When I was in eighth grade, I started getting interested in sound at my church. While I can’t explain what went through my head exactly, I just knew something about seeing all of those meters and “flashy lights” intrigued me. I began volunteering with my church’s youth ministry and, almost a decade later, I have found myself just as intrigued with sound as I was then.
When I was first learning about sound, one of the biggest mistakes that I made was to use my eyes instead of my ears when building a mix. Why not? All of the information I need to make a mixing decision is on my screen/console, right? It was around this point when my mentor/teacher (one of the church’s A/V guys) taught me one of, –if not the most important lesson– I’ve ever learned about mixing. EQ graphs are great; metering is awesome, and all of those “flashy lights” are beneficial. But, your ears are the most important tool in your mixing toolbox. It might sound way too simple at first but think about it. How are all of the parts in your recording interacting in your mix? Are you making your decisions based on how things sound to your ear? Or, have you decided that all the information you need is within your ProTools session?
What you see on your screen should be only to verify what you hear. Arguably, mixing is more of an art than a science. Mixing a song should be a form of expression; not a mechanical process.
So, my fellow recording enthusiasts…are you mixing your songs with your ears, or with your eyes?
dB Sound Blog 