INPUT
MAINTAINING PERSPECTIVE &
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MIXING
By Dom Morley
I
love a technical discussion as much as the next person, but I think it’s
worth pausing every now and then to think about the psychological
aspect of the work that we do. What challenges do we face as en-
gineers, and what do we need to consider on behalf of our clients?
I would say that the biggest psychological challenge that
we face during mixing is maintaining perspective. If you’ve ever
got stuck into a mix, been deep in a “flow state,” and then after a few
hours compared your mix to a reference track and realized that there’s
not enough bass or your vocal is clearly too loud, then you know what
I mean. These things can happen, and it’s just a case of keeping your
perspective in check. If you’re mixing for a client, then you should have
a playlist with a few tracks that they want you to sonically aim for. Keep
referring to these to make sure you’re in the ballpark. Obviously, you’re
not looking to copy anything – just to be able to stand up alongside
them and sound like you should be there.
In a very Buzzfeed-y sort of way, I have three “takes” that can help
maintain perspective.
TAKE BREAKS
Getting yourself into a “flow state” can really push a mix forward, but
you have to remember that regular breaks prevent you from pushing
for many hours in the wrong direction. I find it useful to get up and walk
around. Leave the room or even leave the building if you can. Just sitting
in the same chair and hopping on to social media is technically a break
from mixing, but it’s not as effective as actually leaving the space that
you’re working in. (I think I need to be in an acoustically different space
to give my ears a proper rest, but maybe that’s just me.) It only needs to
be a couple of minutes. Then, sit back in front of your mix and prepare
to take notes…
TAKE NOTES
On your first listen back after a break, you hear with fresh ears, but this
perspective doesn’t last very long. You know when you come back
home from a holiday, and you have about 30 minutes where you
walk around and see your house or flat as other people do? Why is
that pile of stuff still in the corner? How is that wall still not painted?
This bathroom looks tragic, etc. After about 30 minutes, you don’t see
those problems again until the next time you return from a trip. Com-
ing back to a mix after a break is a similar thing. That’s why it’s good to
make notes on that first listen – a few things will be noticeable with
this new perspective and they will be worth exploring. Within a couple
of listens, those fresh ears will be back to normal.
TAKE A FRIEND
This is an interesting one, as playing your mix to a friend can really
help you hear it from a listener’s perspective. If this friend has an opin-
ion that you trust then all the better, but the reason you’re doing this
is to see how it changes your perspective and not to gain theirs. This
is really worth trying if you’ve not done it before as you’re likely to be
amazed by what you notice when you’re in this “performance” frame
of mind.
Now that we know a little more about how we can get a handle on our
own psychological challenges during mixing, what can we do to help our
clients do the same? As a mixer, you come in right at the end of a poten-
tially very long process. It’s also possible that you’re the first “outsider” to
be involved creatively. Being respectful of this and understanding your
client’s stresses will help any mix session go smoothly.
Mixing is generally remote these days – artists appear to have con-
cluded that mixing is not a spectator sport. (I was an assistant for a few
years, and I agree.) This is not a problem but it requires good communica-
tion. Let your client know what’s happening and when it’s happening,
of course, but also make sure you get as much information as possible
on what they are looking for. Obviously ask for a playlist to give you an
idea of how they want to sound, but also ask why each song is on the
playlist. Is it there because they like the vocal sound? Or the drum sound?
Or is it just the overall balance? All of this communication will reassure
the client and make your life easier at the same time!
And as a final note on the psychology of mixing, unless you are
lucky enough to be in a large studio complex with lots of people to talk
to, you’ll find yourself working on your own most of the time. This level
of solitude is not normal for humans and can be bad for your mental
health! Try to integrate some actual (not virtual) human interaction into
your working life and it’ll make for happier and more creative sessions.
Dom Morley engineered on Amy Winehouse’s number-one Back to Black
album, Mark Ronson’s Version and Record Collection, Richard Ashcroft’s
These People and Keys to the World, the debut album from Nick Cave’s
Grinderman, and singles for Adele, Morrissey, JP Cooper, and Estelle,
amongst others. He has also engineered or mixed for Rag’n’Bone Man,
The Staves, Rumer, Keane, Birdy, Lemon Jelly, Jeff Beck, Sting, I Am Kloot,
The Verve, and Underworld, as well as working with The Police on the
pre-production for their world tour and recording and mixing the audio for
series for Channel 4 and Island Records. www.dommorley.com.
www.themixconsultancy.com.
PROFESSIONAL SOUND 9