To conclude what I’ve theorised about in Part 1 of this post, before you start to do any work on the mix, ask the producer to provide you with a rough mix of the song, the one the client likes best so far, the one that represents where the producer wants to go with it.

Your first listen is for emotional input from the rough mix.
Second listen is analytical.

1st listen – emotional

Have a listen to the roughmix through the speakers you are most familiar with – this could be your portable stereo in the kitchen as well as your car stereo or your main studio speakers. Try not to listen with an analytical or technical ear, don’t focus on anything specific, just relax while you’re listening, and await your natural emotional response.

Now go and do something else. Have a coffee, eat, do your tax return. Something fun. Let the first impression settle.

2nd listen – analytical

If the rough mix made you enthusiastic and singing along, dancing or playing air-guitar, there is not much to worry about for now.

For the second listen, switch back and forth between different speakers – more about that in a future post.
The mix might not work on all systems, which can be a hint for areas of improvement. Find out why it works so well, and be careful – going forward – not to fix things that are not broken. Anyway, it will be fun to explore the multitracks, and you won’t have to re-invent the wheel on this mix.

Rough mix sucks?

In the more common scenario, the 1st listen left you with mixed emotions. Maybe not exactly giving you a headache, but close to that: a feeling that something is not quite working in this rough mix.

On the 2nd listen, focus on why it’s not quite working. You might not get to the bottom of the problem immediately. But further observations will get you closer. Make notes as you’re listening. Switch between different speakers.

Here are some observations that I would typically come up with during the 2nd listen.
(these notes are taken straight from projects I worked on in the last few months)

– No lift when chorus hits. Impact drops actually. First vocal note in chorus out of tune and too late.

– Vocaltiming doesn’t sit tight on the beat. Esses conflicting with HiHat and throwing the groove off.

– Several Kicks and Bass Synth fighting for the low end.

– Bass Notes vary in loudness.

– Drums and vocals sounding one-dimensional and squashed.

– Instrumental hook too far in the back. Doesn’t shine.

In Part 3, I’ll address work arounds and solutions for when you are mixing your own production.
(sorry, I know… promised to cover that in Part 2)