm not talking about fickle things like Send return busses or masking but volume and levels of basic things. How loud are the drums? Where is the vocal? where are the guitars? AHA!!
Thx as always Warren!
How long do you work before taking a break? How long of a break? In one of your mixing courses; Urich Wild said, back in the days of tape recording, there was a break, when the tape rewound. He suggested not looping a song or a part too long.
In Chinese we called these 10 tips "金科玉律"，which means golden rule. These really help a lot!
Thanks ever so much!
Warren you are a gift from heaven. I have learned so much from your videos! God bless you and thank you so very much!
Less is better, is what I wish I knew. Cant tell you how many times I over processed each individual track.
Starting with a static mix is the most valuable suggestion.
Thanks.
Wow number 10, now I understand automation, or at lease know what it is. Keep up the great work. I hear the passion in all your videos.
Shukran Mr.Warren🙏🏼👍🏼
You’re very kind
Great advice, thank you!
You are so welcome!
Excellent advice 😊 Thanks
You're so welcome!
EQing before the effects is an opener! Thank you for sharing your wisdom
Reference tracks are such a big one! Checking back and forth with them helps greatly. And trust those tracks, don't make "the low end bigger" than your favourite track. It will most likely suck on any other playback system...
Great video Warren. When should I bounce a track? Should I get a rough mix in place first where I'm happy with the levels and overall sound of that particular track in the mix before bouncing EQ-ing etc?
Excellent Warren! Words from the wise. Mono is the secret to proper levels for me, especially after getting it close in stereo.
The first tip is the best, in my opinion. They are all good, but the first should be the starting point
Really great summary Warren! For sure I'll be sticking your cheat sheet into your masterpiece "Complete Guide Home Studio Recording". I've been telling my friends that that guide is literally the "bible" to all things music making and production 👍
Many thanks for your invaluable knowledge sharing
This is fantastic, starting from Tip 1. You could just leave it there. Great stuff, as always. *When I started, I wish I’d known…. Save up for good speakers including a great PA. I bought extra instruments and high wattage amp heads and cabs but I wish I’d spent more bucks on a hi fidelity PA, so we could’ve really heard the details, even if not as loud.
Point #8 got me thinking and perhaps my mixes and masters will sound better from now on. Thank you Mr Huart!!!
That's wonderful! Thanks ever so much
EQ BEFORE reverbs and delays! Never thought of it. What a nice tip! Thank you Warren!
And after
Excellent resource for a producer to review regardless of how many years you have been at it.Thanks
As always, a joy to watch, infectious enthusiasm and great learning points from the experience shared. Cheers Warren.
You are truly a gem, Warren! Thank so, so much for this.
My pleasure! Thanks ever so much!
Killer video. Some new stuff I didn't really think about much, and lots of refresher kind of topics. I've been at this 30+ years, and ALL your videos still help. Makes you look at things from other angles sometimes. Thanks so much for this. Wise and generous man! Yes, I remember splitting tracks and sending stuff out many channels on my DDA, and eq'ing and effecting them differently. Mute. Unmute....arghh! MUCH easier now! Awesome video, thanks again for your effort! P.S.: Even with all the various thousands of channels on this stuff now? Yours is still the best. Love it man. Please don't ever quit.
I tend to automate tracks before I put compression on these tracks - often compression can be used in a much more economical way after some first automation was done...
Great advice Warren! The static mix especially is key to keeping a fresh perspective.
Absolutely! Thanks ever so much
Automate EVERYTHING.
The most important advice I got from this channel.
Thanks Warren!
All of these are wise and true.
Thanks ever so much!
You are a motivation for us, all the best from Kosova....big fan of you!
Geez, Warren: your channel is gold!
Warren, This was an excellent video. I come from the old days when there were no such thing as a DAW. We have so many tools at our disposal today! I love hybrid mixing.
HAH! Mute! This got me to pause the video and comment. I’ve been listening to a region in a current work that had me baffled on why it doesn’t sound right. Muting tracks in the region found the culprit! 👌🏼
Thanks! Now back to tip 5.
Gianni❤
Thank you for sharing this Warren!❤
My pleasure!!
Thank you so much for providing definitions for the terms you're using
Excellent points here, Mr. Huart. Thank you for all that you do!
These are all such wonderful things to remember! I definitely will be making a more solid plan going into new mixes and applying some of the techniques. You rock!
I'd love to see a mix comparison....like your progression as a mixer from first couple mixes to now.
1. Know your monitoring
Take time to know your room, headphones and speakers: not just work but do casual listening to good music to realize referencing
2. Make a static mix / don’t lose the initial groove
A static mix = a rough mix where you do quick balancing and basic processing of the tracks (battle masking & etc.)
3. Take breaks during mixing = refresh your ears and gain fresh perspective
4. Mixing can be mentally and physically hard and thus u becoming tired u might do changes that’re not enhancing but damaging your mix
5. Don’t forget to switch to mono to check stereocompability
6. Mute > solo / mute several tracks better then soloing a single one
Keeps u away from overthinking processing on a one specific track
7. Prepare your session
- Logical naming / track & bus proper names
- Group instruments w color coding
- Clear unnecessary / unnecessary duplicative tracks & etc.
- Remove unused plugins / save your CPU and prevent unpleasant “all of a sudden moments”
- gain staging / make everything hearable and visible
- a little bit track editing
- labeling sections of a song / improves your navigation and collaboration w other people
- don’t be afraid of vocal tuning just be gentle
8. trust your ears - it’s your best asset
sometimes obvious thing r the most right
*protect your ears n take frequent brakes
9. eqing effects (reverb, delay etc.)can make drastic changes to mix
Also try putting a eq first in send chains in front of verb n delay
*abbey road trick
Ty Warren, these topics’re really deeper then it seems to the first sight ❤
Thank you Warren! Absolute fundamentals that anyone aspiring to be a pro or semi pro mixer should master before anything else. So much noise from people trying to monetize any morsel of information they can muster and it’s awful.
One thing I would love to see you touch on is the responsibility the mixer has to the arrangement of the song. With producers trying to prove their value to a song or record, especially on projects that have multiple of them, you have in many cases all these extra percussion and ear candy tracks that when mixed in tend to deprive the song of the meaning and emotion it’s trying to convey. You touched on this a little with the multiple mic example.
The arrangement should be finalized while forming the static mix. The static mix should be the song as it needs to be heard just without any nuanced processing as you mentioned. You won’t feel as sexy at first but you need to practice making a song “happen” with nothing more than volume, panning, editing, and automation.
I just finished a mix for a band that starts as a ballad with an 808 and lots of loops and other electronic elements then blossoms into this big rock climax by the end. It’s an anthem and I was essentially mixing two separate songs that combine together, an electronica ballad and a rock song.
Out of 80+ tracks I eliminated almost 30, mostly from the 1st part because they made it less intimate. Almost like they become smog in the atmosphere when what we wish for is a clear sunny day.
I had to go as far as editing the 808 kick and other rhythmic extras along with even some BGVs and synth parts to give the song a more emotional and impactful progression. I needed to make it ‘feel’ good.
You always need to do what the client wants ultimately but you have real power when you can provide a product that not only meets their expectations but also sets them apart because emotionally there’s something for the listener to grab on to. Emotion can be achieved through the effective management of negative space.
I know you wanted to keep it at a nice round number so if we go up to 12 I’d add arrangement and contrast because I think they’re equally important to the other 10.
What made the 2nd half of this mix explode and have impact was just a simple ‘Wish You Were Here’ style phone eq curve on the acoustic guitar that bridges the two sections of the song together. This isn’t something the band or producer asked for but it did two things: it added a small element of familiarity and the contrast made that section come in like a punch in the gut so it became an essential element of the mix.
You need to KNOW music. What makes veteran DJs such good producers and mixers is that they spent a substantial amount of time listening and living intimately with good music. Spend some time DJing and you’ll really start to understand what makes a song great for the listener because that’s who all of this is for. The listener who all they want is to be able to find sanctuary in your song.
Great tips Warren! "Trusting my ears" is hard when they have failed me so many times. I guess that is part of improving.
10 excellent tips Warren! Thank you AudioGuru!
Thanks ever so much! I really appreciate it
I'm so glad you brought up mute. I somehow have forgot about the power of muting. When i have a track thats just not working mute can make the track come alive. For me the other thing I have so much trouble is recalling shortcuts. I have a stream deck and all my short cuts saved to the stream deck. im 57 and i cant remember crap. I found this a big help. For mono I have a momentary switch sent on a korg nano controller i just pop in and out.. works slick. I spent most of my life at FOH position. You are muting things all the time to see how much stage bleed you have and how the are fitting in the mix! You cant solo the guitar you gotta mute for a sec. Also your last video on compression with Sara Carter is the best walk through video on the internet. If you don't understand comp this is the video. Wish i would have had this information in the gold old days. i have loads of old music that you can hear the comp and not in a good way. I had a old DBX 163 on the MB in 1980.. and thats why i now can hear pumping a mile away... Hay old Rhett less would have been so much better... lol Stay safe sorry for the long post.. to much coffee,
Probably one of your most important videos Warren, thank you so much for this and the PDF cheat sheet.
Really great and easily applicable tips. Thank you, Warren! Regarding Tip #1 (Listen to music with a great track record): As I've listened more and more closely to well-known music, I'm surprised how often I hear production "errors", or things that could be improved upon. Most listeners I discuss this with don't believe me. Have you ever considered doing a video on this?
Good sound advice there. Took me a few years to understand these points and the accumulative effect of nailing them can make such a difference,
The EQing the reverb thing makes SO much sense. I assume you do that on the return, yes?
I do that before the reverb on its sub group
@@Producelikeapro Thanks from a fellow January '69 Brit!
Wow, thanks for this one! I'm saving it for future reference. Please do more on automation, you mentioned several interesting uses that I never even imagined. So grateful.
Never recorded anything worth mentioning but I was very happy when I figured on how a DBX 166 comp/lim/gate worked 😅
..thank you so much Warren and PLAP - you guys are gold!!
As a songwriter and a self-produced artist, mixing is my least favorite thing to do the necessary evil I guess in the trio of things necessary for an independent artist. But the way Warren presents these videos with his not only obvious technical expertise but just his enthusiasm about mixing and making something magic just makes me want to go home and mix music all night it's just great and I really really appreciate it
Interesting. I self produce, write, and play drums, bass, guitar, keys, vocals and I really enjoy the mixing. But sometimes it does get tedious and it would be interesting to see how someone else would mix down my stuff.
Great advice as always ... mixing through the night then coming back in to find the mix is worse than it was to start with! ...I'm sure a lot of us can empathise with that!
Thanks Warren!!!
Found this video extremely useful!!! Some are common sense like you say but a lot of great tips in this one
Glad it was helpful! Thanks ever so much
I really thank you for this massive sum of wisdom - struggling at the moment to mix some live recordings of my trio this will get me started all over again and hopefully getting there !
Thanks Warren! I can't tell how much I learned from you on this channel. 👍
I probably rank in the high millions of the world's greatest mixers, but the thing that took my mixes from trash to listenable was the way I think about faders.
They don't control volume. They control the front to back position of the track. Position your tracks in the right place according to where they sound best in the mix. Don't just throw fate to the wind and hope you've got everything at the right "volume"
Warren,.. this is all nice and well. You know,... with the static mixing and stuff.
But that is not how I work. I have a small home studio where I record and write my own music.
I don't start off with 27 tracks already recorded. I start with 3 or 4. Then.. to get some inspiration I usually start mixing right away. Including compression and reverb, delay and all that fun stuff. So I mix while I write.
But that also brings a lot of complexity to my mix and I never really get good professional end results.
Are you saying that at a certain point I need to remove everything and start mixing from scratch?
Absolutely! If I'm mixing a song I'm writing and producing it;s definitely not the same as getting a song to mix!
Thanks Warren that was great cheers!
Glad you enjoyed it
What a GREAT video🎼even if you’ve been producing for years this is a perfect watch for creating a consistent work flow and for overthinkers like myself. Love it!!
Thanks ever so much
Wow brilliant warren, only on point two as ijam my leadlines on my unplugged indi les paul (gig tomorrow) i have to keep stopping to imbue these salient points, super useful even for an olde head like me who'se a bit thick sometimes, marvellous.