When Your Mix Might Have Too Many Tracks

Modern home recording setups make it easy for us to capture potentially unlimited tracks, and it’s not uncommon to see mixes with endless layers.

But more tracks don’t always lead to better mixes.

In fact, too many tracks can often make it really hard to create a great mix.

Many people get stuck here, trying to make each track sit alongside the rest so it can be heard clearly amongst all the other elements.

However, mixing isn’t about making everything equally as loud or equally as prominent.

In any mix, you need to decide what is going to be a focal point, and what is going to sit at a lower level and play more of a supporting role.

This becomes even more important in mixes with high track counts.

Often, when I have a song with lots of tracks, the decisions I make while mixing might mean that some tracks are barely identifiable on their own in the final mix.

They become textures — almost like multiple voices in a choir. You can’t pick each one out individually; they become part of an overall sound.

So when it comes to mixes with tons of tracks, don’t be afraid to view certain tracks as supporting elements, and others as the more prominent parts of a mix.

This mindset makes it much easier to mix songs with high track counts.

Give this a go on your next big session and let me know how it goes.