Since i split with my woman i have been mixing and researching for an average of 10 hours a day for 4 years .Yes that many hours and often more
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Yeah, no kidding!
The amount of mixes Iâve heard from you on Mike Seniorâs forum is amazing. Shows your dedication (and luck to have so much time available! ;))
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I usually mix 2 church services per week plus for few hours at home. I also read a lot.
Yes and a lot of them a crap too.All part of the learning curve.Have to crawl walk then run.
Iâm lucky if I get 5 hours a week.
Wife and two girlsâŚ
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It depends if I have a mix to do or not. I usually spend about 15-20 hours on any single mix, so with a full time job and lots of other responsibilities, about a mix a week is all I can manage. Been mixing more seriously for the last 10-11 years or so, and during the 12 month long Slate Cup of 2012/13, I put in a ton of hours.
Brian @holster makes many excellent points. The mechanical process of mixing is one thing, and while repetition is important for workflow, developing listening skills and taste is more important for results, IMO.
BTW, if anyone is interested, the article I wrote that @Chordwainer referred to is here:
http://wp.indierecordingdepot.com/5-stupidly-expensive-ways-to-turn-cloth-ears-gold/
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Something Iâve found makes me mix better - having other people involved. When Iâm just mixing for my own benefit, I get caught up in the process.
When the band are shouting at me because we promised the label weâd have the album mastered by the end of the month, or a client has said they think the first mix I gave them isnât punchy enough, or more topically when I feel like I owe it to myself to post a mix revision on here after a submission I wasnât happy with⌠then itâs about getting the job done.
I guess that comes into the motivation category rather than the hours or practice one.
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its like anything, the more you do it the better you get at it.
how often do i mixâŚhardly ever! because i have no time to track let alone mix! are my mixes shit as a consequence?..yes!
i forget what i learn mix wise because i leave too much time in between mix sessions. something i need to rectify.
how often do i play guitarâŚmaybe 2 hrs a week max at the moment lolâŚ
am i any good yes, i considder myself pretty good. why? because from the age of 12 - 30 i played it everyday sometimes for up to 8-12 hrs when i was unemployed, free, single and dedicated to music (and getting pissed etc)
so because i have all those hundreds of hours under my belt the guitar is pretty easy for me to fall back into after a 20min or so warm up. having said that, im still no where near as good i was a few years ago. and still no good compared to lots of others i know. but its all relative. i can express myself freely on a guitar with good technique and emotion. my technique or ability does not get in the way or limit what i am hearing in my head. i guess its the same with mixing, when you can put the skills of compression, eq, effects, listening etc into practice without thinking or trying ... then you are mixing. otherwise youre learning like the rest of us.
just enjoy it and dont put too much pressure on yourself. this is the best advice i can give.
:beerbang:
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also like to add that a bit of pressure, competition and healthy constructive criticism makes you come on a lot faster. which is why MIX COMPS are the BEST way to sharpen your skills quickly, everyone helps and its not your own material so you actually think about mixing not about what you think it is supposed to sound like? if that makes sense?!
a[quote=âholster, post:14, topic:690â]
We just celebrated our 20th anniversary this last week! And according to my calculations, that would be a total of 175,000+ hours of marriage. I am NOT an expert in marriage and have fully completed my 10,000 hour requirement 
Just a bit of perspective for you.
[/quote]
haha! a very true and awesome analogy!!
wise words indeed my friend. nice one 
p.s. congratulations on not murdering your⌠erm, i mean on your 20 year anniversary!
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Thank you! And itâs more like congratulations for not being murdered myself!
Big time congrats on the anniversary Bryan! 
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Remember that you have to actively practice. Doing the same thing wrong for 10000 just makes you a master at doing it wrong.
But do count your active listening of albums in. After all listening to hear what you like and learning the frequencies that make happen is important to the skills.
I try to listen to at least an album a day. I donât consider listening to the radio or listening to a CD on the way to my day job active listening. But it helps too, especially if I singing along with the songs.
I really need to schedule more time for my song writing and mixing.
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Same here!