When I started in audio mixing, like everyone else, I made a lot of mistakes: this track had too many effects, that track didn’t have a good stereo image… and so on.
It’s normal; it’s part of the learning process.
However, over the years, I realized that a large number of beginners faced exactly the same problems that I had encountered. Clearly, everyone was making the same mistakes.
That’s why I prepared this article: to help you avoid falling into the same pitfalls as I did.
This way, you can quickly shift gears to produce quality mixes.
Mistake #1: Downloading Too Many Plugins
I believe everyone makes this mistake: I made it, my friends made it – almost everyone did 🙂
It’s true that there are so many plugins available on the Internet, free or not, that at first, you want to have as many as possible. Somewhere, you think it will help improve your sound.
This is a big mistake because it will prevent you from focusing during your early days. Instead of learning how a reverb works or a compressor, you’ll be trying out your 10 effects of the same type without really understanding the basics.
If you feel like you never know which plugin to choose, take my advice: be minimalist. Only download plugins if you’re sure you’ll need them. Otherwise, you risk spreading yourself too thin and not making progress on your projects.
Mistake #2: Looking for a Magic Formula (with or without presets)
Sometimes we think that mixing is a bit like a “magic formula” that, when applied to any track, would always yield a good result.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case: each track, every song is different, and during mixing, the effects used will be different.
For example: there is no single answer to the question “how to mix a drum kit?”
There is no predefined effect chain “compressor 1 with these settings, compressor 2, equalization with these other settings, and then reverb” that will guarantee you a perfect mix.
For the same reason, while the presets of your plugins can be good starting points to understand how they work and see their possibilities, they should not be seen as shortcuts “I just put on a preset and it’s good”.
Mistake #3: Using Too Many Effects
Especially if they have a lot of plugins in their library, beginners in mixing often make the mistake of putting a large number of plugins on the same track.
In fact, it is often more interesting to approach mixing in a minimalist way. If you hear something that sounds bad, try to fix it. If something sounds good, you can try to highlight it.
But putting on a plugin “because someone told you it was good to put compression on the kick drum” is a bad approach.
If it sounds good, it’s good. And if you don’t really know what an effect does, there’s no need to add it; you risk causing more damage than improving the track.
Mistake #4: Mixing with Effects on the Master
During the mixing phase, it is absolutely essential that you have no active effects on the master track.
No compression, no limiter, nothing! 🙂
Why is that?
Simply because these effects will, of course, change all the sounds you hear. As a result, your mixing decisions will be negatively impacted.
Sure, some pros do this, but that’s because they are already very experienced. If you’re not a pro, don’t take the risk: effects on the master are for mastering, not for mixing.
Mistake #5: EQ – Boosting Instead of Cutting
Equalization is a complex subject, although it seems quite simple to understand.
Beginners often make the mistake of boosting (increasing) the frequencies they like, while it is much more interesting and effective to eliminate problematic frequencies by attenuating them.
Concrete example: on your last vocal take, you liked the sound of the mids but found there was too much brightness in the highs. Instead of boosting those mids with the EQ, cut the highs with a low-pass or high-shelf filter.
Error #6: Lack of stereo image
I remember making this mistake on my very first serious mix: I had two guitars, which were maybe positioned 30% to the left and 30% to the right. In other words, the sound was very central, very mono.
Don’t be afraid to give your track some dimension!
For example, if your guitars are double-tracked (two similar takes), place one fully to the left and the other fully to the right. This will widen your stereo image and enhance the power of your track.
Tip: if you are using synthesizers or instruments that allow it, feel free to add effects to make them move from left to right and give dimension to your mix.
Error #7: Not checking the mix in mono
In your home studio, you probably have a good pair of headphones and/or good studio monitors, with a good frequency response that you are used to.
However, we must face the facts: the people who will listen to your mix will not be in the same conditions. Some will use their phone, and others will share one of the earbuds with their friend sitting next to them. Others will hear your music coming from a single speaker, for example in a bar.
Hence the usefulness of regularly checking how your mix behaves in mono instead of being listened to in stereo. Add a plugin on your master track to do this check, and you will be surprised: some instruments will disappear, some will stand out abnormally…
Of course, you won’t be able to correct everything perfectly, but not checking how your mix sounds in mono means you won’t know how half of the people will hear your music.
Error #8: Not taking breaks
A classic mistake, which I admit I have often made in the past.
I would start mixing a project. Three hours later I was still on it, without any break. I was pulling my hair out trying to adjust this or that instrument without ever seeing any improvement.
Does the situation sound familiar?
Then take breaks! A short break every 30 minutes will allow you to be much more effective in the long run, as your ears will be less fatigued.
One piece of advice: if you feel that there is no difference no matter what adjustments you make to a particular track, it is high time to take a break!
And you, are you guilty of one or more of the errors on this list?
Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below 🙂