We checked in with producer/mixer/engineer Forrester Savell (Karnivool, Twelve Foot Ninja), to pick his brain for the five best overall mixing tips he could come up with. If you missed any of his contributions to the Toontrack ecosystem of products, make sure to check out The Progressive Foundry SDX, Progressive EZX or the Forrester Savell EZmix Pack. In addition, his masterful engineering and mixing is included in presets for several Toontrack titles, like EZmix 3, the Metal EBX and more!
1. MAINTAIN OBJECTIVITY
Consistently compare your mix to reference tracks or different mix versions using A/B comparisons. This practice helps you remain objective, ensuring that your decisions truly enhance the mix. Whether you’re comparing different plugin chains or assessing your work against other mixes, this method allows for informed improvements rather than arbitrary changes.
During mixing, when I feel moments of cohesion and vibe, I print sections of my mix as a reference, so I can compare any future changes and ensure I’m making improvements. With plugin choices, I’ll often duplicate the tracks and compare two different chains by alternately muting and unmuting them in the mix to help decide which is the preferred processing chain. Additionally, I typically mix into a limiter so I’m able to compare my mixes to mastered references from a streaming service. I’ve set up my Pro Tools output to be level-matched to these, so I know what I’m hearing from my mix will translate at the same volume as what I hear from the streaming reference songs. This allows for quick and easy comparisons to maintain objectivity.
2. AVOID OVERPROCESSING.
For both the experienced and inexperienced mixer, when crafting tone and dynamics, it’s easy to overdo it, especially if you’re prone to working in solo. Utilize plugins with wet/dry mix controls and adjustable global gain to make subtle adjustments, ensuring your processing enhances rather than overwhelms the mix. And of course, don’t make all your tonal decisions in solo!
One trick that helped me early in my mixing journey was checking how halving the dB adjustments on EQs and the ratios or wet/dry settings on compressors changed my mix. Basically, reducing my dynamic and tonal range by 50%. This helped reset my ears to the more natural, original state of the recording and guide me to which choices were suitable and those that weren’t required. Referencing back to a mix recorded with the full 100% settings will help decide if the mix is overprocessed.
3. THOROUGH PREPARATION.
A well-prepared session lays the foundation for a smooth mixing process. Take the time to ensure that everything is properly routed, labelled and organized. This includes grouping, coloring tracks and setting up session markers. With the technical details in place, you can fully immerse yourself in the creative aspect of mixing.
Early in my mixing journey, I often blurred the role between recording, production and mixing. These days, I find it helps with efficiency and creativity to separate the technical preparation stage from the creative mixing phase. Finding a flow state while mixing is important to me, so getting all the technical aspects of mix session structuring out of the way before diving into the creative part facilitates an enjoyable and often more streamlined mixing process.
4. TAKE YOUR TIME.
Don’t rush the process. If deadlines allow, step away from your mix for a day and return with fresh ears. This ability to precisely recall a mix at any time has transformed the quality of digital mixing. It allows us to step back, then return with fresh ears and refine things with a clearer perspective. This practice can reveal details you might have missed and provide a fresh perspective, leading to a more refined mix.
I find mornings can be particularly effective for fresh listening and judging if the previous day’s decisions were on point. This process can be incredibly helpful for catching subtle details and avoiding the “mix-vortex” that can happen after mixing for long hours without a break. Something may sound great at first, but after a night’s rest, you often notice things you might have missed or need to change.
5. MAKE YOUR ARTIST HAPPY.
The primary goal of mixing is to realize or even exceed the artist’s vision. While balancing your creative mixing goals, be open to their feedback and revision requests. Strive to implement their ideas in a way that satisfies both their vision and your standards for quality. By showing that you’re responsive and adaptable, you build a positive working relationship, ultimately leading to a mix that everyone loves and keeps the door open for continued collaboration on future projects. In merging your expertise with the artists vision, you create a mix that feels like a true collaboration and can evolve into something even better than either party expected.
Receiving feedback and mix notes can sometimes be difficult, especially if it clashes with your creative choices in a mix. I’ve always found the best path is to acknowledge that everyone has a unique approach to creating music and implementing suggestions and others’ ideas often results in a more interesting outcome, and I also become a better mixer by attempting new techniques I wouldn’t normally try.
