The Secrets to a Great Sounding Track: How Far Do You Really Need to Go?

Before I knew the rules, the gear, or the techniques, I was making music that worked. I had a setup - a 32-track mixer and a rack of outboard gear - but no formal knowledge of mixing or mastering. I relied on instinct. My ears led the way.

Instinct Over Instruction

Back then, my drums were all one-shots lifted straight off records: a kick from one track, a snare from another, a closed hat from somewhere else. No layering, no synthesis - just slicing sounds from house records that already had the club baked in. I didn’t realise it at the time, but I was unknowingly sampling not just drums, but the processing that made them hit: compression, EQ, saturation. All those subtle production moves were embedded in the samples.

And it worked. The mixes rocked the club. The quality was on par with commercial releases, they had energy, drive, and impact. That was enough.

Separation, Saturation… and Simplicity

It wasn’t until years later that I understood why those raw early tracks held together. The hardware setup - routing everything through a physical console and outboard gear - took care of many of the things we now stress over: saturation, analog separation, harmonic glue. I wasn’t chasing perfection. I was chasing vibe.

And honestly, that was enough.

But with knowledge comes perspective. I now understand what makes a mix technically solid - clarity, balance, space, punch. And I can also hear when it isn’t there. These days, when you’re working with raw, unprocessed sounds - especially in the box - you need to sculpt, saturate and separate everything with intention. Otherwise, it just doesn’t hold up.

From Raw to Refined: A Common Journey

This kind of evolution - from doing what feels right to developing a deeper technical understanding - is something many of us go through as producers.

Take Daft Punk as an example. Their early album Homework was gritty and simple, but it hit hard. It had soul. It wasn’t polished in a traditional sense, but it moved people - and that’s what mattered. As their sound developed, Discovery added polish while keeping the charm, bridging underground with pop. By Random Access Memories, the sound was pristine - stories of running sounds through 14 different compressors just to find the “right one” became part of the mythology.

That level of care led to a record that topped charts across the world. But it also highlights the shift: from raw instinct to deep technical refinement. That path isn’t exclusive to them - it mirrors what many producers go through. Including me.

Does It Really Matter That Much?

1176s, for example, are legendary compressors, each with subtle differences. And sure, those nuances can add something - but I’ve been down that road myself. Not running a signal through 14 of them, but definitely trying out piece after piece of gear, plugin after plugin, chasing the perfect vision of a sound.

And sometimes, yeah - it gets you there. Sometimes the detail really does elevate the track. But other times? You realise you’re not chasing the sound anymore. You’re chasing the idea of chasing the sound.

That level of depth can absolutely serve the music - but only if it’s actually serving the track. Not the story. Not the myth. Just the music.

And the truth is, you don’t need all that to make something great. Some of the best tracks I’ve made were quick, instinctive, raw. The key is knowing when you’re dialling in something that feels right - and when you’re just turning knobs for the sake of it.

The Feel vs. The Formula

“If it feels good, it is good.”

Not every mix needs to match the loudness or sheen of the last Spotify hit. Not every track has to tick every technical box. If it moves people, it’s doing its job.

Yes, comparisons matter - especially in clubs and on the radio. Your track needs to hold its own next to what came before and what comes next. And yes, loudness normalisation on streaming platforms helps level the playing field… kind of. But even at -14 LUFS, one track can sound louder than another because of tonal balance, perceived energy and arrangement.

So… How Far Should You Go to Create a Great Sounding Track?

That’s the real question, isn’t it?

You need to go far enough that your track works - in the context it’s meant for. That might mean getting clinical and precise. Or it might mean trusting your gut, even if the waveform isn’t perfect. At the end of the day, you don’t need every piece of gear to make a great sounding track - you just need intention and feel.

Doesn’t matter if it’s a bedroom setup or a high-end studio. If it moves people, it works.