The Importance of Effective Communication in Delivering Your Vision.
You’ve done the hard work of prepping your session and sending it to a mix engineer. Now you’ve received the first mix back, and you need to communicate your thoughts. This is the most crucial step in the mixing process, and it’s where most artists and producers make a crucial mistake: giving vague, unhelpful feedback.
An organized session gets an engineer’s work off to a great start, but clear and actionable feedback is what guarantees you get the mix you want. Learning to communicate your creative vision in technical terms is a professional skill that will save you time, money, and most importantly, deliver a mix that you are truly happy with.
The Listening Environment
Before you send a single note, you need to listen to the mix properly. Avoid the temptation to send notes after listening on a single set of headphones or your laptop speakers (or worse, your phone or tablet). A mix engineer’s job is to create a mix that “translates” well across a wide variety of systems. You should do the same with your feedback.
Listen to the mix on as many different systems as possible:
- Your primary headphones or studio monitors.
- Your car stereo.
- A pair of earbuds.
- A small Bluetooth speaker or your phone’s speaker.
This process helps you identify if a problem is with the mix itself or with a single playback system. If the bass is too loud only in your car, it might be a car issue. But if it’s too loud everywhere, it’s a mix note.
Actionable vs Vague Feedback
This is the most important lesson. A vague note like, “The drums need more punch” is a perfect example of what to avoid. An engineer might interpret this in a dozen different ways: adding EQ, more compression, a different reverb, or just turning the drums up.
Instead, provide actionable feedback that is specific and time-stamped.
- Vague: “The vocals sound muddy.”
- Actionable: “Can we turn down the low-mids on the lead vocal track? I’m noticing it sounds muddy in the verse from 0:35 to 1:05.”
- Vague: “The guitar solo needs to be louder.”
- Actionable: “The guitar solo from 2:15 to 2:40 needs to come up by about 2 dB. It’s getting lost in the mix.”
Using Reference Tracks the Right Way
A reference track is a professionally mixed and mastered song that you want your song to sound similar to. The key here is to use it as a point of reference, not a perfect blueprint. An engineer won’t make your song sound exactly like another, but they can use it to understand your sonic goals.
- Wrong: “Make my song sound like ‘Billie Jean’ by Michael Jackson.”
- Right: “I love the space and stereo width of the vocal reverb in the chorus of ‘Billie Jean’ at the 1:15 mark. Can we try to achieve something similar on the chorus of my song?”
Your Feedback Checklist
To make this process as easy as possible, here is a simple checklist to follow before you send your notes.
- Listen to the mix on at least three different systems.
- Take a new sheet of paper (or a digital note) and make a list of notes.
- Timestamp your notes with a clear marker (e.g.,
0:45). - Be specific about what you want changed. Refer to instruments and sections.
- If you have a reference track, link to it and provide a specific timestamp for the element you like.
- Finish with a brief, professional summary that thanks them for their work and acknowledges their creative input.
Trusting the Pro
Remember, you hired an engineer for their expertise and creative ear. While your feedback is essential, avoid getting caught up in the minutiae. An effective mix engineer will know what your song needs to stand out. Your job as a producer is to guide their vision, not to dictate every single EQ or compressor setting.
My Final Thoughts
Learning to give effective, actionable feedback is a professional skill that will elevate your music and strengthen your collaborative relationships. It shows respect for your engineer’s time and talent, and it is the single most important thing you can do to get a mix that you and your audience will love.
I’d Love to Know Your Thoughts…
What’s the best or worst piece of feedback you’ve ever received or given on a mix? What’s your top tip for collaborating with a mix engineer? Share your insights and questions in the comments below!