How Mix Templates Are The Baseball Gloves of Audio Mixing

Main Ideas and Concepts (Baseball-Glove Analogy)

• Mix templates are like baseball gloves:

  • A template is an established “tool” a mixer relies on, similar to how a baseball glove helps a player catch and feel the ball.

• Gloves and templates both require personalization and preparation:

  • New gloves are hard to use until they’re “broken in” through a conditioning process.
  • Similarly, mixers develop and refine templates over time so the workflow feels familiar and reliable.

• Not everyone’s template feels the same:

  • Even if someone else’s glove can still catch/field a ball, it won’t feel exactly like the owner’s glove because it’s been shaped to their preferences.
  • The same applies to audio mixing: other people’s templates can work, but your own template matches your specific setup, routing, and habits.

• Templates evolve with context:

  • A mixer may change templates depending on the project—for example:
    • Different approaches across TV series seasons
    • Different workflows for film vs. TV/streaming

• Comfort doesn’t mean “best”:

  • Templates aren’t about superiority; they’re about what the mixer is comfortable with and how well it supports their process.

• Collaboration and learning improve templates:

  • Subbing into other mixers’ templates provides insight into their techniques.
  • The speaker encourages staying curious, asking “why” others do things, and integrating better approaches into your own template.

Methodology / Process (Detailed)

Baseball Glove “Breaking In” Process (Analogy for Template Development)

• Start with a brand-new glove that is difficult to use initially.
• Break it in so it becomes flexible and easier to handle.
• Methods mentioned for breaking in include:
  • Pounding/work the glove to loosen it
  • Using steam
  • Applying conditioner (described like a Vaseline-type leather conditioner)
  • Placing a baseball inside the glove
  • Wrapping it (e.g., with rubber bands or string)
  • Storing it for days so it becomes shaped and conditioned over time

Mixer Template Development and Iteration

• Begin with someone else’s template as a learning starting point.
• Customize it to your preferences, such as:
  • Adjusting layout and routing based on your workflow
  • Deciding where processing is located and how effects are sent
• Iterate over time:
  • Add or change elements when requirements shift (e.g., new needs each season)
• Recall and update:
  • Templates help you recall a proven setup quickly.
  • The speaker notes they sometimes delay updates due to busyness, then remember to adjust off-clock.
• Learn from others:
  • Ask other mixers why they structure templates a certain way.
  • Incorporate improvements that help you get jobs done faster or better.

Example Template Elements the Speaker Personalizes

• Routing and layout preferences, including:

  • Where buses are placed
  • Where VCAs and tracks are shown/organized
  • Types of EQs used
  • Reverb choices and routing style, such as whether reverb goes through a return or via a send

• The speaker also emphasizes:

  • Having “all the buses”
  • Keeping “everything organized”
  • Needing time to understand unfamiliar sections initially

Film vs. TV/Streaming Template Difference (Notable Constraint)

• Film template:

  • The speaker says they don’t use limiters like they do for regulated broadcasts/streaming.

• TV/streaming template constraint (general guideline):

  • Networks/streaming adhere to audio specifications requiring controlled levels.
  • The speaker references typical limiting behavior such as keeping peaks around -0.1 dB to avoid clipping (as an example).

Speakers / Sources Featured

• Joel — the main speaker (sound re-recording mixer; host).
• Scott Weber — referenced colleague and educator figure (“the professor”), known for TV work (example cited: Lost).
• Unspecified colleagues/peers — referenced generally (e.g., “a colleague of mine” who provided the speaker’s first template).