In this Youtube short video, discover with Roland a fourth powerful mixing tip that will help you look at the bigger picture.
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Transcript
Today we’re continuing our mixing tips series and tip number 4 will change the way you approach mixing.
And it’s this one:
Make decisions in context
What do I mean by that?
And it’s this. It’s simple. All your mixing decisions should be done while listening to the entire mix.
Not while listening to individual tracks.
Here’s the problem
A guitar tone might sound amazing when it’s soloed.
Huge, full, and aggressive.
But once the bass, drums, vocals, and everything else comes in, it might not fit at all, and you may need to make compromises.
The same goes for vocals. The same goes for drums. The same goes for every instrument.
Remember:
Nobody’s going to listen to this snare drum by itself.
Nobody’s going to listen to the guitars by themselves.
People are going to listen to a song to a full mix
That’s why your decisions should be based on how everything works together.
Now don’t get me wrong. The solo button is still incredibly useful!
But it should primarily be used to find and solve problems:
- Maybe there’s a resonance that needs to be removed
- Maybe there’s some noise
- Maybe there’s something that’s bothering you, and you don’t know where it’s coming from
That’s where the solo function can help.
Once the problem is identified and solved, go back to listening in context.
At the end of the day, the goal is not to make each track sound perfect.
The goal is to make the song sound great!
So, next time you’re mixing:
spend less time in solo mode and spend more time listening to the full mix
Your mixes will thank you for it.
Hope this helps you!
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