Level isn’t the most important element in your mix. It’s the only element in your mix. Every mixing decision you make is about level.
And you don’t get level without headroom. Headroom is the distance between what your mix sounds like and how loud you can turn something up. And turning stuff up is your source of power.
In fact, it is your superpower as a storyteller. Adjusting levels is not something you just do in the beginning of your mix. It’s the middle and it’s the end of your mix too.
Because when you turn things up above the fray, you’re also getting some elements that you don’t want along with the ones that you do. And that’s when you start thinking about selective leveling, which is what EQ and compression are. EQ is just what you’re turning up.
Dynamics processing is just when you’re turning it up. And most importantly, levels and headroom account for the why in the question of why are you using those tools? Because if you’re not answering the question revolving around levels and headroom, you may not be mixing with intent.
You can share that with someone who belongs in a big kitchen class.
