How to Know When Your Mix is Done

It’s easy to get caught up overanalyzing the mixing process.  In fact, many musicians focus too much on whether or not they have the ‘mixing chops’ for their music to compete on a professional level.

However, this is very much a mind over matter situation.

Mixing music, in reality, isn’t difficult. Yes, there are technical aspects involved, but ultimately, after mixing literally hundreds and hundreds of tracks, I’ve found that it all comes back to one thing… the song.

A great song will virtually mix itself.  Why?  Because before you even open up the first EQ or Compressor, the experience of listening to the song is already a satisfying one. 

Sure the mix makes it more clear and evens out the levels/frequencies of each instruments relative to the others, but the true success of the song doesn’t hinge on little nuances like the EQ of the floor tom, or the amount of vocal compression.

A great song is a great song.  Thus, a great song with an average mix, will always open up doors, while a poor song with a great mix is nothing more than a waste of time.

So, instead of asking ‘how do I know when my mix is done,’ instead, start asking, ‘how do I know when my song is done?”

Often, creating a great song involves the courage to start over from scratch, and the discipline to sometimes try a whole new approach.  This takes time, but when we learn how to record ourselves, and keep control over our creative process, time is no longer an obstacle.