Original subtitles

hey there's Justin Coletti of Sonic's

coop and today in this week's episode of

sonic scoop podcast I want to hip you to

a tip that is super useful it is one of

these secrets in mixing and particularly

in setting balances in the mix that a

lot of people don't get clear about

early on and I want you to get clear on

it now because if you get clear out

you're gonna get mixed balances arguably

the most important part of mixing you're

gonna get them right so much quicker and

so much earlier on and this is

absolutely huge it is such a small but

such a game-changing insight into the

way that mixing and setting levels and

balances actually works that just

clearing this up in your mind can have a

ripple effect into every balanced

decision that you make this is a trick

or a tip or a tactic or really it's an

overall mindset then I usually don't

share outside of my full length of

mixing break through his course I never

have shared it outside that course

before but hey it's about time I'm

feeling generous today I want to help

you out I think is gonna be super useful

for you if you try it let me know in the

comments below whether it worked for you

whether it really helped you get

balances even faster whether it really

clarified this part of mixing and a

level setting for you before I get to

this tip a super quick shout out to this

week's sponsors gear Club check out the

gear Club podcast at gear - Club net

that's gear - Club net one of my

favorite podcasts for producer and

engineer interviews we do them here

sometimes they do them there all the

time they do a great job of it check

them out gear - Club dotnet or type in

gear club wherever you get your podcast

also a big thanks to sound toys check

them out at sound toys calm making some

of my favorite mixing effects you can

try out anything they make for free at

sound Transcom I also have two

full-length courses mixing break

throughs and mastering demystified and

this idea is pulled from the mixing

breakthroughs course if you want more

like this check out mixing breakthroughs

calm or mastering demystify calm or if

you want a free workshop from me

check out Sonics group calm / mix habits

where we go into the five habits of

great mixers okay so here it is today's

strategy today's mindset is you're never

going to get the right phaedra setting

right away

you're never gonna put the fader they're

in the right spot the first time and be

done with it

stop thinking that you're going to

getting the right balance is really all

about honing in on the right balance

it's a little bit like tuning a guitar

honing in on the right balance means

that whenever you move the fader to try

to find the right level for a new sound

that you're bringing in or trying to

establish the right level for there is

this game there's this wiggle that

happened and it's the same thing that

happens when you turn a guitar or tune a

piano if you've never tuned a guitar a

turn into piano it's something like this

you start hitting the string and you go

up up up to the note until you think

you've reached it but you're not a

hundred percent sure so you go a little

too high and now you're sure that you're

sharp so now you go back flat again and

now you're sure that you've flat so now

you come right back up a little bit and

now you're in tune and it's the same way

with approaching a fader

you need a reference point what is too

loud what is too quiet and the way to

discover that is let's say you've

already brought in some instruments and

now you're bringing in your bass and you

want to find just the right place for

your bass bring it up so that you know

it is too loud

you might not know immediately what the

right spot is for it and that's normal

but you're gonna know what too loud is

so you bring it up until it's too loud

and make a mental note of how high that

fader is when it's too loud now you're

gonna know when it's too quiet so bring

it down to a point where it is too quiet

again you might not know where the

perfect place for that fader is but

you're gonna know when it's too quiet

so set those boundaries for yourself

bring it up so just to the point where

yeah that's too loud okay we've just

gotten into too loud and then too quiet

and now you know that the right place

for your fader is somewhere in between

them and you can kind of go through the

process again bring it up you know maybe

round where it was

before can I push it a little louder and

then bring it down so it's a little bit

more quiet and you're honing in to the

right spot it's the way you tune a

guitar or a violin or a piano some

people don't realize that they're doing

because they've gotten so good at it and

the same is true with setting your

levels in the mix people who are really

good at mixing really fast are doing

this so fast without even thinking about

or realizing they're even doing it now

it is possible for you to not do this

approach where you can still kind of get

it you're starting to bring things up

and you're bringing them up just until

the point where maybe we're there I

think right there okay let's stop now

and maybe you'll get it that way but

you're always gonna be a little more

uncertain and probably a little slower

then if you just bring it up and go for

it you know what overshoot a little bit

you know what bring it back down now

bring it right back up and the key here

being that you're setting parameters

boundaries for yourself a danger line

where you know let's not go any hotter

than this and a danger line where you

know let's not go any quieter than this

and it makes it much easier to find the

groove in the middle that's really going

to work it is such a simple idea but

such a big one and it can really unlock

mixing speed and confidence in setting

levels for yourself if you take it

seriously this is one of my favorite

little tips that has big results from

the mixing breakthrough his course and

mixing breakthroughs is really all about

coming up with an overall strategy a

roadmap a framework a blueprint that you

can apply to every single mix so that

you know how to start what to do in the

middle and how to finally finish and

know that you're done do you like this

one did it work for you let us know in

the comments down below or if you're

listening to the audio only version you

can email me at podcast at sonic scoop

com if this was useful to you and you're

watching the YouTube video remember to

hit like and subscribe so you don't miss

more tips like this one this has been

Justin Coletti of sonic scoop and if you

want more tips like this check out my

free mixing workshop the five habits of

truly great mixers you can get that at

sonic scoop com / mix habits Sonics

group com / mix habits big thanks to our

sponsors for this episode sound toys

making some of my favorite plugins

known universe check Matt soundToys comm

one of my favorite other podcasts and I

actually do listen to gear club check

them out gear - Club net great producer

and engineer interviews wit and wisdom

over there all things studio type in

gear - club net or gear club wherever

you get your podcast last but not least

check out that free workshop sonic scoop

comm slash mix habits for the five

habits of truly great mixers thanks

again for hanging out with me this has

been Justin Coletti of sonic scoop see

you next time