Controversial Mixing Advice

▶︎▶︎ Free 5-Step Mix Guide here: www.5stepmix.com
▶︎▶︎ My New KZbin Channel: / @joegilderbiz
There's a lot of advice floating around on the internet. There's also a
lot of negativity surrounding that advice. Today we're gonna tackle that
a little bit.
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#Mixing #HomeStudioCorner

[@HomeStudioCorner]

▶︎▶︎ Free 5-Step Mix Guide here: www.5stepmix.com ▶︎▶︎ My New KZbin Channel: www.youtube.com/@joegilderbiz

[@aishine8184]

Hey Joe how much do you charge to mix and master. Thanks in advance.

[@fitzpatrickgf]

There is never any bad advice when it comes to the art of good music. I have had Presonus Studio One for 12 years and I am still learning how to use all the cool features! Joe and Gregor are life savers and are always an inspiration to keep learning.

[@peterelfman]

This video was the gentlest, most thoughtful smack-down of haters one can watch.

[@iengineer_247]

It's people like you and a few others within a Pro Field of recording that share how to be a Pro without making things complicated. You share what works for you and it helps to share with others to learn something that may work for them. On the other hand some people are always complicated and they rarely have anything to show for it. Like the comment said keep being you and keep helping people!!!

[@mbombaby]

Excellent piece, Joe. Though we share the same philosophy, I'm always learning something here.

[@audioglenngineer]

These steps help me keep things simple and focused in audio and other work: 1) remove distractions from content 2) enhance engagement in content, where possible 3) be done

[@myturningpoint]

I want that on a poster for my home studio!! beautifully simple and elegant 👍

[@alexanderewing3779]

I've never looked on tutorials online as advice, per se but rather an insight into a mixer's process, experience and taste. Hopefully I can take away some useful info and apply to my own workflow. Joe's common sense approach appeals to me, as here re subtractive EQ. Keep on keepin' on, Joe.

[@OriginalNightStalker]

@Joe - new subscriber here, but VERY old hand at audio. Been recording, mixing, and playing for many, many decades (won't say just how many - might give away my age!;) ) but I recently subscribed to your channel for one reason - you talk pure sense...! You are putting into words so many of life's lessons that I've learned along the way, and you are doing it in a completely non-offensive way, full of common sense (a virtue sadly lacking in so many places today), with a beautifully modulated and clear voice, and the most important thing - what you give is ADVICE, not ORDERS! Advice can be taken or left. We can agree or disagree with it. But the thing about recording and mixing is that we all do it slightly differently, and often what I think is a good mix, somebody else will think is a bad one. The lesson from that? That's life! Love your channel - keep up the good work!

[@csikora5150]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟 keep doing you, Joe. We keep coming back because we appreciate your advice, even if we don't always agree with it, and we love your delivery. Thank you!

[@DerekPower]

So if you want to some vindication for your stance about “getting it at the right source” … one recording engineer who definitely embodied it was Steve Albini. A lot of his recordings and mixes were done with just the band, specifically chosen microphones, experimental placement, well-chosen rooms … and that’s it. If he could avoid additional processing, he would. The end result was a sound that was both his doing and the bands he was recording.

[@richardsp2794]

I could scream about the total lack of common sense saying this has been bad mixing advice. I've spent 2+ years not just learning mixing but understanding it too. Like everyone I've watched ALL the videos and been hoodwinked by the ill informed too. There have been 3 channels that have been instrumental in my learning but critically my understanding of what and why I'm doing things in a mix. This is one of those channels.

[@joegunning]

Would you mind sharing the other 2 channels? I’m starting out on my path and definitely want to avoid any hoodwinks.

[@kevindillard183]

Your Awesome at your work Joe and I thank you for all your KZbin video help, it means a lot to me!

[@kermasingh9002]

Joe I appreciate all your advice continue to keep up the hard work and feed us with all the quality information

[@MrChitownhustla]

I think anyone that takes any advice on the Tube w/o researching and going thru trial/error for themselves are the problem. One video you made that made a difference in my mixing mindset was compression before eq. I was able to completely understand your reasoning behind it, and how if applied correctly it could make a HUGE difference in my mixes. I’ve gotten so used to how much better (in my opinion) it sounds that when I thru habit used my previous mixing methods I heard the difference instantly. There is no one size fits all with advise, you gotta pick what applies to the situation at hand and don’t be afraid to try something new. Annnnnnd top down mixing saves ME a lot of time.

[@Studio22mix]

Corrective EQ before compression, tone shaping after 😊

[@catsockstudio]

As an FOH dude I can totally get behind subtractive eq. In fact, in studio, I can't remember the last time I boosted anything on a vocal eq!

[@LadyPeter]

RE: Top-down Mixing YEH!!! Happy bouncy me!!!!!! I used the same approach in photo editing. The first edits were always the ones that were applied to the entire image file like straightening the horizon line or lens corrections. Zits on a face always came last and that was back in the day when we had to manually clone them out.

[@rickeguitar9086]

This is so helpful! Thanks Joe!

[@michaeltablet8577]

Not only do you give great advice you are the reason I am making music. Due to neck and back injuries I could no longer play more than a song or two without excruciating pain. I gave up playing and one day stumbled upon your videos. I hadn't considered recording and mixing because I didn't have the skills or confidence to do so. I discovered both because of your videos. God bless you Joe!

[@juanmacall3256]

Keep up the good work Joe, I enjoy your videos a lot and your voice is awesome to sleep to 😊 use to listen to the podcast when I have trouble sleeping.

[@scottparker7739]

Pretty simple for me. I was wishy washy. Joe's approach made sense to me. I learned it instead of buying more plug ins. I have used this analogy... Joe's "top down" approach gave me the bones, and I hang the meat on it. I am making mixes in my home studio that I didn't even realize I was capable of. And the more I do the better they are getting. Isn't that the goal?

[@Marco-HidalgoMusicRecords]

A very nice way to tell haters to fu** off because you´re a nice guy Joe!!!!! I gotta tell you the since "Fighter" I became a fan of your music, which I listen to almost every day (I swear I´m not a stalker 😂😂) but before that I was watching your tutorial videos that help me a lot through the years!!!! I appreciate all the time you put into them and don´t care about these trolls that don´t have a life!!! Just saying ✌🏻🤪

[@nashse7en]

Hi Joe you are one of the best on YT for sure. By far

[@mikejonesmuzik3765]

You definitely give good advice bro, Salute

[@chrisfoster1785]

I agree 100% there are lots of options. Find what works for you!

[@dvnbrat]

I think you give plenty of very valuable advise. And a lot of that advice has drastically stepped up my mixing game. For example, you totally sold me on LCR. My forthcoming release is chock full of LCR mixes. Also, while i haven't yet found the perfect 'groove' for it yet, I have experimented with some top down mixing. It seems to me that those who are not liking some of your advise may still in the learning curve of that process & are therefore out of their comfort zone. And also, thank you for helping me get out of my comfort zone. I'm gonna meet my deadline ;)

[@TimothyNguliMusic]

joe whoever said that to hell with it, you help us alot you great continue leading from the front

[@colemartin9077]

Well said sir!

[@willsteelrandall]

Very well articulated Joe.

[@sdashrocktv11]

I like your advice thanks I appreciate you!!

[@PANTECHNICONRecordings]

The “top-down mixing” examples you focused on are arguably special cases: I would argue that a drum kit, no matter how many individual channels it’s spread across, is still essentially ONE instrument. The same might apply to stacked BVs. So the processing you apply on the bus is not affecting a group of instruments in the same sense as if you do it to your keyboards. I wouldn’t find the top-down approach useful in that scenario, for instance. It’s also worth noting that once you’ve applied the tweaks to individual drum channels that you demonstrate here, you and I are not, ultimately, doing anything particularly different - it’s just that I work “upwards” instead. What really grinds my gears is when people insist on mixing into a whole load of compression, EQ etc on the mix bus. That’s a sure-fire recipe for tying yourself in knots in a mix, in my opinion. I will occasionally turn on some “mastering”-type processing when my mix is at an advanced stage, just to check that it’s not going to affect the balance drastically, but I couldn’t stand to be fighting it while trying to mix.

[@Michaelkenjarrell01]

That makes a lot of sense because if you bring up all the good stuff it may have some of the bad stuff it makes it a little muddy and tumbled up I'm like you I like to subtract the negatives

[@billfox3761]

I passed the link to this video to a friend. I said, "Jump to 6:40." IMO, that's where the meat begins. Food for thought for sure.

[@lloydholley5396]

You are spot on!! L. Holley UMPG Netherlands. 👍🏾🤘🏾👊🏾

[@lawanedavis7818]

You give great advice

[@timothysaxton8221]

Wow, don't let them get to you Joe. Just keep up with your good work and let them show their lack of wisdom by accusing without full understanding. I think you give better advice then most.

[@louiewgroenewald]

Just keep doing what you do. I've watched a lot of your contend and read your email subscriptions. And all is great advice to learn from. It's interesting that most of your contend is to learn from, regards mixing, studio one, etc. If I already knew everything why would I click on a video that eduactes. These people with their comments give through that they know more by their comment. If your advice is not correct, it must mean that they already know what is correct. So then why would they click on a video to learn from if they already know what is correct. Thanks for your content. It is very straight forward, easy to understand and learn form. I did not accomplish what you did so I look up to you and your advice.

[@doubleaceprod]

That's a dope video! Definitely learned something😅

[@JoeStuffzAlt]

From what I've seen, I've liked almost all of Joe Glider's ideas. I don't think there was anything that I'd say 100% wrong. He's not the only person I've been watching for mixing advice, but he's been saying so much good stuff. I'm closer to bottom-up mixing, however, I do mostly vocals for a side project; the rest of the song is a single, purchased track. Basically I do effects on a single vocal, copy/paste the effects to another, and if they work, ONTO THE BUS THEY GO, or at least the effects ones that work for multiple vocals. It turns out, there usually are a good amount of effects that work for more than 1. At the same time, if I get stuck, I can have top-down as another way to attack the problem with.

[@samuelpillay2300]

I agree with you Joe

[@LadyPeter]

RE: Subtractive EQing - Generally speaking in the digital world, there is only so much data that can be sampled and saved. Any form of editing that boosts anything (color in photos, frequencies in sound) is using math to alter the original data in a predefined way by creating new data. This additive math can introduce anomalies that do not exist in the original data. Whereas with subtractive math, data is often removed which leaves behind more of the original signal. (That was way over simplified). Granted newer programs have less anomalies due to improvements in the math formula, but the principle still exists for improved human workflow. So, I’m sorry, Joe. It is a shame that uncouth folks deliberately use smear tactics to attempt to steal favor from others. In a compassionate society, you would have never had to spend so much time on this subject. BTW, I fell in love with your methods the very first time I understood what it was you were actually doing and it was my photography experience that helped that understanding along.

[@jrclarkbass]

The Whoo Knob! I want to Alt Shift Ctrl and right click to put an animated GIF of an owl with big eyeglasses on that knob! 😁 Also your advice is always good.

[@TheUltimateSeeds]

Back in the 80's and 90's, I used to own and engineer a small 16 track, analog (reel-to-reel) studio. There is a lot more to it than this, but one of the best tips I can offer is, as you are mixing, try to listen to it through as many different (low end to high end) speaker systems as possible. I used to have a setup that allowed me to send the mix to around 5 pairs of speakers, including a pair in a different room and a boombox. And, of course, through headphones. If you can get it to sound good in all of them, then (usually) you should be good to go.

[@matt_nyc_audioengineer]

Hey Joe! I've been watching your videos on and off for a few years now and just wanted to chime in. Do I agree with each and everything you say, no haha! But that's ok and I can't think of anyone (on KZbin or otherwise) who I agree with every little thing they say. Mixing can be done in many ways and in the end, if it sounds good, there is no right or wrong way in many aspects of mixing. I mix professionally and one thing I've learned over the years is that so many people take this FAR too seriously! There is also SO MUCH misinformation out there and it really causes problems because people latch on it and take it as a hard fact. Don't worry about anyone who has anything negative to say. Just let them think they know it all and laugh while you get to earn a living doing what you love! I run into people like that all the time and it's usually very clear they know very little about what they are talking about.

[@chemdrum]

Very well said!! Not sure why certain people just don't get it. I even tend to struggle with the idea that what someone says on KZbin is gospel. However, the more you look at these different videos on mixing advice or tutorials, you begin to realize that this advice is just their method and they only suggest it to us as the viewer. Lol I think it's the word audio "engineer" that gets everyone on the edge of their seat. That term has so much weight to it that connects with terms such as calculations, measurement, precision, perfection, etc. We forget that this is still a creative art and there isn't 1 perfect way to get a great mix. I think that's what gets people to hone in on which advice is good and which is bad lol .

[@robertparker3580]

truths!

[@HeadrushStudio21228]

I remember an instructor saying top down was useless because once you disable the plugins the whole mix falls apart??? Like yea bro I’m gonna disable the plugins before mixdown…. Logic eludes some folks.

[@Studio22mix]

I think he meant “if you change stuff in your masterbus chain your mix falls apart”. Which is actually true 😉

[@LucianoSilvamusic]

I agree 100%.

[@LoweCommotionStudio]

My only complaint is that you chose air hockey over a foosball table. "Boo!" and "Hiss!", sir. "Boo!" and "Hiss!"

[@guitarz99]

the most important thing i have learned about mixing is get the recording right if you do you wont have to mix as much trying to fix problems, a major problem in mixes i hear is weak flat lifeless vocals by people who cant sing

[@CooganBear]

Your mic sounds really nice. 👍

[@PerryNunley]

I like salt but my wife gives me the stink-eye when I reach for it. Thanks for the great advice Joe !!

[@phadrus]

Subtractive EQ isn’t controversial, man! :) Top Down, that’s a different story, many mixers love it and some hate it-very polarizing. There are also a lot of mixers that have more of a hybrid approach, because it’s nearly impossible to due pure top or bottom up mixing. There are mixers who don’t even use sub buses. Another very controversial topic is “gain staging”-that’s a whole other Pandora’s box.

[@nkeister928]

Obviously joe, if u have been doing this successfully for over 15 years, u obviously know what u are doing and can appropriately teach the craft successfully. Those people that comment that way usually don’t have the knowledge or experience to back up their claim. Haters only hate because of jealousy.

[@theorignl4415]

Ah Joe, come. This channel is just entertaining. I don't take nothing from it. But, my mixes are lousy because I follow your advice. Subtractive EQ just takes the umph out. But, boosting just makes my mixes boomy. Be clear here Joe. But, stay entertain. lol Just do what you do Joe!

[@Kunibert_Knatter]

re: wishy-washy - so true! re: subtractice EQ - if you just boost low and high, you still have this who-ing sound in that track. All you did was just painting some noisy make-up over it, but deep inside it sits and waits to bite somewhere else, where that frigging frquency can join forces with some other evil sucker. Eliminate them and let the other stuff shine! And fully agree on all the rest you said.

[@c.l.4895]

bad mixing advice: pan everything hard left… oops, sorry only one of my earbuds charged up 😂

[@officialWWM]

😂

[@IZBroadcast]

well summed🥴

[@Studio22mix]

Top-down mixing is not about mixing in a bus-compressor. It’s about mixing into a complete masterbus chain. The advantage is that you can get results faster but only to a certain level. Most engineers who did top-down mixing stopped doing it. If you are a beginner it’s great for easy results but if you want to tier up your mixing skills and want to improve I suggest to work your way up from the bottom 😊

[@tompittman3683]

I really like your Hat!! Where can I get one like that. BTY: Nice Video and good Advise!!

[@HomeStudioCorner]

Amazon for the win

[@julianmejia7833]

Nice🎉

[@alexeysmirnovguitar]

In my opinion, top down mixing only works on great source material. It doesn't really work for my specific situation. My job is mostly about doing live sound mixing, and recording and mixing live show recordings. So I am forced to firsly remove everything bad/unwanted from the recodings, meaning mostly subtractive EQ/filtering and general purpose compression/expansion (if needed) on indidual tracks, to make them sound decent at least. Only then I am able to hear the potential of the particular recording and build a basic rough mix. Can't imagine doing it any other way for live sound recording. Maybe I'm wrong😂

[@Reverdoc]

Hi Joe... I need your advice: How do we manage the lot of USB keys ( mouse, keyboard, apps, etc,), and devices in a home music studio ? Do we just buy multiple hubs or there:s a better way ? Thank you for your help since I'm a newcomer int this tech music world, Thank you.. Pierre

[@garymccoy6564]

Anyone who "blindly follows advice" does not understand what advice is. They mistake advice for a command.

[@richardsp2794]

And top down mixing.... Jeeeeeeez. Go listen to a Beach Boys album from when they only had 4 or 8 tracks to record with. They would pick instruments with opposing frequencies so as not to stamp on one another and record, mix and bounce them down in groups to minimise the limited processing they had. Honestly, I could scream

[@manipicao]

Everybody does it wrong except me

[@GizzyDillespee]

3:22 This is your 1st video that appeared in my feed. Maybe the sort of polarization you talk about at the timestamp is good for publicity, under the "any attention is better than none at all" sentiment - and I DO know quite a few people who agree with that sentiment, and they DO seem to believe that everyone's the same way - but I'm not one of them.

[@GizzyDillespee]

Maybe the YT algorithm just promoted the wrong video of yours, but that's life. Good luck on your ventures, I'm out.

[@icyspecter]

agree

[@onoesmurlocs]

I was watching a mix with the master video, one of their famous producers did 2 deep narrow cuts in a vocal around 5k area , he was like I don't like those frequencies on this vocal I'm taking it out you can do that you know.

[@Studio22mix]

Dave Pensado 😊

[@onoesmurlocs]

@@Studio22mix No it was Leslie Brathwaite ,but it does sound like something Pensado would say.

[@alfonso6365]

Hi Joe, I was surching for a very long time to a good mixing course. Unfortunately I am not able now to go for the course with the special price of $99,50 which ends today. I will have the money on september 23. Will there be a special offer again in the future? I really want to do this amazing course!

[@DannyTaylorHintonOK]

OK... so the pickup on that guitar behind you is all I can focus on.

[@kristianmarschewski1590]

yeah people want to missunderstand like everything.... and then they blame others for their own sh*t work.

[@HeadrushStudio21228]

Also I’d say that top down is more of a tool or a technique rather than a whole principle. I feel like people wouldn’t get so riled up if they see it as only a tool to utilize if they need it

[@the_free_west]

needs more eq sweeping

[@antonmarshall2]

All I can say is since following your lessons and tips my work has improved exponentially. Stuff the critics of your method. They're not our here helping people like you do. They're focusing on telling people what they don't like. Boo hoo.

[@juanmacall3256]

I think its wrong to say that there is only one way to mix. I like to ”mix” it up with different things.

[@ericstrauch3215]

Joe, like the joke goes, how many guitarists does it take to scree in a light bulb? One and 50 others to stand around and tell you the ways you can do it differently. If it works for the song then it works.

[@KyleMcHattie]

Anyone who thinks subtractive eq is bad advice should be avoided at all costs. Both subtractive and additive eq are valuable. subtracting first is standard pro practice.

[@mljsthompson]

Here is some good advice..Common Joe, there will always be naysayers. Stop the whining... ha ha...you make great videos and i think most people listening appreciate what you do for them. Nobody gets perfect advice in this endeavor of mixing and mastering. Only starting points and opinion. Anyone who takes to heart only one source of information will likely not go far with this self education. Listen to lots of sources and try a lot of different things until you hit your stride. The more you learn, the more you realize how much there is to learn. The secret is, there aren't any secrets to your ears. Just keep at it and you will get to whatever level your heart desires.

[@gooshie3]

Salt IS amazing...

[@myturningpoint]

I hope the haters boosting everything are dropping the output gain on their EQ's otherwise they're just boosting their signal paths horrendously

[@salintium]

To be honest, anyone telling you that you give bad advice I would venture to say put up or shutup. In other words, if you are going to say that then provide the evidence to prove it or state what you think is how it should be done. If you can't back up your claim then don't say it to begin with.

[@apriljoy6177]

you sure know a lot and sing good to

[@jasoncarroll3733]

I think you could of answered all those naysayers with one piece of advice. When you hear a new track for the first time, ASK YOUR EARS one question --- What does this track require to make it the best sounding track possible ?

[@HomeStudioCorner]

That question isn't helpful for people who are new to this and haven't developed their ears or their taste yet.

[@jasoncarroll3733]

Ah, had a feeling I should have been more thorough on my statement. Let me elaborate a bit. Art is music, music is taste. Take your snare drum EQ subtraction on this video for example. I personally liked the end result of what you did. Now the next persons ears may not agree with me or you. They may want more subtraction? I use your Killers parallel drum mix quite often on my mixes, but sometimes I adjust the settings to what my ears feel is correct. If you’re considering that all of your advice is being offered from your point of view as an instructor/teacher then I see the point in your response to my comment. Although I would say because we’re talking about art, shouldn’t it be something more along the lines of “This is the road I would travel down to get to the destination, it’s not the only road to get there , just the one I would travel on” When a mix is complete isn’t the end result due to the ears that we’re mixing it ? Lastly, I’ve yet to come across someone who states “ I’m going to make the worst piece of art that I could possibly make“ I would venture to say that most try to make what their taste/ears feel is best for them. If others agree then that’s the shooting star we’re all trying to catch and jump on and ride.

[@kieranetheridge4709]

Whats the name of your brawl stars channel?

[@HomeStudioCorner]

😂

[@JamesonNathanJones]

I'll have you know, my salt cakes are renowned far and wide. "Wow that's salty, and also a cake" they all say. Great stuff as always man

[@HomeStudioCorner]

I see your point.

[@FKA_Skull]

Skip the first 6:50 of the video

[@JasonVeilleux-sj9zb]

Your my go to for mixing Bad advice??? Never

[@rewind2play]

I have been following Joe for years good info but wrapped up in to much waffle...