Mix right the first time

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Here’s a suggested insurance policy for getting the mix right the first time. When you do your mix bring as much playback equipment (Walkman, boom box, car with stereo, etc.) as you can to the studio. After the mix is completed leave the board as is in case you want to re-do something. Your ears need to cool down. They can get almost numb after a long session of listening to music that’s usually loud. Make a copy of your tape made during the mix and make a copy of the copy so you’re not listening to a first generation copy (one right off the mix). After ten or fifteen minutes of cool-down time play the tape in the different systems you brought. See if it sounds the way it should to them. If the bass line isn’t up enough you can go back in and do another pass with the board still up. This way you’re not wasting the time and money to remix the levels at a later date.