Mixing Music | Music Production, Audio Engineering, & Music Business

Mixing Faster vs Mixing Better: The Tradeoffs Every Engineer Faces

4 snips
Mar 10, 2026
They debate the tradeoff between mixing quickly and taking time to improve results. The value of a next-day listen and scheduling extra revision time comes up. Practical slowing-down techniques are explored, like vocal rides, automating effects and parallel compression. They stress intentional EQ/compressor choices, using references, and reclaiming creative joy through experimentation and era-specific tools.
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ADVICE

Always Do A Next Day Listen

  • Wait a day when possible before finalizing a mix to hear problems you missed the night before.
  • Dee Kei and Lu recommend a full next-day listen rather than short breaks to reset perspective and catch issues like level imbalances.
ADVICE

Automate Everything Including Vocal Rides

  • Automate thoroughly: ride vocals, automate effects, and change plugin parameters across song sections instead of leaving faders fixed.
  • Examples include vocal rides after compression, delay throws on last words, and toggling reverb decay per section.
ADVICE

Dial EQ And Compression Intentionally

  • Dial EQ and compressor settings deliberately, bypass and A/B them, and volume-match to confirm they're improving the sound.
  • Adjust attack/release per context and split transient fills onto separate tracks for tailored compression.
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