There's one right way of building a mix and it's not what you think. Some audio engineers build mixes starting with the drums while others start with vocals. Some start mixing dry while others start with a wet mix. They might all be building the mix the right way. Clear as mud?
Once, I tried building a mix starting with overly loud channel volumes. Pulling each channel back to the appropriate level was harder than I'd imagined. The other sound guy at church mixes this way and he creates outstanding music mixes. For me, it was big-time brain overload. Yet, we each mix the right way. What makes both methods right?
Before detailing the right way, let's look at the wrong way. Identifying the wrong way of mixing is easy; it takes an extensive amount of time, involves a lot of uncertainty, and produces inconsistent results.
What Makes the Right Method?
The right mixing method has five properties. These properties enable building a mix in a respectable amount of time, meeting the needs of the congregation, and doing so with full knowledge of the workings of a sound system.
The Five Properties
Use a method that works for your brain.
1. Repeatable
A standard set of steps should be used for building a mix. Randomly turning knobs and moving faders while wishing for a good result isn't the right kind of repeatable process. A repeatable mix process is one that can be written down and given to another person to follow. Mixing does involve a lot of little adjustments but the order in which a mix is built isn't that complicated.
2. Logical.
Build a mix in a logical and ordered fashion. Everything should be done for a reason. For example, the first step in any mix method should be setting the optimal gain structure on each channel. Doing this first prevents encountering later problems due to poor gain settings. In my guide, Audio Essentials for Church Sound, I outline mix milestones so whenever there is a problem, the sound tech can fall back to the last milestone and try again. Using milestones also prevents spending excess time in one step of the mix build.
3. Efficient.
A repeatable mix process is one that can be written down and given to another person to follow.
This is where rookies become stressed. Every mixing control should be changed for a reason. Know how each control works, what it does, and when to use it. A person with a great ear for mixing but little knowledge of a mixing board will take too long to build a mix. The faster one establishes the baseline mix, the more time they have for working on the finer points.
4. Meets the Need.
Use a process that produces a mix worthy of presenting worship. Normally, discussing meeting the needs brings up mixing for the congregation's preference. But, there's one area that's overlooked; "it's good enough." Don't set a mix that's good enough, with decent volumes, minimal EQ'ing, and a set-and-forget mentality. The process used for mixing each week should enable creation of a worship-worthy sound.
5. Works for You.
Use a method that works for your brain. I can't build a mix by starting everything loud and subtracting until the mix sounds right. My brain doesn't like working that way. This doesn't mean it's a wrong way of building a mix. We are all wired differently - use what works. My preference is starting with a quiet room, adding in the low-end instruments, and finishing with the vocals sitting on top. At this point, I add effects and work on cross-channel blending.
Disordered mixing eats up precious time better used for perfecting the mix instead of building the foundation. Use a mix process that's repeatable, logical, efficient, meets the needs, and works for you.