u/andreacaccese

Lately I’ve been talking about using reference tracks and metering tools like level checks and analyzers as part of a good workflow, and these things do seem to ruffle a lot of feathers in the mixing world.

I’ve gotten a lot of responses along the lines of, “I just trust my ears and mix until it sounds good, don’t need any of that,” or “real pros don’t care.”

If that approach works for you and you’re getting great results, that’s great. But it’s also worth remembering that context matters, and your ears aren’t always completely reliable. There are plenty of factors that can throw you off.

Fatigue from long sessions is real. Your monitors, your room, and your headphones, even how loud or how quiet you listen, all shape what you hear, and these are just some examples of things that can trip you up even if you’re experienced. I’ve been doing this for 20 years and I’m not afraid to say, I need some objective context when I work, especially as I travel and work in multiple studios or random rooms, which are all different.

Maybe some people are conflating using reference tracks with copying them, but that’s not the point. In the same way, checking meters doesn’t mean you’re not using your ears. That’s not the point either.

I see these tools more like the lanes on a highway. They keep you from drifting in the wrong direction, but you’re still the one driving and deciding where to go. If you’re curious I made a video addressing some of the issues you can encounter by relying on your ears alone and how metering/referencing can help

https://youtu.be/HazXpnDpJKg?is=yWGeigJ2s4enGlmy

Gain staging is a hot topic these days, and I often see the same advice popping up: "normalize all your tracks to the same peak level before you start mixing."

While this will give you headroom, I don't like this approach, as I think it sets you up for a more difficult mix from the start. The reason is that different instruments don't behave the same way. For example, A distorted rhythm guitar has a high average level, a lot of density. A drum kit has tons of transients, and typically more dynamic range. If you apply the same normalization to such different elements, you're basically getting a starting point with your mix where all the most dynamic elements will be pushed down, and that's not necessarily the most musical approach.

A better way is to come up with some nominal target levels for each instrument / group, using LUFS to get a better idea of the relative perceived loudness of each part. Not only will this give you headroom, but also a much more "ready" sounding set of tracks that won't immediately make you go into "fix it" mode. This saved me TONS of unnecessary extra processing. Instead of reaching for EQ or compression to try and balance things out, the "right" starting level can make an unbelievable difference.

If you want to check it out, I made a video detailing this approach and also comparing it with the popular peak normalization gain staging method. Do you have any go-to gain staging work flow? Always looking for new ideas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8UlBseyYxM&feature=youtu.be

A while back, I worked on a song with a dream pop and post punk vibe, inspired by artists like The Cure and Daywave. The production is fairly minimal, but still spacious and atmospheric.

I thought it would be a good opportunity to put together a mastering session walkthrough for this track, especially since there are not many resources focused specifically on these styles. Dream pop and post punk tend to rely a lot on mood, space, and texture, which makes mastering a really interesting stage in the process.

Mastering is sometimes seen as just a process of making things loud, especially when you master your own stuff, like in this case here - but it can be an amazing opportunity to hone in on those details that might often get overlooked when you're in "mix mode." If you're curious, I made a full video walkthrough of how I approached this track. Also if you have any questions, feel free to post below, I'd be happy to answer here (or even save them for a follow up vid!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soT8u7R48zA