I spend a lot of time talking about setting limits in the studio. Limiting the number of tracks you use, limiting the number of plugins or effects you employ, and even muting parts you actually recorded come mix time. But one great area you can set limits is in your time. Especially when it comes to mixing? Sound counter-intuitive? It is somewhat.
More Time Mixing Isn’t Always The Answer
Any good mixer will tell you that a great mix takes time. Logically, it would also follow that the more experienced of a mixer you are, the LESS time it will take you to get a great mix, than say a newbie mixer. But what is also very apparent in the age of the all powerful DAW, is we don’t know how to finish a mix and we tend to mix aimlessly for hours.
I imagine many of you are recording/mixing your own material, so there is no external pressure to finish the project by a certain time. Money is a non factor, and there likely is no label breathing down your neck. This is both a blessing and a curse. With the freedom of no time pressure comes the curse of no focus, and that my friends can breed terrible mixes that are drawn out for way too long.
The solution? Setting a time limit…
Say Hello To The 3 Hour Mix
Now, what I’m about to suggest is nothing new, and it certainly applies to way more than just mixing. But here’s the deal: next time you mix a song, set a timer, alarm, or stopwatch for 3 hours. That’s it. Turn off your phone, clear your desk and close out of your email, and do nothing but mix a song for 3 hours with the intent to finish it.
That’s right, all balance decisions, EQ, compression, effects, and automation should be done in that 3 hours. If this sounds tight, it is. But what it forces on you is FOCUS! With the pressure of focus looming, it makes decision making easier. Not getting that random keyboard part to fit anywhere? Mute the sucker. Spending 15 minutes EQing a tambourine part? Throw a high pass filter on there and move on.
The pressure forces you to prioritize and think big picture. You don’t have time to make crazy detailed mixing decisions on the most minute part of your song. Instead you quickly, but effectively, bring all of the tracks together to make a great sounding song. And hey, isn’t that what it’s all about anyway?
Come Back Later
The final step of the 3 hour mix is to walk away the moment you hit 3 hours. Save your session, close it up, and move on with your life. Don’t print your final mix right away. Come back to the mix a day or two later with fresh ears and real world perspective.
You’ll want to listen back with your eyes closed, and decide if the mix is working or not. If it is, great you’re done! If not, then you need to go back for some quick mix tweaks. My suggestion is simply give yourself one hour for mix tweaks and then print the darn thing. That’s likely the best you will get the mix, and anything beyond that is just changing things, not improving the mix.
So the next track you have to mix, try out this 3 hour mix idea and see what happens. If you don’t like the results, you can always go back to the way you use to mix. I won’t stop you 
Comments
This is great, Graham. At some point you have to commit to a mix and move on, or else you’ll never get anything finished.
I had somebody criticize me recently for encouraging people to spend no more than 4 hours on a mix. He said professional engineers spend much more time on mixes.
I know pro mix guys, and some of them say they COULD mix in 30 minutes if they had to. If you give yourself an open-ended deadline, you’ll start second-guessing everything, and you’ll inevitably compromise on your mix decisions.
Your gut decision is oftentimes the right one. If you give yourself 3-4 hours to mix, you HAVE to rely on your gut decisions, because you don’t have the luxury of spending hours upon hours tweaking the mix. A mix full of gut decisions will likely be a LOT better than a mix full of over-thought decisions.
Besides, your next mix is always better than your previous one, so why not FINISH a bunch of mixes rather than agonize over one mix for 3 months?
Great post, bro. We’re cut from the same cloth.
Love that last line bro, about finishing more mixes. Great stuff.
I mixed an album in one day last year. Set up a template for the drums (as they were recorded all at once with the same settings) and then just pushed each song out in about 30-45minutes. Came out not great (only HAD one day to mix after all) but surprisingly good.
‘Nuff Said. Great post
Absolutely! I try to avoid thinking too much when mixing.
Most top mixing engineers I know, seem to be a little more careful when they’re actually not very familiar with the arrangement/form/instrumentation relationship and usually it will take as long as needed before getting to the final mix. The exceptions are usually those working on a budget and tight deadlines…
In my experience, this 3 hour window for mixing seems to work better when I’m working on something I recorded or at least was present during the production process.
If it’s something I’m not sure of, and needs editing, and making decisions other than your common mixing tasks, then chances are it will take just a little longer…
You guys are truly cut from the same cloth! Great posts both here and at HSC!
Keep it up!
This is great. Just finished mixing an EP and I didn’t intend on spending so little time, but I sat there and focused through each song. Took me 2-3 hours per song and they are great.
I think a big part of it is not being ‘lazy’. If you have an idea or creative spark while mixing DO IT RIGHT AWAY. Don’t think “hey I’ll automate this after”. Just do it. Make the decisions and commit, because if you feel it needs to be done that means it probably needs to be done. Simple.
Lovin this site!
Wow man, i just found your page and im loving it. Thank you for saying those (so called) obviuos things that we all need to focus on. thank you.
Glad to have you around Tulio!
I love this place.