The mix is decided in the first ten minutes of level

The balance before a plugin opens shapes the track’s first impression. Those first ten minutes are for deciding the protagonist, not repairing the sound.

Written by 820eyesSEOUL

In Brief

A mix begins by hearing roles in an unprocessed session, not by adding more processing.

Use ears before hands

Opening EQs and compressors immediately makes it easy to confuse an arrangement problem with a tone or level problem. Spend the first ten minutes moving only faders, listening for the distance at which vocal, rhythm, low end, and detail should speak. When that balance is clear, later processing enlarges a decision; when it is not, processing only hides hesitation.