Mixing to show your taste and NOT your skill

ARTICLE: "Mixing to show your taste and NOT your skill"I am frequently sent songs by producers both professional and up and coming. I'm always flattered when people want to know my opinion because all things are subjective. Having said that, I do not wish to be falsely modest as I do know a thing or two. There are of course those producers who are "on the level" and those that are "not quite there yet" . I am more often than not, very impressed by the quality of the tracks I hear. I often echo the wise words of Dave Pensado who said "You need to mix to show your taste and NOT your skills." This statement is profound and in my coaching, I have made students write this down and pin it up on their wall and repeat it to themselves daily and even meditate on this statement. This statement has become my MANTRA and has always helped me out in times of self doubt. ALL great wisdom is usually very simple and obvious on the surface but the more you focus in on the statement, you start to peel back the layers and one thought leads to the next and after meditating and repeating an idea over a several period of time, you realise what profound wisdom lies behind a statement which on first glance, appeared to be merely "simplistic or obvious advice." Using a practical example of someone we all know in VG Group, our good friend Tony Duncan occasionally sends me songs to "evaluate" and I myself have sent him some of my own as have I sent some to Alex Fernandes to evaluate. Listening to Tony's tracks, I can offer a personal opinion on things but I cannot really find anything technically wrong with what he has done. I do often say "It needs more grit and dirt," but having said that I am aware that this merely my "taste" that is coming into play and NOT that that there is/was anything  technically wrong with the track. Alex  as you know is another one of the guys who has the magical ears but nevertheless, the most gentle and respectful manner. Alex has listened to my stuff in the past and will often emphasise what I have always been saying, and that is that once the mix is "technically sound" (which once again its all subjective once again), there is still space for  critique for example Alex may say "Vaughn your snare is quite loud, " to which I may respond , "Does it sound wrong Alex?" Alex will then say something like "No its not wrong if that was your intentional creative intent/decision". Alex may (and has) sometimes pointed out something that could make it better , for example on my track "My Angel", The "static dissection remix" version  I did, Alex suggested that I "autopan" the "scratchy loop". He suggested making it autopan from left to right of the soundstage but only in a very subtle way because panning it too widely would detract from the groove and rhythmic impact of the song. I went on to make the change he suggested and this made a pleasing difference. Was the difference huge? No it was not. Was it integral to the success of the final mix? I guess not but it did add something to the final mix. Point illustrated above is that whereas I suggest you get second and objective opinions from fellow producers, you do need to make the final decision yourself.  In fact, not making the decision and not trusting yourself will lead to procrastination and an eventual binning of the track. I have seen this so many times!! There seems to be a certain "gestation period" within the creative process. I find that when the initial inspiration "hits" us , we tend to move quickly , going with the flow us we become absorbed in the creative process. Of course the real enemy steps in towards the end when we realise that we now need to "mix and finish this track." We then go on a tangent and enter into a vicious circle of trying to make it better and better as we progress saying "just one more tweak". We often then open up the "first version" of the song and we are hit with the sad realisation of that "the first/ initial version" of the track, despite being not as "technically perfect" as the "final mix", had a magic that somehow got lost as we got lost in that never ending struggle to achieve "The Perfect Mix". I have found this to be the common problem for most producers. Experience will teach you when to "Let go" but in my interviews with legendary mix engineers such as Dave Bascome, I can tell you that even pros of this level face the demons of trying too hard and ruining the mix in the progress.
Some practical advice:We have all hear this before but the timeless wisdom is always the most obvious.

1. Enjoy it !! If you are not loving it you are doing it wrong!!
2. Take breaks !! WE ALL KNOW THIS BUT WE NEVER DO IT!! I will say is a again TAKE BREAKS!! Some research has shown that the human brain can intensely focus in 25 minute blocks. This is open to debate of course but what works wonders for me is when I am mixing, I set a timer to go off every 25 minutes and then I step away for 5 minutes and so I continue until its done. Try it!!
3. Get second opinions but trust your gut, remember "ITS YOUR MUSIC", It' YOUR STYLE".

Don't get wrapped up in too many opinions and don't take too much advice. Remember the good ol' saying "Too many cooks spoil the broth".4) Use reference mixes. DO NOT COPY THEM, you need to just flip between at least 3 mixes interchangeably to ensure that you are within "the ball park".5) Whilst mixing, I am constantly flipping between my monitors, my high definition reference headphones, my "commercial hyped" headphones, my ear pods and MOST IMPORTANTLY, "Mom's kitchen radio". Don't mix exclusively on headphones.  Its a long story which I will discuss in a "GEEK TALK" video. It may work for Andrew Scheps but yeah , I'm guessing most of us are not that experienced yet!!6) Make your initial mix balance FAST and trust your instincts. Why "fast?" Because music is an emotional thing, once the "rational mind" kicks in is when things get messy and you will start to kill the magic.7) One more time "MIX TO SHOW YOUR TASTE, NOT YOUR SKILLS. It's YOUR music, YOUR creation, YOUR vide, YOUR style. I can promise you that there will be others listening to it and thinking "Wow, that's better than I could ever do" and you you may be listening to their stuff thinking "Wow, that's better than I could ever do". The morale of the story being,"the grass is greener on the other side", and this is a whole new subject altogether. I have found that it is often not one's lack of technical ability but rather the inability to choose and to commit. This will lead you down an endless rabbit hole of frustration, and that's another story too!!Be sure to check out my "Geek Talk" video series for more production advice!! Beat the lockdown boredom with creativity!! Be safe, be awesome, DON'T BE A DICK and be kind!!

!All the best to you my friends!!

Vaughn George 😎🎹