There comes a time in every mix when fresh ears are required.
I know that as I’m mixing, I eventually begin to lose perspective on my mixes. I’ve listened to the same 3-4 minutes dozens of times, making ever-more-minute adjustments. At a certain point, I’m not hearing what I’m listening to any more; I’m hearing what I think I’m hearing.
At that point I can no longer trust my ears to make correct decisions, and that’s when I turn to one of these strategies.
- I leave the mix for awhile. Ideally a week or more.
- I listen somewhere else. A car can often shake up your listening, for example.
- I ask for help from fresh ears. A trusted listener can listen once and pinpoint problems that have eluded me. They can offer praise, criticism, ideas, and much-needed perspective.
The same is true for standing in front of your ensemble. Even the finest conductors can eventually lose perspective as they are running pieces. The three strategies I use for mixing are exactly what make these types of experiences important.
This is the real reason that going to festival or having a guest clinician is so important. They offer real-time examples for strategies 2 & 3 – literally going somewhere else to get advice from fresh ears.