Should You Mix While Producing?

Do you mix too much while producing?
Should you wait until after the arrangement to start mixing?
In this video I talk about some strategies I use to stay inspired and move quickly, I used to spend too long diving into the details before the song was ready. Sometimes getting the song together and fully developed before you dive into advanced mixing can make you feel more productive.
Synth Hacker -
/ @synthhackertv
I've been splitting my sessions into
1)Sound design
2)Production with minimal mixing
3)Full Mixing
I find that working like this saves me time and keeps me focused
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[@inthemix]

FREE FLP Template in next weeks video, be sure to turn on notifications so you don't miss it. Includes Drum samples, Synth Presets, Basses and mixer preset. Also...In The Mix has grown 22k this month which is mad! I welcome all our new members :)

[@rottenapples66]

In The Mix your channel is awesome!

[@yogasiva2009]

In The Mix should I balance my mix before I add the plugins like compressor etc or after that ?

[@harryofficial3743]

Thnx bro

[@NinI-hs8yw]

Yes I agree with you. Creativity doesn't last long in a day. When you are in zone making "music" just keep putting your ideas in it rather being so technical. Passion comes first and techniques come later to support it.

[@vinime4431]

Man you explain everything so perfectly! I'm your daily fan! Cheers from Brazil!

[@AndrewKamenMusic]

Can you make a tutorial on how to achieve the perfect jaw line?

[@shrineofbeats6447]

Don't eat much

[@abhishesh1632]

Eat chewingum

[@leavethebasket7435]

Ikr he's so handsome lol

[@shrineofbeats6447]

@@leavethebasket7435 that's true... Like Robert Pattinson

[@muptezeladam9605]

Mewing

[@Weaverbeats]

They teach you in engineering school to keep your production, mixing and mastering all as separate processes. That way you prevent yourself from getting as overwhelmed.

[@RoyaltyProductionsDA]

Weaver Beats the more you mix while composing the better what you picture in your thoughts comes out. And the less work there is to do in the final mix. The mixing engineer may not always interpret your idea correctly.

[@PsychoCaki]

@@RoyaltyProductionsDA agreed

[@peanutbutter1998]

Find balance.

[@nebroskitheraut6705]

Well, that doesnt work for me as I mix a little bit while I produce. This helps me to get a better idea of how good a growl bass, screech, transition, riser, etc. will sound in context with others. When i get most of the producing done i mix the details in. But if your method works out for you then you do you my guy.

[@AndroidGamingApps]

@@nebroskitheraut6705 Exactly bro, i think everyone has a way to work and it's okay. But i usually like to mix while i'm producing i hate to listen to bad sounding drums while i'm making the melody haha

[@MxwlUK]

this is why you are the don you got it bang on heres my producing routine atm: create nice loop listen 100 times tweak sounds better listen 100 times tweak sound sick listen 100 times close FL repeat

[@AnotherMonster]

😂😂😂😂

[@morten1]

:D I can relate. Try putting empty blocks for a few parts (some structure and movement) first and then create the parts without looping too long. Or at least switch between two loop parts. Looping can be so numbing and hard to break

[@__Poindexter__]

Damn.....this is 100% me and I don't like it lol

[@quantumsingularitystudios1772]

Close project. Never open it back up again.

[@armandosoria7993]

@@quantumsingularitystudios1772 i felt that..

[@jboi2199]

But my only problem with mixing after the track is finished is that you don't know of certain sounds are going to work well together until you add all the effects to make them fit ..

[@inthemix]

Yeah absolutely, adding reverbs and delays early on is often very important sound design :)

[@jboi2199]

@@inthemix ok I see, just gotta practice it a bit more I guess

[@AnotherMonster]

@@jboi2199 It just takes time and practice to know what to add and what to skip. The more you produce you'll find a workflow that works for you and you'll be able to know and quickly implement what each sound needs.

[@MrOri68]

The thing is rules of thumb are confusing. So let's say you've got a track with a kick a bassline and a lead. Your lead in this theoretical scenario has a load of low frequency information. It will sound muddy and maybe even distorted in some cases. If you've been producing long enough you'd know this lead (again purely hypothetical) needs a low cut, so you might throw it on and tune it quickly or decide to do it later based on guess work, if you've developed the skills to do so. On the other hand if you do not have these skills yet you may find the lead obnoxious and delete it even though you had a pretty decent lead. The bottom line is if you don't practice and only count on tip videos which are as mentioned: tips, you won't be able to identify problems or good tropes as easily as people who took the tips for what they are and used their ears and brains over time to figure out what sounds good and what doesn't.

[@matthewmckee6289]

I wouldn't count stuff like that as 'mixing'. You should still be doing basic eq, adding reverb/delay and saturation since they are all crucial parts of the sound. The problem is when you start to spend to much time on one specific effect, something that probably doesn't even make a big diffence.

[@b.bullfrog1227]

When he's like "Everybody's got stuff to do" and starts listing off daily activities lmao. What a down to earth bloke

[@DeSanKwuh]

dude you've literally unravelled all those voices in my head telling me to stop being a perfectionist and get on with it. Great vid man, definitely re-grounded my workflow/ general approach to mixing. Love the idea of splitting up sessions, definitely going to implement that from now on (y)

[@RoyaltyProductionsDA]

oli de st croix except you’ll forget the idea you was going for around the time you get to the next session.

[@DeSanKwuh]

@@RoyaltyProductionsDA depends how dedicated you are to your craft?..

[@bonobo2181]

Great advice. I used to slap on hundreds of plugins trying to get the perfect mix, and overload my CPU before I was even halfway through a song. Then inevitably I'd lose all motivation trying to work in a laggy project file, and abandon a half finished song. I also used to hate the idea of bouncing tracks to WAV (to save CPU) before I got the sound/midi perfect.

[@AnotherMonster]

same lol. There's nothing worse than trying to finish a laggy track

[@twoshane]

There is only one plugin.... reverb ....

[@XnazxulX]

Less is more. Just remember that, you don’t need 6 million plugins to make a banger :)

[@user-jm2yu6sk7w]

Same this always mess up my idea

[@benja303]

Bonobo had to check the username twice cause this sounds like my experience exactly a few years ago

[@robertjasionek2232]

Basic gain staging, panning and HP/LP is usually what I go with during composition and the creative part of producing. Everything else comes after most of the ideas are already down.

[@ginotarabotto]

Avicii had the same approach. Produce first, focus on sound later.

[@trollingisasport]

And look where that got him

[@postjw]

@@trollingisasport lmfao

[@rocca717]

J. W. What’s funny?

[@postjw]

@@rocca717 he ded

[@RoyaltyProductionsDA]

Dirk Diggler 😂😂😂😂

[@xIanBx]

Love your videos man. Thank you for putting in the effort required to make quality informational content for the producers and engineers out here!!

[@SamSine]

Hey man, you just popped up in my recommendations. I clicked out of curiosity and your videos are really professional. I’ve subscribed for the support :) I just wanted to bounce back on what you said regarding taking too much time to clean up the sound while producing. I agree with you, I used to be like that too. I would write a song and start producing it and instead of putting everything together first, I would write the bass line and then already trying to clean it up and polish it with hardware/plugins. Now, I focus more on the production aspect and less on the mixing which I tackle later. I think the reason a lot of people do that (why I used to do it anyway) is that, for example, you’d pick up a bass and think to yourself that it sounds good. And while mixing a few days later, you realize that the bass doesn’t sound good in that prod, so it tends to shape a bad habit in future producing sessions to clean up the bass and putting whatever effects on it to kinda have a preview if the bass will fit or not in the prod. Same for drums, I would spend time selecting a kit and working with it, only to realize during mixing that the snare ring is clashing with an element of the prod or the bass drum is too full or too hollow for that type of prod. I think this is the case for a lot of starting producers, they worry that the sound might not be fitting, and you can only know until the sound is properly shaped. Now with my 15 years of experience, I don’t have to worry about shaping the sound while producing because I already know, by just hearing the “raw” bass, drums, whatever…, if it will work or not. I guess you progressively lose the habit with experience :) And I think it’s important to have two separate sessions for producing and mixing. I actually have 4 templates for my DAW (songwriting, producing, mixing, mastering) and each one of them are optimized for their purpose. For example, my mixing template is already loaded with my routing and group buss and my most used plugins. Time saver as well. Again, great channel man!

[@ELMCinc]

I definitely agree with your advice and love that you take the time out to explain multiple things in details so your viewers can have a better understanding Thanks

[@treehann]

I find myself to be motivated more by my own music if I mix a little bit as I go. I like when it sounds a bit sharp right off the bat.

[@Musicbypinge]

This was just exacly what i needed. best video ever.. thanks so much!

[@cman2674]

Never stop making videos, Your straight foward and you helped me ALOT...just had to throw that out there :)

[@NebulousWyatt]

You're the man! We understand a lot of this music stuff is subjective but your videos are very high quality, very well put together and you explain things in depth which is always better than leaving it out because here in 2020 we can always tap forward.

[@rnavratil8487]

I'm really thankful for all of your videos. I'm a beginner myself and I can't even explain how much these videos help. Thank you!

[@maxmartiny9049]

This video Makes My Whole day...I've been really struggling with capturing my ideas the right way and this video was basically exactly the thing I needed! Thank you so much.

[@leongargan6024]

Man I feel like you're reading my mind lately. I always get super frustrated when making music because I know exactly what I want to do with a track but I just don't have the sound design skill/knowledge to make the "perfect synth". I sometimes spend 2-3 hours tweaking a synth, that I end up scrapping. This video has made me take a step back and look at the bigger picture.

[@siin875]

You're awesome bro - this makes alot of sense. Thanks for the honesty as always

[@JanGames100]

thank you so much for doing less but higher quality videos :) i really enjoyed your "the sound of" videos. so many people go for the opposite and i don't think anyone is content with the whole thing in the end. the viewers don't learn as much or maybe nothing at all and the content creator probably is not as proud of his work.

[@inthemix]

I'm so glad you agree :)

[@EmpuGaming]

I needed this video, great stuff as always!

[@roydavenport2469]

A much needed video for me. I been struggling with exactly this for a little while now and i didn't even notice till a few days ago. Then you release this video. I like the idea of having different sessions. Definitely gonna give that a try.

[@2GooDProductions]

Since I started using FL Studio a couple weeks ago, I have found that mixing while producing is very quick to achieve, and allows me to get sounds tuned to where I want them in the frequency/stereo field so I can better fill it out as I continue on adding layers. And thanks for the videos, I have learned so much from you.

[@nalsium2828]

This was exactly what I needed to hear. Thank you so much!

[@ashirwadshetye6988]

Your videos are always so much useful, learning new things, thank you and keep doing this again and again

[@christianvaldez755]

Hey man! This talk helped a lot, i was confused and been thinking about this

[@abrotherinchrist]

I think this is the traditional way to look at music production as a whole and it certainly has it's place, but I find that the creative process and the mixing process often work together towards an end. Sometimes I might not have a complete vision of what I want to do and need to experiment with different instruments, sounds, or whatever. Sometimes tweaking something in the mix will inspire me to go a certain direction and try something new. If a person lacks creative drive or vision, or are just indecisive, then sometimes they might need to start messing around. Getting input from others who are knowledgeable about music production might help. I consider myself a person that has about half of my vision going into a project and the rest happens while recording and mixing. That random unknown leads to inspiration a lot of the time, and that's what it is all about for me: What inspires. I go back and forth between production and mixing quite often until I reach the full vision and can finish it off in a final mixing/mastering phase. These days allow for that flexibility when you can sit in your home studio, not pressed against the clock and your wallet.

[@rewbeat]

Thank you for this video. This is very helpful. Sometimes for me mixing in the middle of the production takes away the fun and concentration to finish the song so I try to leave it for later. Sometimes I even realize that if I have to load up a bunch of effects and I still can't get it right, it might be that I just need to change the sample/preset and that fixed the problem or even made the song sound better.

[@epictoasty2211]

I really loved this video, and I look forward to having a creative perspective that allows me to really grasp it and benefit from its implementation.

[@madjohann8321]

I really needed to see this video, thank you so much. I had trouble staying motivated and felt like I was trying a bit too much

[@crowned-blue]

you always bring something essential for me....love your dedication....

[@chrisj3059]

Great video, thank you. Love the mindfulness you have when addressing certain topics. :)

[@narayantx]

Excellent advice. Thank you for your insights. Especially liked the part about practicing and sample creation sessions.

[@familymember2795]

I needed this video. You are one of my biggest inspirations man 👍💙💙

[@monu-zg6ql]

you are the best....you took my mix master level to the sky...love you man!!❤️❤️❤️

[@expedidor]

I stand with you on this. Motivation is key to perfect a mix and what you said applies to it so well.

[@iamm3109]

Needed to hear this, thanks again!

[@xandy9727]

Really needed this video!

[@gabekrug5399]

I know this is a late comment but I’m so glad I found this video. I’ve just started in making music and I’ve been relying A LOT on your videos. They help me out so much but the funny thing is that I’m part of that same percentage of beginners who try to mix their music while producing it and holy crap you have shed so much light. Since I’ve started producing my first song, the time that I have spent on it has just dwindled down slowly as the days go because I’m trying to do two things at once and the motivation just keeps dropping, but after finding this I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off of me. I’ve also noticed I haven’t spent much time on the sounds to where I’m satisfied with them with my song. I often find myself tweaking the sound while I’m mixing and producing and it’s honestly a headache lol. Sorry for this comment being so long but you have helped me so much in the past week of me starting music production and I can’t thank you enough. Keep up with AWESOME work and can’t wait for more content.

[@eplecor]

Thanks so much man. Great advice. Exactly what I needed.

[@MCSTUDIOMUSIC]

Great as always

[@TheSinlessAssassin]

I needed this today. After my first week with FL Studio, I feel like I'm already burning out because I got too concerned with learning how to EQ and edit waveforms. Now I realize I should plan certain sessions as you say rather than doing a scatter of each little thing per session.

[@synthestesia654]

This video hit every single problem I've been having while mixing. Thanks so much Michael!

[@acg012]

Thank for the link man! :D

[@ryusbubbles5236]

Mike is the humblest teacher ever! Wish you peace my man!!

[@stateboliracku1]

You are always on point! Great tutorials fam

[@KateShep]

This video is exactly what I needed right now. Thank you so much.

[@rtollisen]

This is really helpful. I've learned a lot from you. Cheers!

[@BrianSevintin]

My friend. Yiu know what is funny. That your videos are always linked to my strugle i find while putting my fingers on keyboard and mouse. Its amazing that its right on the spot. That is a hero to my ears. Thanks man!

[@djoffsyde3190]

Love your videos bro your an awesome engineer/producer, definately great advice!

[@cassiomachado93]

Your channel is awesome. Really, really thank you for all the information. Cheers from Brazil!

[@lim1tless288]

thank you ))) I've just bought fl 12 and your videos are really helpful !!!!!

[@MichaelVakili]

I love your videos

[@donlocosmocos]

Saw Many videos about everything. Your channel is the best well compressed info about music production for beginer.

[@jasabasenara8124]

This is so true. I've found myself starting to tweak as I'm going along. Your right, it was taking me ages to move on with the mix. Don't know why I started doing it as I always tweak after. Need to get out of this habit now.

[@MisterTrayser]

Such a great question!

[@Kostaras4444]

Very eye opening video, thanks for that, also amazing channel :)

[@AnotherMonster]

Great video as always! I just want to say I do my sessions in pretty much the same way as you and it really works for me as far as staying on task and also getting the best final result. I like to get my mix as solid as possible while I'm producing without spending too much time with sound design etc. The better I can get my mix as I'm producing the easier and better the track turns out in the actual mixing session. I just want to add that when I first started producing I would try to do everything as quickly as possible. I was way too impatient and would try to lump the creation process in with the mixing process and just bang out track after track. It's important to make sure you give yourself a few days off from your session when you do your final mix. This is a mistake I used to make. Thanks for the video man! This is a topic I've been thinking a lot about recently.

[@OnlineGuitarCovers]

In my opinion, the best thing is to not do any mixing at all when producing. Many of which are the reasons you mentioned here. I think it's great to focus on chords, melodies, arrangement, and sound selection. At least that way you know that once it's mixed it will sound amazing as it should already sound great before any mixing work is done. After listening to many un-mixed multi-tracks from big songs, they all sound very close to the final mix before any post-processing.

[@MrCJ-lc9ru]

Why do you think that is? That they sound almost like the finished mix. I found this to be true also.

[@chriswellz5993]

I'm a producer and engineer, so the mixing aspect of trying to get a snare right is actually a fun part for me. Because I'm not entirely lost in the sauce, I know what I'm doing and how to get there. So when I'm tweaking a snare, finding out things about the snare is fun to me because I get joy from the learning experience. I don't know, that's just me. But there's a time and place for all of it. It depends on the producer, really. Always remember that what works (for you) is the best option. Same with choice of DAW, choice of workflow, choice of plugins, choice of genre, choice of everything. This is your life. Make music, but above all else, have fun.

[@bipolarfrequencies]

TY I needed to hear this!

[@ternitamas]

Such a humble and generous piece of advice! thanks Mike =) Looking forward to the hush hush projects ;-)

[@inthemix]

Me too!

[@sewnixltdofficial7687]

Owsm as always 👍

[@masonparksmusic]

Quality video like always my dude

[@mrbass093]

Thank you for talking about this topic, I wish more people talked about this

[@davecharette2812]

its all good no need to apologies,you do your stuff at your own speed and time. have a good one

[@newsomething8682]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!

[@officialWWM]

This is such a great video!

[@chinmaykhawse7518]

You don't have an idea , wht a a grt conflict u solved in my mind !!! Thanks so much bro :)

[@stephenflores5215]

another excellent video bro. Thank you!

[@CounternoiseMusic]

You have a very relatable way of passing on experience and advice. Even stuff that's not new by itself comes across from a new and convincing angle. Thanks for that. Two comments: 1) Often times I get lost in the details like you describe, but it's worse than that: when that happens, I think I'm getting lost /because/ I don't the big picture, so the causality is backwards. So I guess my hope then is to see the big picture once the details are right. 2) Getting lost in details bears the danger of over-exposing yourself to the track, and you loose the distance. It can only go south from there.

[@TheAngelOlguin]

Great point!

[@tomanizetic8375]

Thanks i really needed this u basicly described my workflow perfectly.

[@ArtisDefiniition]

I really like your presence! very polite and helpful individual! also well informed and very open minded! thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. iv really learnt a lot!

[@Najstefaniji]

i like to mix my stuff along the way. i really like that kinda approach. thats like buying stuff for your house, you can place them along the way, or put everything in one room and rearrange it later, i like the first way :)

[@easylisteningdave]

Just wanted to thank you for helping me for a couple of years trying to get a handle on FL Studio.

[@matt2sanders729]

Thats so true and some times you tweak something and it sounds good until you add more and realize it doesn't fit anymore

[@Danieln17manu]

Thanks for the advice. I have like 30 potential good songs but all unfinished. The day i release i will come back and thank you again! Much love, keep it up!

[@ladyshaymusic_official6922]

Love the video. Congrats on your o Upcoming projects. You had made mention of your bass sound where you started with just an EQ and a Saturation. I think this is a great way to build any project. Being "seasoned" or not. Alot of producers will start at that blank canvas throwing way to much in and not really getting the ideas out fast enough. When I start on a new project, I usually start with just a sound and an idea. From that idea I build it might not be overnight or in the first 20 minutes but the important thing to note here...is the original idea of that sound and direction is kept through the entire process of creation. Thank you again for your time. -Shay.

[@ladyshaymusic_official6922]

Thanks for the love man. I appriciate it when, like minds come together.

[@HarishViswakofficial]

Thanks so much, Micheal! Very inspiring.

[@vaisakh7194]

I need to hear this soo bad, thanks bro youve helped a lot!!!🤠

[@jakbulanwrld]

thank you so much for this video

[@syedbukhari6578]

Very good advices!

[@amorx36]

this is so true! THanks for sparing me for wasted time create now,polish later and :D

[@TheWaveFiles]

Focus and organization written in big letters like a mantra on my wall.Like your work.cheers

[@Syberdemonn]

great tips m8!!!

[@PsalmsMixerIDJ]

Man dude I'm out here in America and I really appreciate the words you have shared here is some good advice thanks again 4 all ur work and Tips bruh!!!!!

[@fortheloveofgaming-ftlog2484]

You perfectly described what I'm living right now. Breaking it down into particular sessions is a good idea... I've spent ages trying to get a good kick drum created... Wasted time at this point. Thank you for making this video.

[@sebastianlagundzija8001]

Well, you're pretty damn right! I'll really try do it this way from now! It might also make me finish more songs..

[@SayaStevan]

really, thank you so much for sharing! you are my teacher!

[@bostonspinach8144]

Perfect timing!

[@peraz968]

Thanks dude! You sounds like so smart and wise especially for yours pretty young age. I appreciate all that. Keep going sir, you make great tutorials! Ps. Greetings from finland!

[@ChrisJG]

Helpful video, Thanks man

[@GoreMelian]

Very well said 👍

[@KrimoErra]

You are soooo right with this. :)

[@sankaranand503]

This is how any tutorial should be.. Big fan of your explanation.

[@Aleks.n]

Yeah, I am also dont carry about kick and bass relationship, perfect reverb amount and perfect panning, if it sounds interesting, beautifull and logical, I keep it

[@swapnilkaleatgoogleplus]

Nice tip...loved it