Imagine your song as a bustling music festival, each instrument a performer vying for your attention. Mixing involves transforming that chaos into a cohesive soundscape. And that means understanding the various concepts that go into creating a professional-sounding mix.
If you have full control over the audio, your mixing starts from the moment you select instruments or pick up a mic to record.
Before Mixing
Mixing is rarely a tidy set of steps, but assuming so can make it easier to understand the concepts properly. The first step to make your mixes sound professional happens before the actual mixing.
Instrumentation
There’s only so much mixing can do if you deliberately select instruments that will clash. For example, imagine you have an electric piano, a viola, a flute, a mid-heavy synth, etc., all playing in the same octave. How could mixing ever fix that?
So, you must select instruments that cover different regions of the frequency spectrum. If you have a bass guitar, you probably don’t need the tuba or bass synth. Instead, bring in the warm Rhodes electric piano and the bright Stratocaster electric guitar.
Recording
Recording might involve selecting the right equipment, environment, position, etc. Well-recorded instruments or vocals require very little processing to sound satisfactory. So, if you aren’t sure about your recording skills, check out this guide about recording.
The Mixing Basics: Levels and Panning
Now that you have a good set of materials to work with, the first step of actual mixing is adjusting the volume and pan. In the past, you would have to keep an eye on the meter readings to ensure none of the tracks were too loud. However, nowadays, most DAWs use at least 32-bit processing, allowing virtually any loudness during mixing.
The bit-depth means how much “space” there is in terms of loudness. If there’s too little, loud audio becomes distorted, and quiet ones become noisy due to the self-noise of your mixing equipment. So, you should look for the highest value in the processing bit depth.
Currently, the highest bit-depth available is 64-bit, and that means you can have as quiet or loud audio as you like. The “space” I mentioned earlier, which is often called headroom, is practically infinite in 64-bit depth. Hence, most modern DAWs like REAPER, Cubase, and Studio One use this bit-depth for processing.
Note that it’s still a good habit to keep your audio meter readings under 0 dB in your DAW. The reason is while your DAW might allow you to use any level of audio, there are plugins that emulate hardware gear or set predefined ceilings. So, such plugins might cause distortion or artifacts in your audio if it’s too loud.
Now, let’s talk about a few pointers to keep in mind while setting the levels:
Mixing The Stars
- Identify The Key
The lead vocals and key instruments demand a clear presence in the mix. It’s a good idea to build your mix around them to ensure they are always audible. - Faders Are Scalpels
Gently adjust the track levels until the vocals and lead instruments cut through the mix without overpowering everything else. - Tame The Rhythm
Drums drive the song, but don’t let them overpower the melody. Experiment with lowering drum volume slightly or using parallel compression to tame peaks while maintaining punch.
Balance The Rhythm
- The Sweet Spot
The bass should provide a solid foundation without muddying the mix. Use EQ to carve away low-end rumble that interferes with other instruments. Usually, I tend to start rolling off from around 35 Hz, allowing the kick to take over the ultra-lows. - Hi, Hats
If the hi-hats and cymbals are too loud, they become harsh and fatiguing. If they’re too quiet, the rhythm loses its sparkle. Aim for a balanced presence that adds rhythmic detail without dominating the soundscape. Also, try cutting the peaking frequencies to decrease the harshness. Frequencies like 6 kHz are often prominent in cymbals, which can sound annoying.
Create Depth
- Stereo Space
Don’t let your instruments live in mono. Panning adds width and dimension, placing instruments in their own sonic space. So, spread guitars and keyboards across the stereo field, leaving the center stage for vocals and drums. - Creative Panning
Place subtle background vocals or atmospheric sounds slightly off-center to create a sense of space and movement. - Left, Right, Front, Back
Experiment with moving instruments slightly forward or backward in the mix to further enhance depth and separation. You can do so by adding or cutting the presence frequencies (around 2 kHz) with an EQ. Likewise, try changing the lower-mid frequencies (around 150-300 Hz) to simulate the proximity effect.
Individual Mixing: EQ and Compression
Once you have adjusted the volume and pan of each track, it’s time to ensure they stay balanced throughout the song. The tools we use to do so are the equalizer (EQ) and compressor. Hence, almost every instrument will require some EQ and compression.
We use the EQ to clean up each instrument and make it fit together with the others. Likewise, we use the compressor to level out the volume of the instrument or vocals over time. However, we might also use them to modify the sonic characteristics of the instrument.
For example, if you use an EQ to remove all the frequencies except the high frequencies, you will end up with vocals that sound like whispering. This technique is sometimes used in electronic music. So, try experimenting with the tools and discover new uses for these tools.
Carve Away Clutter
- Unwanted Frequencies
Does the bass muddy the low end? Are harsh guitar pick noises distracting? Use EQ to identify and cut these frequencies without compromising the instrument’s core sound. - Subtractive EQ
Instead of boosting everything, carve away the unwanted frequencies that clash with other instruments or clutter the mix. - Less Is More
Remember that a single instrument rarely turns an entire mix muddy or thin. A bad mix is usually the result of many instruments lacking or having too much of certain frequencies. So, instead of over-cutting annoying frequencies on one instrument, try reducing only a couple of decibels over multiple instruments. You’d be surprised at what a seemingly tiny change to several instruments can do. - High-pass Filters
Instruments like bass and synths need high-pass filters to remove unnecessary sub-bass rumble. Doing so cleans up the mix and frees up headroom for other elements.
Accentuate Character
- Fundamentals
Boost the essential frequencies that define each instrument’s unique identity. For example, add a touch of brightness to bring out the attack of a snare drum or emphasize the low-end growl of a bass guitar. - Learn The Spectrum
Knowing where specific instruments live in the spectrum helps you target EQ adjustments more effectively. So, try playing past recordings and analyzing them with a spectrum analyzer to learn how various instruments behave. Remember that mixing isn’t just dialing knobs; it also involves understanding sound and how to sculpt it. - Too Much
Subtle EQ tweaks can make a big difference. Avoid drastic boosts that make instruments sound unnatural or thin.
Sculpt The Tone
- Warmer
Boost subtle low-mid frequencies in your vocals to give them a warmer tone. Conversely, try boosting the high mids for a brighter, airier sound. - Edge
Not all instruments should be warm. Try adding a touch of high-frequency boost to guitars or synths to give a modern vibe. Just be careful not to make them harsh with peak boosts. - EQ Curves
Don’t just rely on presets. Try bell curves for narrow boosts or high-shelf filters for subtle airiness. Likewise, try combining two filters, like a boosting high-shelf and a cutting peak, to simulate the sounds of classic EQs.
Compression
If you aren’t familiar with compression, check out this article about compressors and their various types. It tells you everything you need to know to get started.
- Smooth
A singer does not sing at the same loudness throughout the song. Some parts require soft vocals, whereas others require a loud, chest voice. However, too much dynamism means the vocals will get lost in the crowd of the other instruments.
A slow compressor with an attack higher than 30 ms and a long release, like 300 ms, tames the dynamism of your vocals or instruments. - Controlling Transients
A compressor with faster attack and release can catch quick transients in instruments like drums and percussions. For example, try using a 10 ms attack with a 30 ms release on a snare drum to achieve a classic snare sound. - Flavor
Certain compressors impart a specific type of flavor to your audio. They might have a particular knee shape, add saturation, introduce noise, etc. For example, I love using UA 1176 compressor emulations to add punch to my drums.
Mixing For Atmosphere
A good recording is typically dry, without the room’s reverberation. So, the next step in mixing is adding effect plugins to create a space. It might include using reverb plugins to create a virtual room or a large hall. Likewise, you might use delay plugins to add otherworldly echoes.
Reverb
- Room Reverb
A room reverb adds intimacy and warmth like the echo bouncing off the festival tent walls. So, it’s often perfect for vocals, drums, acoustic guitars, and other acoustic instruments when you want them to sound natural and grounded. Use short decay times and subtle settings to avoid muddying the mix. - Hall Reverb
The hall reverb (and chamber reverb) creates epic grandeur, transforming the space into a stadium concert. It’s great for guitars, drums, or orchestral instruments. Experiment with longer decay times and pre-delay for a dramatic effect. - Plate Reverb
Plate reverb is a type of reverb effect that traditionally uses a large metal plate to create a spacious, bright, and distinctive sound. It can add a rich quality to the vocals, snares, and other instruments, helping them stand out in the mix. It has a slightly unnatural and metallic tone, which adds a fascinating vibe. - Sends
You can use reverb as send effects to avoid applying them directly to every track. Try creating three or four sends with different types of reverb effects as your “space palette.” Then, send each track to one or more of these effects. Doing so allows you to add multiple flavors of reverb to each track while saving your CPU resources.
Delay
- Right Times
A delay can add hypnotic echoes or a precise sense of space. Use short, rhythmic delays on drums or guitars for a driving effect or longer, atmospheric delays on synths or vocals for a dreamy soundscape. - Delay Types
Try ping-pong delays for bouncing echoes, slapback delays for a classic rock vibe, or tape delays for a warm, vintage sound. A slapback delay with a 50 to 80ms time on the vocals before the reverb can enhance the sense of space without washing the audio in the reverb. - Creative Delay
Place a short delay on a snare drum just before a big hit for added anticipation, or send a delayed vocal part to the left and right channels for a spacious stereo effect. Likewise, you can try using a delay as a send effect and adding distortion to the wet effect.
Chorus
- Add Richness
A chorus can thicken the sound, adding richness and body to instruments. It’s ideal for adding depth to thin guitar sounds, creating lush vocal pads, or fattening up synth lines. However, too much chorus can make your mix sound muddy and unfocused. So, use it sparingly. - Customize
As with any effect, you should experiment with the parameters. Adjust the chorus rate to create anything from subtle shimmering effects to seasick wobble. Furthermore, use depth to control the amount of wet signal (processed with chorus) blended with the original dry signal. - Parallel Send
Send your signal to a separate channel with chorus applied, then blend it back with the original dry signal. It gives you more control over the amount of chorus without affecting the original tone of the instrument. However, make sure you test the track for phasing issues by playing it in mono. If it sounds reasonably okay in mono, you’re good to go. However, if it sounds phase-canceled, you should try flipping the send track’s phase or changing the parameters a bit.
Distortion
Distortion isn’t technically an effect we use to create a space. However, good use of distortion undoubtedly imparts a unique identity to your music. So, I figured I would add it to this list anyway.
- Grit
We’ve all heard the edgy guitars with distortion. A dose of the effect’s gritty texture imbues raw power to guitars or even vocals. Don’t be afraid to experiment, but remember, a little goes a long way! Too much distortion can make your mix harsh and unpleasant. - Distortion Type
Selecting the right type of distortion is vital. Tube distortion adds warmth and saturation, while fuzz creates a thick, fuzzy sound. Overdrive is great for pushing guitars into a slightly crunchy territory. - Strategy
Apply distortion to sections instead of the entire mix for maximum impact. Likewise, you can add a subtle amount to individual instruments of the drums. Try adding some to snare drums for extra punch or placing a distorted guitar solo in the right spot to add excitement. - Excite
If you’ve ever used exciters, you know they’re excellent for enhancing the high frequencies and introducing new harmonics. What exciters do is they add distortion to the high frequencies. So, the effect adds new harmonics in the high-end according to whatever kind of distortion the exciter is using. You could emulate this effect by sending your audio to a new track with a high-pass filter and distortion.
Automation
Automation allows you to change the values of your effect or track parameters over time. For example, you could increase the level of reverb throughout a specific section of your song only. Or, you could go even more detailed and change minute details over a shorter period of time. For example, I often level out the volume of my recordings manually using automation. It sounds more natural and offers more control than using a compressor.
While automation is a specialized tool that we use depending on what we’re trying to accomplish, here are a few tips to help you:
- Spotlight The Soloist
Gradually swell a lead guitar solo for dramatic impact or subtly bring in a background vocal part during a ballad. Automation adds life and dynamics to your mix, creating a more emotional and engaging listening experience. - Tonal Changes
Automate EQ adjustments to sculpt the tonal character of instruments throughout the song. For example, you could subtly brighten a guitar part during a chorus or roll off the low end of a bass line during a verse. - Gain Riding
Automate the volume faders to create crescendos and decrescendos, or add subtle ducking to prevent instruments from clashing. However, remember to automate the volume before any plugins like reverb and delay to prevent the automation from altering the effect. DAWs like REAPER provide a “pre-FX volume” for this purpose. And if yours doesn’t, use any plugin with a gain parameter before the reverb or create a reverb/delay send to automate the source track. - Modulation
A mixing technique related to automation is modulation. Automation involves writing envelope curves that later adjust the parameters when you play the project. Conversely, modulation uses plugins that generate controlling data that adjusts the parameters. A good example is a low-frequency oscillator (LFO) that generates waveforms, like sine, saw, square, and triangle.
The LFO modulator moves the parameter you’ve assigned in the shape of a waveform at the speed you set. Many DAWs, like REAPER, Ableton Live, and Bitwig Studio, feature built-in modulation devices for this purpose. You can use such tools to create dynamic effects without tedious work.
Furthermore, try automating the parameters of such modulators if your DAW allows it! If your DAW doesn’t have modulators, you can use a third-party plugin. I recommend MMM by GSDSP, an excellent, free modulation generator plugin.
Mixing With Reference
Any song or music piece that you admire and would like to learn from is a reference track. Every mixing engineer does and should use reference tracks. However, it’s vital to analyze the reference objectively, especially when it comes to technical specifications.
For example, there are many songs from the 40s or 60s I admire and find informative. I often analyze them for their excellent compositions. However, I keep in mind that their mix and recording are outdated. So, it’s a good idea to use reference tracks from a wider timeframe. If you enjoy the vintage guitar flavor in an aged song, study a track from this decade to help you understand how you could modernize it.
Furthermore, remember to use tracks that closely match the genre of your project. Analyze their use of levels, EQ, effects, and automation. And pay attention to the overall balance, clarity, and dynamics.
Summary
The journey to mixing professional-sounding tracks is a lifelong adventure. Still, with these practical tools and a spirit of experimentation, you can transform your raw tracks into sonic masterpieces. A good mix knows when to spotlight a certain instrument or voice. This dynamism is what captivates the audience’s mind.
Remember, the key to successful mixing is finding the right balance between technical knowledge, creative application, and experimentation. Keep learning, keep pushing boundaries, and most importantly, enjoy the process of bringing your music to life.
