Let me drop something real simple that can change your finishing game: mix while you're actually cooking.
Hear me out—when you're in the middle of mixing and immerse yourself in critical listening, it’s easy to lose perspective.
Your ears get fatigued, your brain goes into auto-pilot, and you might second-guess decisions that sounded awesome 10 minutes ago.
So, here’s a trick: kick off your favourite recipe—something that smells like victory—and start mixing while that's cooking. The gap between stirring the pot and listening heats your ears back up.
You’ll catch things you missed: a harsh top end, a buried bass, or vocals that need a little more life.
Even better, mix in short, intentional bursts tied to your cooking steps—like “adjust the chorus levels while my pasta boils for 5 minutes.”
Why this works:
- Natural rest resets your ears — not too long, not too short, just enough to reset balance.
- Keeps your energy up — you’re feeding your creativity and yourself.
- Helps you finish faster — you’ll mix smarter, not longer.
Try this next mix session:
- Start cooking something tasty.
- Use the cooking timer as your mix rhythm.
- Trust your ears when you come back to the track after a minute away.
- Stay hungry—both creatively and for food.
Who else finds leaving the mix and doing something mundane like cooking helps with clarity?
Let me know what activity helps recharge your ears mid-session!
- Spike