I Don’t Mix My Beats

Recently I stopped spending time on Mixing my beats. I focus more on the content. Do you do a full mix on your beats or do you leave it like it is? Let me know in Comments section!
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#Mixing #BeatMixing

[@IIEthanGamingII]

My mixes have been holding me back for a long time. This video is a gem, thank you.

[@YogeyThaYogetta]

i have an expensive mastering plugin that had better do the trick after my minor mix

[@savedonthebeat]

I've spent waaaaay too much time on my beats and mixing and mastering!!! The few clients I have, be vibing like my mixes are great though I don't think they are where I want them! But now I need to preserve time since I'm getting more business... Thanx BOLO! I always thought sometimes the tracks I didn't mix sounded better lol.

[@erekalvin]

The hard part is finding a mix engineer that understands your genre and what you’re going for. I sent my stuff off to two different places before I realized my beat sounded better before I sent it off. It wasn’t a total waste of money because I realized the beat was fine the way I had it to begin with. Now I don’t worry about mixing as long as the beat has the vibe I’m going for

[@christopherwilliams4968]

I agree I even met some hip-hop engineers that don't understand the hip-hop genre. They do great with rock genres.

[@dianevrules]

@@christopherwilliams4968 OMG just find a good engineer. Not genre-leaning engineers. Mixing is pretty much panning, leveling, eq, compression, and effects. Mastering is getting the s6%$ to industry level loudness and to sound great on a lot of playback options. All of which are necessary for professionally released music

[@discowolf25]

Come to the studio! Anytime your in Minneapolis...Hollla🤟💯

[@kkoma4119]

Mix it yourself?

[@thevaultrecordingstudio]

I run a studio just outside of Vancouver Canada. Let's talk!

[@mattcab]

Facts. Vibe IS the music.

[@KnowsysDaSleuth]

YES!! I see so many tutorials about mixing. I was doing way too much and it was messing up my product. I went back to my old technique. Natural ear, gain staging, etc. Raw music. Contrary to these modern youtube tutorial beatmakers, there are no set rules. Minimalist as far as that. Art is art

[@d.a.channel3820]

I have been a long time appreciative fan of your music for the last decade Mr. Matt Cab🎶🎵🎹

[@StatikVibesBeats]

😎

[@zachbaker2635]

In 17yrs, I've never mixed or mastered any of my tracks ! It's nice to hear somebody justify my decisions to trust my instincts 🤘

[@QuincyValentine]

adjust levels so it sounds balanced, then use Ozone mastering assistant on it. Done. Most artists don't know what a good mix is anyway. Just whether or not they like how their voice sounds. save the actual mixing for the complete song.

[@slimmkeys]

I needed this!!! Sometimes I get so caught up in shaping up the sound (mixing) I lose touch with the creative process itself.

[@davidjenkins8449]

I can be creative and mix at the same time its all up to your workflow and understanding of gain staging.

[@slimmkeys]

@@davidjenkins8449 its all creativity when it boils down to it. Gain staging is a easier and less time consuming process compared to actually mixing. Also being a audio engineer as well can be a Pandora’s box of its own when it comes to producing. My actual remedy of this is I separate my days of producing/arranging from my days of mixing. I look at it like being an architect. When producing It gives you a better space to create/building the song structure, providing the elements based off your vision, pretty much the blueprint. When you approach the mixing separate your ears are fresh, your perspective is mote clear and concise . Thats the process of constructing, creating cohesiveness with all the elements that actually fit together, pretty much like legos. Its to each its own, but with my experience Ive realized my mixes came out better compared to mixing in session of me building the song.

[@jtaylormusicnow1]

Same bro. Get so caught up in trying to get it ready to record. Smh

[@bryanrichardson4811]

🤦‍♂️

[@hadookin47]

Same here, I'm focusing on simplicity these days

[@GodlySuperSaiyan]

I always focus on 3 or 4 things since thats basically all you can do with 1 individual track... EQ, Compression, limiting for pretty much everything, and transients for the drums... For the EQ either a High Pass Shelf or Low Pass Shelf to add or subtract depending on what you think the sound needs. For kicks or bass, if you add 5-8 db gain around 100-300 khz for the low pass shelving filter, it makes your kick or bass hit so heavy! adjust to flavor. High hat and snare I use a high shelf filter and go around 2100-3900 khz and give it about 2.1 db gain to give it a little more life, also adjust the volume after to your liking compression is the fun part...I usually set the ratio around 6-8, attack time around 12-28 and release time around 40-85 depending on the instrument, thresh hold is usually at 17-20 but i noticed with pianos or strings with high notes, i need to go around 13, the knee is up around 50-55 and the gain is at about 12, input is always at 0 and mix is always at 100 so you control how you want it to sound. now this is with instruments and drums, i havent experimented with the audio yet. should i start a youtube channel ? im all boom bap and lately been experimenting with retro stuff.

[@whylie2029]

I respect you for this video and not selling us a product for mastering/mixing. Videos like this are needed.

[@davidjenkins8449]

He has an acoustically treated room with Focal monitors from what I can see. Plus years of experience making beats. So he knows levels subconsciously. He is pre mixing while he makes the beats and the arrangements make up a majority of the song. I mix my beats because I like mixing but if you set the bass and kick instruments from the beginning most of the job is just having fun with arrangements.

[@ohnostorm]

underrated comment

[@HOLLASOUNDS]

Wrong, If the meter in the red it's to hot and will damage speaker systems because some of those peaks are not audible to the human ear but will damage your speakers. Also having peaks to high will reduce the overall volume of the track significantly.

[@semilovato]

@@HOLLASOUNDS u sound like your meter is in the red

[@prodbyryshy]

@@HOLLASOUNDS what speakers u using lol i mix all types of songs at all types of volumes including strong clipping and all my equipment is fine

[@fadeboss3071]

I'll try that. Thanks

[@hamplitosway4979]

I have a MPC Live One and Two retro and I’ve been in numerous of beat battles and all my beats was never mixed. Maybe turned a few things up or down, but the reaction when played in those battles was outstanding. Honestly I think the engine inside MPC’s is gold.

[@BoloDaProducer]

Yes!!

[@kamoya8]

I uploaded a track I made on my phone using the iMPC and, it was knocking. I was surprised as I hadn’t mixed and mastered it. It knocked more than songs made other apps

[@IIEthanGamingII]

@@kamoya8 interesting.

[@ProdTerrellF]

I mix whether I’m in the studio or not honestly. I just like that polished sound for my beats

[@skk6811]

As a mixing / mastering engineer, beatmakers should be more focused on the production site of the music. A lot of them are trying to achieve moods from a mixing prospective, essentially bringing in reverbs, distortions, filling out the arrangement with unnecessary stuff. I say it bc I do fix those things trying to recreate that mood from reference mixes executed with stock FL Studio reverbs, Sound Goodizers and Saussage Fatteners. Get better at sound design. If you wanna be a music producer / beatmaker that's a pleasure to work with, produce the song in a way, that the arrangement sound good dry and believe me, will sound amazing mixed. If you send me a multitrack that's already a banger when I open it up in Pro Tools, I'll literally recommend you to all my clients I work with!

[@janmagdevski4973]

As a mixing engineer myself I can just confirm every single word. And as someone that started as a producer 20 years ago and stopped producing and switched to full time mixing like 10 years ago, I can confirm everything Bolo said. While I was producing I wasn't using any mixing effects, except basic filtering and some basic delays and reverbs as needed, which were so basic that they had to be recreated in the mixing stage anyway. However I don't agree with one thing, and that is digitally peaking... If there is a lot of information over the ceiling (zero), different devices will recreate the sound differently, so the stuff that is clipped and that bangs in the studio, might distort as hell on some consumer device or car, or phone via bluetooth, because every DA on every device will try to recreate the overs differently... Been there done that, was getting very hot peaking over zero rough mixes and making it properly under zero and keeping the same vibe is just impossible, because the producers got used to the sound of their DA stages clipped, and until you re-record an actual audio clipped from your DA stage the way you like it, it won't sound the same when the overshots get managed. And that get be frustrating for both producers and mixers, producers will be frustrated because their drums, bass or whatever doesn't hit the same as their clipped bounce mix, mixers will be frustrated because they can't recreate the same energy or can't imprint the same distortion character the producers and artists got accustomed listening to the clipped export on their devices and falling in love the way their DA stage distorts. And an audio file that's peaking like 5-6 dbfs over zero, is really a candidate for that.

[@skk6811]

​@@janmagdevski4973 As a reply for your argument on clipping: I agree that it won't be translated well through devices. But if you're producing a track, you won't be too technical about it. Let's be honest. Most people will hear clipping the same way. You and I and people who trained their ears to hear these differences will tell, but I think it does not worth the argument. Most drum samples are already clipping if any transient designer was involved to the making. Yes, technically speaking you won't be able to recreate a desired clipping distortion the way it sounded on their system. But should you? In my approach, I always look for the reason it's pleasing to them, recreate things even better. Same with reverbs, compressors, OTT-s and so on. There's always a way create a similar (preferably better) energy to the mix with professional approach if you know what you're looking for. OFC it doesn't mean it's ok to be sending clipped multitracks to your mixing engineer, they'll send it back to you immediately. To another topic I wanted to address: This whole concept of clipping peaks especially on the drums has created a need for using digital clipper plugins on the mastering stage. It's very easy to play around with the clipping distortion when you have full control over it. And you'll never go above -0.2 dBFS anyways because of the mp3 compression added later on by streaming services or youtube. Even though you're a mixing engineer, I highly suggest you watching this video on submission audio's FLATLINE plugin. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iYqvYoJphLqGqpI There are no rules, but generally if clipping is applied at the right stage with the right tools, you can achieve very precise results which will translate through every DA conversion.

[@janmagdevski4973]

@@skk6811 I agree with all you said. But Bolo shown a track peaking @ +6 to +9 dbFS if I'm not mistaken, that's really a candidate to depend a lot of your DA stage... I've seen devices going crazy with less. Also, for the sake of experiment, throw a song, a mix, or whatever, make it clip +9dbFS and listen to it, now throw a clipper to catch that 9db over it'll sound completely different...

[@janmagdevski4973]

@@skk6811 Also in the Flatline video you shared, on this very moment he's clipping 3-4db at maximum... I would like to hear him clips 9db of bass heavy material

[@skk6811]

@@janmagdevski4973 yes, it is different. you made me curious of how high end DA's will effect it, listened to it on my apollo x, and the orion 32 in the studio i'm working at, also tested some clippers from T-Racks, Pro Tool's clipping distortion and Logic's clipping distortion. On the plugin site of things, they're kind of doing the same thing, maybe some differences in characteristics and harmonic content, but sound pretty similar. On the DA side, the Apollo has some headroom built in for this purpose, I couln't get it to an exact value, but the orion 32 cut it straight in the digital domain. No unexpected overtones, nothing. anyway, who wants to be clipping +9db anyways? depending on the dynamic range of course, but it's huge.

[@lydeincredible]

I Like your Content OG! it helps me out a good bit... I just started making Beats Few months ago bcuz my Big Brother passed Away and he was My Producer. keep doing your thang!

[@dellunamusic]

In America this is a proper workflow, but in a lot of European-based studios, like in the Netherlands, producers are often also required to be able to record vox, produce, mix and master. So in that field I would say: Never be lazy on your details and just listen well. There is always going to some things you can mix to improve in my opinion.

[@BoloDaProducer]

I actually and mostly produce, record, mix my records and sometimes master. I get it but when I’m working on the studio with artist we try to get ideas together fast 💨

[@davidreidy5750]

As a drummer the hardest part that takes forever is mic'ing my kit and it's only a 3 PC bop and 3 mic's.But man it's so tuned well,after eq'ing and compression(which doesn't take long at all)I use a little distortion,some tape saturation,of course gotta have a tad reverb and the results are sick.Drum machines?Samplers?Hardware takes not even 5 min. For a beat track.I don't even bother mastering.Its funk rock music so I try not to let nothing drown each other out during mix.🤖🛸

[@eman0828]

Usually beats alone doesn't need mixing because it's not a finished song. The Mix Engineer needs all the STEMS to everything vocal session, kick, snare when mixing a finished record to have a well balanced mixed because mixing to a 2 track is a pain in the rear end. I'm one of those Record Producers that relies mostly on myself that does all the Engineering and Mixing when I'm producing a song. I may use a Mix Engineer occasionally for a different sound from time to time. Dr. Dre does a lot of his own mixing as well as he would start the mix and pass the record on another Engineer.

[@808mike]

I have an i5 4th gen 18gb ram that I bought earlier this year however due to heavy plugins I still mix my beats first then import to Pro tools & record my vocals there. A real pain indeed. 💔

[@eman0828]

@@808mike Yeah I do everything in one DAW in Studio One Pro. I have a 6 year old Quad core Windows machine running a MOTU AVB interface with no problems when it comes to power. I produce records the same way as Oak Felder as neither of us use a Recording Engineer as we both act as the Vocal Producer and Engineer when cutting vocals for our client's. Protools is not really necessary a requirement for general music production as most DAWs these days are cross compatible with each as I can load Protools sessions in Studio One. Oak Felder produced Demi Lovatos entire Sorry Not Sorry song in Logic Pro her vocals and every. Only the backing vocals such as the gospel like choir Vocal stacks was done at another studio specially Westlake. Oak has his own private studio in a house in LA but he acutally lives in Atlanta.

[@sendforacar9323]

Tracks and stems are two different things. An engineer would not mix stems.

[@eman0828]

@@sendforacar9323 Not sure what you are talking about as my post is pretty clear. A Mixing Engineer does mixes STEMS which is the multi track session of each element aka as the raw session files. The term "Track" is a very broad that's very general that can be used interchangeable to a song on an album or a beat. As a Producer when I say I'm producing a track I may not be talking about the beat but rather the whole song. A real Producer sees the whole creative process of making a record from it's initial concept to its final mix stage.

[@Mevzuderin]

@@sendforacar9323 What will an engineer mix then if they would not mix stems? baked fresh air? there are 2 possibilities, 1 is you are just trying to get attention by saying something useless, or 2 you dont know what your talking about but you try to act like you know something..

[@stricnine6012]

Because today's sounds are already mastered!!!

[@vancenichols9490]

There are at least 4 things that I do: 1) I make sure that the snare and kick drums are knocking very hard using Saturation; 2) Use something like Trackspacer for keeping the bass line from interfering with the bass drum; 3) Use panning and EQ on melodic tracks to keep them from interfering with the drum and bass frequencies; 4) Finally, I employ EQ and limiting on the master bus in order to ensure there isn't excessive frequency response while getting a loud track overall.

[@dopessongs3635]

What about cutting the low ends with fab filter?

[@LawrinMaxwellsmpc500]

Thanks for these tips

[@Dudenamedbrian]

I’ve been trying to crack the code of mixing and mastering for so long I barely even make beats anymore and am just trying to become a dope engineer now lol I’ve learned a whole lot over the years and can get a pretty good end product now but still get stuck on certain tracks and feel like I’m going insane lol

[@davelee1935]

If i take the track out of MPC and put into logic it seems to lose a lot . I recently saw a MPC KZbinr and he is saying leave it as dawless because the MPC basically mixes itself really well

[@coreysimmons5516]

I dont know how but it does.. I literally made a beat and didnt touch nothing but a volume fader and it sounds full and mixed

[@magnuseriksson8081]

Interesting that you say that, I feel the same when I bring things from my MV1 to Logic, but I am not very good at all the mixing and mastering bits and I think my effects are better in the MV1

[@MrScrooge1980]

That’s because the MP has a dedicated function making tracks, I still jump on the PC every once in a while, but, a PC has multiple functions, the MP outputs are different and thicker

[@HoldMyBeerFam]

I agree, it seems like every beat I have made on there needs like, nothing at all done to it. If you can find that video for me though that would be great the one you were refering to

[@davelee1935]

@@HoldMyBeerFam Marlow Diggs is the KZbinr was a vid about exporting to logic

[@Khordmaster]

Thanks!

[@sirveresoundsent.2581]

That definitely provided much clarity I needed on my work.

[@monstalung]

'some are mixing with their eyes, and not their ears" - I connect to this.

[@dougsxmpson]

🎯 Good points Bolo. Early in my career, I use to sit and "sculpt" each sound, only to have the tracks that I quickly put together while the artist(s) and their team(s) were parking their cars were the ones they went with. I go by feel now. As you do, I do some gain staging and light levels when I know that I'm not going to be present for the session, or when I upload to platforms like BeatStars.

[@estebanb7166]

Maybe you're working with idiots🤷‍♂️.

[@chigozietruth]

@@estebanb7166 that makes no sense at all

[@estebanb7166]

@@chigozietruth Maybe, you're one of the idiots 🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@TheTonyTitan]

I think the analog gear that you create on makes an untold difference. Good video

[@WORKOFBINUS]

lol bro as a Lazy producer. this is the kind of shit I love to hear. I know I'm not alone in this method of making music. thanks for this video

[@DZTaTheDash]

Nip said it best in Count Up That Loot...this beat ain't even mixed but it's ---- perfect

[@garrettdavis9630]

For ME I love the art and process of mixing, especially in a creative aspect. I like exploring things, for example I like running my drums through a BUS then sending that bus through certain effects to get my drums to sound unique to me. The mixing process has always been looked at as another step in my creative process to express the vibe and even in some cases the rhythm of the beat. For example taking a shaker or a high hat and throwing it into a rhythm delay in certain sequences to change my high hat section up. But these are things that I actually enjoy. The value that I have for them takes precedence over how fast I can make a beat, or willing to save time, regardless if the artist is there or not. There’s just so much more to mixing than EQ and Compression. Would be hard for me to let that step go.

[@InkCampKenny]

I needed to hear someone say what I’ve always felt. Mixing is for fixing. If it slaps on red, it still slaps.

[@erekalvin]

As my mentor would say you dont have to mix much if you pick the right sounds to begin with

[@55jemmz5]

But those “right sounds” had to be mixed and record by someone so that you can conveniently use them with the click of a button. So dismissing mixing as if it’s trivial and doesn’t matter is dumb because your whole sound depends on that.

[@erekalvin]

@@55jemmz5 mixing is subjective. I wasn’t going to respond because your comment suggests you have no idea what you’re talking about but I will. Henceforth the title of the video. Mixing is not something you have to do if you are the creator of a particular piece of music unless you choose to because it’s your creation. If you pick the sounds from a computer or play them live, taking more time selecting the correct sound or tuning the instrument prior to recording will prevent you from having to spend so much time mixing.

[@erekalvin]

@SOUL SEEKER most of the music producers/ engineers model was made during a time when you had to get everything right on the way in. Trust me.

[@banparlous2552]

​@@erekalvin Yes. Keep in mind.. "Right" as in "good", not "less than good" or "perfect". Good instruments, played by good musicians, a good performance, a good arrangement, a good song, with good equipment, good mic placement, good acoustics, good signal flow, good dynamics, that leads to a "good" recording. Everything after that is just gravy.

[@erekalvin]

@@banparlous2552 💯

[@donplay_za]

Punchline 🔥- "Some ppl are too busy making beats with their eyes and not their ears".

[@BeatsByEverest]

This is exactly what I needed to hear.

[@mortenkalland]

Important to relax and have fun. Thank's for good video.

[@davidscott2095]

Bolo, you continue to be a blessings to beat makers and producers. Your "straight talk," non-pretentiousness, for a caliber of producer as yourself, is priceless. God bless you, brother. And thank you for the video.

[@KuleRaveEcks]

YO!!!! ALL YALL BUGGING. MIXING IS A PART OF YOUR CRAFT. AND MASTERING IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT PUPPY ALL TOGETHER! ALSO AN IMPORTANT CRAFT! NOW BOLO DEALS WITH ARTIST AND HE HAS A GOOD APPROACH THE SOUNDS ARE PRETTY MUCH TWEAKED ALREADY! AND HE'S GAIN STAGING TOO! WHICH IS GOOD IN HINDSIGHT WITH MASTERING! I GUESS ITS DIFFERENT WITH EACH PERSON! ME... I DO EVERYTHING AND DOING IT SO MUCH TIME IS NOTHING I CAN MASTER IN 10 TO 15 MINUTES TOPS!

[@jermaineflowers1538]

I like for my beats to come across the way I heard them in my head. I don't necessarily try to master but Adding reverbs maybe delays phasers and flange to certain sounds makes the beat the way I wanted it also sometimes when I add sounds that I know fit to be but clash because they're playing in the same frequency range as another makes me add EQ or compress to hear it distinctly.

[@thedevilsadvocate5210]

Does it ever come out like you hear it in your head?

[@KevinCollins-x8b]

I do primarily FUNK! old skool 70s 80s funk my stuff sounds like it came from those era's. So, I do mix using old skool techniques, but if I grab a sample that's already got some fx on it I'm not doing any tweaking. I sample myself keys, bass, guitar and ill use effect from my Behringer fx processor and just sample it. I mainly use a mono sync delay, flanger or phaser on the guitars. I will use the envelopes to thin out or cut treble on some sounds . on vocals since I use vocoder and talk box I'll do the mono sync delay maybe the stereo widener and touch of reverb. Whatever effect is on a sound I use out of one of the plug ins i keep it as is or and take away or turn down what's already there. Now if I'm crafting a 70's funk of soul jam I want the drums as dry as i can find or make them and ill add some dirt. I recently finished an old skool 80's techno funk project ( afrika bambataa, planet patrol newcleus type stuff) now I had to mix that stuff to make it sound of the period so I had to gate drums especially 808 snares to get that John Robie Arthur Baker sound on them, everything else I used the same mixing process. Now if i happen to do hip hop i dont do much mixing cause i want it raw.

[@dejuangraingersr.2043]

Man u just lifted alot of weight off my shoulders. I'm not a good mixer so since I watched this video I'm not mixing no more. Ima just let it ride the way it is and it sounds good like u said.

[@Lamont07]

I feel ya man

[@LaRana08]

smh....

[@SMEL]

Awesome points... whatever your doing its working fam! Keep it up💯

[@mikevenus4117]

I just pan my sounds and adjust my levels. I mix inside the Mpc, so I’m going by what I hear then what I thinks looks good.

[@bosslife_bangin]

Exactly what I do on my one.. 👌🏾

[@mikevenus4117]

@@bosslife_bangin right. The best advice I ever heard was, “If it sounds good, it’s good! If you have good ears, you’ll know it.

[@OtisThorpe518]

Fam I’ve been using Logic but now looking to go dawless and cop an MPC 5000. How is mixing like with the MPC? Thx bro

[@bosslife_bangin]

@@mikevenus4117 yessir 💎

[@mikevenus4117]

@@OtisThorpe518 I haven’t use a Mpc 5k. I have a Mpc Live2 and a Akai Force. My understanding of the Mpc 5k is very limited. I’m sorry.

[@StevePennMusic]

I been saying this for along time. Salute))) It's all about how you want it to sound. Great Vid! 💪

[@ishbeats9775]

Bolo I respect your perspective. I always catch your videos. And I respect your opinion. I started producing about a year a half ago you have Definitely been one of the producers I follow.

[@timruzzo2479]

This dude is sharing GOLDEN truth. Less is more. Use your ears. Much Respect. I dig tutorials that are honest and cut through all the technique nonsense that get in the way of making good music that comes from our vibes.

[@markmallory2528]

Sir, you have no idea how glad I am you made this statement. Time to get back to the part I love best, getting back to making music! Thank you Bolo, you are appreciated!

[@theabyss86]

dude im so glad to hear somebody say this. thats how i been feeling all along. its hard to vibe when you worried about mixing and stuff but this whole time i just thought mixing is just something i was supposed to be doing. going forward im just gonna focus on the production

[@Only1Science]

Engineer/Producer here: I don't even mix my beats until we're in that stage of the project. You 'Quick Mix' as you go and that's the vibe. When it comes time to mix, you'd better know how to keep that same vibe or you'll get left behind. Having a trained ear (in mixing) while making beats is a life-saver, but it has to develop over time. Keep going my people!

[@onejosh9290]

So do you send out mixed or mastered versions of your beats when you send out beats or just the beat as you made it with your trained ear?

[@Only1Science]

@@onejosh9290 Honestly, depends on the client. If I know the artist is the type of artist that is a "married to the rough mix" type of artist, I'll mix the beat (takes time). That way, there's minimal changes needed for the beat mix and what they end up with will be closer to the finished product. If I'm sending out to an artist who knows the whole song will need to be mixed, I send my beat with the semi-rough mix (saves time). This way, they can drop vocals and move on to the next song.

[@onejosh9290]

@Only1Science so if you're sending out to artists you haven't met or worked with before you're saying the move would be to send the beat as polished as possible without having spent the time doing a full mix down?

[@Only1Science]

@@onejosh9290 Yes, as long as you don't kill the vibe with a decent pre-mix to send out. You don't want to mix it to "perfection", send it out, then have mix-regrets once they drop vocals to it. LOL There's almost no changes at that point unless they request the beat track-outs to mix the song as a whole. Sometimes when I receive songs to mix, I can tell when the producer spent some time getting the beat to sound good. I don't bother those as much because I want to keep the producer's vision. Other times I get beats where the two-track is distorted, overly compressed, life-less, EQ'd into oblivion or the 808's are super wooly because they're mixing on cheap headphones or poor acoustic environments, etc. Those are the ones where I go in and mix it to cater to the vocals while keeping the vibe. Also remember that it's all about communication, listening to what your clients want, anticipating their needs and executing exactly that.

[@savingsoul]

Good point though. Sometimes over mixing makes the music fall out, it doesn't sound locked in anymore,

[@madimakes]

Bro this is timely…I’m working on a project with a rhymer, and realizing I’m spending more time than I need to on it when I need to get these two tracks to the dude who’ll be mixing it for real, lol

[@jammyjam353]

Same bro. I make sure all my instruments sound presentable and smooth enough so it’s not hurting your ears or that things aren’t too low, but for the most part there isn’t too much to touch on my product. And I agree, the crappier your actual track is within a production, the more that particular track will need to be mixed. But as long as the beat is hard, and sounds smooth enough that it’s gonna be an enjoyable listen without hurting your ears, and as long as the levels are where they need to be, no fan is going to complain about a mastered piece. It’s about the music, not about technicalities

[@selah_benjaminb7990]

I’ve been saying this to my partners that I produce with! It’s a vibe, let that shit ride!!! And you’re right saves a lot of time and more done!

[@jaydenbarragan9497]

Bro!!!! I never really mixed or mastered my stuff. But my listeners always were satisfied. I thought I was alone the whole time. Great advice to the raw producers.

[@livinproof718]

I enjoy the raw gritty sound you already get I just mix the levels and use the effects lightly nowadays I don’t like mixing in a daw when it comes to beats because the chosen sounds are already good

[@DigitalAstronautOG]

I agree with all of your statements except one. When you talk about distortion, any distortion that isn’t digital is perfectly fine if you’re trying to craft a sound. I encourage using distortion plugins to shape your waveforms, but I definitely don’t encourage making your sounds peak in order to achieve a similar sound. If you like the sound that is created when it is strongly distorting, you can achieve the same exact sound by just shaping your waveform into the same shape (the more it peaks, the more the waveform will be transformed into a square wave). This will, in turn, give your song more headroom to be turned up on different devices, even without mixing or mastering. It will also allow for other sounds in the song to sum together and still allow for less peaking overall. If one of your sounds is peaking, it can cause unwanted volume ducks in your other sounds, unwanted harmonic content in other sounds, and can potentially blow speakers out. If you’re going for an X-type Lo-Fi, this could be the desired result, but if not, it probably isn’t. When you’re trying to construct a sound similar to that of digital distortion, just use a tube or zero-square saturator or add odd or even harmonics to your waveform manually (depending on which result you’re going for) and you’ll get the same result and all speakers should be able to recreate that sound. Obviously different speakers will emphasize certain harmonics and room acoustics will add certain resonances that aren’t present in the digital domain, but you will get the same sound without having to make unwanted sacrifices. I hope my point comes across clearly. Other than this critique, great video! Subscribed! :)

[@Jack-ri1kh]

I just have to put a saturator on all track and it's done if I don't want mix my beats? Thanks

[@DigitalAstronautOG]

@@Jack-ri1kh What?

[@Jack-ri1kh]

@@DigitalAstronautOG you said if we like cliping we have to use saturator. My question is we have to put the saturator on the master or on individual element of the beat

[@DigitalAstronautOG]

@@Jack-ri1kh Where you decide to put the saturator(s) is entirely up to what you think works best. Just note that you are changing the physical shape of the wave which is what changes the sound. If you want to give your drums more energy, you can add a little bit of saturation of your choice to the drums you wish to change. You could also route all of your drums to a drum bus and put the saturator on there to apply the same type of saturation uniformly across all of your drums. This approach gives you less individual control over how each drum sounds, but the trade off is that you only have to adjust the saturation in one place for it to change all of your drums at once. Personally, it is all up to taste where you choose to apply saturation. You can even have saturation on individual channels and then have added saturation on a bus! Another neat approach is to add parallel saturation by making a send and routing your signal through that and also out. This will allow you to blend the saturation in to your liking without actually modifying the original sound, as the parallel saturation uses the signal sent in and generates another signal going out separate from the original. If you want more info on ways to approach saturation, feel free to hmu on Instagram @digitalastronautmusic I am more than happy to help!

[@leogolive]

3:43-3:47 💯 I try to get everything sounding the way I want it before I ever hit record, right at the source.

[@apexone5502]

Word. That's how I get down. I don't want to wait until the track is finished before I can tweak it to sound how I imagine. I need to hear it tweaked while I'm working on it. If I'm imagining the track to have a filtered bass, it's getting filtered when I make the first bar, not after the track is done.

[@mrboyland1]

Bro! I teach music production for high school. I have a full studio in my classroom. My students on day one are like, "teach me how to mix". We spend a whole month on just the art of gain staging because that in my mind is what's most important, balance and vibe. I REALLY enjoy your content my brother and if your ever available to do a Zoom call with my students, they and I both would greatly appreciate it!

[@LMABLUE]

I am from a completely different genre than Hip-Hop but this video is no joke one of best I've ever seen. It opened my eyes. Such an easy thing "Mixing is to fix problems" and honestly I think I mixed even sounds that didn't need to be mixed. Thank you for such an easy trick that is also very powerful! I am sure it really will change the perspective of me while I'll be mixing.

[@TaurusBeats]

Great video! I agree - The vibe is key. Currently, I am experiencing what you described at 8:00. I find that I am going back to not mixing/mastering, like when I first started. I have tried the whole mixing and mastering path. I still find that most people love the tracks I make with no mixing or mastering at all. When I think about the time invested, I'll use it to make beats and music rather than tweaking levels. Also, great points about distortion. Stumbled on this vid, but subbed. Take care, fam. Grace and Peace!

[@asrielbeats7421]

I love it. I’ve been saying this for years!!! Thanks BOLO!!!🙏🏾

[@yunomike.official]

This a game changer for me bro. As an artist/producer/engineer I be concerned with every little detail. Even to the point of not releasing music because I want it to be "perfect". What you just said is going to help me get more stuff out. Thanks for the reminder that it's all subjective. Big ups!

[@typasym4162]

😂😂😂 Its normal when ur really critical about your sound, but let me tell u, it takes u 3years and after that, take a 9 month holiday from mixing . Go again ,u will be different with all the experience u learned.

[@HOLLIDAYTRAX]

You’re 100 percent correct. I don’t mix ‘in-session’, but I do mix when I’m just sitting around doing a beat with no artist present. 👍🏿

[@KINGRABEATS]

I agree with the peaking on my bass and kick I know that when the tracks are compressed into a wave file they almost compress themselves.

[@theRealFaceCap1]

I totally agree, I do my BEST sounding beats from acapella's, it's similar to studio vibe sessions. Studio sessions with the artist are the best and mixing to upload on platforms is something I agree with as well. At the end of the day, records will be mastered no need to over-treat!

[@simon_esse896]

I agree with you bolo. It is even more fun if you produce without mixing.

[@Art_Travel_and_Hobbys]

Glad you speaking on this type of producing style... Sound levels between tracks is just a preference call. Mixing is only good for leveling out the sound bleed when it comes to certain pitches. As long as the pitch doesn't hurt my ears I don't bother about it

[@maniactracks13]

Mix as you sample..load sounds..build kits..ect..then fly.......

[@DarnellMcClain]

This is the same thing Pac said bro. He was basically saying let's get the songs done and go home while the engineer does his thing. Dope vid. What I would say as someone who uses a lot of live instruments on my tracks I do need to mix a little. Mainly leveling and panning with some eq but I agree with you because you can drain a studio session trying to perfect a beat

[@adamhunt607]

The problem now is finding the engineer

[@themusicofcbdkris]

444 is a fine example . almost reminiscent of Madlib's mixing approach .. aka .. microwave with after meshing .

[@sinlomusic]

biggest takeway would be that mixing is real subjective imo + that you should do whats best for your saturation

[@huahua4186]

Makes perfect sense. Way back when, eq/compressors/limiters, etc...; didn't really matter. What did matter was mic placement, natural reverb. Getting the natural sound as accurate as possible was the key in the recording part. The cool thing with this day and age, you have an unlimited amount of natural/digital sound to make a plethora of beats. Great vid!

[@christopherwilliams4968]

I just do an emotional mix. So it has the dynamics or an mix where I can achieve certain sounds I like a creative mix. Sometimes I find different sounds that way. But I understand what you are talking about. I think that was the reason why Kanye was trying to figure why his drums weren't hitting in the clubs, but in the car it was ok.

[@KDMcQueen]

To be real..when i first started making beats, i thought it had to be mixed mastered and all that shit..now j just go off feeling and how my ears are tuned to it..just gotta trust yourself and your abilities. 💯🤓

[@matt_nyc_audioengineer]

Dude, FANTASIC video! I'm a professional engineer and honestly I think everyone who makes beats should watch this! Just one thing tho, the role of mixing is much more than fixing problems. Sure it's one of the most important things we do but that's not the only thing or even the main role of a mixing engineer.

[@hztan1263]

I am glad I found your channel bud, this is the first time I watched your video and I find it very helpful and inspiring! Now I don't need to pressure myself so much and just make my music vibe the way I want to.

[@3degreesofknowledge721]

I definitely mix my beats. Although, I will say this, you're right about not wanting to do too much to the beat. It can ruin all your good mojo. Lol.💯

[@dassolosyndikat5113]

where do you mix your beats? which software do u use?

[@brandonp.9371]

Thank You, I needed to hear this. By the time I send out a beat I’ve spent hours trying to get my snare or kick to feel right. When I could have been working on something else. Lately I’m getting major ear fatigue and I can’t even tell if the beat is decent or not. Time to make some changes. Stay Creative Friends

[@GoReallaBeatz]

I feel you fam. I just may mix for about 15mins. I don't get deep into it. I have a bedroom studio. So I just do what I can and keep it moving. Great share.👍 👍

[@BoloDaProducer]

💪🏾

[@internationalmusiccreation4849]

I agree!

[@gumboonwax]

Finally ... Somebody sees it the same way I do ...Bo ... Lo!!!! Thank you🙏🏽💯

[@JonGenius]

Make a beat, write a rap to it, then deal with the mixing when it's all recorded...That's what works for me...

[@wmextra]

Thank you

[@thetruemrstallings]

Yessir!

[@WavetableMetaphysics]

Yes.

[@JacetheSmallCityGiant]

💯

[@Disisions]

Makes a lot of sense

[@LikeOProductions]

🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾 gems‼️ U jus switched my whole approach to beats n saved me a bunch of time‼️🙏🏾💯 #Salute

[@TeraGreene1]

Moral of story: always do the MVP “minimum viable product”. Stop hemming and hawing and get it done. :).

[@ReeWebster]

Every producer who’s learning does faaar tooo much to ‘the mix’ but that’s how you learn not to bother. And gain staging is mixing. Sometimes that’s more than enough.

[@beataddict5475]

Yea man I recently got to the point where I'm just making beats a d doing leveling. I'm not spending hours mixing just for it not to sound the way I liked it before it was even mixed. I was never scared of being in the red. Long as it sounds good I'm leaving it. I may add limiter to get louder sometimes buts about it budd.

[@MixedbyBreeze]

Thank you!!! So many needed to hear this

[@illreel5169]

I gain stage everything as I'm producing & once in the studio, master as I mix down the vocals the majority of the time... #Salute...👑✨👑

[@Dylanklinemusic]

Great points. Thanks man!

[@coreysimmons5516]

MPC software sounds good with almost no tweaking at all

[@bmt3315]

As did the first wave of MPC’s.

[@kazzd58]

I be so hard on myself on the mixing end.. appreciate this!!

[@doggheadvito9046]

Bro I'm talking bout hours of back and forth to eventually mess the track up somewhere along the line . lol

[@user-mb8rf7qk5q]

Lol this is hilarious cause I was thinking about this lately and nobody cares anyway, it’s just about getting the vibe right, the levels to make the bop right, and using nice headphones to make sure shits not sounding shitty 🤷🏽‍♀️ People listen to everything on their phones and earbuds mostly, and then cars if anything.

[@onehipsista]

I appreciate this message. I'm approaching a year in music production, but I'm a "creative" by trade so I like my sessions to flow. Most of the time, my beats are decent coming out of MPC (software for now). The engineering aspects definitely got in the way at first. I like a heavy low end and it was just MUD. I had to learn enough engineering/EQ etc. to get the sound I wanted. I agree - the vibe has to be right... If I don't jump up out of my chair and dance, the beat is probably trash. Thanks ✌

[@markmallory2528]

If you don’t have to FIX IT, then don’t MIX IT! BARS BOLO, I hear you! 👍🏽👍🏽😂😂

[@larryotismusic]

Mpc has great clarity off top. I only put compressors on my 808s.

[@MrScrooge1980]

MP radio ready

[@rehabnoise3874]

I have destroyed plenty of beats by mixing it. Totally lost the vibe I started with. If you are getting quality sounds, they are already EQ'd and compressed. Gain staging and or leveling is the most important.

[@JAYFLOPROBEATS]

"If the problem don't have to fix, you don't have to necessarily mix." BARZ!!

[@JAYFLOPROBEATS]

I needed this video right now!

[@thelabby9998]

“Market” has changed a lot from golden era up today… mixing, mastering, valves, adat… all of these as they were, aren’t nowadays. It was a time in between then and now where people was nuts about Khz and Kbps… but the amount of data charging the cpu to end converted into dirty mp3 (too often 128Kbps) wasn’r worth any effort. Spotify get some quality improvements but people still rip instrumentals from youtube and record mixtapes over them… so the point is: I’m agree with the vibe over “what’s supposed to be done” (from whoever said at FM magazine yikes) and mixing stage requires whole stems aka vocals and the crowd behind all that process. If you share at stores or Social Media… maybe too but adapted to phone/tablet sounding because most of the time it will be heard there and these stores play the “buy fast boy, it’s cheap and at your fingertips” (gamification of the sales) so few people will buy instrumentals hearing them with proper monitors etc. Shame or evolution, it’s what it is. Take it or leave it but that’s the world we have at 2021. These are my 2c of course. Peace and Blessings!

[@kaiherrmann4800]

It‘s very likely... that I will refer to your comment (from anywere else) because: you nailed it.

[@thelabby9998]

@@kaiherrmann4800 thanks, just my POV but if it helps other I’ll happy with that

[@KencisClay]

The approach is to mindful of levels.. That is mixing.. If when you got your melody and you start messing with the drums set your kick or the dominant sound like an 808 on a comfortable level (-10 peak for example) then 0 your music part and start rising it until it fits.. Then all of the other elements will be mixed well by ear.. But the important is to start with healthy levels.. And it makes wonders.. Peak what you want to distort but at the end it need to burn it down after distortion so it sits well and doesn't overpower.. I've transformed other people beats and their jaw dropped just by starting at a comfortable level and raising it after.. Also paning

[@Reggi_Sample]

For sure gain staging, and panning, or levels, is often considered the most important parts of mixing. I feel we all do that to some extent just to make it listenable

[@MrScrooge1980]

Master P and No Limit rarely mixed anything, We Riders is a perfect example

[@dianevrules]

Which is why their s6%% sounded like loud demos.

[@FACEDEVILLE]

The general consumer or fan could care less.

[@anthonyhill4700]

Listen to both versions you'll see a huge difference.

[@dariusmorgan8302]

Right on man! Could not agree more. So many people read too much and watch too much and think too much and let what all these videos and articles say into their heads...what they aren't doing is listening. I hear so much about "how to get the perfect 808 kick sound" or "this is what you need to get that exact snare sound from this piece" or "mid/side/up/down/left/right/sideways compression to get those perfect drums"...on and on. By the time they get down to making music, they second guess every step they take and don't trust their ears. I mix but, like you said, I go for things that sound good to my ear and roll with em for as long as I can...to me, I work on mixing once all the elements are there just so everything is in it's own space. Not while I'm trying to make a track

[@mrriley2686]

I feel the same about vocals, obviously you have to tweak them but I feel like if it sounds how I want it…it’s lit. How’d you feel Sir, would you agree? I’ve been subbed for a while. Love you’re growth and thank you for all your knowledge shared. Love OG

[@SecretCityMusicGroup]

With me it’s all about feelings the vibe definitely gotta be hitting.