Five Resources For Better Mixes

I read a lot of books. 

Almost exclusively non-fiction titles that would likely be found in the “Self-Help” section from a 1990’s bookstore, with the exception of music production guides and the occasional musician-biography.

Here are the Top 5 music mixing & engineering resources I’d recommend to anyone looking to improve their recording, mixing and production chops:

1. “Zen and the Art of Mixing,” by Mixerman (whom I BELIEVE is Eric Sarafin… but don’t hold me to that.)

An excellent, non-technical guide to mixing music, handling clients and a whole host of related topics. Written in a conversational style, and often focusing more on the attitude and mentality required in order to produce your best work. I find myself re-reading this book every couple of years and taking something completely different from each read-through. The wisdom and lessons you glean from this will evolve to match your skill and experience level.

2. “Mixing With Your Mind,” by Michael Stavrou 

Filled with strange and, often, unintuitive mixing tricks, hacks, and high-level considerations that you’ve likely never heard of, or even considered in your own work. Many of the concepts related will only provide value for those who have already established a foothold in basic recording and mixing principles, but will address certain problem and difficult situations in a way you haven’t been exposed to before. The author is a badass engineer with an esoteric way of looking at the whole process of music production.

Lesser known than most other ‘standard’ mixing books; a secret weapon. If you want to test the waters here, I’d suggest starting with the chapter on correctly placing monitor speakers… dig the author’s perspective on this, and you’ll want to read the entire book.

3. “Recording Distorted Guitars From Hell,” a blog by Recorderman 

This is a weird one, but well worth the effort to find and absorb. Basically, a series of long-winded blog entries by a nameless engineer (I can guess at their identity, but won’t post here) that addresses just about every possible consideration related to recording heavy guitar tones. The author is not only incredibly knowledgeable and bursting with anecdotal experience, but also a total fucking character and quite fun to follow along with.

When I found this thread more than a decade ago, I literally called in sick to work so that I could read the whole thing in one sitting. You’ll learn how to handle tough recording situations that have hampered you in the past, and will also learn a hundred other things that you never even considered. I thought I knew a lot about guitar recording before finding this resource, and it really put my in my place. You will become a better guitar engineer if you heed the advice in this series; you might also start smoking cigars.

4. “The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook,” by Bobby Owsinski 

A bonafide classic, this book is widely regarded as the first published guide to mixing music. The author not only lived and worked through the heyday of big recording studios, but spent time with dozens of the top mixers and producers from the era. If you went to school for audio, you were probably assigned this as required reading. If you didn’t, now’s your time to catch up. Even if you’re a pretty competent engineer, you’ll take something important from every chapter of this resource. The individual interviews at the end are particularly informative, albeit a long read.

5. “So Good They Can’t Ignore You,” by Cal Newport

This is not a book about making music, though it has become endlessly fascinating to me as I’ve improved my engineering skillset over the years. Written about the process of levelling up in any pursuit, this book reads as a collection of strategic concepts and practices that can be applied to just about any professional field. There are, ironically, a number of case studies that relate to musicians, and each will illustrate the practical applications of the principles described. You’ll be far more confident in your decisions and career path after reading and putting these lessons into practice.

While your mileage may vary, these five written resources have been immensely helpful in my own pursuit of better results. If you could, drop a comment below with any classics that I’ve missed or with suggestions for resources that have greatly benefitted you… I’m constantly looking for new material.

As always, Happy Mixing.