Chris Lord-Alge emphasizes the importance of session organization in mixing, especially when dealing with large track counts in modern DAWs.
He uses a consistent color-coding system for different instrument groups—red for drums, purple for bass, green for guitars and keyboards, and blue for vocals—to quickly identify and navigate tracks. This visual organization helps him focus on mixing rather than scrolling through endless tracks.
Lord-Alge also highlights the use of concise naming conventions and the "commit" function in Pro Tools to consolidate multiple takes or similar tracks into single, manageable tracks. This approach not only simplifies the session but also ensures that anyone opening the session in the future can easily understand and work with it.
By maintaining a clean and organized session, Lord-Alge can efficiently manage real estate within the DAW, making the mixing process more intuitive and less time-consuming. This method reflects his philosophy that a well-organized session is crucial for effective mixing.