15/06/2026
One of the biggest mistakes I see producers and mixers make is taking advice at face value.
The problem isn’t that the advice is wrong, but that it might not be wrong for you.
Music production is full of contradictory advice.
Use more compression. Use less compression.
Add more layers. Keep it simple.
Make it louder. Leave more dynamics.
The frustrating thing is that all of these can be correct. It just depends on what’s already happening in your mix.
A track that’s thin probably needs more weight.
A track that’s muddy probably needs less.
A vocal that’s inconsistent probably needs more control.
A vocal that’s lifeless might need less.
The best mixers I know don’t blindly follow rules.
They diagnose problems. They listen for imbalances. They understand that every strength has an opposite that keeps it useful.
A mix usually falls apart when one good idea gets pushed too far.
What’s a piece of mixing advice that helped you at one point but ended up hurting your mixes when you took it too far?
