the perfect mix

Mixing is like creating an ice cream sundae.

The band gives you all of the ingredients plus you can change texture through the use of effects. So you have to assess what you have before you can create the final product.

The rhythm section is like the ice cream. It needs to stay in a cohesive group (not melting into sludge) and always be there as the basis (foundation) for the toppings.

The lead instrumentation is like the toppings. You can handle a lot of flavor for short periods of time but you don't want to flood the ice cream. Some toppings don't work as well with other toppings either, so you must give balance to the flavor overall.

One cool thing that I like to do is to hide a flavor to reveal itself as you eat on this sundae. Like putting a cherry in the middle of the ice cream.

Like all analogies, this one breaks down at a certain point.

But . . think of something. If mixing music is like creating a sundae for people to enjoy, then this sundae is magical in that you get to constantly change its flavoring throughout the whole experience. Maybe even giving them some odd tastes through the process, since you have no control over the ingredients.

But you can always make sure to leave them with a good taste in their mouth at the end.

Because that is what draws them to try your sundae again.