TOP 10 MIXING MISTAKES (THAT 

ALL BEGINNERS MAKE) 

MISTAKE #1 - Using too slow compression attack times 

A common piece of advice for beginners is to make sure to NEVER use fast attack 
times. Doing so could “make your instrument sound ‘dead.’” I lived by this advice for 
years before I started to question it.  

But then I started wondering “why do all of the analog compressor plugins I keep 
buying have crazy fast attack times?”  

For example, one of the most famous analog compressors, the Urei 1176, has attack 
time range of 20-800 MICROSECONDS - less than a single millisecond! If attack times 
this fast would ruin the “life” of your instruments, then why are they so popular? 

Once I started to use fast attack times, my music started to sound more professional. I 
started getting better control over my instruments’ dynamics.  

So why all the fuss? Because fast attack times, if overused, CAN ruin the life of an 
instrument. So you have to be very careful. But you shouldn’t avoid them. 

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When using a fast attack time (less than 5ms) you need to be sparing with how much 
gain reduction you’re using. You only want to level out the transients of your sound a 
little bit. 2-3 dB’s of compression is plenty. 

If you’re wanting more compression than that, I’d recommend trying out serial 
compression - where you use two light compressors in a row, instead of one heavy one. 
Have both do 2-3dB’s of compression, but give the first one a fast attack and release, 
and the second one a medium/slow attack and release. If you don’t overdo it, you’ll love 
the sound you get! 

MISTAKE #2 - Keeping my buffer size low 

For years I thought my computer was broken. Once I’d get halfway through a mix, my 
DAW would start to freeze. I’d only be able to play a few seconds of audio before my 
system stopped dead in its tracks and threw me an error message. 

It took me awhile to realize that the problem wasn’t my computer, it was my DAW’s 
settings. Specifically, the buffer size. 

“Buffer size” helps computers to handle latency, or that annoying delay that can 
happen when you’re recording music. Latency is caused because the computer has to 
process lots of information before it can send the audio back out to you. That means 
that you hear the audio a few milliseconds too late in your headphones, giving you that 
delay sound. 

Buffer size is some clever designer’s way of handling this problem. A low buffer size (32 
or 64) tells the computer to analyze very little data before sending the audio back out 
to your headphones. This is ​perfect​ for recording, because it gets rid of latency. 

That said, a low buffer size is really heavy on computing power. So when you’re mixing, 
having a lower buffer size will cause your system to freeze over and over. 

When you start a mix, go into your DAW’s preferences. Find the buffer size option and 
change it to the highest setting (512 or 1024). This should help your freezing problem 
significantly! 

MISTAKE #3 - Not using high shelves 

Professional vocals always sound larger than life. They seem to be more “alive” than a 
singer in real life. How do they do that? 

Before you reach for an expensive microphone, try using a high shelf on your EQ.  

Oftentimes, the professional “shine” that radio vocals have isn’t from nice gear, it’s from 
a generous boost in the top end. Producers will often boost above 7kHz to give the 
vocal some “air.” They want them to sound bright and intimate without being too 
aggressive. 

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Try using a high shelf boost for yourself. You can get aggressive with them if you need 
to. Sometimes, I boost the top end of my vocals 5-10dB’s! 

Try using a high shelf boost on your acoustic guitars and drums, too. A well-placed 
boost can really bring the life out of them. 

MISTAKE #4 - Over-EQing (specifically, making too many cuts) 

Sometimes the more you EQ, the more problems you hear. You cut two problem 
frequencies, but now you hear a third. And once you cut that one, you hear a fourth. 
What’s going on? 

Cheaper EQ’s can oftentimes introduce some frequency cancellation when they’re 
used too dramatically. That means that when you’re making lots of deep cuts, you’re 
not only getting rid of stuff… you’re adding frequencies, too. 

Keep this from happening by using broader cuts and boosts, or by only making a few 
deep cuts. If you’re having to use 3 EQ plugins in a row to handle all your cuts and 
boosts, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Usually, simple is better. 

MISTAKE #5 - Not gain staging your plugins (esp compression 

and EQ) 
Gain staging is an important step that never gets talked about to beginners. So what is 
it? 

Whenever you add any kind of processing to an instrument, you’re changing its 
volume. How loud it is going in is NOT how loud it is going out. And without taking the 
time to match the input and output volume of each plugin you use, you’ll have no idea 
if it’s actually making something sound better… or just sound louder. 

Most plugins have an output volume knob (AKA makeup gain) for this very reason. 
Before you move on to the next plugin, take 15 seconds and turn the plugin off. Does 
the instrument sound louder or quieter? If so, increase or decrease the output volume. 
Turn the plugin back on and see if it sounds like the same volume. If not, adjust. Repeat 
this until the before-and-after volume sounds the same to your ears. 

Making a habit of this will ​dramatically​ improve how good your plugins sound! 

MISTAKE #6 - Not investing in acoustic treatment 

If you’re not hearing the sound accurately, then your mix will never sound good. It’s as 
simple as that. 

Sound changes with the room. Different room sizes and shapes will change the tone of 
the sounds that occur inside of them. This is happening in your mixing room, too. 

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What this means is that your mix could sound ​amazing​ in your room, but fall apart 
when you take it to a friend’s house, your living room, or your car. 

Keep this from happening by investing in acoustic treatment. It’s basically a specific 
type of (safe) fiberglass that soaks up the sound of your room, leaving you with only the 
accurate sound of the mix through your speakers.  

I’d recommend doing your research and purchasing acoustic treatment before buying 
any premium plugins, pro mics, or super nice monitors. Until you’re a
​ ctually h
​ earing 
what your mix sounds like, no amount of great gear will make it sound better.  

Pro tip #1: If you don’t have the money to spend on acoustic treatment right now, try 
mixing in nice studio headphones. Since they’re not pumping sound into a room, 
they’re fairly accurate. Just don’t mix 100% of your songs on them forever. Studio 
headphones have their own set of challenges as well. 

Pro tip #2: A lot of times you hear people say that you can use egg crate foam instead 
of acoustic panels. This is a myth. You could actually make your room sound ​worse 
that way. Be okay with buying acoustic panels and bass traps from a reputable 
company, or research how to make them yourself. 

MISTAKE #7 - Experimenting too much w/ every plugin 

When you’re a beginner, it’s fun to try out every single plugin you have. You’re learning 
how to mix and record your own music, so you want to play with your “toys.”  

Eventually, though, that sense of fun turns into a sense of dread while you’re mixing. 
You start asking yourself, “What if this plugin doesn’t sound as good as this other one? 
Or this one? Or this one?” You feel the need to try every single plugin before moving on 
in the mix, so that your mix sounds as good as possible. 

The sooner you can break this habit, the better. A good mix depends on you m ​ ixing 
quickly​. The longer you’re listening to a song, the more “ear fatigue” begins to set in. 
This means your ear weakens just like a muscle, so what you hear becomes less and 
less accurate over time. 

Picking a plugin and sticking with it for an entire mix is one of the best ways to learn to 
mix quickly. Start trying it with your own projects. Your mixes will get better - faster. 

MISTAKE #8 - Trying to get better with my wallet 

Another mistake that all beginners make is to fall for the marketing. Every plugin 
company tells you that “your mixes won’t sound good until you’re using OUR plugins.” 
And so you start to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on premium plugins… 
before you’ve even learned how to use the ones you have. 

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Trust me - no amount of money you could spend will make your mixes better. 
PRACTICING will make your mixes better. Master your stock plugins first. They’re better 
than you think they are. 

Once you’ve gone as far as you can with your stock plugins, t​ hen​ start to invest in 
premium plugins. You’ll get much more from your purchase that way. Premium 
plugins only sound good if the person using them is already good. 

MISTAKE #9 - Relying on “tips and tricks,” not learning my tools 

Remember what I said about marketing in the last mistake? We music teachers do it, 
too. But we do it with “tips and tricks.” 

The allure of mixing tips and tricks on the internet is real. You see videos with titles like 
“Get PUNCHY Drums with These 4 Tricks” and you get excited. “I want punchy drums,” 
you say. “If I learn these tricks, my mixes will sound amazing!” 

The tips and tricks are great, don’t get me wrong. They can actually provide a lot of 
value. But you’re learning out of order. 

It’s more important to learn the ​basics​ of mixing before learning the ​tricks​ of mixing.  

I remember making this mistake when I was a beginner. I knew what parallel 
compression was before I even knew how to use a compressor! 

So learn your tools first. Get good at using your EQ, your compressor, your delay, and 
your reverb. THEN start checking out the tricks and tips. 

MISTAKE #10 - Not backing up my sessions 

I learned this mistake the hard way. My first mixing client had sent me a MASSIVE 
session. Tons of guitars, keyboards, synths, background vocals… it was a beast. It took 
forever to get it mixed, but after dozens of hours I was finally almost finished. And then 
my computer crashed. And the entire session was corrupted. ​And I had to start the mix 
over from scratch. 

I was so demoralized that it took months before my client ever got the final mix from 
me. And they never worked with me again. 

Trust me - something ​will​ go wrong at some point! And when it does, you’ll be 
thanking yourself that you frequently backed up your sessions on another hard drive. It 
may save your song.  

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