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I wrote this particular article in response to another post containing a wholly different list of 10 steps. The original list was nothing more than a clinical step-by-step cookbook approach to mixing. I cant think of anything more useless. Anyone can push up a fader, turn a pan pot, and boost an EQ. This wasnt useful information least of all for people looking to learn how to actually mix. Learning about mixing isnt like learning about signal flow. Mixing is neither a linear process nor a technical one. Its a musical process, and as such, a mix is something that one performslike an artist. Frankly, I was incensed when I read this particular post about mixing. I know that sounds silly, but it used to drive me crazy to read all the appalling misinformation on the Internet about recording. As was often the case, perhaps too often in those early years, I was compelled to correct the record. I could barely type fast enough as I came up with my own steps. They poured out of me so quickly I was done in less than five minutes. Remarkably, since writing that article, Ive been unable to improve upon it in any significant way. Dont be thrown off by the age of the article. I can assure you where mixing philosophy is concerned that there have been no great technological advances in the last 30 years, let alone the last 10. It makes no difference if youre mixing on a DAW or using an analog machine through a Neve 8068 consolethe art of mixing remains the same.

Mixermans 10 Steps to Better Mixing

1 Mixing is an attitude. 2 If the song sucks, the mix is irrelevant. 3 Working the room, keeping people happy and relaxed,
is half of mixing successfully.

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4 Putting everything proportional in a mix is going to

make for a shitty mix.

5 Gear used on a mix are tools that will make your life
either easier or more difficult; they are not what makes a mix good or bad.

6 A mix can be great and not have great sound. 7 If the mix doesnt somehow, and in some way, annoy
someone in the room, the mix likely isnt done.

8 Mixing cannot be taught; it can only be learned. 9 The overall vibe of the track is much more important
than any individual part.

10 Just because a part was recorded doesnt mean it needs

to be in the mix.

11 Be aggressive! (Oops, thats 11!)

I know what youre thinking. Thats not a list of steps at all! This is true, but as Ive already pointed out to you, mixing isnt a linear process, and as such there really arent any steps to actually tell you about. Thats one of the major points of the article. Im also fairly certain that number eight on the list caught your eye. I know it would have caught mine were I in the market for a book on the subject of mixing.

Mixing cannot be taught; it can only be learned.

Isnt that just great? A book about mixing in which the author admits he cant teach you how to mix. Hopefully youve already bought this book, but just in case youre still in the bookstore right now, worry not. Remember, Im going to teach you how to think about mixing, not how to mix. The learning how to mix part is on

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you. If you change how you think about mixing, youll be well on your way to learning how to mix. Now, Im presenting these steps to you here in the Introduction because were going to discuss them in detail throughout the course of this book. I dont offer you these steps as some sort of outlineits far too limiting a list to be that. Its just that everything in a mix is interdependent, and this book is much like mixing in that regard. I spent an inordinate amount of time figuring out the best and most logical way to present the art of mixing to you, and Ive determined that there isnt one, so I guess youre in for a wild ride.

Communication and Compromise

Seeing as half of mixing successfully has to do with people skills, Im going to devote an entire chapter to the subject. Even if your work is wholly self-contained, dealing with others in the creation of art is a critical skill to develop. Furthermore, the information contained here regarding bedside manner can be just as useful for dealing with clients as for becoming a good client yourself. Whether or not you intend to become a professional mixer, your interpersonal skills are a vital part of any creative process. It doesnt really matter what your role is in the creation of a recording; disagreements will come up, compromises will be made, and negotiations will ensue. Hell, when Im mixing, I spend half my time negotiating with myself. Such is to be expected for an activity so tied to the art of compromise. Anyone whos spent any amount of time attempting to make a kik drum work effectively with the bass understands compromise as it relates to mixing. Still, the real art of mixing lies not in negotiating with oneself (Im thinking youre always going to win that

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one), but rather in negotiating with those who have hired you in the first place. I really cant overemphasize just how critical communication is on a mix session. As the mixer, you must be able to explain relatively complex concepts in easily understandable terms. These cant be meandering speeches that lack focus. You need to be concise and to the point. Your arguments must be demonstrable. Even when the producer is in the room, youre the leader of the mixing process, and as such you should be clear in how you express yourself. Conversely, you have a responsibility to guide your clients toward good communication habits themselves. I cant tell you how often I come across a clients debilitating inability to state with alacrity a specific problem with the mix particularly when were in the home stretch of the process. There is a point in the mix where most solutions involve nothing more than half a dB change in level. Still, it seems theres always the one client who prefers to offer absurdly complex solutions to simple problems. Its at this point in a mix that I interrupt pointless meandering with an almost militant command: Instrument. Section. Up or down. While this may seem somewhat abrasive on the surface, I can assure you it serves a very useful purpose. You dont really need to hear your clients reasons why she might want the piano, on the third chorus, louder. For starters, you cant judge the merits of any particular mix note until you listen to it. The detailed philosophical reasons as to why the piano, in the third chorus, should be louder is useless information until youve determined whether you agree with the note. If everyone agrees (and in particular if you agree), there is no debate. Besides, you could very well bring the level of that piano up and have your client instantly declare herself wrong. If you allow your client to argue endlessly all her

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reasons for a simple mix note before its actually implemented and evaluated by everyone, your client unwittingly puts herself in the position of having to defend her note regardless of the results. By steering your clients toward clear, concise communication, you allow yourself the opportunity to avoid a total breakdown of it. Once you hone your ability to communicate effectively, youll have an edge in negotiating through the varying needs of the A&R rep, the band, the artist, the manager, the producer, the managers girlfriend, etc. Believe me, each and every one of those people will have an opinion and an agenda, all of which will have to be dealt with appropriately. Even if its your own music, and none of those people are involved in your project, or even if youre a young mixer in a small city working with self-funded local bands, youre going to have to deal with multiple, and often unwanted, opinions. Feedback is generally a good thing, but when the managers girlfriend is complaining that you axed her favorite parta part that was long abandoned or forgotten about and for whatever reason was never deleted from the sessionthis kind of feedback is not helpful to the process. A large part of communicating effectively requires respect. Its always somewhat awkward when a band girlfriend gets in your face because she doesnt get why your opinions are deemed more important than hers. Believe me, I know. Been there, done that. While its certainly not necessary to get the girlfriends respect, the same cannot be said about your clients. If you dont have their trust and respect, you need to gain it somehow, or youll find yourself unable to perform your job effectively. Making a record under the best of circumstances is an emotional process. Metaphorically speaking, youre dealing with someones baby. Thats how personal art can be to its creator. If you treat that art with respect, youll have a much easier time acquiring respect

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yourself. Of course, there is one simple way to gain everyones respect: Deliver a great mix. But therein lies the rub.

Caveats and Definitions

Anything and everything that has to do with mixing has to do with perspective. How the listener hears the relative vocal balance within a track is perspective. How loud your particular track sounds compared with someone elses track in iTunes is perspective. This well talk about, but as we do, you should also take into account my perspectives as a professional, particularly as they relate to your own. Ive been a freelance mixer and producer for nearly 20 years. The sum total of my experiences as a freelance mixer wont correspond perfectly with someone who owns a full-blown recording studio and must deal with the realities of a massive monthly overhead, nor will they correlate exactly with the professional songwriter looking to improve his or her own mixes. Since I must assume that the overwhelming majority of those reading this book are not currently, and may never become, professional mixers, you will surely come across some information in this book that has no direct relevance to your circumstance. That doesnt mean this information wont have relevance in the future, and it most certainly doesnt mean the information contained within these pages wont prove useful in the broader context of creating music. If you understand the thinking that goes into a successful mix, and if you understand your ultimate goal with a song or a production, you understand how to set yourself up to succeed in making music regardless of your role in that process. It would be impossible for me to discuss mixing without also discussing songwriting, arrangement, performance, and recording. Everything that happens before a mix affects the mix itself. Therefore, understanding what

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goes into effective mixing will only serve to make you better at everything that comes before the mix itself. Just so theres no misunderstanding, this book was not written solely for those who wish to become professional freelance mixers. I can assure you, I wouldnt bother writing a book for such a miniscule audience. Zen and the Art of Mixing is for people who want to understand the kind of thinking that goes into high-level mixing. If youre involved in music in any way, theres plenty in this book to help you improve your craft. For reasons that will soon become obvious, I will spend much of our time together hammering on the importance of the vocal. Certainly there will be occasions when there is no vocal in a mix. For ease of writing and reading, you can consider the melody instrument to be equivalent to the vocal. For the most part, they serve the same role. As youve probably surmised, Ive spent most of my career mixing on an analog console. While Im most comfortable mixing in this manner, there will be far more of you who use DAWs and plug-ins exclusively than who work in fully analog studios or even in hybrid situations. Lets face itif you know how to use a console, you know how to use a DAW. The same cant necessarily be said for the reverse. Given this, anything that translates to either medium will generally be discussed from the perspective of the DAW. I will often use the term clients in a rather global manner. This basically refers to anyone in the process who has veto power. This can be the artist, the producer, the A&R rep, the band, the manager, the investor, etc. If they have a say in the product, then you have a responsibility to make them happy. The term parts refers to instrumentation. There are drum parts, guitar parts, keyboard parts, percussion parts, etc. This is

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just an easy way for me to describe the instruments that are contained within an arrangement. Lastly, and most importantly, the concepts involved in music and mixing can be remarkably complex. Any general rule I might provide you regarding music or mixing will likely have more than one exception. This book would be 10 times longer and impossible to get through were I to go through every exception to every rulenot that I could actually think of them all. For this reason, from the long view of your overall career, you can treat any rule that I present to you as a tool. Use the tools where theyre warranted, abandon them where theyre not, and understand that the more tools you use and the better you implement those tools, the more effective your mixes will be.