Why settle for the same EQ and compression settings in every mix?

I’m working on this month’s Crowd Audio Playground mix, Everybody’s Falling Apart.

It’s fun Brit-style rock, kind of like The Klaxons.

I’ve been documenting my mix carefully, bouncing a version every step of the way:

Only levels and panning
Submixes only
Completed mix
Final mix/master with automation

It’s my intention to go through that over at Crowd Audio sometime next week but there’s another reason why I’m telling you this today.

What’s so good about the Playground is that you get to hear a bunch of different mixes from other people so you can compare your version.

It’s kind of like referencing your mix, but in this case you’re referencing your mix to a mix of the same song, not something sonically similar in style and genre.

That means that it’s easier to see if you can improve.

For instance, let’s say you mix your snare and you like the way it sounds with just some basic EQ and compression.

It’s not spectacular but it works in your mix.

Then you go listen to other people’s mixes and you hear how much better some of their snares are.

It gives you a reference point to how much better you can mix your snare.

Because sometimes, when a particular track sounds fairly decent with only a bit of processing, you might leave it alone.

But then you might not realize the full potential of the track. If you don’t experiment and have fun with the mixing process you won’t improve.

Listening to other mixes of the same song gave me great ideas. Not necessarily on what to improve (although there was plenty of that), but on where the tracks could go if I just experimented with different techniques.

If you only do the same EQ and compression settings on every mix and use the same old reverbs and delays your mixes might sound good.

But do you really want yourself to death doing the same things over and over again?

Of course not.

Every mix should be a learning process. And you should strive to try something new with every mix.

If you need some ideas, I’ve got a bunch in the Recording & Mixing Strategies Bundle right here:

www.audio-issues.com/strategies

Have a great weekend,

Björgvin

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