Mix tweaks getting less and less

Mixing the track “Sol Celebration” has created a very interesting result for me. First, this track is an instrumental where the guitar is the lead voice. Secondly, I started by only focusing on the main chorus of the song. From there it was only the kick, snare, bass, and lead guitar that I focused on to find the balance and feel I had in my head.

From there I expanded outwards one section at a time, paying close attention to the balance and feel relative to the starting part I worked with. Focusing only on those voices, I had to be very disciplined along the way since this song has many additional percussive components that made it tempting for me to branch out to as I moved along the mix. But I had to stay away from those other voices until I felt I had “control” of the mix with just those instruments mentioned above.

From all of the seminars, and reading I have done over the years it was discovered that there is no perfect way to go about it, but there are a few very common approaches used by producers/mixers that seem to crop up over and over again.

• Creating production charts for myself have been crucial in helping me not get “lost”.
• Taking more breaks in between mixing sessions
• Listening to the track in various headphones and speaker scenarios.

Nothing is perfect, but some things do become apparently consistent as you evaluate the mix, and THAT is where you need to focus.