One of the biggest goals held by mix engineers is to make the cleanest, most clear mixes they can. Making a clean mix is important to help the listener hear the song as the artist intends. The engineers job is to showcase the music they are working with, to highlight the drama in the songwriting. The goal is to ensure that the listener understands what they are listening to, but also for that music to stand out.
What good is a clean mix if the mix is not exciting? A song might sound great, clean, and clear. It can fit right into a playlist, and a listener will not think twice. The music will get lots of plays because it fits into the listener expectations. But is it not a problem that the listener won't think twice? Do you not want to grab the listeners attention? To actively want to seek the unique experience of THAT song?
I think it is very important to balance clarity with decisions that will grab a listeners attention. Especially in the streaming age where everyone uses playlists, and volume levels are relatively regulated, the job of the producer is increasingly important. Your job is to make sure the song does not get lost in 'playlists of the past', and also to ensure that the song sounds good enough to make it onto a playlist in the first place.
How can you accomplish this? There are two main ways.
The first way is to ensure that you introduce drama to your mix. Use automation. It is okay if verse to verse, the treatment of vocals is slightly different. What if the second verse has an extra harmony? What if you have a poignant line parallel processed with a phaser? Even subtle changes such as adjusting a hi pass filter on guitars from verse to chorus can have a notable impact on the feeling of the two sections. These changes, even if subtle, will catch the listeners attention. If your mix is also clean, the songwriting is strong, and appropriate promotion is done, you are really setting yourself and the artist up for success.
The second way is to make a bold production decision and stick with it. Rather than focusing on creating difference within the track itself, you can focus on making sure that as soon as your track comes on, that something is different from other tracks in the genre. I have touched on this slightly in a previous blog entry, where I mentioned producing music from other genres as a way to make unique mixes. If we look through popular music throughout history, people love talking about music that had unique approaches taken in production. Examples including The Beatles and Pink Floyd. While not every new approach will be successful, and momentum of the artist does play a role, this is something to keep in mind. It doesn't matter how good your mix is if people forget it as soon as the track is over. Find balance, and experiment!
Talk to the artist you are working with. It always can be a gamble to try new things, but there are some major benefits. While modest success can be achieved through clean mixes alone, the ability to be a standout artist can be missed. Showcase the uniqueness of the artist and the songwriting. Help them stand above the rest!