The Myth of The Mixing and Mastering Template

Got an email from a subscriber that was looking for a “template for mixing and mastering.”

I looked at his email for a while and I didn’t really know what to reply back.

On one hand I really wanted to help out.

But on the other I didn’t really have an answer for him.

A template for mixing and mastering doesn’t really exist.

Sure, there might be specific approaches and methods you use in every mix.

But a straightforward template?

Nope.

Why do you ask?

Because no song sounds the same

Many songs have the same instrumentation. The typical four-piece of drums, bass, guitar and vocals spring to mind of course.

But put two four-pieces together and they’re different bands with different sounding instruments and different playing styles.

Even the same four-piece playing two different songs will sound the same so your “mixing template” won’t even work for a two-song single!

I’m not saying you can’t use the same methods for multiple mixes. You just can’t expect one template to mix every song.

There are no quick fixes. You simply have to do the work.

Even the same song will sound different

I was working on a simple mix the other day (it’s for a new project I’m creating for you 😉

I mixed it twice in about 48 hours. I wasn’t trying to mix them differently but they ended up sounding very different from one another.

I still used the same methods I always use. I might’ve used a few different plug-ins but my approach was the same.

The result?

Very different from one another.

There is no substitute for doing the work.

Your magical mixing template isn’t going to teach you how to mix simply because it doesn’t exist.

You just have to find the mixing approach you like the most and then do it over and over again.

That’s the only way you’ll even get close to having a template.

It won’t be a template you follow for every mix.

It’ll be a thought process that you can rely on every time there’s a specific problem you need to solve.

Because you’ve done the work you’ve tackled the problem before so you’ll have an easier time figuring things out that time.

Training is the only template you need.

And if it’s training you need I have some great strategies to take your mixes to the next level.

Check out Mixing Strategies right here:

www.audio-issues.com/strategies

Image by: Marcin

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