Getting Your Levels Just Right

[jsilver]

ROFL "diarreha and no bathroom"

[rawali]

I have my daw going through a djm-500...

once I like a mix, I put another track on, mix in to mine (straight from ableton, no render) and then realize, my mix down is either muddy or lacking this or that... then i sit down and do it again and again...

Also I like twiddling with the eqs on the mixer while listening to it... seeing if maybe turning the mids or highs higher or lower makes the tune sound better... then I sit down and work on it again...

at some point I get tired, go to bed, wake up the next morning... think... wtf is wrong with my head! this this and this is completely wrong... so i sit down and fix it...

thats when the tune starts sounding a bit better... then i burn it and bring it to the club i play at every Thursday, play it in the big sound before anyone gets there and make note of whats right and whats not

[nowaysj]

I think mixing your track with another is a FANTASTIC way to check your mix. In the past, I've just a/b'ed but to actually mix it in...

I think mixing is just like everything else, sports, career, relationships, watevers, you work and work and it stays the same and then one day, you're just on the next level.

I think I just went through this with eq. My ears just graduated kindergarten. Was listening to a very familiar beat through an ssl 4000 channel strip, and I could suddenly hear how unnecessarily thick the beat was before. A/Bing was incredible, just suddenly had a complete picture of where all the fat was before. Felt good hommies. There is light at the other end of the tunnel, even if you can't see it. Keep working at it.