Every mix I deliver includes a revision round based on written notes. That round is where a good mix becomes your mix — and how much it improves depends almost entirely on the quality of the notes. "Can it sound bigger?" and "something feels off in the second verse" are real feelings, but they leave me guessing. Here's how to turn what you're hearing into notes that get results on the first pass.
Listen like a listener first
When the mix arrives, resist the urge to open a notepad immediately. Play it top to bottom once, on speakers or headphones you know well, without stopping. React like a fan, not an inspector. The things that genuinely bother you will announce themselves — those are your real notes. The things you have to hunt for usually aren't problems.
Then listen again somewhere else. The car is famous for a reason. Earbuds count too. If the vocal feels quiet everywhere, that's a note. If it only feels quiet on one system, tell me that — it changes the fix.
Anchor every note to a time
The single most useful thing you can do: timestamps. "The guitar at 1:42 is too loud" gets fixed in one move. "The guitars are too loud" sends me searching the whole song for a moment you may have meant three seconds of. Almost every good note fits this shape:
Time + element + direction. "2:10 — bring the harmony vocal down a touch." "First chorus — kick could hit harder." "0:35 — the reverb tail on the snare feels long."
You don't need engineering vocabulary. "Muddy," "harsh," "buried," "too poky" — I speak fluent artist. Direction matters more than jargon: more or less, louder or softer, brighter or darker.
Reference tracks say what words can't
If there's a record whose vocal level, low end, or overall vibe is what you're chasing, name it — and say which part you mean. "I love how up-front the vocal is on this track" is worth a paragraph of description. You're not asking me to copy a record; you're giving me a shared reference point instead of an adjective.
Collect the band's notes into one list
If four people send four separate emails, two of them will contradict each other and the revision stalls while we sort it out. Have one person gather everyone's notes, resolve the conflicts internally ("you want the guitars up, I want them down — let's decide before we send this"), and deliver a single list. One list, one pass, one better mix.
Trust the first instinct, flag the maybes
Separate your notes into "definitely change this" and "curious what happens if…" — both are welcome, but labeling them keeps the revision focused. And if the mix comes back and something you asked for turns out worse, say so. This is a collaboration, not a courtroom; nobody's keeping score.
Sitting in on mix sessions is always an option too — real-time feedback is the fastest path there is, and remote clients can do video check-ins at key milestones. Details on mixing and revisions are on the services page, or reach out and we'll talk through your project.