No lie, getting better at mixing music is simple. It’s not complicated at all. You ready? You just have mix more! That’s right people, the only sure fire way to get better at mixing is to simply do a lot of it. Mix everything you can get your hands on, and then some!
Via eyeliam Flickr
More Plugins Won’t Help
Despite the fact that most of you likely agree with the above point, many of you still don’t like that answer. Why? I believe it’s because part of us still is holding on to the fantasy that the right combination of mixing plugins will make our mixes better. It sounds silly to say that aloud, but our buying habits definitely scream this truth out.
We see so many shiny new plugins coming out and we drool. We read reviews, we hang out in audio forms, we try to convince ourselves that a new plugin (or bundle) is the missing link to getting our flat, dull, lifeless mixes to sound like the pros. Sorry people, it’s just not going to happen.
More Expensive Monitoring Won’t Help
Those of you who laughed at the poor soul who’s looking to plugins for the answer won’t want to hear this either. Expensive monitoring, converters, and acoustic treatment aren’t the holy grail of better mixing either. As helpful as those tools can be, they alone will not make people better mixers.
The newbie mixer needs his ears to improve before he can take advantage of any “improvement” in monitoring. Besides, just changing the listening environment before a mixer has a chance to really learn his studio is a hindrance, not a help to the learning curve.
More Mixing Experience WILL Help
Like I said before, to get better at mixing is simply a matter of doing more mixing. Every mix you do, you’ll improve slightly. You’ll be able to try new things, stop doing old things, discover things about your style, and of course your ears will be improving too! You actually can’t stop the process from happening!
One great opportunity to practice mixing is through my buddy Joe Gilder over at HomeStudioCorner.com. He’s got a fantastic mixing course called Mix With Us where you join up and get to download tracks from his entire album, and then mix them. Each week he walks you through how HE mixed them and then you get to practice.
Check it out and sign up. After mixing a whole album like that, you’ll definitely start to improve!
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My name is Graham Cochrane and I'm the founder of The Recording Revolution, one of the world's most loved audio recording and mixing blogs with over 200,000 readers each month. 
Thanks for the plug, Graham. If any of you Recording Rev readers (that’s hard to say) have any questions about Mix With Us, feel free to post them here.
Happy to answer.
Wow! This is pretty bold advice Graham!
Yes! Mixing often and practicing a lot is the key to getting better at it, just like most things we learn in life, developing more experience will improve your skills (hopefully)…
While I agree for the most part with the fact that plugins won’t do your mixing for you, I still believe there are some differences that make some plugs better than others.
For example, there is a BIG difference between a Digirack III EQ and say, a Massenburg or a Sonnox Oxford EQ. Same is true with compressors and especially reverbs!
In my own experience, I spent more time than necessary trying to ‘learn my studio’ just to find that I did need some ‘extra tools’ to get the job done without having to revise and change things over and over and becoming frustrated!
The style of music you make will have a strong impact in telling you what you need in my opinion. Mixing pop, country, acoustic rock, bluegrass, southern gospel, electronica etc will all require different approaches and tools. And, needless to say, how your tracks were printed, more often than not, will have a huge influence in your mix.
Regarding monitoring, I’m with you my friend, the speakers, room treatment, etc aren’t everything, you still need to train your ears and develop a ‘vision’ for the sound you have in your head!
I wouldn’t say expensive monitoring will help. However, good monitoring is key. I think putting a price tag on that would be subjective since we don’t hear and perceive things the same way.
Great post as always! Joe Gilder’s Mix With Us program sounds intriguing. Best wishes to him and those joining in.
God bless everybody!
Hey Luis,
I think we agree here. There are some times when a great plugin or piece of gear (simply tools) can make a job easier. But that usually isn’t even helpful until a person has mixed for a while and knows what would help things.
Thanks for the comment as always!
Better gear is awesome. But just because I buy a better lawnmower doesn’t mean my front yard will look better…if I don’t know HOW to properly cut the grass.
But yeah…I think we’re all on the same page.
Mmmm…I like a good lawnmower analogy now and then!
Hum… I don’t know about your analogy Joe… I wouldn’t go there like that.
However, I get your point and I’m not trying to go against it.
Now, while we are at this, I believe we all know that the ‘lawnmower you use for your front yard’ won’t necessarily do the same required job on a top notch golf course 😉
I totally encourage everyone to explore with what they have at hand and not go too crazy about purchasing unnecessary gear. We are clear on that.
I was trying to put my 2 cents here plainly based on my own experience guys.
And I know you know better…
God bless!
I completely agree. It’s like driving a car. At first you don’t know the best way, do silly mistakes, but growing experience eliminates what is missing.
Hello Graham and Joe – I think what both of you are doing here is simply fantastic. I have already learned some valuable things from both of you! Keep on Rock’n
“I’m not big on critics that don’t show and prove!” That’s my spin on it!
Donnie (:
Hi Donnie. Glad you’re liking the site. Joe actually runs this blog http://www.HomeStudioCorner.com if you want to check out his work. Cheers!
From experience what happens to beginners is they get lost in a world of plug ins…..always wanting the latest gadget thinking maybe that is the holy grail they have been searching for. What most of them lack is Patience and Dedication. Ask one of them to sit down and read the manual for their new super Vst and that will be the last thing on their minds. I have a degree…not in music. But what i have learnt over the years in music would equate to more than I had to learn for a degree. Beginners need to realise to get good requires a lot of reading and practice….not loads of plug ins.
It’s so true. That’s why I usually push people to start mixing with stock plugins: http://therecordingrevolution.com/2011/10/19/mixing-with-stock-plugins-video/
Hi guys, I agree with you completely. When I was still new at producing music I used to look for the best reviewed plugins on the market. Looking back, it’s CRAZY how much money I’ve spent on all my gear.
I have to say though, that because of the investment I put in my stuff, that is, money and time, I just had to learn how to use them as much as I can. That in turn made me better at what I do. Looking back though, I could have skipped some of my purchases, but then I’d probably wonder how much better my stuff would sound with those things 😀
Lastly, with my producer gig that gives me very little time to accomplish my tasks, I find that it’s hard to put in enough time to practice my craft. I’d love to spend a day or two just tweaking my mixes and what not but with just a couple of hours to perform my duties, I find that sometimes devoting time is just out of the question. Oh well…
thanks for the fucking ad as an article