Tips for faster mixes

• Get to know your DAW and plugins—read the manuals.¹ Billy Decker read his manual in several sittings in the bathroom.²
• Use mix templates. I got a lot of inspiration from Marc Daniel Nelson’s.
• Use shortcuts.
• Use presets: channel strip presets, plugin presets, FX send presets.
• Use my [[ Mixing checklist ]].
• Don’t get stuck on one sound for too long. Shoot from the hip.²
• Use Melodyne’s macros.
• Cut down on the amount of plugins to choose from.³
• Set a timer: how good can I get this in X amount of time?⁴
• Work on a deadline.
• Listen before mixing.
  • Sing and/or dance along to the track.
  • Envision a film to the song.
  • Pay attention to those boredom spots.
  • Approach a record with positivity.⁵
• Get the balance right before EQ and compression. Use fader balance to reduce EQ labor later.
• Focus on the most important instruments, especially voice, remember the Cocktail party effect, and don’t sweat the small stuff. In sign-painting, they say, Can you read it at 65 miles an hour?
• Use buss processing/top-down mixing.⁶
• Keep it simple: only use the processing you need. Don’t do anything automatically because this can sometimes create more problems to have to fix later. Have an intention and a plan for each mixing move.
• Use reference tracks and reference monitors. Switch up your listening system regularly, e.g. move to a different set of speakers or headphones.⁷
• Respect the work you’ve already done.
• Stop doing too much. Just fix the problems. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.⁸
• Don’t make more work for yourself by tinkering before getting the client’s notes.⁹
• Give the client a guide for sending tracks and giving notes. [[ What I need when receiving your files ]] and [[ Dos and don’ts for giving revision notes ]].⁹
• Don’t sweat it if the client hasn’t asked for it.