Hey friend! 

I used to spend HOURS going back and forth, tweaking EQ and compression, only to reach the climax of a song and realize everything sounded crushed, thin, or just... wrong.

Sound familiar?

The Problem Most of Us Make (I Did This for Years)

Here's what I used to do - and what I see most worship leaders and audio engineers doing:

• Start mixing from the beginning of the song
• Get the quiet verse sounding "perfect"
• Work through each section chronologically
• Hit the final chorus and... disaster

The vocals disappear. The drums get buried. Everything sounds overcompressed because I'd already maxed out my headroom trying to make those quiet sections sound powerful.

The Game-Changing Solution

Start with the BIGGEST part of your song first.

I know it sounds almost too simple, but hear me out. When I mix the climax of the song first - where every instrument is firing, the room mics are cranked, and the energy is at its peak - I'm forced to:

• ✅ Set proper gain staging for maximum impact
• ✅ EQ elements to cut through a full mix
• ✅ Leave headroom for the song to breathe
• ✅ Make decisions based on what actually matters most

Why This Works So Well

When you mix the biggest section first, something beautiful happens:

1. Your EQ and compression settings actually work when you go back to the quieter sections
2. You have headroom to push and pull elements in verses and bridges
3. The mix can breathe instead of feeling crushed
4. You save massive amounts of time - most of my work is done in that first hour

Watch Me Demonstrate This Technique

I've put together a quick video showing you exactly how I do this with a live worship recording. You'll see the dramatic difference between mixing chronologically vs. starting with the climax.

👉 Watch the full breakdown here

In the video, I walk through:

• Finding the biggest section of your song
• Setting up vocals to cut through everything
• Getting that punchy, powerful sound without overcompression
• Working backwards to the quieter sections

A Heart Check for All of Us

Before you dive into this technique, I want to share something that's been heavy on my heart lately. With everything happening in our world right now, I'm reminded how important our role is as worship leaders, musicians, and audio engineers.

We're not just moving faders or tweaking EQ. We're facilitating encounters with God.

The excellence we pursue in our mixing, our playing, our producing - it all matters because it helps redirect people's eyes back to the Lord. In a world full of distractions, that's more important than ever.

Ready to Transform Your Mixes?

Don't just take my word for it - try this on your next mix. Start with the biggest, most intense part of your song and work backwards.

And if you want to dive deeper, I've created a free mixing cheat sheet specifically for live worship recordings with EQ and compression starting points that you can grab below the video.

👉 Get the technique + free cheat sheet here

Keep your eyes on the Lord, pursue excellence, and let's create mixes that truly serve His kingdom.
Lucas

P.S. - If this technique saves you even 30 minutes on your next mix, it'll be worth watching. But I'm confident you'll save much more than that. Let me know how it goes!