Hear Here! Modern Mixing Tools and Practices

Arguably, the world of audio engineering, especially mixing, begins and ends with listening—knowing when things sound right and, more importantly, being able to identify why things sound wrong. I’ve been at this for decades, and I’m still honing that fundamental skill. What I do know for certain is that you need to listen in an environment where you can be as confident as possible that you’re hearing the truth. It isn’t always easy.

I’ve been lucky to work in great rooms throughout my career—rooms that have been professionally tuned and equipped with high-quality monitors. I received much of my training alongside skilled engineers and producers, and I’ve tried to apply the best practices I witnessed to my own space and workflow. That’s what I want to talk about in this article.