Mix Trick or Trash Ep.3: Chris Lord-Alge Rates 19 Mix Tips

Mar 26, 2026 | 245,022 Views

Ever wondered if those "viral" mix hacks you see in social media actually hold up in real pro studio workflows? In Episode 3 of Mix Trick or Trash, Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Muse, Tina Tuner) puts 19 popular production tips in the hot seat. No fluff, no textbooks, just gut instinct and blunt honesty that built a multi-Grammy-winning career. Are your favorite mix tricks a true game-changer, or simply trash? Watch CLA to find out.

  • 0:00 - Intro
  • 0:29: High-pass everything
  • 0:44: Always time align drum overheads with the rest of the drum kit
  • 0:59: Always mix into buss compression
  • 1:04: Always mix with reference tracks
  • 1:33: Mic placement matters more than mic choice
  • 1:51: Every drum recording session needs to have at least one room channel mic
  • 2:15: You can’t mix what wasn’t recorded right
  • 2:30: Clip gain is better than volume automation
  • 2:45: Mixing in mono
  • 3:07: Analog summing doesn’t really matter anymore
  • 3:19: Always check your mix in the car
  • 3:26: Tune every vocal
  • 3:35: Hard pan guitars left and right
  • 3:40: Never boost EQ, only cut
  • 3:47: If the mix sounds good on AirPods, it sounds good on anything
  • 4:06: Always mix at low volume
  • 4:16: Start every mix with the kick
  • 4:34: Keeping an eye on gain staging throughout the mix
  • 4:57: Adding multiple microphones to one electric guitar amp
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