On the Topic of Mixing...

I can’t mix to save my life…

I know they say that mixing is a skill you can improve upon. That it takes a lot of work. That it takes a lot of time. That it takes a lot of trial and error. And I agree to all of that. I know it’s true.

But I also happen to know myself.

Throughout the years I have come to know a few things about who I am and how I function in this world. So when I tell you that I am unable to do something properly, chances are that I am right.

For whatever reason when it comes to mixing a song, I always feel like I’m stumbling in the dark. I’m always bound to get lost along the way.
Almost always prone to ruin a sound instead of enhancing it. For some reason, my ears won’t cooperate when it comes down to mixing.

And trust me that I have tried numerous times, and it’s always hit-and-miss.

But hey, wait a minute… I mean I’m a so-called “musician” so I’m supposed to have it all figured out, right? My ears have to be flawless.

I have to be able to mix like the pros. To write music like the pros. I have to be perfect in my craft, especially before I let other people see my work. Right?

Right?!

Well… That’s exactly what I thought for a [way too] long stretch of time. And guess what: I was wrong. Yay! 🙃

Oh boy, for how many years I have let this kind of mindset drag me down… So many that I have lost track at some point down the line.

When it came to creating music, instead of enjoying the process, I would always find myself getting lost in the details.

Music is about emotion. Music makes you feel things. It’s not math. It’s not science. It doesn’t have to be precise. It’s not about the perfect balance of knobs and faders.

Yes, the technical part is important too. But as far as I am concerned, if you create a song that is technically flawless but unable to speak to anyone on any emotional level, then you have failed at your craft.

You have simply missed the whole point.

And at one point I was about to fall into that category as well. And all due to the ginormous amount of information available online.

I would never stop digging for new ideas to put into practice, even though practice was ironically the only thing I was not actually doing.

I would often not even begin creating because I considered myself ‘not perfect yet’, and so I would once again gather more and more information.

And the cycle kept on going.

As it turns out, to everybody’s surprise (WARNING: Irony Detected!) theory and practice are two different beasts. And music is mainly all about 'practice'.

About transmitting emotion.

Only after achieving this you should get technical, should the need arise.

(BTW: by “technical” I mean polishing and refining, not sticking to the basics, which in my humble opinion is something you should definitely do)

Since an early age I would always hear left and right that “you can do it if you work hard enough”, that I should work on my weaknesses in order to become stronger and more able.
To know it all and to be able do it all. To not miss out on anything. To be complete.

And I believed it...

And all that had done was nothing but actually stop me from making progress and make me lose confidence instead...

But I have since found out that it is actually better to be incomplete. To be flawed. And to accept it.

Why?

Because that’s what being human is all about. (but I shall leave that topic for another time)

Instead of working your hardest to become average at something for which you have no propensity, why not try your best to take that which you're already quite good at and drive it forward to the next level, and even beyond?

And don't worry if you will ever find yourself unable to do any particular thing. There are other people in this world who can, and you can always go to them for help.

So you actually won't miss out on anything, contrary to popular belief...

On the contrary, you will become even better at your own craft, because that in turn gives you more time to work on that which you already know. On that which you're already good at.

And by doing so your confidence will only go up, as you will see increasingly better results in your field, further giving way to even better results in the future.

I now think that this is the right approach. At least for me.

So getting back to our initial topic…

After a too long stretch of time in which I was constantly battling against myself (aka my thoughts contradicting my emotions), I have finally managed to let it all go (i.e. all the stuff I have gathered and started to believe was right, not taking into account the way I was actually made).

I can’t mix like the pros.

Most of the time I can’t even achieve the exact sound I have in my mind.

But that is okay.

And so I have chosen to change my ways.

I chose to discard all of the information (be it virtual or physical) that I have gathered beforehand, and all due to the fact that it never actually helped me, ironically enough...

So I chose to just go by feeling. To trust myself and to just let it flow.

I have made peace with my flaws, with my imperfect abilities, and actually started doing something.

I have cranked down my subjectivity, and as a result I am now able to finish what I start.

Oh and just so you know, the end result is never perfect.

It never turns out to be an exact copy of the version that I have inside my mind, but it’s the best I could have done at that current time.

And that is enough.

And it is so damn rewarding in the end.

So I strongly encourage you to try it for yourself someday. Who knows where it might take you?

So yeah, this is me...

No filters, no hassle. Just music.

And I truly hope that you will get something good out of what I do. No matter how big or small.

And if I’m not enough for you, that’s okay too.

I am enough for me.

And that is all that matters 😁!

Until next time...