visualizing a mix as a real space
I was just wrapping up a mixing course taught by Phil Weinrobe. It was incredibly insightful but one of my favorite aspects of the class was the community and discussion amoung everyone involved. Conversations are continuing around different techniques and aspects for our mixing process and I love getting that kind of insight from people who are really dedicated to evolving as a mixing engineer. One topic I thought was really fascinating was how we mentally process our mixes. I shared my approach here and it occured to me: It's time for another bhtv blog...
It's always very project specific for every song but, at any point in the mixing process, the minutiae of faders, frequency cuts, and ratios can become overwhelming. One thing that has helped me is imagining the mix as a physical space. It gives me a different way to understand what I’m hearing -- and sometimes it just feels easier. This approach might not be for everyone, but if you like having a mental picture to go along with the sound, maybe it’ll help you too.
So, here's a visualization exercise I find helpful in case you’re lost in your own track, trying to provide constructive notes to your mixing engineer, or even if you just want to listen to your favorite music more critically.
keep it simple
You can imagine anything -- a mountain range, a neon city, a floating island. If that unlocks the sound for you, great. I’ve preferred to keep my space simple and functional. The more energy I spend creating the schema of my space, the less energy I have to listen critically to the music. What works best for me is picturing a rectangular space: a garage, a storage unit, or -- my personal favorite -- a shoebox.
As idiosyncratic, and maybe even silly, as this may sound, here’s what I like about the shoebox: The left and right walls feel like the stereo field in my headphones and makes sense to me, personally, for how I experience music -- almost like goggles into my vision of the mix.
eyes closed, ears first
When I do this, I close my eyes so my ears take over. I’m using sound to build something I would normally rely on sight for. As the music plays, my brain starts filling the room: a kick drum might appear low and close, a vocal might hover in the center, a synth might glow softly off to the side.
There’s even some gentle science behind this. Our auditory system already maps sound in three dimensions -- height, width, and depth -- so this exercise is really just asking the brain to describe that information in a more visual way. Instead of only hearing the mix, you’re spatializing it. With a little practice, it becomes easier and faster each time you try.
vertical placement
Let’s get into where each quality belongs in your space.
Lower sounds tend to feel like they sit near the floor -- bass, kick, deeper textures. Higher sounds drift up toward the ceiling -- cymbals, melodies, the top end of a vocal. When too many sounds stack in the same vertical area, the mix can feel heavy or cluttered there. Visualizing that height sometimes helps me adjust without overthinking it.
horizontal placement
Horizontal placement is something we’re all familiar with: panning across the stereo field. Seeing the space this way helps highlight whether one side is overcrowded or if a subtle shift could give something more balance and breathing room.
depth and movement
Depth comes from loudness, reverb, delay, and tonal brightness. A dry snare might feel right at the front edge of the box. A washed-out pad might drift toward the back. And this space isn’t static -- effects like ping-pong delay, automated panning, or a filter sweep can let something move during playback. That motion can keep things interesting without losing sight of where they belong.
let the room be the guide
This isn’t about perfection or following a rulebook. It’s just a different way to check in with your mix. If the vocal feels buried, maybe it’s sitting too far back. If the low end feels muddy, maybe there are too many things piled up on the “floor.” Sometimes overlap is exactly what gives a track its character -- the key is simply being aware of the relationships.
just one more tool
There’s no single correct way to imagine music. I always say, “People hear your track, not your process.” This is simply one approach that makes mixing feel less abstract for me. If you try it and it helps, amazing. If it doesn’t, trust that you’ll find another way that clicks better with how you create.
And, if you do, please send me a message about how that works.
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