I have always found it interesting to see how top mixing engineers go about mixing their tracks. Top-down and bottom-up methods are the two norms in this field as well as mixing as you go.
My mixing method really depends on what project I am working on. I have found when creating music through synthesis on Logic I prefer mixing as I go, as the mixing and overall sound of the synths created have a much larger impact in terms of the song writing process for me. However, when recording bands or songs that are not written by me, I will always mix at the end. This is because for songs that aren’t directly influenced by the sound design process, I like to hear the finished project before starting to mix. This helps me picture which direction the song can go in, whereas if I was mixing as I go, by the end of the project I would find it quite difficult to change the direction of what it sounds like.
I have always been a bottom-up mixer. I have always believed that having a clear mix to start with gives you a lot more space to work with when it comes to processing. I will firstly make sure every track sounds great and exactly how I want it to sound using EQ and compression and, in some cases, saturation, and then I will work on making the individual tracks come together through bus processing. Starting by mixing each individual track has a range of benefits, the most important, in my opinion, being the ease of bus processing afterwards. With no unwanted frequencies messing with the instruments, the mix will remain crystal clear as the instruments begin to glue together with compression and reverb. I have also found that if there are any issues with individual tracks once the preliminary mix is finished, it is much easier to fix little problems.
My method always ends with individual track automation to make sure each section of the song is absolutely perfect, but because of the processing done at the very start, this process at the end becomes so much easier.
Let me know your mixing method!
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