Why Memorizing Other Engineers' Moves Isn't Enough

Let's talk about something I see happening a lot in the mixing world: the endless pursuit of recreating other engineers' techniques - watching tutorial after tutorial, noting down exact settings, trying to replicate that one sound from that one record. While there's absolutely value in learning from others, here's why this approach alone might be holding you back.

The Illusion of the Perfect Setting

I recently had a meeting with an engineer who could recite another engineer’s vocal chain from memory. Every plugin, every setting. But when I asked them why they might have chosen those specific settings, there was silence. This is where we hit the heart of the issue.

Here's the truth: those settings weren't chosen in isolation. They were chosen for:

• A specific vocalist

• A specific microphone

• A specific room

• A specific genre

• A specific emotion

• A specific moment

Beyond the Numbers

Think about it this way: if you're a chef, knowing Gordon Ramsay's exact temperature setting for searing steak is useful information. But if you don't understand how heat affects proteins, how different cuts of meat respond to temperature, or how to adjust for the thickness of the steak, that number alone won't make you a better chef.

The same applies to mixing. Understanding why an engineer used 2dB of 8k boost tells you so much more than just blindly applying that same boost to your mix.

Building Your Own Framework

Instead of collecting settings like Pokemon cards, start building a framework of understanding:

1. Listen First, Act Second What's the song actually asking for? What emotion needs to be amplified? Sometimes the "technically correct" move isn't the right one for the song.

2. Understand the Why When you see another engineer make a move, ask:

   • What problem were they solving?

   • What were the alternatives they could have chosen?

   • How does this decision affect the overall emotional impact?

3. Context is Everything A -3dB cut at 250Hz might have sounded perfect on that Grammy-winning record, but your track was recorded in a different room, with different microphones, different players, and carries a different emotional weight.

Developing Your Mixing Voice

Just like every great artist has their own voice, every great mix engineer has their own perspective. Your unique background, the music you love, the way you hear and feel sound - these elements should inform your mixing decisions.

Think about the mixing engineers we all admire. They're not known for using the exact same settings as their heroes. They're known for:

• Their unique perspective on sound

• Their problem-solving approach

• Their ability to serve the song

• Their consistent but evolving style

Moving Forward

Here's what I recommend to my coaching clients:

1. Study Principles, Not Presets Understanding why compression works is more valuable than memorizing attack times.

2. Experiment Deliberately Take those techniques you've learned and experiment with them. Push them until they break. You'll learn more from the failures than the successes.

3. Build Your Reference Library Instead of trying to recreate specific mixes, build a diverse library of references that move you emotionally. Understand what elements create that emotion.

4. Trust Your Ears The best setting is the one that works for your song, in your room, for your artist. Period.

The Real Goal

The goal isn't to mix exactly like your heroes. The goal is to understand sound deeply enough that you can make confident decisions that serve the song. Every great mix engineer started by learning from others, but they didn't stop there. They developed their own voice.

The world needs more unique perspective on sound. Use the techniques you learn from others as a foundation to build upon, not a formula to replicate.

Let's push the industry forward by developing our own voices, not just echoing others.