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aspects of it, and from this juncture the engineer spends
the next 48 hours trying to defend the aural high ground
and resisting any notion that the client may, in fact, be right
about something. This is no way to mix. Inflexible and/or
stubborn mix engineers are the worst kind. If you’re one of
these, consider a job in the military.
STAY FLEXIBLE, STAY TUNED
A bit like ageing, flexibility and focus are in finite supply
when you mix a song, so make the most of them while
they’re still at your disposal. As you get more experienced,
you’ll develop better stamina anyway, but even the most
experienced engineers find it difficult to mix something
that’s completely open-ended. Actually, that’s arguably a
professional engineer’s greatest skill: the capacity to handle
themselves and clients over the long haul of a marathon
mix. Flexibility is the key here too; there’s no point getting
80% of the way through a mix only to stiffen up at the last
hurdle in reaction to suggestions from others about valid
mix changes. Leave your precious ego at the door and never
let these suggestions be misconstrued as a personal attack.
Life’s too short.
One other crucial point to reflect on here is that, for
various reasons, it’s often far easier for the mix engineer
to arrive at a musical outcome than it is for the client. Put
yourself in their shoes as often as you can and try to understand
what it is they’re striving for. And particularly for
those clients whose project has been percolating for years
– sometimes even decades – they can often scarcely imagine
their world ‘post-album’, so the idea of actually finishing it
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can be a psychological barrier in itself. Bear this in mind…
EDITING & SOFTWARE MANAGEMENT
It almost goes without saying that technical skill and
imagination are crucial to great mixes. Editing skills – being
able to recognise what’s right and wrong with performances,
musical arrangements, song structures etc – are vital to
your ability to land a project before mixing fatigue sets in.
Recognising what modifications need to be made swiftly can
save you huge amounts of time down the track. Imagining a
mix is a skill all its own; reimagining the same mix 10 times
over is the hardest part.
No one wants to drop their guard and turn into a knob
twiddler through mixing fatigue. I don’t know a single mix
engineer who isn’t proud of what he or she pulls off when
they’re in form and working well. But no sane person can
realistically expect to remain interested in a project indefinitely,
and once you push this boundary you’re in dangerous
territory. Get fit for the long haul, sure, but never think
you’re immune.
Andy Stewart owns and operates
The Mill in Woolamai, VIC.
He’s been inside some seriously
long and involved projects over the
years, but no, he’s not
immune either.
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