The Truth About Mixing In The Box - Warren Huart: Produce Like a Pro

Those of you that follow me will know I produce and mix using Pro Tools. Most of the projects I do at my studio are produced and mixed in a hybrid fashion, utilizing some amazing analog outboard equipment and outputting through either my SSL 4000E or 12 Channel CADAC console.

In the last few years I’ve been increasingly mixing in-the-box. This is a trend I’ve been seeing with a lot of great mixers, from Neal Avron and Dave Way to Andrew Scheps.

Produce Like A Pro is a website which features great tips to help the beginning recordist make incredible sounding home recordings on a budget.

[beastmandrum]

Warren is a legend because he's honest

[thegreatgambeeno]

You're the best. Every video you do makes me more confident and able to work on my own mixes. Thank you Warren. Kudos and cheers and other words of encouragement :)

[ChrisMartinsMusician]

It's not about the gear, it's about the operator. Always has been. Even a simple portastudio and two 57s back in the day gave us "Nebraska"... but it was Bruce Springsteen singing and playing... We are living in a golden age for artists and producers. Great video Warren.

[earsonlyaudio]

Being completely blind, for accessibility reasons, I stay completely in the box right now. That way, I can see all of my metering, gain reduction, what my EQ moves actually were etc, but I love the analog feel. So I'm using a Tascam DM3200 to control my faders and pans inside of PT, I'm also doing my fader rides here. I'm also putting Console 1 on every channel and sub buss and using the EQ and dynamics as needed controling with the console 1 surface. I only control plugins with mouse and keyboard when I want a different flavor than what I can get with console 1 which does happen on basically every mix, but the majority of my processing is hardware controled. I would love one day to mix completely outside the box as I'm very hands on, but with the accessibility issue, I don't see myself working in both realms. I either want to be all the way in or all the way out.

[drakensoul]

In the middle of all youtube crap, with "engineers" trying to teach you things, this channel ''produce like a pro'' has drastically changed my way of learning how to mix and the approach Warren has, is freaking good. Thanks a lot for sharing all this with us. Keep up the good work !

[LucyDeDe]

I've been mixing in the box for a couple of years now and am very happy with that work flow. I started following Warren about 1, 5 years ago, and listening to his videos. These vudeos has given me the confidence to peruse my love of music making in the box. Like Warren I've gain a little kit as I've earned from recording and producing, this kit is mainly used to fatten the signal whilst recording (wish I owned a fraction of what he does) but it is totally possible to make great music in the box even without the extra hardware it's just an extra step or two using plugins. Thanks Warren your a star xxx

[CantonMasterDrummer]

It’s nice to know that professionals like yourself are making it easier for students like me to not be discouraged by studios and the mad amounts of gear they use to mix with. I’m close to my graduation and so far I’ve been nothing but nervous when thinking about finding work in a studio because of my lack of knowledge about outboard gear. I’ve always mixed in the box; like you said you did in the early years, and have been afraid that most job opportunities are going to absolutely demand extensive knowledge of outboard gear when it comes to mixing. I’m really hoping this isn’t the case when it comes time for me to look for work.

[Unders]

Big Big fan of analog emulation tools, really heavily used on my latest drum and bass album. Which is mainly ITB but with lots of added recorded elements.

[LooseBolts]

To be truthful, I wasn't even aware of this conversation's existence, but I think it's something I needed to hear regardless. Cheers.

[TaylrDNoise]

brilliant video! definitely very late to this, but as an up and coming producer and mixer, this is still giving incredible insight to millions of kids that want to get into music. I LOVE mixing in the box and have never used any analog to mix, but I have been having a lot of ups and downs with my music, specifically I get frustrated when I don’t have a set list of things to do when I mix, but this video really showed me that I can do this anyway I want! you are a legend ❤

[frankerock]

Your love for music especially for the great "Queen" makes you an honorary Queen member to me. Queen holds a warm place in my life as well. God bless Warren.

[mgmthegrand]

This video is invaluable. Most of us younger guys are accustomed to mixing in the box for obvious budgetary constraint reasons. For the same reason, we are also more likely to use VST instruments instead of live instruments. So many haven't figured out why it's so much easier to mix a composition made with VSTs vs mixing one with live instrument recordings. Mixing audio from a mic source is a totally different ball game. This is why it's a challenge for many when they have to mix vocals into a VST instrumental - the VST sounds already have a lot of processing done to them, while the vocals are completely dry. This video confirms something that I've always believed - mixing in the box requires an intimate understanding of the difference between sounds that are already processed and sounds that come directly from a microphone.

[adamwasthefirstman]

I had a cassette 4 track when I was a teenager. I honestly tried to use it maybe a handful of times. When Pro Tools put out the Digi 001, I was near first in line to buy it. It was instant joy! Just highlight a track and work on it! About the same time, I started running live sound. Outboard effects processors and consoles with tons of knobs to fiddle with. Also instant joy. This has been a continuous dichotomy in my career: I loved the ability to draw automation and make unlimited eq moves in the box and loved throwing guitar solos or vocal delays up with a fader live. Only after all these years have I started to integrate both feels in the studio. Even as plugins have gotten better and better, so have affordable mic pres and eqs and compressors. I can get better sounding recordings in the front end now. I use a simple Presonus Faderport more and more often to automate in the box. Long story only slightly longer, there is no best way other than finding the individual details that work best for you.

[QuabmasM]

Once I learned how to use saturation, tape, and analog emulation plugins to color signals, my mixes went to a whole new level and I realized a fundamental to competing with the harmonic warmth analog mixes have. Once I was familiar with a number of vsts, I was able to develop a pleasant system to get there as well(relying alot on analog style compressor vsts just for their coloring, many times not using the compression).

Then once thats all done theres still techniques to experiment and tap into fresh new ways of thickening the signal like clipping at the end of the mix, taming harsh high mid digital frequencies with multi-band compression, and adding parallel distortion. Theres so many cool styles to be developed when youre aiming for a style but using completely different methods to "get there".

I realized this digital mix era is still very much the wild wild west of opportunities and new ideas when we push things to their digital limits but hold to tried and true analog style coloring techniques while staying in the box. It also adds the fun back into mixing.

[HofTheStage]

I'm basicly doing all my mixing and mastering in the box, and so far I love how it sounds. Plugins have definitely come a long way through the years and there are so many to pick from. I noticed that even the simplest limiters give a different feel when used - some are responding better musicaly, others just chop the signal and anything louder ends up distorted and not in a nice sounding way. Maybe consoles let you do some things quicker like writing automatizations, paning, and the feel under your fingers is a plus for sure. I do everything in the box, but now and then it is good to mix out of the box as well, so the combination of both I guess is the winner here!

[bennydellinger]

Great video! I've been doing this 40 years and there are no videos to elementary that I can't learn from. I mix in the box because I don't have studio space, can't afford the studio toys and it's convenient. I can pretty much have the studio I used to work in, on a pc. Times have certainly changed since my studio days. I do love these videos and its fun learning and keeping up with technology. Great job Mr. Huart!😀

[andyalexander]

Always lovely to hear that the key variable in a process is the individual and his creativity! Often reminds me of the awesome sounding old stuff. Thanks Sir!

[brenttauromusic]

Struck gold yet again with this one, sir! I love your channel and what you are doing as human being. God bless you.

[warthogstudios]

Yes the plugin you need is scheps Omni . But you know that now!. Your advice and information is second to none . Thank you Warrren.

[jonasljungkvist]

As i was told when I started mixing and recording bands: it's not about the gear, it's the ear.. great video!