Audio Engineering Pitfalls That Slow You Down (And How to Avoid Them)
Hello Friends,
Working with audio is as much about avoiding common mistakes as it is about creating great sound. We all have habits—some helpful, others not so much—that shape how efficiently we work in the studio or on stage. The challenge? Bad habits often feel convenient at first but can lead to big problems down the line. Let’s break down some common audio pitfalls and how to steer clear of them.
Recording and Live Sound: Preparation Is Key
Whether you’re recording in the studio or running sound for a live event, preparation makes all the difference. Double-checking everything—like ensuring levels are correct and confirming you’re actually recording—saves you from that sinking feeling of realizing you missed a perfect take or critical live moment.
Photo Credit: Orita Sinclair
Cable management is another area where things can go south quickly. Tangled or unorganized cables don’t just slow you down during troubleshooting; they can introduce noise or other signal issues. The fix? Keep cables neatly organized, clearly labeled, and have a designated bin for damaged ones. Clean signal flow equals fewer headaches and a smoother session.
Levels: Balancing Signal and Noise
Finding the right balance between your signal and noise floor is essential. Levels that are too low make your recording prone to gear noise, while levels that are too high risk clipping and distortion. Aim for the sweet spot—the Goldilocks zone—where your signal is strong but leaves enough headroom for mixing.
And don’t fall into the “fix-it-in-post” trap. If you can solve an issue during the recording phase, do it. Fixing problems later takes more time and often doesn’t deliver the best results. A clean recording upfront will save you a world of trouble down the road.
Mixing: Keep It Simple
When mixing, less is often more. It’s tempting to stack plugins on every track, but over-processing can lead to cluttered, unnatural mixes. Instead, focus on enhancing the natural character of the sound. For example, if you’re using compression or reverb, apply them with intent and cohesion rather than slapping them on every individual track.
When mixing tracks our meters (or metering plugins) are your best friends here—they help you see the full frequency range of your track in the box.. They’ll give you valuable insights about levels, headroom, and dynamics. Monitor your mix at comfortable levels—around 85 dB SPL is a good starting point—and always check it across different systems and volumes to ensure it translates well.
File Management: Stay Organized and Back Up
A poorly organized project can cost you valuable time and create unnecessary stress. Avoid generic file names like "Audio01"—label your tracks clearly and structure your folders logically.
Templates, templates, templates! Set things up properly once so you don’t have to do it again. A solid template saves time, keeps your workflow efficient, and ensures consistency across projects.
Backing up your work is non-negotiable. I personally use one drive for sessions and another for sample libraries, with backups for both. On top of that, I use Backblaze to back up all my drives to the cloud—because if my house burns down or all my drives get stolen, I’m not losing everything.
Find a system that works for you, but make sure you have redundancy. Losing files is a lesson you don’t want to learn the hard way.
Keep Improving: Small Changes, Big Impact
Bad habits creep in when we stop paying attention. Staying sharp means consistently evaluating your workflow and finding ways to improve. A little extra effort upfront—organizing cables, balancing levels, or naming files properly—can save you countless hours and headaches later.
In audio production, success isn’t just about what you do right—it’s about what you don’t do wrong.
-Nathan
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