You load a compressor on your vocal. You pull the threshold down until the gain reduction meter starts moving. You try 4:1. Sounds okay. You try 2:1. Also okay? You spend 20 minutes nudging the attack and release, and by the end you’re not sure if you’ve helped the track or just worn yourself out. … Read more
If you’re interested in music production and audio engineering, you’ve probably heard the term “knee.” A “knee” is a characteristic of a compressor that can have a significant impact on the sound of your audio. This feature is an integral part of the comprehensive audio compression series. See Related Resources below for the full guide and … Read more
You drop a compressor on a vocal, leave the ratio at the default 4:1, and tweak the threshold until the meter shows a few dB of gain reduction. The vocal sounds fine, but you have no idea why 4:1. Was that the right number? Should it have been 2:1? 8:1? You move on, secretly hoping … Read more
You import the drum stems, solo the kick, and 20 minutes later you are still nudging faders. The snare sounded huge by itself, but in the mix it feels buried. The cymbals are turning harsh. The whole kit refuses to feel like one kit. You are not stuck on technique. You are stuck on order. … Read more
You solo the rack tom. It rings forever. You solo the floor tom. It is all low boom, no attack. You pull them into the mix, and they vanish until a fill comes, then they jump out way too loud. You ride the fader, and it never quite works. Toms are one of the trickiest … Read more
If you’re here, you may already have an idea of how powerful saturation can be for mixing drums. You may already know that it is a crucial part of achieving great-sounding mixes that can compete.In fact, you could almost say it’s necessary for the majority of successful records.The “magic of saturation” could be the missing … Read more
While mixing an electric guitar is not difficult, many of the more complex techniques can take some practice to master.When you are just starting out, there are some basic practices you can follow. If you follow these steps, you can avoid common mixing pitfalls and get started on your way to success.They’ll also provide a solid … Read more
You have a great take and a hard beat, but the vocal will not sit right. Turn it up and it is loud and harsh and still gets swallowed by the 808. Turn it down and the words disappear under the beat. The ad-libs are fighting the lead, and the delivery jumps from a whisper … Read more
Your guitar tone sounds massive in the room, then you drop it in the mix, and it turns into a muddy, fizzy mess that swallows the vocal and clashes with everything. So you boost the highs to get clarity, and the fizz gets worse. You cut the lows to clean it up, and now it … Read more
You drop a compressor on the kick, set 4:1, attack as fast as it will go, and the kick gets quieter. Not louder. Not punchier. Just smaller. You bypass it. The kick comes back. You re-engage it and try slowing the attack. Now the transient pokes out, but the body of the kick disappears. Twenty … Read more