Not only should you listen to the mix in the cans... but you should ALWAYS do a RECORDING LEVEL test.

Start the recording and stop it after 10 seconds. You want to see a few things.

1. One is that you have your recording levels set properly. you should play it back and listen to be sure the levels are hot enough but not overloaded. Fix any level issues right at this point. Not later in the mix.

2 Number two is this will now show you if you are recording in stereo or mono and this should be evident on the screen before you ever listen.


A good DAW will be printing the wave in real time as you record it. So, as soon as I hit record, I will catch the fact that I neglected to switch the track from it's default Stereo mode to my preferred mono mode. I can see the left side printing and the right side is a flat line.

Stop, delete the clip, switch to mono, start again.

You can find my music at:
www.herbhartley.com
Add nothing that adds nothing to the music.
You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.

The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.