Mixing solo

We are in the process of finishing up recording an EP for the band A Striking Resemblance, and we are slowly, yes slowly, transitioning out of the tracking phase and into the mixing phase. I was working on getting the basic levels and inserts set for the drum tracks, guitars and bass and I realized two things. First, the importance of the preset. Talk about a time saver. In the DAW world, recording keeps getting easier and the preset is the "copy & paste" of consistency. When the track counts start getting high, and you are trying to get the parameters between songs in the same ballpark, creating presets makes it easy. They are great for EQ and inserts, but as far as levels go, each song is its own entity. Second; while mixing alone is fine for setting the basic levels, getting the compression, gates, and EQ setup, (presets) but having a second person come in and fine tune everything is crucial to making a good mix great. The band themselves provide important insight into how things are sounding, but sometimes an outside "voice" can be more objective. It is amazing what you hear differently when you come back to the same project weeks later.

So the lesson of the day is always mix with a friend, use presets, and take a day off! Your music will thank you later. Though don't forget to save your project before walking away, or you will be wondering what happened to the bass track weeks later.