Can I whisk macaron batter like meringue?

I was wondering whether there's any reason you shouldn't whisk macaron batter like you whisk merengue batter, i.e. first whisk the egg whites until you get soft peaks, then add sugar (in the case of macaron batter, sugar and almond meal mixed together) and then keep on beating for a little while? It seems it'd be easier to get a batter with meal/sugar properly incorporated yet not too runny. But while this method is standard for making meringues, it's obviously not for macarons, so I'm guessing there must be some kind of a reason for it?

The reason I'm asking is because I tend to either undermix the batter (giving the macarons proper feet/pied, but lumpy domes) or overmix it or otherwise getting it too runny (getting smooth domes, but no feet/pied). It seems like it'd be easier to maybe have the batter a little too stiff, and then just massage it a little when it's in the piping bag.

edit: I actually tried it out (with a batch of just a single egg white) and I guess I realized the answer to the question. As soon as the almond meal/sugar mix is added, the egg white contracts and it becomes impossible to whisk any more air into it. So my follow-up question then is if it might work better to add only the sugar first, and then, after reaching the desired consistency, add the almond meal? Or would you only be creating an unnecessary extra step with no big difference in outcome?