Mixing from Scratch with a Multi-Platinum Engineer

Summary

The three-day workshop demonstrates a practical, intention-led approach to mixing. Its central aim is not to teach a fixed set of plugin settings, but to explain why mixing decisions are made and how they affect the listener’s emotional experience. The mix should guide attention, create a sense of space, and support the song’s character.

Core Mixing Ideas

• Mix for emotion and intention. Each move should serve the song and help the listener connect with it—not be made simply because a mixer feels expected to use a particular tool.
• Think in three dimensions:
  • Depth: Primarily shaped by volume; reverb and transient character can also affect perceived distance.
  • Width: Shaped by stereo placement and panning.
  • Height: Shaped by the mix’s frequency balance, but strongly influenced by the relative levels of the instruments.
• Use volume as the first tool. A volume-only mix helps establish balance, reveals which issues actually need processing, and reduces unnecessary plugin use.
• Work in context. Judge instruments in relation to the whole mix, not only in solo. An element may sound unusual by itself yet work well once other instruments supply complementary frequencies.
• Keep the listener’s focus in mind. In many songs, the vocal is the focal point, but it could instead be a lead instrument. Other elements should support it rather than distract from it.
• Mix with the eventual master in mind. A limiter can change balance, punch, and depth. Checking the mix at a competitive loudness early can reveal problems before they become harder to fix.

Mixing Workflow Demonstrated

1. Organize the session

   • Create a repeatable layout, color scheme, and naming system so tracks and groups are easy to find.
   • Group related tracks into buses where useful—for example, drums, bass, vocals, synths, and effects.
   • The precise layout is a personal preference; consistency and clarity matter more than following one prescribed format.
   • Respect the producer’s existing balances and pans when they appear intentional.

2. Gain-stage

   • Work from a dense, loud section of the song.
   • Aim for roughly 5 dB of headroom on the loudest section as a starting point.
   • Use a VU meter as a guide to sustained energy and low-frequency weight; use a peak meter to track transient level.
   • If the tracks already have a coherent balance, lowering them together can preserve their relationships. If they are out of balance, adjust individual tracks.
   • Gain reduction at the track input or clip level can help maintain headroom into plugins. Fader mixing is also valid if levels are managed appropriately.

3. Set a foundation for depth and low end

   • Treat the kick, snare, and bass—or equivalent elements in another genre—as anchors that define the mix’s depth.
   • The workshop gives approximate starting targets: kick peaks around −5 dB with its VU reading near 0, snare peaks around −5 dB, and the bass bringing the combined low end to roughly 0 VU. These are guides, not rules; adapt them to the song and genre.
   • First make the sounds work musically, then check the meters. EQ can adjust the balance between a kick’s low-frequency body and its attack; more advanced options include transient shapers and compression.
   • The space between the sustained low end and the prominent transients provides room to place the other instruments in depth.

4. Stress-test the foundation

   • Put a limiter on the mix and raise it toward a mastered loudness.
   • Listen for depth collapsing, bass distortion, harsh transients, or other elements jumping forward.
   • Adjust the foundation if needed so later mix decisions are made with a realistic sense of how the mix will behave when loud.

5. Make a volume-only rough mix

   • Bring in the vocal or other focal element and relate it to the snare or comparable transient anchor. A vocal often sits near the snare level or a little above or below it, depending on the song.
   • Add the remaining instruments around the foundation and focal element, either by importance or by the order they appear in the arrangement.
   • Consider level and panning before reaching for EQ or other processing.
   • Make note of problems that volume alone does not solve; these become the next processing tasks.

6. Solve specific problems

   • Use automation or compression to control inconsistent dynamics.
   • Use EQ to address masking and buildup, making decisions while listening to the whole mix.
   • Avoid overloading the mix with bright percussion: hats and other transients can become distracting or harsh, particularly after limiting.
   • Treat processing as problem-solving, not a checklist. Many tracks may need little or no processing.

7. Shape the vocal

   • The demonstration uses restrained de-essing, compression to make the vocal more consistent and present, and EQ to address low-mid buildup, resonances, and harshness.
   • Compression can bring up breaths and room noise, so edit or reduce those carefully without removing all natural breaths.
   • Small amounts of saturation or spatial processing can help shape tone and placement.
   • Automation can keep the vocal and harmonies clear through changing sections.

8. Use spatial processing deliberately

   • Before adding reverb or delay, ask what it should accomplish—and whether the sound needs it at all.
   • Spatial effects can help place a sound nearer or farther away, widen it, create a sense of a shared space, or add a creative effect such as a throw or wash.
   • Choose the reverb type and settings—such as room, chamber, plate, or hall; pre-delay; decay; and tone—according to the desired result.
   • A few distinct reverbs can create separation and identity; sending everything to one reverb may make the mix feel washed together. The appropriate number and amount depend on the song.

9. Enhance and refine

   • Once the balance is established, use bus processing, sidechain dynamic EQ, parallel compression, or other tools where they solve a clear problem or add an intended quality.
   • For example, synths can be made more energetic around a vocal by reducing some mid-channel energy when the vocal is present and adding energy to the sides.
   • Revisit the arrangement and automate elements that become too loud, too quiet, or distracting in particular sections.
   • A final comparison with the reference can guide adjustments, but the artist’s and producer’s intended sound remains the deciding factor.

Guest Interview: Ben Thomas

Ben Thomas describes a career built through self-directed learning, studio work, relationships, and adaptability. His advice includes:

• Develop soft skills as well as technical ability: be reliable, professional, discreet, pleasant to work with, and attentive to when to speak or listen.
• Build relationships with peers and producers, not only upward toward established artists. Producers can be important connections in pop, R&B, and hip-hop.
• Be willing to do unglamorous work well. A session is a service role, and the goal is to help the client leave satisfied.
• Don’t let ego interfere with learning or collaboration. Thomas says an early assistant opportunity failed because he was unwilling to take on smaller tasks.
• Keep musicianship alive. Knowing keys, notes, and harmony can matter in sessions, even when software is available.
• Adapt to the situation and use the tools available. Thomas describes tracking vocals in unconventional environments and using noise reduction when needed.
• Prioritize health and rest as well as hard work; he reflects on burnout from an extreme “hustle” mindset.
• For a home setup, he recommends prioritizing a capable computer, keeping the rig simple, and learning monitoring tools well. He also describes mixing on headphones after calibrating his judgment with reference listening and metering.

Sources and Speakers Featured

• Caleb Loveless — Host and director of education; explains the workshop’s mixing framework and presents the teaching material.
• Kevin McCloskey — Mixing engineer and mentor; performs the live mix demonstrations.
• Ben Thomas — Guest engineer interviewed on career development, studio practice, and professional skills.
• Sides — Artist and source of the song and multitracks used for the workshop and mix challenge; joins the final day.
• Brendan/Brendon — Technical support during the event’s platform and audio setup.
• Rob Misus — Introduced as a participant and the owner of Mastering.com.
• Dne and Luke — Reviewed the contest submissions and selected finalists.
• Music source: Sides’ song “I Don’t Want to Work Anymore,” heard in the supplied demo and used for Kevin’s demonstrations and the participant mix challenge.