17 Noob Mixing MISTAKES to Avoid
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2022
- In this video, I'm reviewing 17 of the most common beginner mixing mistakes so you can know better, then do better.
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Considering you can't even use the right terminology to describe things, I find it hard to believe you are helping anyone.
Glue things together?
No buddy, it's blend or layer, nothing gets glued in audio.
Mixing with your eyes was def the hardest habit to break.
Same. Getting that SSL channel strip definitely helped me. I also have a "blindfold EQ" plugin, which has no numbers at all. No frequency, no dB, no Q.
@@mrcoatsworth429 Cool I hadn’t heard of that before
@@KSherwoodOps I don't use it a lot, because having at least some rough numbers is helpful for mixing quickly. But I definitely recommend trying it, because it forces you to really listen to what you're doing.
But thinking of it now, I think I'll challenge myself now and do my next mix with only that EQ haha
It helps when you grew up in the analog world . I look at shapes of eq‘s but I never think „it shouldn‘t look like that“. If it sounds good, it is good.
Loudness meters relieve this habit lmao.
Mixing without isolating is DEFINITELY the biggest tip to take away from this. Changed my sound big time (in a good way)
This may be the most succinct, clear, honest video there is on mixing. Even as someone who's mixed his own stuff for almost twenty years... and who has gotten audio engineering training... I find that the first ten in your list are at least occasionally still problems for me. Too much surgery, focusing on "cutting mud" instead of leaving low-mids in the mix and hearing them in context of the whole mix on different systems... using a "main reverb" stereo aux channel and throwing everything into it. After watching this video, I went back to a current session I was working on and within 15 minutes, cleared up several problems i had been having over the last MONTH of struggling. Now I'm just down to tweaking a few vocal levels in the mix when listening on my computer speakers/headphones/car. Hats off. Thanks.
yup !
On the topic of comminting/being too surgical - give yourself FIVE MINUTES to work on any element of your mix. After that, move on to something completely different. This doesn't mean you have to commit to where you left the first thing, but just take a break and work on something else to refresh and circle back to that first thing later. This will not only help with ear fatigue/burning out but you will be so much more productive and get so much more done than if you were to work on something until you are 100% satisfied with it (because you'll probably end up overtuning it and coming back to fix it anyway!)
If reverb is clouding your mix you can roll off the low end of the reverb return. You'll get quite a bit of clarity back and be able to keep as much reverb as you want.
Yeah but I agree with him that reverb is rarely used for mixing. I think of it as more of a production tool.
@@marq_8976 I suppose it really depends on the type of music. I like to mix lije it's a live recording. Waves, bouncing around in the room and creating lots of happy accidents. Like with an accoustic piano. No matter how great the synths have become and how great they replicate each exact single note, they cannot copy the weird character of the different harmonics eachs chord makes inside of the wood.
So because it like it raw and unpolished, reverb is my friend. But if you want the clean studio sound of surgical instrumentalists then no reverb at all.
Wouldn't the high end of the reverb have the same problem? Stacking the releases together
@@marq_8976 it definitely depends on the type of music - imo even music where you use less its there as at least a room sound if you recorded vocals in a booth especially.
I came to the same conclusion at least in a full mix. Sometimes with songs where there's just one instrument, like an acoustic guitar, that bassy reverb sound can be epic.
Noob mistakes:
0:11 1. Always mixing in solo
0:50 2. Spray and pray panning
1:26 3. Making baby moves
2:00 4. Mixing with your eyes
3:04 5. Band-aid fixes
4:09 6. Never committing
5:32 7. Blurring the mixing and editing phase
5:53 8. No consistent workflow
6:25 9. No standard organization
7:24 10. Smiley face syndrome
8:12 11. Static mixes
9:01 12. Always distracted
10:00 13. Sharing mixes before they are done
10:57 14. Referencing too much
12:09 15. Too much reverb
12:49 16. Too much surgery
13:47 17. Watching too many tutorials
Never committing is another one that's applicable to hitting Record. I went down the "record clean" rathole - it's baking Analysis Paralysis into your process! Pick a sound, audition it within context of the existing tracks and the aims of the arrangement, and lay it down.
i thought i was the only "ol uncle mick " lol ....good advice fella !
I used to mix back in the 80's, analog to tape. I had a mentor and was trained. Ultimately, I ended up doing live sound. We didn't have all the fancy tools, there are almost too many choices for a newbie today. They need to be trained to get a good sound naturally first and work with minimal tools until they can achieve some progress. It's a bit like a photographer relying too much on automatic mode and photoshop. Learn the art first. The one tool we did have back then was 'solo', I was trained to use it to find problems, not perfect the sound of a single instrument. The exception being, when trying to get a special sound for an instrument, but again we focused on achieving it naturally at first, then adding effects. Overall, about half of what you talked about was true even back then, especially the plan/workflow, everyone misses this one. Having a solid process you follow each time will take you a lot further faster. Also, I want to reinforce your point that when you're done, you need to listen to the mix in your car and on your phone with earbuds. Average people aren't listening using tens of thousands of dollars worth of gear. It has to sound good on everything. You may have to make adjustments that might seem unnatural in the studio, back in the day, we had to crank the high end to account for losses for the degradation of tape.
Well done. 5 stars. I don't have a project, but if I did, I wouldn't hesitate to hire you based on this video alone. It tells me all I need to know about your knowledge of the craft.
To be fair though
Panning LCR helps to set a good mix
And then also mixing Mono before splitting your pans as well helps
But after those having unique pans (when done RIGHT) Sounds super awesome. Like having drums that fill The whole field, and guitars as well (speaking from a stereo guitstist stance)
My go to for stereo work is
Mono -get my mix where it sounds best
LCR - make adjusents to new stereo sound
Then lastly after my Mix is in a sweet spot ill do some fun stuff with spreading out my drums or something. But the key is USE YOUR EARS
DONT PAN RANDOMLY
you dont Have to LCR, but you NEED YOUR EARS NOT THE LEVELS
I really salute your solidity and transparency and brutal truthness - enjoying every single video you get out everytime
Wow, I am guilty of like all of these. Going home and starting my mix from scratch trying all these tips. So insightful, thank you for sharing this!!
Great video. I see myself in a lot of these mistakes. I've been learning to mix metal music by myself for some time now and I am slowly realizing the mistakes I make. I think I made the 17 mistakes you listed, and still make some of them.
Excellent advice here, especially at a time of year when it's easy to think buying more and more things will make us be better producers, mixers, and creators! Getting back to my mix now 👨🏻💻
Dude you are SO spot on, the fact that this video only has 13k views is a shame because many producers absolutely need to hear these tips.
Tip#2: it's insane how much people ask the secret to 'wide mixes' and rely on stereo imaging tools.. Hard Pans are the way to fucking go!
Tip #4: really resonates.. so many people do the whole A/B comparison based on visual reference they will change an entire mix to match without even addressing the change in sound.
Great advice/examples Jordan. Definitely a few that you don't hear talked about often enough.
Great video! The one suggestion I have a slightly different take on is that of eliminating distractions: yes, distractions can rob you of time and progress, and that needs to be avoided, but for years I often found myself becoming fixated on one element of a mix (whatever was giving me the most trouble/challenge), and the more I worked to address it the more likely I would totally miss other elements. I'd listen back later and be shocked by obvious (upon listening with fresh ears/perspective) mistakes or things I overlooked elsewhere in the mix. To address this I eventually put a TV in my studio (sound off) and put it on cable news, so I was always looking up and seeing things that would briefly take my mind off the microscopic thing I was dealing with at that moment. That little bit of distraction, visually, helped me stay on the mix as a whole and keep me from becoming too myopic about any single part. This is, of course, not really what you meant by eliminating distractions, but it's related, and doing similarly may help other folks. Thanks for the video!!
Oh... I finally found a person who, like me, watches TV without sound. It seems to me that I can hear it just by looking at the picture . Many people are surprised by this . But there are already two of us on this Earth . ... ;)
Really enjoyed this vid, so much clarity. So many mistakes to avoid, and so many checkboxes that i've ticket myself (mixing in solo for instance). Thank you for the good advice on what NOT to do when mixing.
I have to say i really appreciate your video man, you are absolutely right about listening to 2 many tutorials, not everyone knows what it is your working with so what they may be telling you to do may not be what the mix your working with needs.
Also kudos on not being afraid 🙌 to make bold moves to achieve the sound u want , i created a copy of a mix and approached it in a totally different way and i am very happy with the results.
Thanks a ton man. Glad to have stumbled on your page. Next i shall have to experiment with automation and getting out of my comfort zone of static mixes. Cheers.
When you said watching too many UA-cam tutorials you earned my respect. Total honesty even though it could be considered a clash with your own personal gain. Great video,
Cheers
I was definitely guilty of most - if not all - of these. I'd like to think I've overcome many of these habits since.
Good stuff, Jordan! Love that you're putting out content regularly again.
Same to me! :D
This is one of the best vids on mixing i've seen in a while, will def be referencing this video often, thanks for sharing 🙏🙏🙏
Some great tips in here, thanks!
One thing I actually do though goes against your tip - I do some frequency analysing using my reference tracks, just to be able to see how my tracks are balanced frequency-wise. This has helped me a lot to tighten up the lows, fill the mids in nicely, and sort out my highs so they're bright but not harsh. I only usually do this right at the end of a mix. My main reasoning behind this is if my track is going to play directly after my reference track in a streaming platform, it makes sense that it doesn't stick out in any drastic way frequency-wise. Probably down the track once I have heaps more experience I won't do this anymore, but while I'm still getting my feet I find it invaluable.
This is the best mixing advice I've ever heard. Thank you for this
I'm guilty of many of these. Thanks for the redirection! A must watch!
After 4 years of production I STILL found this incredibly insightful. Thank you! 🙏🏼
Wait...
Wow. You still learned something after 4 years?!
@@seanfrank32 youre a nobody sean, you always will be
i am at year 8 and i still have trouble to get some of these right. i am getting there though.
I'm really happy I ended up here. This is probably the best video about mixing I've seen ever. You got me laughing due to I recognized almost every noob mistake. This was gold 🎈🌹❤️
this was very well put together and got my head thinking on each step. Thankyou for your knowledge sharing
I've done these things as well. I really like your guidance, the too many voices bro, that's really on point. Thus why I go back to you and your UA-cam channel for help cause I like your style. How you approach mixes. Sir, I can't thank you enough for your guidance!
Thanks man! Really needed to hear this I’ve been real sloppy lately, and guilty of a lot of these
This is awesome! Definitely one of the best advice videos for new mixers, thank you so much!
one of your best videos ever especially like the first two or three minutes the advice given is what we all need to hear
Dude, with whole lot of your points you really got me. Exactly my problems. Especially Workflow... Great advice!
This is the best producing channel…you’re clear, definite, and correct. You’re saving me years of fumbling and lots of unnecessary tuition payments! God bless you!
Great video, Jordan! I loved that you got right into the action.
Definitely have caught myself doing a few of these over the years! Thanks for all the tips
Great video and yes I have fallen into all these traps and many more along my Mixing journey. When I first started off, my biggest mistake was mixing in solo. Once all the tracks were on, the songs would often be lifeless and incohesive. Another trap I got caught up in was doing something in the mix after watching a UA-cam tutorial stating "this will change your Mixes forever". Like any craft, we never stop learning and generally get better over time 👍
Right off the bat from the first tip I knew this video was going to be a game changing. I'm just starting to mix a record and I'll definitely be trying to not fall into any of these mistakes like how I used to mix.
Absolutely great advice. As an older engineer, I appreciate so much seeing this.
Thanks a lot man! Great video. Especially that part about referencing. I absolutely agree with you.
This is so much of the stuff I have been thinking about. Super relevant timing.
One of the best complication of excellent advices about mixing. Will try to watch this video before every song I produce / mix etc. Engineers should watch this video much more than watching plugin reviews.
direct, concise, nothing extra. Very appreciated.
Absolutely inspiring, thanks for sharing with us!
This is an eye opener. Thanks Jordan.
Great content, man!!! Constantly learning from you. Keep up the great work!
Thanks for sharing these tips Jordan, really helpful...
Always great information from Jordan
I found that so helpful; genuine tips all well received. I'm very guilty of excess notching... Thanks man!
Feedback, getting excited and showing people is so tempting, great advice
Thanks, I always like when people come from a place that seems common sense and simple. This was really helpful.
You've got a new subscriber man, making baby moves and going by what you see rather than what you hear were my biggest issues a few years ago, I couldn't agree more.
Ive been producing beats and recently dove headfirst into engineering. Its been really really time consuming. But ive recently spent about 150hours starting to set up a pretty killer template for mixing. I use Fl studio and have been serious into making beats for a while now. This is definitely a very useful video . Some of the things you’ve talked about here im definitely guilty of, others not so much. But with that being said im really glad i discovered your channel and i like your “yt wont solve your issues; but here are some things to get your creative juices flowing” style approach well done my man. Stumbled across your channel and its a gold mine
From Brazil here. Just started recording drums, bass and guitar in my living room. Happy to see things evolving and it's great to have all those tips in your channel. Thanks a lot!! Trust your ears!!
This is pure gold--very sound advice!
😀
Man! Thank you so much for this tips! They're so useful!
Except the reverb tip, they are all great! Reverb is an essential and prominent effect in the music I make (trance), but for sure its a good tip for other styles.
i do dubtechno i felt like a criminal😄
I found this video and a few of your other videos very informative and inspirational I really rocked out on my last mix feel it’s probably my best ever I want to thank you a lot.
Fantastic! Good reminders no matter the level of experience!!
Really enjoying ur advice, I have experienced all of these problems my biggest issue now is getting the results I used to have in the past when I used barely any mixer plugins and it sounded so crispy.
These are golden nuggets! Thank you 🙏🏼
I cannot begin to describe how grateful I am that I found you as early on in my journey as I did.
Instant like n sub, after self-taught for quite a few years from yt, I found a lot of your tips resonate to me, would like to learn more, keep it up!
Totalllly agree with all of these. So important for new mixers to get this in their heads asap, and for me to remind myself when I’m tempted to fall back into old habits. Thanks for this one.
Interesting advice on top down. I agree with everything you said, but what you described is not how top down mixing was first explained to me. I do like to get my mix bus and my drum bus set up first, however I never use them for any heavy lifting. The most I’ll ever do is usually a pultec and a color compressor that I think suits the vibe of the track (usually a fairchild or g bus comp), and then perhaps a limiter in anticipation of later adjustments. I’ll do this for broad strokes, not heavy lifting, and I’ll typically do this first. This is never a bandaid, more so a technique I like for enhancing the general vibe of the track. Thoughts on an approach like this?
Thanks man! Rung true on many areas. Keep it up!
awesome advice dude!
amazing video! thanks for posting it, Jordan.. 15 minutes well-spent!
Awesome channel!!
Biggest thing in mixing for me is never say never and knowing what to use when.
This dude is cool.. Thanks for this video.. This explanation was succinctly to the point.. Outstanding guide man..
Dude great videos thank you! Well spoken and concise
Most awesome mixing advice I’ve ever heard on the internet. Thank you. for your dope value content.
Keep looking...
I'm just starting to mix and this was massively helpful for me.
One of the best videos I’ve ever seen thank u so much
What a fantastic delivery and video.
Your Advice is
the Exception
Thank you for sharing this!
Exactly what I needed to hear tonight 1000x thank you !!
THANKS SO MUCH I NEEDED THIS!!!
You have my subscribe . every single mistake you mention hurt my soul but HEY ! its helpful ! needing this . THANKS!
This video is so great- learned something. Love it
Thank you for the advice this was a great video!
Great Vid brother. Thank you!
I loved these advices! Thank you. And about sharing the mix, that one is funny lol
Nicely done! Great tips. Thanks.
Loved this. I’m getting up to speed on things because I’m recording and mixing a demo for a band I joined. I’ve always been interested in sound and recording/producing. It’s been a great journey where I keep learning and experiencing my limitations. I think I needed your tip 17 tbh. :-)
Extremely helpful..every single point !
This is a great video! I do a bunch of these but mixing in solo is the worse. Needed this man.
Awesome tips bro! Subbed up 🔥
Good stuff man. Been there, learned it. Thanks!
i enjoy these info tips n tricks . i enjoy the fact your real in person speech helps .
The first 90 seconds already totally "got" me!! :D
I now know why I need endless hours mixing something while being most of the time in solo mode and try to get 20 or 30 tracks totally perfect in any manner.
Great video!!
It makes a huge difference.
Mix in context, move "fast", focus on overall sound, good reference track, take chances, make distinct choices. Visual mixing is nice when you hear a troubled area but do not know where it is by ear. Good content, I agree with it. Cheers
I relate to every single bad habit you mensioned!🤣 Thanks for pointing it out!
No. 12... yes defenetly avoid distractions, but make sure to take deliberate brakes. It's all about paying attention to what you are doing. You can also apply this in other aspects of life too😊. The more you do this, the better your ability to focus on details, without getting stuck on them... In turn this applies when you are mixing as well🤔.
This is pure gold!
Good list, thanks for the reality check.
great insight and definitely helpful tips
Great video Jordan!
This video is a firehose of good mixing advice. Even for non-noobs there are some great reminders of things you already know.
I enjoyed this. Very helpful tips for a noob who's been doing it for years, on occasion. I'm more musician than a mixer.