Are you struggling with your mixdowns? I have definitely run into that in the past and have found the biggest thing to break you out of it is to change your perspective. Shack things up a bit.
If your a music producer and your mixing your tracks, you might be hitting a wall with your mix because it’s to close to home. Think about it… If you are attached to the outcome and can’t get over how rad a synth solo that is, then you might not have fresh ears for the mix. One of the ways to get over that is to mix other peoples music.
You know the saying, practice makes perfect.
That is why over the last few years I keep coming back to a few sites to download mixes to experiment with. The following list is a collection of sites where you can download other peoples mixdowns and tracks to experiment with. It’s great because you can
1. Cambridge – The ‘Mixing Secrets’ Free Multitrack Download Library
I love this site by Cambridge. They released a massive collection of mixdowns from there students so the public could use them to practice. There are hundreds of tracks and searchable by genre.
2. Telefunken Live From The Lab
I love this site from Telefunken. There is a great collection of tracks all sorted and ready to use. Here is what they said about the collection;
The multitrack audio files from these sessions are available for free download via clickable links below the individual performance videos. All audio files are presented in .WAV format and were recorded at 24bit / 48KHz sample rate. They are clearly labeled in the same format with the source listed first (LEAD VOX, ACOUSTIC, PIANO), followed by the microphone used (C12, AR-51, etc) and can be downloaded and imported into your Digital Audio Workstation of choice.
3. Meta Pop remix Contest
Ok… I know… these are more for remixing, but Meta Pop is also great for discovering mixdowns to try out an experimental mixing technique. What I love about this site is the tracks are fresh and popular, as compared to the first to above.
The other benefit is if you like a track you can always remix it and submit it for the contest.
4. Splice
Splice is amazing for so many reasons. There are always new samples to play with, and tracks you can collab on. The site has a massive collection of Project Files to choose from. This list is specific for finding mixdowns to try out new techniques, and for that… splice is a little lacking. The reason why is usually the tracks are whole project files. Meaning the producer generally already has eq and all that in there. That means you have to take the time of going in and deleting it.
Also opening project files from other producers will pretty quickly drive you made. Most people do not label or organize things. It can be a nightmare. Wow… Really… It shows you how important it is to organize your tracks.
I kept it on the list because you can still find some really cool tracks to experiment with.
5. Full Subaqueous Tracks
You could also try mixing with the free 10 tracks I released as Ableton Live Templates. I took my whole album, tides of twilight, and packaged up each of my tracks at Live Sets for you to use. You can see how I organize my projects, try out new mixing techniques, and get a taste of what my production style is like.
All 10 are downloadable for free. I also have a premium version with added video content and downloads available.
Get Cracking with Mixes!
With this list, you have access to hundreds of tracks to practice with. If you new to mixing and what to level up your skills, try mixing one a day or one a week. Over time your workflow will be fast and your skills lightning speed.
If you got other to add to the list, comment below and I will check it out.
