Mixing: arrange before EQ
A production trend is now explicit: aim 80% of mix effort at arrangement and sound selection before touching EQ — it fixes masking problems earlier and speeds decisions (x.com). Producers are also prioritizing 'tall/wide/deep' mixes — boost highs for perceived height, reverb for depth, and panning for width — and many recommend using individual sounds rather than bus tricks to retain clarity (x.com) (x.com).
Warren Huart’s Produce Like A Pro publishes full-session mix breakdowns and tutorials that foreground early sound selection and arrangement as part of the pre‑mix workflow. (producelikeapro.com) An "80/20" production rubric — spend roughly 80% of mix effort on arrangement, sound choice and gain‑staging before detailed EQ — is being promoted in recent how‑to guides and community writeups that encourage committing early to a smaller set of instruments. (8020.in) Mix educators point to frequency masking as the driver: boosting with EQ without fixing overlapping parts often “clogs” mixes, a common EQ mistake explained in detailed tutorials and Magnetic Magazine explainers. (magneticmag.com) The “tall/wide/deep” shorthand maps to measurable actions used in pro tutorials: high‑frequency boosts and HF shelving for perceived height, reverb/delay timing and early‑reflection settings to create depth, and panning/mid‑side or stereo‑imaging tools to widen the field. (soundonsound.com) Mixing blogs and arrangement guides recommend fixing clashes by changing voicings, octaves or muting parts rather than relying on bus‑stage tricks, because individual sound choices preserve clarity and reduce later corrective EQ. (audio-issues.com) Educational channels and 80/20 workflow pages show faster mixes and fewer revision passes when engineers commit to arrangement and sound selection up front, with multiple Produce Like A Pro session videos used as case studies. (youtube.com)
