The fastest way to ruin your mix

mastering mixing Oct 28, 2024

You’ve been mixing wrong this entire time.

If you’re tired of your beats sounding good in the DAW but terrible everywhere else, then just know it’s not your fault.

Almost no one knows how to fix this, and anyone who does won’t bother telling you 🤷‍♂️.

Which is tragic because if you don’t fix this, then you’re doomed to suffer through making bad beats for eternity.

I’ve spent hundreds on VSTs, thousands on courses, and years learning this ONE TRICK.

Today, I’ll show you EXACTLY how to use it to transform your mixes forever.

The first step is where almost every producer goes wrong.

They think their mix doesn’t sound full because of stereo width.

The mind-blowing truth is that stereo imaging isn’t real.

It’s a trick our mind plays on us because effects change the way sound spreads out across 2 or more speakers.

The thing that affects your stereo image the most is equalization.

So the first thing to reach for when you want to balance your mix or make something cut is Fruity Parametric EQ 2, not;

Soothe,
TR5,
Thermal,
Delays and reverbs,
Any of the compressors, or
RC-20.

Doing this leaves you with a crisp, uncluttered mix.

And I can’t wait to tell you the cheat code that will make you an EQ ninja, but there’s one more thing that almost always snags producers.

They rarely think about mastering 🔑.

But your master-chain is the difference between a beat that makes trunks shake and one that hits like a pillow.

The key is making sure you mix into the master-FX from the start.

And if you’re wondering, the best chains are based around soft clippers.

Now the only question that remains is “how do you know if you’re equalizing and clipping the right way?”

From coaching 1-on-1 in my mentorship group, I’ve learned that most producers think the only way to get better at mixing is decades of trial and error.

That’s definitely half true, and that’s how legends like Mike Dean and Alex Tumey refined their skill and taste.

But the thing that actually allows this to happen is ear training👂🏾.

Over years, they’ve trained their ears to notice when frequencies are too muddy or when dynamics are over-crunched.

But one way to totally skip this is by using Tonal Balance to adjust your mix based on a graphical representation of the frequency distribution.

Doing this repeatedly over time trains you to notice the subtle ways equalization, saturation, and compression affect your mix.

Check out this video I made demonstrating the whole thing --> The fastest way to ruin your mix

EQ will take you about 80% of the way to the promise land, but you still want to use FX for that professional polish on your beats - especially the melody.

I used to think it was as simple as tossing RC-20 on every sound, but painful experience exposed the flaws in that thinking and I’ve since learned my lesson.

If you want to learn even more and find out how I easily make my melodies sound clean and present, then check out this video here --> How to make your melodies suck less