Two Reasons Why Your Mixes Don’t Sound Professional
*as an amazon affiliate, commissions may be earned from the links belowI want to talk about the two reasons why your mixes aren’t sounding the way you might be hearing it in your head. You know when you listen to your mix, you’ve been at it for like... maybe 5 hours now, and you’re getting nervous wondering why the reference sounds bigger and more polished? Yeah, I’ve been there. And I’m not talking about the fact that you didn’t execute your mix correctly and define the vision for the final product. Which yes, that’s actually super important to have figured out before you even start mixing.
UNTRAINED EARS
Have you ever heard the phrase “use your ears bro” in audio? Maybe some “Chad” on a forum told you that rudely recently. It’s actually good, maybe even key advice, to get a good mix. So what does that actually mean? Is it just some phrase every snob engineer on the internet only has to offer? Maybe not. It really means “your mixes are only as good as the way you can hear audio.”
This leads me to the first reason your mixes might not sound professional. It’s because you haven’t trained your ears properly to hear audio. This also includes not learning your tools properly. I am talking about that new plugin you bought yesterday. Compression and EQ really make up the foundation of your mix, and it’s really the two main things that make a mix sound great. These two elements can also RUIN a mix fast.
You might be thinking well thanks Ross, I already know this information, but what can I do to improve? Well, I tell a lot of people to sit with a compressor a lot and play around with it. Familiarity with the sound of it on your guitars, bass, or vocals could really help. Sitting with it 15 minutes a day, and just experimenting with the settings. What does your guitar sound like on a fast versus a slower attack? It probably will sound subtle so we have to hear things set to the most extreme values.
IMPROPER GEAR
The second reason your mix might not sound the way you want is that gear can matter. You might have heard the phrase “it’s not the gear it’s your ears” in the past. But let's say you’ve trained the last few years on how to mix and hear properly. You can only take sub-par tracks so far that were recorded in someone’s bedroom maybe with a Focusrite Scarlett Solo (amazon) and a non intonated guitar. They’re just not going to realistically compete with someone who recorded into an Apollo Interface (amazon) and had their guitar plugged into fancy outboard gear.
Along with this, it’s important to discuss having the RIGHT gear for an artist. I’m talking about the right microphone or preamp that sounds good on a singer and their style of music. Or having the right guitar and bass set up along with a guitar or bass that isn’t something you just bought for maybe $100. While we as engineers can try to make things sound good, we can’t make an Audio Technica sound like a $1000+ studio condenser mic. We can only get these sources sounding so close. Not to mention how important acoustic treatment plays a role in your tracks as well.
This second reason is more for the people that are a little more skilled or trained. I really wanted to discuss this because I’ve noticed in my recent projects that I can only take mixes so far. And the ones that came out well, was due to me having better tracks at the source. That includes the performances as well. Not to mention, if the song isn’t good and the feeling wasn’t executed properly, the mix can only take the song so far.
STILL NEED HELP?
Hopefully, this blog helps more in your journey and gives a clear idea of what might be the next move to take your mix to the next level. What kind of gear you might want to purchase, maybe you want to figure out what’s lacking in your final mixes. If I can help at all with this feel free to reach out and let’s chat. Maybe I can even listen and provide feedback.