THE PHILOSOPHY OF

MIXING

THE THOUGHT PROCESSES BEHIND A

TRULY GREAT MIX

“THE ART OF MIXING” SERIES – BOOK 1

A UTHOR : T HOMAS J UTH

P ROOFREADING : F REDRIK J UTH AND S HIRANI

J UTH

COPYRIGHT - © - 2020 Thomas Juth Publishing

1
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
About the Author ____________________________ 4

Introduction _________________________________ 6

Chapter 1 – My Own Beginning _______________ 11

Chapter 2 – The Art of Listening _______________ 15

Chapter 3 – What is a Great Mix?______________ 19

Chapter 4 – Every Great Mix Starts With a Clear

Vision _____________________________________ 23

Chapter 5 – Every Great Mix Engineer is a Great

Decision-Maker _____________________________ 28

Chapter 6 – The Importance of Focus ___________ 34

Chapter 7 – “The Four-Stage Mix Plan” ________ 40

Chapter 8 - How To Know When a Mix is Finished 50

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Final Words ________________________________ 56

3
 YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN
THE TRIBE!
If you enjoy this eBook and want to continue learning
with me, please feel free to check out my patreon page.

As one of my patreons you will have access to all my

exclusive mix tips and articles, which are sent out
regularly. You will also receive all my future eBooks free
of charge!

I am also offering a premium option, which includes the

same as above, plus mix-coaching and feedback. This is
one of the best way to learn mixing and is guaranteed to
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To find out more, simply go to:

patreon.com/thomasjuth

4
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I have been working as a Mix and Recording Engineer

for the past 14 years. I started my career at Mayfair
Studios (London), and later became the in-house Mix
Engineer at Kensaltown Studios (the home of producer
Martin Terefe). For seven years, I mixed most of
Martin’s records and literally lived in that mix-room, in
front of a beautiful old API console. I had the honour to
work with artists such as Cat Stevens, Elton John, Jamie
Cullum, Jason Mraz, Leslie Clio, A-ha, and the Latin duo
Jesse & Joy (which would eventually win me two
Grammys). After the Kensaltown years I ran my own
studio, Elephant Lane Studios, a place that I set up
together with producer and songwriter Michael Bianco.
Since 2018 I am based in Stockholm, Sweden where I am
continuing to mix records on a freelance basis.

The idea of this short book is to share some of the

knowledge and experience that I have gathered over the
years, and to hopefully inspire aspiring engineers. I will
be sharing lots of useful tips, as well as some of my
personal views on mixing philosophy.
Thomas Juth – October 2018, Sweden

5
 PREFACE –“THE ART OF MIXING”
SERIES

This eBook is a part of a series of eBooks, called “The

Art of Mixing” Series. The series contains five eBooks:

1. The Philosophy of Mixing

2. The Art of Compression
3. The Art of Equalization
4. The Art of Creating Depth in a Mix
5. The Art of Mixing Vocals (out in December 2018!)

The reason for publishing five shorter eBooks (instead of

one long eBook) is to give you the possibility to choose
how many parts you want to read. This is also more
economical for those who only want to learn about one
specific subject.

However, if you want a more complete perspective and

understanding of mixing, I highly recommend that you
read all five parts together.

I hope you will enjoy the eBooks and find them both
useful and inspiring. If you have any suggestions or
feedback, feel free to email me on:
[email protected]. I really value your opinion.
6
 INTRODUCTION
Even though there are a lot of books, online courses and
YouTube videos out there that teach and talk about
mixing, I haven’t come across many that discuss ‘mixing
philosophy’. Most of them focus on mixing from a
purely technical perspective, and they often teach you
about how to use your DAW.

In my opinion, learning about mixing philosophy is

equally as important as learning about mixing techniques.
Even in my other eBooks, when I do talk about technical
subjects, I always try to do it from a more philosophical
perspective.

In this book I want to go a lot deeper and look at the

actual thought processes that go on while taking a mix
from start to finish. Having said that, I strongly believe
that there is never just one correct philosophy or work
method that is correct. This of course relates to anything
in life. At the end of the day, it is up to each individual
Mix Engineer to form his own work methods and sonic
vision.

This book will answer common questions that I often get

when teaching people how to mix:

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 1. What is the best way to get started with a mix?
2. What is the key to becoming a truly great Mix
Engineer?
3. What is my own personal approach and
philosophy to mixing?
4. How does one know when a mix is finished?
5. How much time should one spend on a mix, and
what is the best way to divide the time?
6. What are the things one should really focus on,
and must improve when learning how to mix?

As your teacher my main aim is simply to present you

with ideas and try my best to inspire you. When I was
learning the art of mixing, at the age of 20, I was lucky to
be surrounded by great people who all planted different
important seeds in my mind. All these seeds later grew to
become what I am today, along with experience and
practice of course. So, I hope this book will be one of
those seeds in your learning process.

Bruce Lee once said:

“A teacher is never a giver of truth; he is a guide, a
pointer to the truth that each student should find for
themselves.”

17 years ago, when I set out to learn the art of mixing

myself, there was no YouTube or online mixing classes
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available. One had to rely on the few books that were
around or perhaps go and study at a place like the SAE
Institute. However, I realized early on that mixing is an
art that must be learnt by either working in a studio or by
being surrounded by experienced professionals.

The huge benefit of starting off today, and having access

to resources such as YouTube, is that one can learn from
professionals without actually being in a specific
environment. One can sit at home and benefit from
experienced Engineers from all around the world. On the
other hand, with so much information available, it can
sometimes be difficult to separate the quality from the
noise.

One big difference in how people are learning

Engineering today (compared to before the Internet age)
is that there seems to be more focus on equipment and
technology. To me, one of the most important aspects of
becoming a truly great Engineer is related to philosophy,
and the ability to listen, analyze and be creative. And this
is the part that I believe one learns a lot faster when
working in the right environment, surrounded by
experienced professionals.

Thank you for reading and please feel free to get in touch
if you have any questions, suggestions or critique. And I

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kindly ask you to leave an honest review at the Amazon
website after finishing this book.

Email: [email protected]

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 CHAPTER 1
MY OWN BEGINNING
As a Mix Engineer and teacher, mixing philosophy has
always been one of my favorite subjects. What the
concept of ‘mixing philosophy’ really refers to is all the
thought processes that go on while mixing a song, and
the way one approaches all the tasks that are involved.
There are a lot of Mix Engineers who are great at using
EQ’s or compressors, but they still don’t have a clear
plan or philosophy to fall back on. This makes it difficult
to consistently deliver top-class mixes.

As I mentioned in the introduction, one can learn from a

teacher, but only to a certain extent. Philosophy and other
abstract subjects are good examples of that. At the same
time, a teacher can trigger the thought processes and
inspire you to dig deeper and to quicker develop your
own set of philosophies and work methods.

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1.1 KENSALTOWN STUDIOS

In the beginning of my career (while working at

Kensaltown Studios in London), I used to spend hours
every day simply thinking about mixing. From morning
to night, my brain was only focused on one task, how do
I become a better mix engineer? What is it that separates
me from all the top Mix Engineers in the world? This last
question would soon be partly answered, when I got the
chance to assist Mix Engineer Tony Maserati for a month
in 2007.

While figuring all this out I was lucky enough to actually

be working in the perfect environment, in a professional
studio, surrounded by extremely talented and successful
people. And this is very important when trying to master
any art – who you are surrounded by. When producer
Martin Terefe hired me to mix records for him I was still
very fresh and didn’t have much experience. But
somehow he liked my work and decided to give me a
shot. This meant that I was put in “the hot chair” from
day one and had to try to deliver mixes that would
impress him from the start. My approach was to right
away put on a poker face and make him believe I really
knew what I was doing at all times. In reality, this was
far from the truth. This, however, helped me to quickly
get into the game, and by entering at the highest
12
difficulty level I was pushed into learning at double pace.
In that way Martin was indirectly my mentor, and his
ways of working and philosophies shaped me. So, a great
tip for anyone wanting to learn how to mix, is to put
yourself in a situation where you are pressured and
forced to deliver quality from day one.

Kensaltown was like the music hub of West London in

those days (around 2007-2012), and lots of very talented
and successful people came in through those doors on a
daily basis. I soon realized that one of the best things
with this was that I could learn from them, and constantly
get introduced to new ideas, ways of thinking and
philosophies. And this is the secret to become successful
in anything, having the right mindset and learning from
people that are more experienced than you. Once you
have that in place, the rest will follow. Though, you
quickly need to use all this new knowledge and apply it.
My goal at this point was to create my own plan and
work-method, which would make me survive the high
pressure and competition. As a Mix Engineer one must
become fast and efficient, but at the same time
consistently deliver great mixes.

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1.2 MY OWN PERSONAL MIX PHILOSOPHIES AND MIX
METHODS

One’s own mixing philosophy is something that one

naturally develops over the years, and it becomes one’s
personal “rule book” to mixing and identity as a Mix
Engineer. In this book I want to present lessons that I
have learnt over the years and which I believe are the
core of mixing. My own personal “identity as a Mix
Engineer” can be understood by taking a closer look at
these fundamental beliefs and work-methods, which were
all developed during the seven years I worked at
Kensaltown Studios. During this period, I must have
mixed over 1000 songs, and spent thousands of hours in
that mix room, which is what every aspiring Mix
Engineer should be aiming for, in order to grow and
develop.

Just as I have developed my own identity as a Mix

Engineer, this should also be your aim over the next few
years. This might sound like an obvious thing, but the
truth is that not everyone puts down energy on thinking
about these things. In fact, during my time as a teacher I
often find my students focusing more on the
technicalities of mixing, rather than trying to figure out
what sound it is they want to create.

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 CHAPTER 2
THE ART OF LISTENING

2.1 HEARING VS LISTENING

If someone asked you to explain mixing (or sound

engineering in general) only using one word, what would
that be? Think about it for a second.

That is how my teacher at SAE (where I studied back in

2001) started one of the classes. And I still remember
sitting there without coming up with a good answer.
After giving us all a minute to think, he added:
“Listening. The ability to listen is what this job is all
about”.

Because after all, what is more important for a Mix

Engineer than the ability to listen and analyse what it is
he or she is hearing? I think every human being has the
ability to “hear” sounds and music, but not everyone has
developed the skill to actually listen and listen critically.
How often do you actually walk in the park and actively
listen to the sounds around you? If you suddenly started,
perhaps you would start noticing how some birds are
chirping on your right side, while some noisy car is
passing far away, and how the trees are covering all of
15
this with their gentle movement. Without getting too
poetic here, the ability to listen critically to sound around
you is what will make you into a top class Mix Engineer.

No piece of equipment or technical skill is as important

as being able to listen and analyze a piece of music or a
mix. This will eventually help you in forming your own
distinctive taste and vision, which will help you in
improving your own mixes. At the end of the day, every
great mix always starts with a clear vision.

Personally, I started listening to music from a very

critical perspective from an early age, and always with a
degree of curiosity. When I was finally given the chance
to mix records for other people I had already formed and
defined my own taste/vision, so I just had to practice the
technical aspects of mixing. I believe that most people
that try to learn the art of mixing, make the mistake of
focusing too much on the equipment and plugins, before
they know what it is they are trying to achieve.

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2.2 LISTENING FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

The art of listening can be learnt and practiced by simply

sitting down and listening to countless hours of music in
a “critical” way, and by mixing as much as possible. Just
keep going and you will get there in the end. When it
comes to mixing (or even just listening to music in a
critical way), it helps to have several reference points.
Sitting in front of two speakers, in the perfect sweet spot,
is of course the way we all learn to mix. However,
getting used to hearing music from more than one
perspective has several different benefits. The main
reason for this is to realize that the average listener (your
neighbor, sister or best friend) rarely sits in front of two
speakers when enjoying their favorite records. As a Mix
Engineer it’s crucial to take this into account, and always
analyze your mix from different angles and perspectives.
This will also help your mixes to translate well into the
real world.

When it comes to mixing and the use of monitors, I

personally love having access to at least three different
listening perspectives. This helps me to stay focused on a
mix and to keep my mind fresh. My way of achieving
this is by having several different speakers and listening
devices, set up at different positions in the room. For
most of the time I prefer using smaller and cheaper
17
listening devices (Bluetooth speakers, iPhone docks and
other advices), in addition to my main studio speakers.
One listening device might even be placed behind me in
a weird angle, and I might have another one in front of
me on the floor. The goal is just to simulate how people
hear music in real life, and also to constantly shift the
way I listen to the mix. This will also train your ears to
listen to subtleties and different aspects of the same mix.

I often hear things that are wrong when switching from

my main speakers to a smaller Bluetooth speaker. Things
that sounded great on my expensive studio monitors
might suddenly appear less good, and I might start
paying attention to brand new things in the mix. At the
end of the day, this is what critical listening and training
one’s ears is all about - paying attention to the subtleties.

Another tip is to try lying down on the floor and listen,

while your main speakers are blasting out. It might sound
crazy, but it works in the same way and it will also give
you a moment to rest your neck and back for a while.

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 CHAPTER 3
WHAT IS A GREAT MIX?

3.1 TWO DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES

Before going any further, we need to first stop and

answer another very big question:

What is a great mix?

Without having a clear answer to that it is difficult to

know what to aim for.

Interestingly, every time I teach mixing or do a workshop

and I ask my students this, there seems to be two clear
and very different ways of looking at it. Most young
Engineers (under the age of 30) usually give me answers
such as, a great mix is:

1. Well balanced
2. Clean sounding
3. Mixed so that you can hear every element in
the mix well

The little bit older Engineers (older than 30) more often
answer the same question with. A great mix is:
19
 1. A mix that feels right
2. Not always the perfect sounding one, but the
one that have character and the right vibe.

This is not the case always and I don’t like to generalize,

but on average these are the types of answers I get. Of
course, none of these ways of thinking is wrong, just two
sides of the same coin. Perhaps it’s something with the
type of music people grew up with, and how society is in
general. These days, with perfect photos on social media
and music where vocals are often Auto-tuned, people are
used to “perfection”. People of my age (in their 30’s)
grew up with music that was a bit more organic and
rawer, and where the feel was more important.

One thing is for certain though, the way we answer this

question definitely has an impact on how we approach
mixing. Of course, it is very important to add here that
we probably agree with all these answers to some degree,
but just tend to be more biased towards one side. It’s also
important to add that any great Mix Engineer must be
able to shift his bias depending on the song and situation.

Whenever I work with music which allows me to focus

on the vibe and feel of the song, and where perfection is
not desired, I always feel more creative and excited. I
once mixed a song where the artist actually told me to
20
mix it as trashy as possible and not spend more than an
hour on the mix, as he wanted the song to sound very
spontaneous and not too polished. And for that particular
song, that approach and sound was perfect. On the other
hand, when mixing a typical pop song for radio, one must
look at it in a different way. So, the bottom line here is:
each individual song requires a different approach and
mindset. Understanding the song and the music is always
the key to a good mix.

3.2 THE EMOTIONAL IMPACT OF A GREAT MIX

Even though one needs to have the ability to look at

mixing from different perspectives, depending on the
style of music one is mixing, one aspect of it is more
important than the other ones. At least in my opinion.
One thing I have learnt over the years is that there is
nothing more powerful or universal as a mix with a very
strong emotional impact. In fact, as a Mix Engineer one
could almost refer to oneself as an “Emotional
Engineer”.

Whenever I mix a song my main aim is always to find

out what emotion the artist and Producer is trying to
convey and then try to reinforce it. The best reaction you
21
could ever get from a mix is when someone starts to
dance, cry, smile or becomes angry. It all depends on the
song and style of course. I once mixed a song by the
Mexican duo Jesse & Joy, called “Corre”. The song was
very beautiful and sad to begin with, and very well
produced and recorded. I remember sitting there
thinking of ways that I could make it sound even more
sad. For a whole day I tried out different reverbs, echoes
and EQ settings that would somehow take the “sadness
level” to the next level. And this is what one should focus
on while mixing a song, more than anything else. When
Jesse, one of the artists, finally heard the song he burst
out in tears and gave me a big hug in the end. I still
remember how good I felt that day. Not because he was
crying, but because I had managed to affect his emotions.
In the same way, if you are mixing a Hip-Hop track that
is meant to sound angry and aggressive, your main job as
a Mix Engineer is to reinforce that emotion.

22
 CHAPTER 4
EVERY GREAT MIX STARTS WITH A
CLEAR VISION

4.1 HAVING A VISION BEFORE STARTING A MIX

There is a famous saying that goes:

“Every great mix starts with a great recording.”

And yes, that is also one of my beliefs and philosophies.

One should never leave anything for the mix, unless one
really has to. In this book I would like to take that saying
one step further and say that:

“Every great mix starts with a clear vision.”

This does not only relate to mixing, but production and

recording as well. If the original vision is not clear and
strong, the end result will never become great. As a Mix
Engineer, one must always have a very clear vision
before starting any mix. This vision should always be
partly passed on by the Producer, Artist and Recording
Engineer, and then become the basis of your vision for

23
the mix. When I talk about “vision” in a mixing context I
simply mean:

- Listening to the production or ‘rough mix’,

what is it that the Producer is trying to
achieve?
- How do you want the end result of this mix to
sound?
- How does the material that you have been
given compare to this vision?

Of course, many of you do everything by yourself

(production, mixing and mastering), and then it’s even
more important to have this vision at the start. It’s almost
as if you must be able to hear the end result in your head
before starting. This is a skill that takes a lot of practice
to learn, and it is crucial to have developed your own
identity and “taste” for music and sound before even
trying to get into Music Production.

4.2 THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A CLEAR IDENTITY

President Barack Obama once said: “Worry less about

what you want to be, and more about what you want to
do”, and I find that to be so true when trying to make it

24
as a Music Producer or Audio Engineer (especially as a
freelancer).

Too many people dream about becoming a Producer or

Engineer, instead of focusing on what kind of sounds
they want to create. What is it specifically that you want
to do?

Instead of learning "how" to produce, it’s more important

to figure out "what" you want to produce, and how to
achieve that sound. This all comes down to having a
clear vision of what you want to achieve, and then going
for it. Of course, getting to that point and vision takes
time, but the sooner you start asking yourself these
questions the better.

I believe that all the Producers or Engineers that have had

any form of success, are/were very comfortable with
their own musical identity. They have/had a very clear
vision from the start, and a blueprint in their mind of
what they want to achieve and create. Of course, most
successful producers are also flexible and can work with
many different styles, but that clear identity and musical
taste is always present.

For me, I spent almost 10 years of my life simply

developing my own musical identity and taste. Since I

25
was a kid I have loved The Beatles, so for me it naturally
developed into a love for more organic sounds and a
passion for experimentation. When I first started
engineering I did not follow many rules and had a very
playful approach to both recording and mixing. Later,
when I learnt “the rules” and started mixing for other
people I still carried this with me. To this day, I love
being playful when mixing, and always get the most
satisfaction when trying out new things. Even though I
mix all kinds of music today, my musical taste is still
there in the back of my mind and acts as a reference point
to everything I do. This has a direct impact on how I (for
example) mix drums today, or how I use compression.
So, it is so important to first spend a few years only
listening to music and figuring out what it is you like and
don’t like, both musically and sonically.

As soon as one has a clear understanding of one’s own

identity, mixing becomes a lot easier. At the end of the
day, processing sounds is all about two things. What you
are presented with and what your vision is for that
specific sound or song. All you have to do then is to try
to get closer to the vision using EQ, compression,
reverbs, or any tool that is available to you. So, the
bottom line here is:

26
“Before reaching for any piece of equipment or plugin,
ask yourself what it is you are trying to achieve. Never
focus on the equipment or specific EQ or compressor
settings, but always the end goal and the sound coming
out of the speakers.”

27
 CHAPTER 5
EVERY GREAT MIX ENGINEER IS A
GREAT DECISION-MAKER

5.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF DECISION-MAKING

As a Mix Engineer (mixing for someone else), there is no

one else there to help you to take decisions. Perhaps the
Producer can help you out at times, but at the end of the
day, the Producer, Artist or Label came to you for a
reason, wanting you to finish the project for them.

One of the most important parts of being a Mix Engineer

is confidence and being able to wrap up what someone
else started. This all comes down to developing specific
skills that can make other people feel like you are in
charge. Even at times when you don’t have a clue about
how to take the mix further, you need to appear as if you
can fix anything and have all the answers. This can
sometimes be very challenging, especially if you are a
person that is very bad or slow at taking decisions. For
every mix that you will ever do there will always be
thousands of small decisions to be made. This means that
you must learn how to move fast, and never stop too long
to think. When I talk about decisions, I mean even the
28
small stuff. “Is this guitar loud enough, is this delay
right for the song, does this snare drum need
compression, how should I pan all the instruments in the
mix”. The more experience one gets, and the more
confidence one develops, the more these kinds of
decisions will be second nature, and almost made on
“auto pilot”.

5.2 THE BENEFITS OF “BOUNCING” AND COMMITTING

WHILE MIXING

Something that I was forced to do early on in my career

was to often commit and “bounce” instruments together.
While working at Kensaltown Studios we were working
with a very old DAW called Soundscape. This was a PC
based software which was not compatible with most of
the common plugins out there. But because it was
sonically superior to ProTools or Logic, Martin Tefere
(my boss/the Producer) decided to stick to it for as long
as he could. From a Mix Engineer’s perspective this was
both a blessing and a curse. Because Soundscape
sounded so great, it made it easier for me to create great
sounding mixes. At the same time it was very limited,
both in the number of tracks and plugins I could use, and
which plugins were available. This meant that I often got
29
error messages and problems when working with larger
sessions. The only solution for me was to “bounce” as
much as possible and to try to reduce the number of
active tracks in the session. As soon as I found the sound
I was looking for I would generally commit to it, and
then remove the plugin. In the same way, if there were a
large number of tracks that belonged together, such as
backing vocals or strings, I would simply bounce them
down to one stereo file. At the end of the mix, each
session would consist of a bunch of stereo stems, with
lots of the FX and processing printed into the stem.
This might sound like a negative thing. However, believe
it or not, it is actually a great thing for someone that is
learning the art of mixing. I believe that the more one is
forced to get over the fear of committing, the faster one
will become later down the line. I have always looked up
to the Engineers of the 1960’s and how they managed to
create all those amazing recordings with only a four-track
tape machine. I strongly believe it was because of these
limitations that they became so great. They had to record
a full drumkit onto one track, or sometimes commit a
whole backing track onto one track. Doing this day in
and day out gives you three important things: confidence,
the ability to take decisions and to form a clear vision
right from the start.

30
By the limitations I faced at Kensaltown, I simply had to
start taking decisions earlier on in the mix process and
start trusting myself with my decisions. And this trains
and develops your brain in a way that will only help you
in becoming a better Mix Engineer.

Even later on, when I started working with ProTools, I

continued to work this way. I still do it to this very day.
If you would open any of my ProTools sessions after a
song is mixed, you will still find very few plugins and a
very small number of active tracks. It makes the sessions
smaller, tidier and less problematic to get back to in the
future. So, the bottom line here is that, next time you mix
a song, try to force yourself to take decisions early on,
and avoid pushing them forward. Find ways to limit
yourself, whether it’s related to time or the tracks or
plugins you can use. Even if you later discover that you
made a mistake, you can always go back and change it.

5.3 WORKING WITH OUTBOARD EQUIPMENT

In the same way, when I have the luxury of working with

lots of outboard gear, I rarely use it as insert or in a
send/return configuration. I usually dial in a sound that I
like and then often “print” this sound back into Pro
31
Tools. I can then continue shaping this sound digitally
using plugins. This is an example of when you have to
follow your own instinct, trust yourself and just commit
to what you like. Once you have taken one decision, you
can then move on and take another one. The key is to
keep a good pace and flow all the time, and to never get
stuck at one particular detail. As soon as you feel that
you are stuck, and you are not making a natural progress,
it is important to take a break, and step away from the
studio.

It might take a while to get used to this way of working,

but when you get into the groove, it helps speeding up
your workflow dramatically, as there is no need to recall
all your outboard gear every time you want to revisit the
mix. Another advantage of working this way is that it
allows me to use one compressor or processor for several
different sounds. In theory you could use the same 1176
(or any piece of gear) across every track in the mix,
which opens up many new possibilities.

Something I discovered over the years is that pace is

always a good thing and doesn’t have to mean that the
end result becomes less great. It is actually the opposite.
Even for a songwriter or a Producer, the best songs or
productions are often the ones that were done fairly quick
and effortlessly. The minute you start to overanalyze

32
anything it only puts you into a negative spiral. Of
course, it’s always a matter of balance, and one should
never rush anything in the wrong way, so that the quality
suffers.

33
 CHAPTER 6
THE IMPORTANCE OF FOCUS

6.1 PHOTOGRAPHY AND MIXING

If there is one thing I would like you to learn from this

book, apart from the importance of emotional impact, it
is the importance of “focus”.

In this aspect, the art of photography and the art of

mixing are both very similar. A truly great photographer
instinctively knows how to frame a picture, and he pays
attention to what should be in focus and what shouldn’t.
All of my favorite photos are the ones that have a clear
story and focus, and where the eye is automatically
drawn to something in the photo. On the other hand, if
you look at a photo which has no sense of depth and
focus, it instantly looks less compelling.

In terms of music, the focus of a song must of course be

decided from the very start. Both the songwriter and the
producer should have had this in mind, and this is what
separates the average ones from the great ones. Even if a
song has 200 tracks in it, a great production must have
some kind of clear focus and storyline in it. It is
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important that some of the instruments or elements has
extra importance and weight than others. Otherwise you
are simply presenting the listener with a gigantic wall of
sound. Having said that, Phil Spector knew how to use
this to his advantage, and was able to create “walls of
sound” that were still pleasing to people’s ears.

As a Mix Engineer, part of the job is to listen to the song

and production and then decide the right approach to
narrow this focus down even more. Most people would
get confused or lose interest if you play them a piece of
music that has too many focus points at the same time. It
is like if you cooked dinner for a friend and put 100
different flavors on the plate, rather than a few carefully
chosen ones.

An example:

Let’s imagine a typical pop song of 2018. There might be

a lead vocal, a simple beat, a simple bassline, a few
subtle synth lines and backing vocals in there. In this
case, it’s quite easy for the listener to know what to listen
to. However, play the same person a more complex piece
of music. Now we might have guitars, strings and a horn
section, a lead vocal, backing vocals and a drum kit, all
fighting for attention. The song was hopefully produced
and arranged in a way, so that each instrument doesn’t
play all the time and without dynamics. But often it’s the
35
job of the Mix Engineer to really emphasize this and feed
the listener with a blend that is pleasant and exciting to
listen to.

This can be achieved by using volume, EQ, panning or

adding effects which draw attention to a specific sound.
There are even times when I completely remove parts of
a production while mixing, if they don’t fit into the mix.
It’s of course important to consult the producer first.

36
6.2 BUILDING A MIX FROM THE CORE AND UP

Back in 2007 I was given the golden opportunity to assist

the legendary Mix Engineer Tony Maserati for a month.
Of all the things that I learnt from Tony, the most
important ones were related to how he approaches and
builds his mixes. His main strategy when starting a new
mix was to build it from the core and up, like how one
would build a house. When building a house, one would
never focus on the decorations first, but instead the core
and the foundation of the house.

The first thing Tony would do was to decide what four or

five elements of the song are most important. These
elements should be so important that if you removed
everything else from the song, the song and production
would still make sense. This could for example be the
drums, bass, a keyboard and the lead vocal, or anything
which makes up the foundation of the song. If one first
focuses on making the core elements of each song sound
great, as a unity, it is then easier to build the rest of the
elements around the core. This also makes sure that the
most important parts of the production get maximum
spotlight and focus.

37
6.3 DYNAMIC FOCUS

Another important aspect of working with “focus”, and

which often separates a decent mix from a truly great
one, is the use of ‘dynamic focus’. Dynamic focus
basically refers to dynamically shift the focus point
around in the mix.

Let’s say that you are working on a mix and you decide
that the lead vocal and the acoustic guitar should be the
main focus of the song. You also decide that the rest of
the instruments should simply be background sounds, to
give the song a depth and a specific vibe. You may
decide to simply leave the mix like this, very static and
without too much volume automation. This is of course
fine in some situations, especially when the performance
is extremely dynamic, and the performer is so great that
he by himself can keep the listener captured all through
the song. However, and more often, it’s the job of the
Mix Engineer to emphasize or create movement in the
song. This can be done by automating the volume of the
other instruments in the song (the ones that were placed
in the background), and momentarily making them the
focus point.

For example, you might have a piano in the back of the

mix, which is barely heard. If this piano suddenly plays a
38
few interesting parts, and you feel that it adds something
to the song, it’s important to bring those up. By doing so
you have momentarily shifted the focus of the entire
song. During another part of the song, you might choose
to bring up an electric guitar for a few seconds and shift
the focus momentarily.

This is a great way to create more movement in a song,

and to give the listener a more dynamic and interesting
listening experience. Purely static mixes can work in
some occasions (for example, if you were mixing an
artist like Bob Dylan) but, it’s most often the dynamic
and the more interesting mixes that are the most
successful.

39
 CHAPTER 7
THE “FOUR-STAGE MIX PLAN”
One day in 2009, when I was sitting in front of the API
console at Kensaltown Studios, I was trying to come up
with my own Mix plan/schedule. I had already been
working at Kensaltown for one year, and the workload
was constantly growing. Not only was I mixing stuff for
Martin Terefe, but now also stuff for other
producers/songwriters that were in the same building. In
one day, there was often three or four songs to work on,
some from scratch and others that had been started the
day before. I started to realize that without a clear plan, I
would not be able to fit all this into the 14 hours that I
usually spent at work. With a pen and paper in front of
me, I decided that I would allocate a maximum of four-
five hours for each mix. This was about two hours less
than what I had spent in the beginning. Of course, this
still meant that the quality would have to stay just as high
as before.

I simply drew a circle on the sheet of paper in front of me

and divided it into four parts, with a beginning and end.

40
After a few attempts I managed to summarize everything
that I normally did during a mix into four distinct stages,
making sure I had time for breaks. The actual time I
would spend on a mix was not set in stone, but the
maximum time I could spend on a mix was five hours.

The reason I am sharing this with you is that I believe

that having deadlines and a clear plan is the best way to
become better at anything. In this book I will refer to this
as one’s “Mix Plan”. I am not saying that one must work
super-fast or limit oneself to the shortest time possible,
but even as a Songwriter or a Producer, having too much
time is sometimes directly bad for one’s creativity.
Especially if one doesn’t have a clear plan of how to use
the time.

The fact is that as soon as I started working in this way I

actually started becoming more creative, more
spontaneous and more in the moment. As soon as I sat
down to work I immediately knew what to do and when
to do it. There has to be some degree of “healthy stress”
and urgency involved in order to be at one’s best and to
stay sharp. I really recommend trying this out and to start
thinking about your own personal schedule or “Mix
Plan”.

41
The best thing is of course if you can work for someone
else as much as possible, and to find ways to pressure
yourself. This is how you grow and develop quickly and
prepare yourself for a successful career. Having a clear
structure when working is of course also a great way to
boost your income. The more songs you can finish in a
specific time frame (without sacrificing quality in any
way) the more projects you can also start, and the more
money you will eventually earn. After all it is hard
enough to survive in the music industry, so you have to
be efficient in order to make a good income. In my
situation, working under a lot of pressure at Kensaltown,
this was crucial. I was the only Mix Engineer in the
studio and I was being bombarded with new songs.

Let me show you what my “four-stage mix plan” looks

like, to give you an idea of how you can structure your
own workflow. In the next chapter I will talk more in
detail about how I know when a mix is finished.

MY ‘MIX PLAN’ - STAGE 1

In the first stage of any mix I always focus on learning
the song and the production. The important thing here is
to focus on the reference or rough mix that was sent to
me by the artist or Producer. Of course, I am talking
about a scenario here where you are mixing someone
else’s song. If you are mixing your own song, try to take
42
at least a two-day long break between finishing the
production and start mixing. Always create a rough mix
right after finishing the production, for you to use as a
reference later.

Note: A rough mix is very important, especially if you are

mixing someone else’s song, as this will be your main
clue when trying to figure out what the song is all about.
My rule is, never start mixing a song without having been
given a great and clear rough mix or reference of some
kind. Alternatively, you should at least have a long chat
with the Producer about what his vision or idea for the
mix is.

While studying the “rough mix” I always try to listen for

all the things that make the song/production special and
compelling, and what makes up the “core” of the song.
What is important and what is less important?
Remember that you are the link between the person who
created the song and the listener, and you need to present
the listener with something that has a clear “story line”
and focus. Ask yourself:

- What do I want to bring forward and focus on

even more?
- Are there any problems in the track that needs
fixing?

43
 - What kinds of effects and sounds does the
client seem to like?
- What is the story line of the song, and what
will potentially get in the way or confuse the
listener?

By listening to the “rough mix” one can actually learn a

lot about the client and his/her music taste. While
studying the mix I always start organizing my own
session right away. This work is generally about
organizing tracks, color coding, grouping things together
and making sure that no tracks are missing. Sometimes
you might hear something in the rough mix which is not
in your session.

So, the first hour will be spent familiarizing myself and

creating a more specific plan for what this mix needs.
Because even if you have your general mix-plan already,
each song is different and needs a slightly customized
treatment and approach. After finishing the first hour,
and I have a clear vision and plan of the work ahead, I
will always take a break. Just as rest is important when
you go to the gym regularly, resting your ears is also the
key to a successful mixing career. If you let your ears get
tired, all your judgments after that will suffer.

44
MY ‘MIX PLAN’ - STAGE 2
In the second stage, and after a break, I just get straight
into the mix. This stage will often take up around 90
minutes of my day. During this part of the mix process
it’s very important to allow yourself to focus 100% on
what you are doing, and to almost switch off the world
around you. I often find that I get into a state of
meditation while mixing, and that everything I do (after
some point) is done on auto-pilot. This is what I refer to
as “getting into the flow” and a state of mind that I
believe is very important to reach when being creative.
However, with so many distractions around us today, it’s
important to isolate oneself as much as possible during
this part of the mix.

I often call this stage of the mix the “jump into the cold
water” stage or “getting into the zone”. It simply means
that you need to just jump into mix mode right away, on
full throttle. By now you should have a clear idea of what
your vision is for this mix and what you want to do. If
not, you need to start practicing this more, and spend
more time in ‘Stage 1’.

During this part of the mix, the overall focus should be

on the core elements of the mix (as discussed in the last
chapter). I often mute less important

45
elements/instruments at the beginning and try to focus on
the “core” elements.

At this point I might only listen to the drums, bass, main

guitars and lead vocal and leave out all the extra
“spices”. When the overall blend of these elements starts
to feel great, I will take another short break. This is a
good time to lie down in a quiet place or read a book for
10 minutes.

46
MY ‘MIX PLAN’ - STAGE 3
In the third stage of the mix I dramatically shift the focus
to all the smaller details in a mix. This stage will take up
an hour of my allocated 5-hour mix time. Any instrument
that hasn’t been focused on yet, reverbs, echoes and not
the least automation. I always spend the most time on the
vocal automation in every mix that I do, with the aim to
make it sit perfectly in the mix. I sometimes even start
working on the lead vocal in Stage 2, and then keep
tweaking the vocal level all the way to the end. But this
is where I will focus the most on it. For a more detailed
description of mixing vocals in specific, please check out
my upcoming eBook – The Art of Mixing Vocals (which
will come out in December 2018 on Amazon Kindle).

47
MY ‘MIX PLAN’ – STAGE 4
While the other stages of the mix are very important,
stage four is probably the most important of them all.
This is where I shift the perspective again and start
listening as an outsider. Yes, like your brother’s
girlfriend or your friend’s neighbour, the average listener
who doesn’t know anything about production or mixing.

Listening as an outsider simply means that you need to

pretend that you were someone else, hearing the song for
the first time. Try to imagine that you are not even a Mix
Engineer, but just hearing the song on the radio. I
promise that once you do this, you will start hearing stuff
that you didn’t even pay attention to before. Personally, I
find that having someone in the room while you mix, can
also alter how you hear the mix. At Kensaltown I would
sometimes invite the receptionist Linnea to join me in the
mix room during Stage 4. In this way I would ensure that
my perspective and focus would stay fresh.

After all, a mix is not something that should be created

by an Engineer for other Engineers in the first place, but
something that “the normal people” can also enjoy and
feel. And as I discussed before, a great mix should not
only sound great, but feel great. Some of the most
successful Mix Engineers in history were the ones that

48
understood that a great mix does not only sound great but
have the right emotional impact.

The last 15 minutes of this stage (which should take

about 90 minutes) I will dedicate to checking more
technical things again. At this point you might have to
tweak some reverb automation or clean up some tracks,
or simply just get into real detail again. After this point it
is very important to send out the mix to your client, and
perhaps start preparing the next song (after a break).

One might feel that it’s too early and that the mix is not
100% finished yet. But trust me, your client will always
have comments no matter what. Even if you spent three
days on a mix, a client will always have things to say at
the end. So, it’s a lot wiser to involve your client into the
mix process as early as possible. If you are mixing your
own music, this is the time when you should play the
song to a friend, perhaps go on to another song. There is
nothing worse than spending too many hours on one mix
and loosing that fresh perspective.

The big question here is: apart from following your set
mix plan, how do you know when a mix is finished in the
first place and ready to send out? This is something I will
cover in the next chapter.

49
 CHAPTER 8
HOW TO KNOW WHEN A MIX IS
FINISHED
In this last chapter I will try to answer a question which
in theory is almost impossible to answer. How do you
know when a mix is finished, or when you should send it
to your client?

8.1 THE ART OF FINISHING WHAT YOU STARTED

I have found a way to guide myself through this process,

by making a check-list of things to look out for towards
the end of a mix. These are things that I always keep in
mind, as a reference point, in order to have an idea of
how near I am to the end of each mix.

It is very important to add here that this, of course, is a

very subjective thing and also a skill that needs to be
practiced. A lot of people are very good at starting things,
but when it comes to wrapping them up and delivering a
finished product they get too overwhelmed. The result is
often that they get into a negative spiral of doubt and a
drop in confidence. Personally, I have rarely had a
chance to experience this, as I had to deliver mixes with
50
such a high pace from day one (when working as a Mix
Engineer at Kensaltown). There was barely any time to
stop and think before the next track rolled in, ready to be
mixed. Interestingly, the more pressure one is under, the
easier every stage of the mix process becomes.

51
8.2 MORE GUT FEELING AND LESS THINKING

I was once asked to make a quick mix for an artist called

Jamie Cullum, back in 2009. The song had just been
recorded and the Producer Martin Terefe wanted to see if
I could create a quick rough mix. He basically came
down to the mix room and said: “Jamie is going out for
lunch now, so I was wondering if you could make a quick
mix before he gets back”. As competitive as I was, I
never looked at rough mixes as just that, and always
aimed to deliver a mix which had a chance to be picked
for release.

I quickly jumped into the task, working like as if a big

storm was on its way, only using my gut feeling and
intuition. I didn’t have time to think or question my
actions, and it was as if everything I did was done on
auto-pilot. In these situations, one doesn’t even think
about whether a mix is finished or not. It’s more about
creating an overall vibe and having something to play to
the client that feels right. When Jamie Cullum finally
came back he loved it (to my excitement) and it ended up
being one of his most successful tracks. The song was a
cover of Rihanna’s song “Please don’t stop the music”.

The lesson here to be learnt is that having a lot of time is

not always a blessing and working under extreme
52
pressure can often produce the best results. My theory is
that when one works under pressure the brain stops
thinking rationally and goes into some sort of trance. The
subconscious and the gut feeling takes over. As soon as
the rational side of the brain takes over, a lot of self-
doubt will appear, and we start over-analyzing our own
creation in a negative way. When it comes to finishing a
mix, this is always our worst enemy. So, my point here
is, one must keep the right mindset and a good flow all
through the mix process. When the mix feels right, and
you have gone through your mental check-list you must
be brave, bold and confident. Print the mix and send it
off. The worst thing that can happen is that the client (or
whoever you will play the mix to) might have some
comments and things that he wants to improve.

53
8.3 MY PERSONAL CHECKLIST

So, every time I get to the last stage of any mix, I ask
myself these 11 questions. If the answer to all these
questions is “yes”, then go ahead and print/bounce the
mix.

1. Does the mix have the right emotional impact,

compared to my original vision?
2. Does the mix have the proper build or dynamic
impact (for example, does the chorus pop out in
the right way, or are the verses intimate enough)?
3. When listening to the mix as an outsider (as I
mentioned in the last chapter), do I lose my focus
in any part of the song?
4. Does the overall mix have the right level? Does it
need some premastering before sending it out?
5. Does the mix have a controlled low-end?
6. Is the midrange in any way harsh and painful?
7. Is the mix open and airy enough?
8. Is there a strong focus all through the mix (as I
discussed in chapter 6)?
9. Is the mix balanced in terms of the stereo
spectrum (left and right)?
10. Is the lead vocal sitting in the right place all
through the mix (not too quiet or overpowering)?
11. Are the reverbs and echoes well mixed?
54
This is not a definite list or check-list which is set in
stone, but more a concept and the things that are the most
important to me. How one treats a mix (in every step of
the way) is highly individual and will differ from
Engineer to Engineer.

55
 FINAL WORDS
I hope this book has been helpful and that I have at least
inspired you to start thinking of your own identity as a
Mix Engineer and your own work method.

As I said before, each Engineer will find his/her own way

of working, and there are no rules, nor is there one
correct mix philosophy. My aim with this book was
simply to plant a few seeds, and help you start your own
journey as a Mix Engineer.

Whichever way of working suits you best, it is always

important to remember how important the philosophical
side of mixing is, when trying to become a better Mix
Engineer. Many aspiring Engineers invest too much time
in learning the technical aspects, that they forget to build
a strong foundation first. And in my opinion, this
foundation should be based on having a clear identity,
plan, structure and the right mindset.

In my other three eBooks (also available on Amazon) I

talk about mixing from a more technical perspective. So,
if you want to learn more about compression, EQ and
how to create depth in a mix, I recommend that you
check them out. I have added links on the next page.

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Also, if you would like to receive daily mixing tips from
me, feel free to subscribe to my Instagram page “The Art
of Mixing”.

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