How To Make Your Mixes Come Alive

Have you ever noticed how some mixes sound good, but still feel a bit flat or lifeless?

There’s nothing obviously wrong…
It’s not harsh, not muddy, not over-compressed.
But it just doesn’t sound exciting or engaging.

Mixes like this are often missing one key ingredient: automation.

What does automation do?

If you imagine anything in your mix changing at any point as the song plays, automation makes that possible.

You’re essentially telling your DAW to change aspects of your mix for you as the track plays.

For example:

• Change the EQ for a couple of lines
• Apply more compression in one section
• Turn down the reverb for a few seconds

You tell your DAW what to change and when to change it — and every time you hit play, it follows those instructions perfectly.

This is one of the most effective ways to turn a lifeless mix into something exciting and dynamic.

Things you might automate to make your mix more interesting:

• Make a guitar solo stand out more by turning the level up slightly
• Change the EQ on the vocal to create a “radio effect” on certain lines
• Switch delay on for specific words in the vocals
• Pan instruments wider in the choruses so the mix opens up
• Add extra compression to the drums to fatten them

Some mixes benefit from subtle, almost unnoticeable changes that simply add variation and interest.

Others call for bolder moves that are much more noticeable.

Either way, automation is a powerful way to keep your mixes interesting and engaging from start to finish.

Give it a try on your next mix.