Adopting a bad habit is very easy, but getting rid of one is much harder.

That's why today I want to talk about some bad mixing habits that hurt our mixes and hold us back from becoming better mixing engineers.

Hopefully it will help you avoid these bad habits, or get rid of them if you're already doing them.

Let's get started.

Mixing Too Loud While it doesn't seem like a big deal, mixing in loud volumes can actually become a bad habit that will hold you back from getting better mixes. That's because loud volumes affect the sound we hear and the way our ears perceive it.

Listening to your mix too loud will make it sound hyped and punchy, as our ears perceive more high and low frequencies at loud volumes.

Only when you turn your mix down to a conservative volume level, you can hear how your mix truly sounds.

Not only that, but it will also create more reverberation and reflections in your room, which color the sound even more, making it less natural. Loud volumes also cause ear fatigue much faster, which can make you come up with bad mixing decisions.

Ultimately mixing in loud volumes hurts your entire mixing process in many different ways, so you're much better off avoiding it.

Over Processing We all like to play around with plugins.

Try some new techniques, combine different effects, and just do everything we can to improve the sound. But this can also lead to a problem - over processing. We can get so deep into our mix and our tracks, that at some point we start making them sound worse instead of better.

We insert too many plugins, tweak them endlessly, and use every single technique we know. We end up with a mix that went so far off the original raw tracks, that it actually sounds worse. To avoid that, you have to think before you act. Listen carefully to a track (in the context of the mix) and try to think what does it need in order to sound better and fit better with the rest of the tracks.

Is it EQ? Is it compression? Maybe it's just volume?

When you insert a plugin, do it for a reason.

Ask yourself "What problem does this plugin suppose to fix?" Double check that it actually did what you intended it to do, and that it has improved the track.

And don't forget to volume match as well. Other than that, you should occasionally listen to the rough mix and compare it to yours, to get a reference on how you affected the tracks, and hear the processing you did.

Never Finishing a Project

I know for a fact that this problem happens to so many people (including myself), and not just in the audio world. You start a new project, all pumped up and excited.

And as time goes by you get deeper and deeper into the mix, spending hours tweaking the most minor things, draining out your motivation. Eventually you end up frustrated, stuck half way and leaving the project alone, or just tweaking it forever without ever finishing it.

Does it happen to you as well? There are many reasons that can cause us to never finish a project.

Perfectionism, insecurity, and lack of clear goals, just to name a few.

There isn't a single solution to fix this problem. But I can give you some tips that might help you out.

• Work on one track at a time.

• Use plugins and techniques that you're familiar with.

• Don't over process your tracks.

• Set simple goals for each mixing session.

• Stay focused, take short breaks frequently, and avoid distractions.

It might just help you stay on track and keep a steady beat to finish your projects.

Mixing in Isolation It's very common in the home studio to get a mix that sounds great in your room, but sounds bad anywhere else. This is simply because most home studio guys are mixing in isolation.

What does it means?

It means that the only thing they are listening to is their mixes, and the only place their listening in is their studio. This makes you unaware of how music sounds "in the real world", making you "blind" to the sound of your room and your system. Luckily there's a very simple solution - using reference tracks. By using reference tracks you learn how does a great pro mix sound in your room, through your monitors and your gear. Then you'll be able to mix your song to match that sound, resulting in a mix that will translate much better to other audio systems. Even further than that, there are many more ways to make sure your mix sounds great everywhere.

Hopefully these tips will help you avoid or get rid of some bad mixing habits that may hold you back.

Do you mix with one of those habits?

Did this article teach you something new?

Share your thoughts in the comments below!