Paralyzed By The Sound Console...

I wanted to address the issue of something I call being "paralyzed by the sound console." What I mean by this is that you become so focused on twisting, tweaking and pushing knobs and faders that you stop listening and in turn you stop mixing. Here are some tips for combating the paralysis.

1. Look: not at the console, but to what's happening on stage. If you're not watching what's happening on stage you might miss bumping up the fader for the guitar player playing the ultra cool solo.
2. Listen: Turn your ears on. Stop looking at the console. Your #1 job is making it sound amazing.
3. "Step Away From The Console": This is probably the best thing you can do. Get your hands off the knobs and faders and literally step away from the console and listen to the mix. You might hear things that you didn't hear before.

Remember the console does not mix the sound for you. What makes the mix is your trained ear listening then interpreting what you hear into what technical adjustments need to be made on the sound console.