How Do You Know When A Mix Is Good Enough? FAQ Friday

[@Producelikeapro]

What other questions would you like us to answer? Comment them below to be featured in our next FAQ Friday video!

[@flavanthensome]

When capturing guitar with a 57/121 combo, are those being summed to one mono guitar track or being panned wide left and wide right?

[@Producelikeapro]

@@flavanthensome summed to one track! Stay in mono

[@pm.recording]

Aren't modeling amps "better" than real amps because you can always make changes and always have a "seemingly perfect" recording environment? You always have access to the clean signal. How long do you think real amps will be used in profeessional systems? That's why I only use modeling amps. And because I only do home recording. :)

[@juancarlosguagnoni4062]

Hi ! How do we know that we have enough tools and plugins ? Every year there is a lot of new options for mixing . And I know that there is a lot of people like me that like to buy almost everything. Can you please tell us how to control all that emotion of need ? Thank you so much again for all, you really changed my carreer the last 4 years 😀 THANK YOU ! THANK YOU ! THANK YOU !

[@DAVID-cc5sw]

What's more important in a finished song.....The Vocals/Lyrics or The Music/Band Instruments etc...

[@tatethompson1234]

Very few mixes are “perfect”, most always wish they did it a hair different later on. Believe in yourself, make peace with mix and send it

[@Producelikeapro]

Well said!

[@mistermind7946]

Hello, just curious about your statement and looking to find out examples of good music. What are some records you'd call perfect? I'm wishing to learn from them.

[@kennethhughmusic]

"Moving quickly through a mix" - a lesson I finally comprehended a few days again. The very real ah-ha moment was when I realized I was moving quicker by making less moves. Resonance fixes -> hit the EQ -> into the compressor, move on. Then, as you pointed out, adjustments with the entire mix playing. It really is a fun way to mix

[@loudtim265]

That guitar! Every note full and distinct, beautiful.

[@Producelikeapro]

Glad you like it! Thanks ever so much

[@Fedbo]

What a guitar of the day, WOW! That history and an immaculate tone. I enjoyed your jazzy playing in this one Warren, you must have been inspired by the instrument!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Fedbo!

[@liamfitzgerald7528]

FAQ Fridays are great! Also, enjoyed hearing a touch of Misty on that Gibson. An all time favorite melody for me. For at least a decade I've tested out my rig and calmed my nerves for every show by playing through a little bit of Misty. The Roy Buchanan take on it for the PBS doc they did on him in the 70s is fantastic!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Liam! I really appreciate it! Huge fan of Roy Buchanan!

[@TLW4118]

Dang Warren has crazy good chops! What an amazing guitar

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much! Happy New Year!

[@willemmoller6736]

awesome sounding 335 - for me they're the ultimate guitar design, the full sound of an archtop with the sustain of a solid body, and fat humbuckers to boot . . . the one guitar that can do it all. lovely playing too Warren!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Willem! Thanks ever so much

[@LightsandMotion]

liking the new cinematography / lighting! As for mixing, I always spread out a mix over a few days. that gives me more objectivity and then once you play it through and don't feel the need to stop and do something, you're done!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much!

[@FakingANerve]

Same here. I try to mix in batches, mixing more song at a time, and bounce back and forth once or twice, and stop before my ears get tired and come back another day. Both steps help me keep perspective in the mixes.

[@pavs8736]

AAAH! The burning question that keeps me up at night! 🙉

[@Producelikeapro]

Exactly!

[@jeremyholcombe3202]

I don't think I've ever "finished" a mix. At some point, I just abandon them!🤣 Cheers for what you do Warren.

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha I understand that Jeremy!

[@FakingANerve]

Yeah, I've definitely had bad breakup moments with some mixes. "That's it! We're done! Over! I need to move on with my life." 😁👍

[@marcclement7790]

That guitar is just stunning , one in a million!

[@Producelikeapro]

Agreed! Amazing

[@curtis_chip]

Warren plays this beauty …beautiful

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Curtis!

[@david25876]

Very sweet guitar. All that blues just waiting to ring out.

[@Producelikeapro]

Agreed!

[@antcall6779]

Thanks Warren! Great info in this one 🤘

[@Producelikeapro]

Happy to help! Thanks ever so much

[@michaeltablet8577]

I love to hear you play guitar! Great video as always!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Michael! That's very kind of you!

[@psychoprosthetic]

Great questions and great answers, Warren.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much!

[@steveburchfield5576]

Warren sounds pretty good on guitar! I got to play with Richard "Groove" Holmes a few times who had a nice Hit Record with an uptempo version of Misty back in the sixties on Hammond B-3. A segment on the Hammond B-3 would be good since IMO they make about everything sound better!!! Good Job Warren!!! At a recent Jazz funeral in K.C.,Mo. Everette Devans B-3 was rolled down the street with a black cloth on it. He was a true master of Jazz Organ.

[@delmixedit]

That guitar!!! Sounds beautiful.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much!

[@vincentkessler7130]

Gorgeous guitar with a great sound !!!! And especially great story he got it from his grandfather. But definitely not 1963. Made in USA stamp, volute and label indicate more of a 1973 guitar. Anyway priceless instrument ...

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Vincent, thanks for sharing!

[@tedgerard333]

That guitar gave me goosebumps when hit the fuzz pedal. Beautiful guitar. Would love to see you play your Ace Frehley guitar.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Ted!

[@DAVID-cc5sw]

When it sounds good the next morning after your first coffee,,,👊

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes!!

[@raphaeleckert7946]

Ah, I've been waiting for you to relate to the live vs overdubbed question for ages :D thanks for the great answer and insight into your process. I've had similar experiences with my band and when recording other artists. Nothing beats a live performance by a group of musicians that perform well with each other!

[@stijnvanrijsbergen8255]

Andy Wallace once said 'Mixing is like riding a bike; you can't go too fast OR too slow, you'll fall off'. Really felt that one

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha well indeed, he mixes fairly quickly himself. I suppose one persons quick is another's slow!

[@nickdryad]

Is there a simple template that works for you? I often think of old school recordings like Sam Phillips recordings or early Beatles who had limited gear compared to the DAW options we have. I sometimes think we have too many options. I’m wondering if there is for you, one default setup in a DAW situation that gives at least a good mix of a song without out so much agonising?

[@Producelikeapro]

The only time I use Templates is when I"m mixing an album and I get a song sounding the way I want, then I take those settings and apply them to the other songs on the album.

[@uwebaganz5144]

I also think there are too many plugins, so just try to use the ones that came with your daw, or that + really a few (max 3) your really need

[@Producelikeapro]

@@uwebaganz5144 very well said!

[@PabloUliver-Bass-Guitar]

Great skills there! 2:09...Thanks for the entire video!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Pablo! Glad you liked it!

[@PabloUliver-Bass-Guitar]

@@Producelikeapro That's a lovely & elegant guitar. As I see your playing, the neck's gotta be perfect.

[@Producelikeapro]

@@PabloUliver-Bass-Guitar it's an amazing neck! Amazing guitar!

[@joelchristie5179]

Hi Warren, do you find that moving fast and making quick decisions is also true for producing and songwriting? I sometimes lose the original feeling of a song idea if I leave it for days, but other times I come up with something great for it days/weeks later.

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes, however, I've been doing this a long time now! So I have a lot of reference points

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes, however I've been doing this a log time now so I have a lot of points of reference!

[@davidallenhammond2777]

Great FAQ Friday Warren, thanks a bunch. Very good information about recording a band! I love Dean's guitar and I expected you to break into some Alvin Lee. Ha ha!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi David! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@davidallenhammond2777]

@@Producelikeapro I loved it! And your playing.

[@Producelikeapro]

@@davidallenhammond2777 you're very kind!

[@stupendousmusic4190]

My long lost acquaintance, Eddie Phillips (of The Creation) would be in heaven with this ES-335 🎸 Don't mix through the night. I have trouble stopping once I get tarted as so many of us do. If I mix for too long at one shot, when I listen the next day, my mix will sound too bright and thin. When everything sounds "balanced" and nothing sticks out too much or is muffled, I can pretty much sign off on the mix.

[@curtis_chip]

8:20. oh yes ! and i was thinking „who changed the mix over night ?“.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hahaha I hear you!!

[@Guitar5986]

Very cool guitar but definitely not a '63. Neck volute, Made in USA stamp, witch hat knobs, chrome hardware/pu covers, & trapeze bridge are the give aways that date this guitar to sometime in the 1970's.

[@jeramym9506]

I believe you are right. The volute is the real giveaway

[@Producelikeapro]

I had an early '70s one, however it didn't have those knobs and the headstock was different. This has that two tone neck, so I Inder if it's a '68? Just with different knobs?

[@Producelikeapro]

@@jeramym9506 playing it it didn't feel like my '72 however it did feel like a late '60s.

[@Curtiss1965]

I usually do a rough mix my songs. Leave the song (and my ears) alone for a few days. Listen to it on moderate levels (some say it should be at a normal conversation level) take notes as the song is paying, at 1:33 vocals are to loud, and so on. And then fix the problem(s). When you listen to your song and not detect any problems you mix are finished...

[@Producelikeapro]

That’s a great way of working if you can do that! It all comes down to deadlines

[@RustamRzaev]

Man, new Colour correction is gooood )))

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@MisuAlexandru1]

Hello! What do you do when you think your first mix is better than revision #3 from the client, for example? I work on smaller projects, but sometimes this really happens... my opinion :D

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes, that does happen! You have to gently ask them to go back and listen to the mix for reference and make sure the mix has been improved

[@MisuAlexandru1]

@@Producelikeapro thank you so much for replying and for everything you do! I understand, I'll keep that in mind next time :)

[@Producelikeapro]

@@MisuAlexandru1 fantastic! Glad to be able to help!

[@lazoo2000]

A mix is done when a mixer hits the limits of his own understanding.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much for sharing!

[@kyleparfait61]

How did you guys mic the guitar this go around? What a gorgeous sound!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Kyle, it was mic'd in the room! It's the Fender Deluxe Tonemaster

[@BeesWaxMinder]

🤷‍♂️Not sure I can find a link for the owner of that 335’s music…🤔

[@Producelikeapro]

Here it is:- www.wolfbaymusic.com/

[@vileindividual]

Hey warren, What low budget/free production tools would you recommend for someone who wants to start writing and recording tracks with full band instrumentation but whose only gear is a guitar and an audio interface? Any sample based instrument plugins that you feel are convincing enough to get by with as a solo musician? p.s. Bought the audient id4 gen2 based on your recommendation from a while back and its superb, so thanks for your gear reviews, they definitely help

[@Producelikeapro]

That's great to hear! We love Audient! They make fantastic affordable interfaces! Yes, that sounds like a great video talking about excellent affordable gear

[@dougdavis6353]

Ruth! That a Boy!

[@OlympusHeavyCavalry]

Hi Mr Huart, how often should studio equipment be upgraded? What equipment should get regularly upgraded, say from once a month to upwards of every 5 plus years etc., and what equipment is best left alone? Cheers :-)

[@Producelikeapro]

Hmm...I don't have a simple answer for that! When it breaks? Some equipment has already lasted a lifetime!

[@OlympusHeavyCavalry]

@@Producelikeapro Is there any equipment that requires constant maintenance? Is that a better question Mr. Huart?

[@michal.ochedowski]

I have a question - A project is mixed and I want to future-proof the whole session. I do it in case some plugins wouldn't want to load, when I open it on a later date or if I want to load the project in a different DAW. I know that I have to export each track as it is, including automation and effects. What about processing on the buses though? For example when I use a Low Pass filter on entire drum group and automate the cutoff, is my only option to render the whole drums stem as single wave or is there another way? I think that when I export each drum track separately, passing through drum bus effects including above-mentioned automated filter, final mixdown won't sound the same.

[@uwebaganz5144]

Really hard to tell when a mix is ready, ask friends can help, take a break maybe even a few days can also help - but it's hard to give general advice, cause everyone is different

[@jmsdeco]

Just a thought. Warren is such an excellent musician why not add that to how it relates to being a good producer?

[@Producelikeapro]

Being a musician has really helped me communicate with musicians

[@erikkroll2154]

My mixes are always good enough. I will never get everything sounding exactly the way I want in the mix.

[@Producelikeapro]

It can be and might always be a loving target! The mixers I love are never happy, the mixers that love their own mixes are not the creative mixers we love!

[@erikkroll2154]

@@Producelikeapro Don't get me wrong, I am super happy with a ton of my mixes, they will just never be " perfect". And with that, I keep trying to reach perfection.

[@Producelikeapro]

@@erikkroll2154 I agree, understand and concur!

[@Buatkan_Mee_Rebus]

Any solution when kick sound just too Big? Instead of normal "Dum..Dum..Dum.." the tone that I've recorded like.. "Boom..Boom..Boom". i try to reduce the gain or bring down the fader but it make tone thinner. I'm doing some eq, nothing much difference. Even I'm bring down fader until - 12 the sound just too Big. I can describe my kick tone "bigger than any edm kick sound" 😂😂😂. I'm rock & metal guy. I know this is not the tone that really fit me. Too weird. Haha..

[@johnfrei9057]

We need George Martin to weigh in on this.

[@Producelikeapro]

They used to mix The Beatles songs the same day as they were recorded. The band would stay for the mono mix then leave and the engineer would do the stereo mix.

[@Producelikeapro]

Happy New Year

[@johnfrei9057]

@@Producelikeapro And my impression is that so many of those earlier recordings at least, were basically the full band playing live and not a lot of overdubs.

[@splashesin8]

😊❤️

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks Audrey!

[@Juststartingout768]

Duran Duran/Arcadia spent six weeks mixing Election Day.

[@Producelikeapro]

Is that to prove my point? Haha I love Duran Duran! However, that song had the energy completely removed from it!

[@Juststartingout768]

@@Producelikeapro the production was great though!

[@Producelikeapro]

@@Juststartingout768 yes, very '80s!

[@Juststartingout768]

@@Producelikeapro have you heard their latest album? An absolute wall of noise where you cant really determine what’s the bass and where the guitar is. Not very Duran at all.

[@Producelikeapro]

@@Juststartingout768 I haven't! I will go and check it out

[@RonSwansonIsMyGod]

Oh the eternal dilemma of every artist.....

[@Producelikeapro]

Agreed!

[@LorenFagen]

A wise man named Voltaire once said "Works of Art are never finished, only Abandoned." This has helped me reduce the amount of time I spend in rabbit holes in the course of a mix ;)

[@randomcustomer2806]

You’re Bob Clearmountain.

[@randomcustomer2806]

(I mean that’s how you know)

[@randomcustomer2806]

(I just noticed 6 Music playing Let’s Dance in the background so I’m not sure if I actually considered this statement or was subliminally hypnotised by the transcendental lushness of a top ten mix of ALL TIME)

[@Producelikeapro]

@@randomcustomer2806 Bob is an amazing talent!

[@danb1942]

Guitar porn... ohhh yaaaa baby!

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha indeed Dan!

[@andreirlmeier]

First you have to know what you’re doing . Working too long make you’re ears not better

[@Producelikeapro]

Agreed 100%!

[@andreirlmeier]

@@Producelikeapro I just heard The Fray - How to Save a Life. what a masterpiece warren !!!! and remember how you explained how little time there was for the final mix .....

[@Producelikeapro]

@@andreirlmeier yes! A couple of hours!

[@AnthonyRochester]

I feel you should separate the FAQ video from the guitar video