Trusted Mixes Pt.1

Is there such a thing as a perfect mix? You can't buy it in a template. Throughout the years, I’ve used various review methods to understand my craft and improve. I’ve used recordings of my mix and recordings of other’s mixes in the same space to know how things translate across the various destinations. I’ve experimented with mic placement, PA tuning, instrument recommendations, you name it, I’ve tried it. This self-examination made me a better musician and engineer. But it doesn’t feel good enough.

At times, I invited my peers whom I trusted to analyze my work, discuss the experiments I was attempting, and talk shop in hopes that they would see something from a different perspective. I chased the “perfect mix” my entire career. Perhaps you share my passion and have attempted your methods for evaluating a mix. 

Here’s the thing… What is the perfect mix? I don’t think it comes from gear or a plug-in. We could all point to the recordings we use to tune a room, mixes that inspire us and make us ask, “How did they get that tone…?” There is a saying that no one goes home humming the kick drum, yet many engineers pride themselves on moving air and, hopefully, hair with it. We strive to get that crack from the snare while the bottom end perfectly fits the song's key. Very few people hear those details, yet we beat ourselves up trying to achieve something like this. 

I no longer work directly for a local church. I now get to serve, which has changed my definition of the perfect mix. I recently attended a Christmas staff party for the church where I volunteer. Pastor and I were talking, and at the end of the conversation, in proper pastor form, he asked me if I would be at church on Sunday. I said I would and would be mixing and was looking forward to it. He said he was happy to hear I was mixing, and I asked why. What he said next made me reexamine what I deem a great mix. 

The pastor did not compliment my mix at all. He didn't mention my guitar tone or the pocket I created with kick and bass. He also did not mention the volume level in the room or the mix online. He said he liked it when I mixed because he felt… safe. Since then, I’ve been thinking about that statement and how I've obtained that trust in the short time I’ve been serving. Stay tuned for a follow-up post about how to create trust in your mix.

Kevin Poole | @kevinrpoole