15-minute mix triage

1. What owns attention?

1. Name the intended focal element in each section.
2. At low volume, can you still tell what matters?
3. If two elements are fighting, decide which one gets foreground. Do not solve every conflict with EQ.

2. Level-match a reference

1. Turn the reference down until its perceived loudness is close to your mix.
2. Compare broad balance, not mastered loudness.
3. Write the biggest difference in one phrase: darker, thinner, denser, narrower, more transient, more vocal-forward, etc.

3. Check the gravity

1. Mute everything but kick + bass/low instrument.
2. Is one carrying impact while the other carries sustain, or are they occupying the same job?
3. Listen for low-mid buildup after the note hits, not only sub level.

4. Check bodies, not frequencies

1. Which important sound feels too small, too smeared, too sharp, or too far away?
2. Try level, arrangement, envelope, saturation, or space before surgical EQ.
3. Solo only to identify a problem. Make the decision in context.

5. Collapse the room

1. Listen in mono.
2. Turn the volume very low.
3. Listen from another room / phone speaker if available.
4. Write what disappears first. That is often more useful than staring at an analyzer.

6. Make only five moves

Rank the five changes most likely to improve the song. Do those before polishing. If move #8 never gets done, the mix should still be better.