10 Common Mixing Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Mixing is both an art and a science. It takes a trained ear, technical skill, and creative decision-making to create a mix that translates well across different playback systems. But even experienced producers and engineers fall into common traps that can make a track feel amateur, muddy, or fatiguing.

Whether you're working in a professional studio or your bedroom, here are 10 of the most common mixing mistakes—and how to fix them.

1. Mixing in Solo Too Often

The Mistake: Soloing tracks excessively during mixing.
Why It’s a Problem: Music is meant to be heard in context. A track might sound great soloed, but clash horribly in the full mix.

The Fix:
Only solo tracks when absolutely necessary (e.g., fixing a noise or checking phase). Always make EQ and level decisions with the full mix playing.

2. Over-Compressing the Mix

The Mistake: Using too much compression on individual tracks or the master bus.
Why It’s a Problem: Over-compression kills dynamics, makes mixes sound lifeless, and can introduce pumping artifacts.

The Fix:
Use compression with intention. Ask yourself: Am I controlling dynamics, adding punch, or gluing elements together? Use lower ratios, slower attack times for punch, and leave headroom for mastering.

3. Lack of Gain Staging

The Mistake: Running tracks too hot or too low before processing.
Why It’s a Problem: Poor gain staging can lead to plugins distorting, especially analog-style emulations.

The Fix:
Keep your tracks around -18dBFS RMS (average level) before adding processing. This emulates analog gear input and ensures headroom across your chain.

4. Ignoring Phase Issues

The Mistake: Layering instruments (especially drums or guitars) without checking phase.
Why It’s a Problem: Phase cancellation can make your mix sound thin, hollow, or weak.

The Fix:
Use your DAW’s polarity (phase invert) button, or manually nudge layers to align waveforms. Use a phase correlation meter if needed.

5. Mixing at Too High a Volume

The Mistake: Cranking your monitors to mix louder.
Why It’s a Problem: Fatigue sets in faster, and your ears lose sensitivity to high and low frequencies.

The Fix:
Mix at moderate to low volumes most of the time. Occasionally check loud and soft, but don't live at high volume.

6. Not Using Reference Tracks

The Mistake: Relying on memory or feel to determine how your mix “should” sound.
Why It’s a Problem: Without references, your tonal balance or stereo spread can drift way off target.

The Fix:
Pick 1–3 well-mixed reference tracks in the same genre. Switch between them and your mix often to calibrate your ears and guide EQ, level, and space decisions.

7. Too Much Reverb or Delay

The Mistake: Using reverb or delay with long tails on every track.
Why It’s a Problem: The mix becomes washy, lacks clarity, and elements fight for space.

The Fix:
Use one or two shared reverb buses, and automate the amount per track. Use shorter decay times and pre-delay to create separation. Also try delay instead of reverb for cleaner depth.

8. Ignoring the Low-End Balance

The Mistake: Either under-mixing or over-hyping the bass and sub-bass.
Why It’s a Problem: Too much low-end can muddy the mix, while too little can make it feel weak.

The Fix:
Use high-pass filters on non-bass elements to clear out unnecessary low frequencies. Use spectrum analyzers to compare your low-end to reference tracks.

9. Neglecting Automation

The Mistake: Setting static levels, panning, or effects throughout the song.
Why It’s a Problem: The mix can feel robotic, repetitive, or lack emotional movement.

The Fix:
Use volume automation, filter sweeps, panning changes, and reverb sends to create dynamic transitions, builds, and energy shifts throughout the song.

10. Mixing Without Breaks or a Fresh Ear

The Mistake: Mixing for hours on end without stepping away.
Why It’s a Problem: Ear fatigue leads to poor decisions, especially in EQ and levels.

The Fix:
Take a 5–10 minute break every hour, and switch up your listening environment. If possible, sleep on it and re-listen the next day with fresh ears before finalizing.

Bonus Tips:

• Check your mix in mono to ensure phase coherence and proper balance.

• Use multiple speakers or headphones to hear how your mix translates across systems.

• Name and color-code your tracks for faster, more intuitive mixing.

• Group buses for drums, vocals, and instruments to simplify processing and automation.

Final Thoughts

Mixing is a journey. The more you train your ears and refine your workflow, the fewer mistakes you’ll make. That said, even the pros double-check their work with references, proper monitoring levels, and critical listening techniques.

Remember: a great mix supports the song—it doesn’t distract from it.

Whether you’re mixing your own productions or collaborating with artists, mastering these fundamentals is the key to achieving that radio-ready, emotionally engaging sound.