You finally got the vocal sounding bright and present, and then you hear it: every “s” jumps out like a hiss, sharp enough to make you wince on headphones. So you pull the high end down with an EQ, and now the whole vocal sounds dull. Leave it up, and the esses slice your ears. … Read more
The acoustic guitar sounded rich and intimate when you recorded it. Then you dropped it into the mix, and it turned boomy in the verses and vanished the second the band came in. So you boost the highs, and it goes brittle. You cut the lows, and it goes thin. Twenty minutes later the guitar … Read more
Your instrumental sounds huge. The synths spread across the whole stereo field, and the guitars sit out at the edges. Then the vocal drops in and sits in a tight little dot in the middle, sounding small by comparison. So you reach for a stereo widener, crank it, and now the vocal sounds phasey and … Read more
A practical guide to building a mixing practice routine that produces real improvement. Covers what material to practice on, how to structure sessions, which genres to start with, and how to use reference tracks to measure your progress.
Your kick drum has a great click and a sharp attack, but it disappears the moment the bass and the rest of the mix come in. So you compress it harder to make it bigger, and the punchy transient that made it sound good in the first place gets crushed flat. You are stuck choosing … Read more
You layered the guitars, panned them wide, and the mix still sounds small. The parts are all there, but they do not fill the speakers the way the records you love do. So you turn them up, and now they are loud and small. You add reverb, and now they are washy and small. Volume … Read more
Audio engineering can be a complex and intimidating process, but with the right guidance and practice, anyone can learn how to mix like a pro. I’ve gathered 17 of the best audio mixing tips for beginners that will help you navigate the world of audio with confidence. You could be working with vocals, drums, or … Read more
You want that classic, expensive vocal sound: the bright, silky space you hear on records from Abbey Road to modern pop. So you reach for a room or hall reverb, and instead the vocal turns muddy or distant. The magic ingredient on all those records has a name, and it is not a room at … Read more
You bring the hats up. They are too loud. You pull them back. Now you can barely hear them. You add 3 dB at 8 kHz to get the shimmer back. Now they are harsh. You cut 2 dB at 5 kHz. Now they are dull. The hats refuse to sit right, and you have … Read more
Your vocal sounds great on the verse. Then the singer leans into the chorus and 4 kHz turns to ice picks. So you reach for a regular EQ and pull that band down. Now the whole song sounds dull, because you just killed a frequency that was only a problem for two seconds at a … Read more