We’ve all gotten excited about bouncing down what we feel like might be the final mix, but when played somewhere else, in a different environment, or on a different listening system, we wonder what on earth went wrong. Before you hit that export button in your DAW and send it out to the world, here are three handy checks you can make to ensure your mix is actually ready.

Your low end only works in your room

If your bass sounds perfect in your own studio, but all of a sudden, the bass disappears in your car or maybe the bass absolutely booms in your headphones, then your mix isn’t translating. Usually, this will mean there’s something wrong with your mixing environment, i.e. your room acoustic or monitoring situation. You can fix this by following. Make sure to check your mix on as many different systems before you call your mix ‘final’.

Nothing has its own space

If the elements in your mix are all fighting to be heard, you’re going to end up with mud. Kick & Bass, Synth & Vocals – it all blurs together. A defining hallmark of a finished mix is the degree of separation between each element, where it sits in the frequency spectrum and stereo field, without stepping on other elements.

You’re still tweaking levels after 50 listens

If you can’t stop playing and tweaking the levels, EQ or effects, it’s probably a sign that your ears are starting to get fatigued. Make sure to take regular breaks, and when you come back, make notes about the mix on your first listen through with fresh ears. This way, you can make objective changes and mix decisions that serve the track, without bogging yourself down in a decision-making frenzy.

The bottom line – A finished mix translates, has space, and doesn’t keep you up at night second-guessing. If you’ve nailed those three, bounce it and move on — the next track is waiting.

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