There's something very sturdy about returning all the dials back to zero when you are mixing. You know you have wandered off and sort of fixed some issues, but meanwhile you have created new issues and you are getting confused. When you return to zero you hear exactly what's on the tracks in an unaltered way. Take off all effects all eq and listen straight up again. Even go back to no panning and get your bearings.

Then you try to get it right again using mostly eq subtraction not addition, and as little as you can get away with.

Virtually every sound source, every mic every thing seems to be a bit muddy, it all seems to need subtraction in the low mids high bass range. Why is that?

But when you subtract that stuff you also lose a certain strength, naturalness and head for some brittleness.

I don't know. In the years and decades I've messed with this, all the mixes are still the same challenges, and it still helps to rethink it when you're lost and get back to straight up zero. I like to see how close I can get to zero and yet have it mixed. THat maybe is the sturdiest way.

Or maybe I just don't know what in the hell, I just feel my way through 'cause I love it.

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