I think there are three very imporatent points in the discussion so far:
1. The concept of the illusive "phantom mix" - I think we all tend to think we can somehow always make the mix "just a little better".......and learning when to say enough is enough - well, that's a disipline that can take a while to master.
2. Track it right so you don't have to try to "fix it in the mix". I think most people who do this for a while have learned that the time spent on one or two extra takes to record the best, in tune perfomance - is far better than spending time trying to fix something later. I think the phrase "fix it in the mix" is a misleading and normally unrealistic expectation.
3. Seperate the mixing process from the tracking process. Not only does that reduce the potential for fatique - but as importantly, it allows you to approach the mix with hopefully a fresh perspective.
Very nicely summarized! Beautiful.
I'd just like to reiterate that learning to say "enough is enough" doesn't have to be that hard of a discipline to master. All it takes is two things, and even one of those is optional.
The first is to simply put a time limit on it. if you were mixing for someone else, there most certainly would be a time limit, and that would be based upon the amount of money the client was willing to pay. They're going to expect a mix of X quality done in Y time, and aren't going to sit around dishing out $25-$60 an hour just because you can't crank out two songs a day. So you're mixing for yourself? That doesn't make it free. It's still costing the client that $25-$60 an hour. The only difference is that your the client, so you're just paying yourself. In fact, you're loosing money, because you are now LOOSING that $25-$60 an hour to a client who does not pay you a dime.
Treat yourself as you would treat a client, SET A TIME LIMIT, and get that mix out there. It's really as simple as that. (It's also a good way to force you to hone your mixing skills
)
An optional, but what may help deal with the time limit idea is that one comes to understand that - again, not counting fancy or large-production post-production work - after a certain amount of time, the mix is just plain not going to get any better than what one already has. I'd be very hard-pressed to think of a situation - by me or anyone else I knew - where after six hours working on a mix that the mix actually sounded a whole lot better than it did after two or three. There's a point where you just are not going to get it any better by any worthwhile degree than it is at that point.
Once one understands that as being the natural order of things, it's easy to set a time limit or to recognize when you're simply beating your head against the wall, and that another hour's worth of work will not make a rat's ass of a difference to the final listenability of the mix.
And, finally, if those doesn't work, you can simply tell yourself that none of it matters because when you put your mastering engineer's hat on, you're just going to slam everything against the wall anyway
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G.