How To Be Bold And Mix Like A Pro

Is it ever okay to add 20 dB of EQ to a kick drum? Keep watching to find out.

Hey! This is Jason Moss from BehindTheSpeakers.com, and today I want to talk about a problem that I think is a crisis within the music-making community called wimpy mixing.

Have you ever noticed yourself treading very gently, subtly, and lightly through the mixing process? You pull up an EQ on a kick drum and you boost just half a dB, and you pull up a compressor and you’re…you know…just a dB of gain reduction, and you’re moving so carefully through the mixing process.

I’ve got news for you. It’s killing the quality of your mixes.

I read articles all the time by other mixers who say you should always be very subtle when you mix, and you should never boost more than 3 dB…and all these rules that people have for the mixing process. But I’ve got to tell you that most of it is complete crap. I think it’s creating a whole new generation of mixers who are mixing scared, or are too afraid to grab an EQ and just crank the knob all the way to the right.

When you’re mixing, you’ve got to be bold sometimes. And so if you’re so scared to make decisions because you’re so focused on being subtle and safe, you end up missing the opportunities to really pull your tracks in a whole new direction. This may not always be the right choice. But you have to be prepared to be bold, and sometimes those are the right moves to make.

Forget subtlety…you know…forget 3 dB safe zones and all these rules that we’ve all prescribed on the mixing process. I want you to follow your intuition and your gut. I want you to make decisions from the heart. And sometimes that might mean being aggressive and that’s okay. Don’t worry about it. If it sounds good, it is good. If you can do this…if you can follow the advice in this video, I promise you the sound of your mixes is going to improve by leaps and bounds.

If you want more tips like this, I put together a free PDF with 22 of my favorite mixing tips. Click the link in the description below or in the video, and you’ll get free, instant access.

For more tips and tricks you can also check out my website, BehindTheSpeakers.com. Thanks so much.