Your Ears and a Pen and Paper

Getting a great sounding mix or recording starts with something much simpler than you'd think. It doesn't start with thousands of dollars worth of gear. It doesn't start with the most expensive DAW. It doesn't start with the best plugins you can buy.

It starts with your ears, a pen, and a paper. 

As humans, we have a tendency to over complicate and over analyze things. We rarely go to the simplest solution. This is especially true in the audio engineering world. We are still struggling with the idea that our songs could sound better if only we had this or that. You see, it's easier to put the blame on something you can't control. It keeps you from having to take responsibility. The problem is that it also keeps you from growing and getting better. A great recording or mix starts with a few simple things. 

Listen

It's amazing how often we mix a song without really listening to it. I imagine if we were honest with ourselves, most of us would say we probably don't listen to a song all the way through before we start messing with it. I know I don't. I tend to just throw it in the DAW, hit play, and start messing with stuff. This really isn't the best approach though. We should by just simply using our ears and actually listening to the song. This means not touching anything but just listening to it from beginning to end. We need to get our heads around the song and get an idea of what it's trying to say. (I know that sounds philosophical but bear with me.) 

If we start by using just our ears, it will help us to be more intentional. We will start to look at the song as an entire picture rather than just little parts. This will help to guide us when we do start tweaking things to make that entire picture look better. Now obviously you may need to set some levels and stuff to get an idea of the song but the point stands. Get a good idea of the song from beginning to end before you really start messing with plugins. 

Write It Down

Here's where a pen and a piece of paper come in handy. Once you've started to listen, you need to take notes. This means writing down some things you are noticing. Vocals too loud? Drums need EQ work? Guitars need to be doubled? Anything like that. You can also start to write down creative suggestions you may have. Maybe you've had some ideas on how you can creatively make the song better. For instance maybe you can automate delay or reverb or add an instrument track to the song. 

What this will do will help you know what you are trying to do when you start mixing. This will make your mix more efficient and cut down the amount of time it will take you on a mix. If you are working for a client this is extremely important as it will make you more money, because you'll be working in less time, and you'll get it back to the client faster. 

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