Prep 4 #mastering #tip: If mix has vocal, it likely needs a lot of rides on it to have it exciting. Tools that do some stuff automatically actually do opposite. Sound too obvious, 'cause they do just simple thing and don’t get the context #mixing #recordingstudio #recordingartist

Prep for #mastering #tip Make notes to every mix you do. In case you need to review/change/fix omething, you’re going to find that pretty helpful then! #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist

Prep for #mastering #tip: If you use 2-bus compression, make sure you automate it appropriately. It’s very easy to over compress when things grow in song- it’s good to have it mirrored well in the mix! #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist

Prep for #mastering #tip: Do not race for loudness in mix. Doing so impacts mixing decisions, hugely. Too often loudness is an attempt to obscure something that doesn’t work well. #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist

Prep for #mastering #tip: Teach your ears to work without eyes, and then practice, practice, practice. It will pay off. #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist

Prep for #mastering #tip: In most cases we want to have choruses grow for more impact then. Make them more engaging, not squashed more. And from then on keep excitement until song tells to relax. Listeners will appreciate that! #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #reordingartist

Prep for #mastering #tip: I was encouraging to use references, still am. Yet, if you begin to use them too early in mix building process, it might impact your creative decisions. It may or may not be desirable, be aware. #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist

Prep for #mastering #tip: Plan your sessions in a way to give yourself chance to objectively review the mix when it’s done. After a reasonable break you will be able to catch issues more effecively. #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist #musician

Prep for #mastering #tip: Flawed room/monitoring makes #mixing much more tough, no matter how skillful you are. It has the biggest impact on #mix sound, not this/that famous emu plugin! #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist #musician

Prep for #mastering #tip: Communication is key. Don’t skip it. Don’t be afraid of it. Ask questions. Express your needs. Discuss. The best music ever created was a team effort! #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist #musician

Prep for #mastering #tip: Be careful when using compression, esp. the 2-bus one. Some compressors do their thing even if they do not indicate any GR! #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist

Prep for #mastering #tip: Great mix is not a bag of eq and compression, it serves the purpose of the song and the performance. Learn the difference! #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist #musician

Prep for #mastering #tip: Not everything requires processing, one of the keys to a great #mix is knowing when to not do something! #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist #musician

Prep for #mastering #tip: Learn to spot that moment during #mixing when you start to work against the #mix. There might be even multiple times when you really should take a break to stop fuelling your imaginary! #producer #recordingtudio #recordingartist

Prep for #mastering #tip: Reverbs can easily eat space and/or make a mess in the mix. Sometimes delays are better or even smarter choice! #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist

Prep for #mastering #tip: If you mix for hours and something still seems to be not right, take a break and gain perspective. You might be working on either imaginary or artificially manufactured issue. #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist

Prep for #mastering #tip: Always comp takes within a context, always. Otherwise you risk of creating just some set of sounds rather than the mix that feels like everything is working together! #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist

Prep for #mastering #tip: Frequency balance is not the only factor of a good #mix, it’s more of a byproduct of mixed sounds that work together, rather than target itself! #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist #musician

Prep for #mastering #tip: Changes and fixes are sometimes inevitable. That’s why you should never ever even think about deleting any source tracks after rendering the final #mix! #mixing #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist

Prep for #mastering #tip: Prioritize your #mixing tasks! Don’t do more than one thing at a time as it affects desicions complexity and then efforts efficiency! #producer #recordingstudio #recordingartist