I often say that there are no rules on mixing, but time has taught me that there are, and some are very important to have a proper commercial song to sound “commercial”. There are some basic elementary rules crucial to having the right mindset when you start a mix, and others when developing that mix up to the end.

Today I’m not going to approach this subject but talk about some of the most important dos and don’ts when you mix your own songs or someone else’s!

Yes, some are basic tips, but I know that sometimes it’s easy to forget those simple “rules” (remember: there are no rules since you make your own rules on your workflow and proper mindset)!

#1 START WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS

Some of us start a mix, recording, or arrangement with drums because, well, that’s just what we do. This is a bad idea.

You should only start with drums, or anything else because you think they are one of the most, if not the most, important elements in this particular mix.

A lot of great mixers in the vocal-heavy pop domain start their mix, not surprisingly, with the vocal. In some styles or songs, you could do worse than start with synths, strings, or guitars if those are the elements or relationships that define the mood and purpose of the piece.

When mixing, get those central elements in early and let them be central. Each additional element should support these driving forces rather than detract or distract from them.

#2 LISTEN IN CONTEXT

The solo button will lie to you. Every time. Listen in context, and make your choices in context.

If, while overdubbing, you keep raising and raising the volume of each new part, so that you can actually hear it over the mix, then the sound is wrong or the part is bad.

Each new piece should lock into the puzzle as you add it. What if you forced yourself to record each overdub at roughly the level it would actually appear in the mix? What kinds of choices would you make? What kinds of sounds and parts would you add?

Never force, never cram in a sound or a new part, no matter how good of an idea it seems in isolation.

#3 GET THE MONITORING RIGHT, AND ALWAYS USE REFERENCES

None of the choices you make will be good ones unless you know what you’re hearing. Good monitoring environments are crucial, but even in the best of environments, so are great references.

We all know we’re supposed to use references, but do you? How often? Know what your room sounds like inside and out. Deeply understand what’s considered appropriate and edgy in the style you’re working with. Even if you want to break the rules, you’ve got to know what they are in order to break them.

Make sure your clients have a good handle on this as well. Listen to references with them in the production space, and encourage them to bring their own. As often as you do this, you will forget what things really sound like from time to time, as you are not a robot. So refer back to your references.

#4 GET THE ESSENTIALS RIGHT

Get the essentials right and 80% of your project will fall into place. As for the other 20%? There’s another saying: ”The perfect is the enemy of the good.”

If you can get even half of the remaining 20% right you’ve got a 9 out of 10 right there, which is far better than most projects in the world end up. Most of your favorite records are probably a 9 out of 10 at the very best. You probably have some favorite movies, books, or records that you’d rate an 8 out of 10. (That’s 4 stars out of 5.)

Perfection is not for this world. While the rest of them are driving themselves neurotic by shooting for perfect, focusing on the 80% of meaningless choices that give 20% of the results; while the rest of them are rarely, if ever finishing and delivering great results on that 80% essential core of the project, you can be on to the next project and the next.

That’s how great careers are made. They are not made while fussing over “perfect.” Because perfect never comes. And so, “done” is better.

#5 LAYER YOUR EFFECTS

There’s no rule saying you should only use one processor on a given track. Sometimes you can create more interesting and complex sounds by combining different versions of the same kind of effect. Take reverb, for example: Layering more than one type on a vocal creates a richer-sounding ambiance than you’d get with a single plug-in. Not only can you combine different kinds of rooms, but you can also dial in different decay, pre-delay, and EQ settings for additional interest.

Using multiple compressors on a single track is another approach. For instance, try using two different vintage compressor emulations to create a unique type of “character” compression.

One of the ways to make a memorable mix is to infuse it with original sounds, so don’t be afraid to get creative.

#7 MAKE SPACE

One of the keys to crafting a successful mix is to create space for every element. You can accomplish some of that with panning, some with volume, and some with ambiance.

But there are times when you have to literally carve out the space with EQ when dealing with instruments that reside in similar frequency ranges. Usually, you have to do your cutting in the midrange, which can be tricky because that’s where the meat of most instruments or voices lies.

When one element masks another, try cutting the former and boosting the latter at the same frequency with a fairly narrow Q. You’ll likely have to experiment to find a good setting: Let your ears be your guide.

#8 THE ABBEY ROAD REVERB TRICK

After the reverb, use an EQ to cut everything below 600Hz and everything above 10Khz.

Reverb may be the most important effect you can use in your mix (besides all the others). It’s reverb that gives your mix depth, makes it sound “real,” and creates a sense of space and character. Often, the use of reverb is the defining characteristic of a particular mix or even an entire style or genre.

But reverb is by nature messy and is one of the easiest ways to make a mix muddy.

One of the easiest and most straightforward ways to free up space in a mix is to use EQ to clean up your reverb sends.

The Abbey Road trick is so named because it was invented at Abbey Road Studios to help create space in mixes that may otherwise be overwhelmed by reverb. The technique is quite simple and surprisingly effective.

 HERE’S THE SIMPLE TRICK

• Set your reverb plugin up on its own fx bus (and use the send on your dry track to send your preferred amount of signal to the reverb) or directly on a group bus or track (use the mix knob to blend the amount of preferred reverb).
• On your fx bus insert an EQ plugin before the reverb plugin. It’s important to insert this EQ before the reverb because you want to tame frequencies that are hitting the reverb, to begin with. If you’re using the reverb directly on a group bus or track, use the eq filters of your reverb plugin.
• Now set up a high pass filter and filter out everything below 600 Hz. This way you’ll take off all that low-end mud.
• Next set up a low pass filter and filter out everything above 10 kHz.
• This simple trick opens up space in a mix in an almost magical fashion, by eliminating boomy, low-frequency tails in the frequency range that tend to get jumbled anyway, while also taking out distracting high-frequency tails that can sound unnatural.

This simple trick opens up space in a mix in an almost magical fashion by eliminating boomy, low-frequency tails in the frequency range that tend to get jumbled anyway, while also taking out distracting high-frequency tails that can sound unnatural.

Got any more tips on mixing? Let us know in the comments below.