An Indie Musician's Diary VOL. 1

Finishing a mix & mastering tips

You add some loops, mute certain parts in the beginning and add some effects. You cut the cake into layers and add filling.

Now comes the hard part. How much more icing and decorations do I need to male this cake sell? It is truly subjective. Nobody wants too much icing so you can't find the cake.

This is where reference tracks are good for keeping you focused on your goal.
And this is where you need to keep yourself in check.

I find that automation is a time eater. Riding on the lead vocals, bass and kick are crucial but to do that everywhere costs more than it tastes. But how do I know when I am done and how do I get there instead of going in circles the last 10% of the job.  In today's top video he explains this simple truth (in my wording): 

When you are at the final phase of mixing, the mix can go on forever if you don't hone in and focus.  You need to force yourself to keep within some restrictions that make you make the decisions that bring you quickly to the finish line. 

Here is his "To Do Method" - the key to getting the last 10% decisions done.

1. Get ready to make a to do list Take a paper and a pen (old school) or Wunderlist or the like and make a to do list

2. Listen to your song from start to finish without stopping, adjusting the faders or anything else.

3. Think globally Zoom out from looking for details and think globally. Is there anything I need to address. If the vocal is too soft in one part and too loud in another, perhaps you need to  automate. Moving faders back and forth will keep you running in circles. 

4. Take notes along the way! I use the Wunderlist app. Every time. It is in the cloud and that way I can be sure that I don't lose it. Before, I used to write in a diary book or on loose scraps of paper. Not anymore. The advantage of using Wunderlist, besides being in the cloud and saving paper and ink is that you can move the elements in your to do list around and reorganise you list so that you can, for example, put all the bass fixes in a clump after each other. You can clump them in enhancement moves and automation moves. Or however you need to think to get done. I've mentioned Wunderlist before and I have to say it has made my work flow more effectively. 

5. Ask specific questions as you listen and take notes: You are looking for anything that needs fixing or enhancing so ask specific questions. Can I hear the vocals, throughout the song? Is it muddy anywhere? Too much high end? Too little? Is there anything that jumps out from everything else in the mix in a negative way?

How the snare or bass sounds throughout on a global scale becomes important. Listen for parts of the music where the bass or snare is too loud or fades into the mix. Listen for global issues(behaviour over the course of the whole track). 

6. Listen on multiple systems and continue to take notes. (As soon as I start listening away from my computer I can continue to add things on my Wunderlist app on my phone. But I have a separate list for listening on each of these devices. Then I compare the three. Say, monitors, car speakers, earbuds and something else. You choose but earbuds and cellphone loudspeakers can be good to have with you. 

If you find that one instrument, vocals?, is too loud on all three then it is probably too loud. If it is only too loud on earbuds, for example then it is not an volume automation problem but it may be a frequency (EQ fix) problem because the frequencies play out differently on the various devices. If you take out some high mids on the vocals that may keep it sounding good on loudspeakers and make it better on the earbuds.