First of all I
do not consider myself an expert. I have been writing and producing for about four years now and I have learned A LOT in just that amount of time.
There is no right and wrong way for doing this. The best option is to try EVERYTHING. If you have the money to attend a school for this, try a few courses and continue if you like it.
Never force yourself to do anything your energy pulls you away from. At the same time, don't feel pressured if you miss out on a couple opportunities......at the same time, do not limit yourself.
Personally, I study physics at university level and I do not regret it with regards to my music. It has given me a decent understanding on how sound works and how it interacts with our ears. I do not believe everyone who mixes should be a physicist however, they should all have a basic understanding of how sound works. It has definitely helped me to improve my mixes and explain to people why I am doing something that seems detrimental to their song.
The most important piece of advice I can give to anybody starting out in mixing is:
How you create or modify sound DOES NOT MATTER (within the law of course :3).
Focus on how it interacts with PEOPLE. All that matters is what hits your ear drum and how it is perceived. I honestly wished someone told me about psyco-acoustics a while back. After reading about it, the way I approached mixing and mastering totally changed. Just remember people are your targets with music and what you hear is all in your brain. Manipulating the way people think using sound is why music works
. You will be very surprised with what you can do with just an EQ and a compressor. Never underestimate those two tools and never think that you need the best equipment to make amazing music. I have seen people do great recordings with a phone...seriously.
I am also a VERY novice drummer, pianist and guitarist. I was never enthusiastic to practice with my instruments. Learning an instrument is great and very useful, but not required. A little music theory is also good to know. Timing and tuning matters above all in most cases. I say so very loosely however, as you need not go by the book. Basically, if it feels good, it IS good. Don't over compensate.
Finally, as a producer I liked to experiment a lot. I'd say half the time I end up with garbage but I have a rule that I think anyone with hard drive space should live by:
Never Delete. Two years down the line I have found old projects I sampled to make a totally different beat. Or perhaps I will never appreciate the sound, but another artiste will come along and embrace it. Its fun to mess around with weird sounds especially when you end up in these "ruts" as a producer, unable to create anything satisfactory. Me and a colleague of mine made a beat by recording an old Yamaha keyboard through an akg dynamic mic while I ate an apple. Do unexpected things; that's what the industry expects but its not what people tell you. Over time you will develop your sound not just as a producer but a sound engineer. Its also important to learn about your equipment and read up on as much as you can relating to the field. Don't be scared to make mistakes though...sometimes being "wrong" will result in something that sounds epic.
And yes, yes, practice, practice, practice. To be honest I hardly think of practicing when I am making music with my friends or mixing a song for another artiste. When you are having fun, you forget that you are working.
(PS. Turn your volume down...your ears are so precious. Mastering especially requires a sensitive ear. I can mix songs at 2% volume that others can't even hear. So of course it helps to have a quiet place to mix whenever possible.)
Happy mixing