With all the wondrous studio tools we have at our disposal these days, the dilemma we often face is not whether we’ve done enough for a track, but whether we’ve done too much. If you have a large selection of plug-in instruments and effects, the temptation is too often to overuse them. Sometimes I find it’s useful to start muting parts during a mix and try a more stripped down approach–at least during some parts of the song.

A somewhat-related conundrum is knowing when to stop working on a project–especially when mixing. There’s definitely that point of no return when you start doing things to your mix that you’ll be mystified about when you listen the next day. “What was I thinking with that EQ on the vocal?,” you might say, or, “I can’t believe I put so much reverb on that snare drum?” You know what I mean. One way to combat this problem is to constantly “Save As” and rename your mixes as you go along. That way, you can always go back to where you were before that fog of studio fatigue rolled over you.

If you’re working with a deadline, there’s another set of considerations. Do you really want to work right up to the last possible moment? I’ve found that to often be a losing proposition. It’s much better to target a time to finish a least a couple of hours before your drop-dead deadline, so that you can rest your ears and listen afresh while you still have time to pull back that reverb send on the snare or fix that overly hyped EQ on the vocal. Of course, it’s easier said than done. I’ve worked on numerous projects writing music for commercials, and those virtually always have very fast turnarounds. To deal with that, I try to budget my time in advance. Say I have the weekend to do a project (which is often how it happens in the jingle world). I’ll set myself a schedule when I start, something like: compose on Friday night and half of Saturday. Finish tracking by Sunday morning. Mix by Sunday evening. Listen early Monday for tweaks before turning in the mix. Of course, I don’t always end up sticking to it, but I try, and it is helpful. Even if you don’t have a deadline, it probably makes sense to set some goals for yourself on a project to keep things moving along.