Audi

oSki
ll
s.
com

121Mixi
ngTips
f
romtheExpert
s
Edi
tedbySc
ottHawks
wor
th
121MixingTipsfromtheExperts

Wesurveyed55mixingexpertsinsearchofthebesttipsandtheresponsewegot
wasincredible.Ourpanelsentusover300awesomemixingtips!

Thetoughestpartwasnarrowingthemdowntoonly121,andthenorganizingthe
tipsintothesectionsyouseebelow.Note:someofthetipswedidntincludewere
verygood,andweplantopublishmanyoftheminfuturearticles.Wesimply
couldntfitthemallintothissinglearticlesopleasestaytuned!

Thanksagaintoalloftheexpertswhocontributedandthankyouforreading.
Whetheryoureamixingprofessionaloracompletenewbie,wereconfidentyou
canfindsomethingbelowtoimmediatelyapplytoyourownmusic.

Cheers!

ScottHawksworth
Founder,AudioSkills

1
TableofContents

Beginners
MixingAdviceforBeginners 3
MixingPhilosophy 5

Strategy

MixingTheory&Strategy 7
CommonMistakesWhenMixing 10
WorkflowEfficiency&Organization 13

Techniques
Compression 15
EQ 17
AudioEffects 19
MixingVocals 21

Tools
ProToolsFeatures 24
FeaturesinOtherDAWs 26
MixingPlugins 28
MixingGear 29

Bonus
BonusMixingTips 31
RecommendedReading 34

2
MixingAdviceforBeginners
Weposedthefollowingquestiontoourexpertcontributors:Whatsyourbest
adviceforabeginnerwhoisjuststartingoutmixing,andwantstodeveloptheir
skills?Hereswhattheysaid.

1. Trustyourearsandtreatthemwithcare.Weonlygetonesetofearsand
itsimportanttotreatthemlikegold,afteralltheyreyourebestasset.
DacotaFresilli,ParhelionRecordingStudios

2. Mixingisallaboutfindingtherightbalanceandmakingthingssitcorrectly
amongoneanother.EQandcompressionareimportant,butIvefoundthat
themostpowerfultoolsinthisregardaresimplythevolumefaderandyour
ears.PhilipDust,PhilipDustMixingandMastering

3. Learnhowtousethetoolsthatyouhaveeffects,plugins,andthe
programyouusetorecordandmix.Donotfallintothetrapbythinkingmore
toolswithgiveyouabettermix,becauseitwillnot!Themostimportanttool
inmixingisyourselfandtheknowledgeyouhave.CJJacobson,Audio
MasteringAndMixing

4. NomatterwhatDAWyouchoosetoworkin,downloadthemanual,and
learntheshortcutkeyboardcommandsandfunctionsyourDAWprovides.
AnthonyOlivares,SoundintheCity

5. Listentoatonofmusic/audio.Dissectyourreferenceswhatsmaking
thisvocalsoundthewayitdoes?Whatsmakingthechorusfeelexciting?
Whatisthismixdoingtoconveytheemotionofthesong,film,etc.Devin
Kerr,Goodhertz

3
6. Practice,Practice,Practice.Recordthingsandpracticemixing,find
multitracksessions,andpracticemixing.Trysonicideasknowingthatifthey
dontwork99times,ifyoucomeupwithonenewsound,itsallworthit.As
anaddedbenefit,thejourneywillyieldquiteabitofknowledge.Matt
Salazar,IndieRockInc

7. Learnhowtoreallylisten!Beforeyoujuststartapplyingprocessingto
everytrack,orapplyingallthegreatmixingtipsyoulearnedabout,justbring
upallthetracksandgetagoodbalancewithoutanyEQorotherprocessing
atall.Then,reallyLISTENtothesongandthemessage/moodthatthe
band/artististryingtoconvey,andfigureoutwhatthemixneedstoenhance
thatmessage!StephenSherrard,StephenSherrardMixing

8. Usereferencetracks!Ifyouhaveabenchmarktowhichyoucancompare
yourmix,youllknowbetterwhetherornotyoureontherighttrack.
BobbyPhillipps,HomeStudioMixTips

9. Spendasmuchtimeaspossiblelearninghowtolistencriticallynotonlyto
musicyourecordandmix,butothermusicthatiscommerciallyproduced
andyouthinksoundsgreat.Listenandcompare,A/Bwithyourownmixes,
andtrytolearnwhatitisaboutsomeoneelsesmixthatyoulikeandhowto
applyittoyourown.StephenMichaelBabula,SMBRecordings

10. Setupyourmixingenvironmentasbestasyoucan.Makesureyouarenot
gettingtoomanyunwantedreflectionsfromhardflatsurfacesandbass
build-upfromcorners.Next,mixasmanytracksasyoucanandstarttraining
yourears.Youcanreadandwatchasmanyvideosasyoulike,butuntilyou
startdigginginandmixingandapplyingwhatyouhavelearned,youwont
getanybetter.Jeremiah,UndergunnedProductions

4
MixingPhilosophy
Afteryearsofmixing,itiscommontodevelopaphilosophyonthesubject.We
askedourpanelofexpertstosharetheirmixingphilosophy.

11. Musickeepsevolving.Newsoundsandtrendskeepcoming.Technologyhas
changedthewaywelistentomusic,andwiththatthewaywemixthatmusic.
SoyouhavetobeOPENMINDEDwhenitcomestomixingandproducing
differentgenres.Itwillhelpyoutenfoldonlearningnewtechniquesand
approachestomixing.J-rum,J-rumBeats

12. Zoomin,thenbackout.Itsnotaboutthekicksound.Itsabouttheemotion
yougetfromtheoverallmix/song.Ourjobistoenhancethefeelingtheartist
wantstocommunicatetothelistener.JoeVegna

13. Atitscore,mixingissimple.Itsaboutgettingmanyindividualsoundsto
blendtogetherinawaythatsoundpleasingtotheearwhencomingoutof
thespeakers.Soops,MixedBySoops

14. ThemusicalityofamixwillALMOSTalwaystrumpthetechnicalityofit.
AJPatil,MixedbyA-Mack

15. Thinkofmixdownsasthefunpartinsteadoftheboringpart,andyoucan
endupmakingalifelesstrackhavesomemuchneededpersonality.Them
Jeans,TallTalesPodcast

16. Nevergettooclosetothemix.Imahugefanofworkinginshortburstsin
ordertokeepasmuchofanobjectiveperspectiveasIpossiblycan.Jeffro
Lackscheide,MakeYourMixesNotSuck

17. Thingsyoudointhemixarealwaysdictatedbythesong.Iswhatyoure
doingaddingtothesongortakingawayfromit?JaredKvitka,JaredK
Recording

18. Recordliketheresnomixing,mixliketheresnomastering.Alwayshave
aclearvisionofwhatyouretryingtoaccomplish.Aslongasyousticktothat
vision,everythingsallowed!HubiHofmann,SlashZeroRecords

19. Balance(bothlevelandfrequency)andscale(sizeanddepth)arethekeys
tomixing.Withoutthese,anytip,trick,specialEQ,orcompressiontechnique
becomesirrelevant.JamesAparicio

20. Dontbelievethehype.Wearebombardedbyadsthattellusthegearwe
useisntgoodenough.ThebasicDAWwiththebasicpluginsismilesahead
ofwhatanyonehad25yearsago.Focusonwhatyouhaveinsteadofwhat
youdonthave,andmakegreatmusic.MattyTrump,MixAndMaster

6
MixingTheory&Strategy
Eachmixingengineerapproachesaprojectwithauniquetheoryandstrategy.We
askedtheexpertstoexplainhowtheyapproachtheartofmixing.

21. MakegrandgestureswhenapplyingEQ,compression,oreffects,andthen
(ifneeded)backofftheamount.Butremember,smallamountsof
compressiononmanydifferenttrackscanhelppulleverythingtogether,
especiallyintheposttapeera.LarryCrane,TapeOpMagazine

22. Asamixengineer,eachsongorpiece(Iworkininstrumentalsalot)isunique.
Honoringthemusic(andassignmentifspecisdictatedbyclient)iskey&I
prefertomixquietinaprofessionallytreatedcontrolroomfocusingon
feelingthemusicmakingsuremyearsarefresh.Iavoidearfatigueby
takingbreaksandtakingcareofmyearsoutsidethestudio(i.e.wearingear
plugsatshows,etc.).CatharineWood,PlanetwoodStudiosLLC

23. Keepitsimple.Ireallylistentothetracksbeforedoinganything.Iputupthe
fadersandbalancethetrack,thenmuteeverythingandstartshapingsounds
individuallyasIunmuteeachtrack.WhiledoingthisIamconstantly
returningtothetracksthatIvealreadyworkedonandrebalancingthem.
OnceIgetamixtorockwithoutanyautomation,Iwillturniton,andstart
automatingeverything.GenerallyIwaituntiltheendtoaddanyFXsuchas
delaysorreverbs.IliketotrytokeepthingsdryunlessFXarecalledfor.
TylerSpratt,ThreshMixing

24. Dontovermixandneverbelazyeither.Ifitsnotworking,moveonto
somethingelsequickly,butdontstopuntilyouactuallygetitright.Thereisa
middlegroundhereandyouneedtodevelopasenseofwhenyourenever

7
 gonnamakethisapproachworkandImalmostthere,butnotquite.
MattRussell,GainStructure

25. UsetheHighPassFilter!!Itsyourbestfriendandmymostusedtoolofall
whilemixing!Evenifitsoundscounterintuitiveyouhavetofilteroutas
muchofthelowendtogetatightpunchyandbiglowerend.Ireallysolo
eachandeverytrackofamixandturnthehighpassfilterjusttothatpoint
whereIfeelitslosingtoomuch.Itjustcleansoutthewholemixandleaves
roomforthewantedandpunchybass.SometimesIevenfilterkickdrumsas
highas40Hzsodontbeafraidofthatlittleknob!ClemensSchleiwies,
AnalogMix

26. Forme,mixingstartsattherecordingprocess.BeforeIdoanymixing,Itry
togetthemostoutofeveryinstrument(asifIwasthereattherecording
process)andcommitthemtothesession.RyanSamuelBentley

27. Onceallthe(boring)editingandcorrectivetasksaretakencareofmixfast,
mixwithpurpose,andmixfromyourgut.Withallthetoolsatourdisposal,
itiseasytogetsuckedintoanalysisparalysis,whichwontservethesong.
Listentothesong,makeamentalplanofwhatstepsneedtobetakento
makethesoundinyourheadareality,anddoit.ScottHorton,VirtualMix
Engineer

28. Thesedays,Istartoffeachmixsessionbylisteningtosomereferencesongs
setatthesamevolumeasmymix.OnlythendoIswitchovertothemixIm
workingonandwhateverismissinginmymixisfarmoreobvious.Changes
thatwouldhavetakenhoursofbangingmyheadagainstthewallnowjump
outandcanbechangedinafewminutes.JeffroLackscheide,MakeYour
MixesNotSuck

8
 29. Doasmuchaspossiblewithoutplugins.Pluginsarefunbuttherealmagic
happenswithvolume,panning,andediting.Trynotusinganypluginsforthe
first20minutesofyournextmix.Youwouldbesurprisedhowfaryouget.
MattyTrump,MixandMaster

30. Mixsothateverytrackcanbeheardwithinthesong.Itsallaboutbalance.
Ifatrackdoesntcontributeanythingtotheoverallsong,itmightnotbe
needed.BrandonMarshall,MarshallMixing

9
CommonMistakesWhenMixing
Beginnersarepronetomakingmistakes,nomatterwhichfieldtheyrein.Weasked
ourexpertpaneltoidentifythemostcommonmixingmistakesandhowtheycan
beavoided.

31. Notbalancingoutthemixbeforeaddingplugins.Alotofdanceproducers
havethekickdrumsuperloudwhich,inturn,endsupdepletingthelowend
andsmashingentirethemix.MikeGlaser,pureMix

32. Themostcommonmistakeisnotusingthefadersenough.Sometimes
mixersuseabunchofEQandcompression,butforgettousethefadersto
getagoodvolumebalancebetweentheinstruments.Sometimesavolume
changecouldbetheperfectchoice!MattiaMagi,BlueHouseStudio

33. Usingtoomanyeffectsisacommonmistake.Itcanbegreathavinglotsof
effects,butyouhavetobesmartaboutusingthem.Remember,youdont
havetousethemallononesong!Insomanythingsrelatedtomixing,lessis
more.LawWood,LWMusicServices

34. Sometimesitcanbeeasytofocustoomuchonaverysmalldetailand
forgetthebiggerpicture.EQinginsolocanalsomakemixingtakealong
timeasyourenothearingitincontextofthemix.Alwaystryandlistento
thewholemixasmuchaspossible,andrememberwhereyouaretryingtogo
withthesoundofit.RomeshDodangoda,LongWaveRecordingStudio

10


35. MixingatatoohighofavolumeisacommonmistakeIsee.Tohelpyour
mixestotranslatewelleverywhere,mixatlowvolumeataround55to70
decibelsandmakesureyourmixsoundsgreatatthatlevel.ChrisSelim,
MixdownOnline

36. AlotoftimeIhearpopsandclicksinprojects,specificallyfilm.Thiscanbe
avoidedbysimplyaddingfadesandcrossfadestoallclips.JamesAlire,5J
MediaLLC

37. WhenIwasstarting,onemistakeImadeisnottakingbreaks.Myears
wouldbecomesofatiguedthatIdbelievemymixissoundingthewayI
wanted.Butinreality,itwasntevenclose.Ourearsarewhatwerelyonand
weneedtomakesuretheyarerestedtoputourbestmixeverytime.
KeshiaMcArthur,KeshiaMc.

38. Gettingthebalancewrong.BeforeyoustartreachingforEQand
compression,getagoodstartingbalance.Ifyoustrugglewiththat,lookinto

11
 quickhackslikemixingagainstpinknoisetogetyoustarted.DaveS-B,
CreativeMixing

39. OnemistakeIseealotofamateurandevenexperiencedengineersmakeis
nothavingenoughheadroombeforetheyeverstartmixing.Checkallof
yourtracks/stemstomakesureyouhaveenoughheadroom(Iaimfor-6dB)
beforeaddingANYprocessingtothetracks.Thiswillhelptoavoidunwanted
saturationordistortionwhenyoudostartaddingprocessing.Beforeyou
beginmixing:1)Makesureallyouraudiotracksareat0.0dB;2)playeach
tracktoseethepeakvolumeofeachtrack;and3)ifitsover-6dBuseagain
plugintopullthegainbackuntilyouhavealeast-6dBforeachaudiotrack.
MichaelCushionJr,MikesMix&Master

40. Mixingwitheyesandnotearsisaverycommonmistake.Itseasytoget
lostinawebofgraphicdisplays,frequencyreadouts,andwaveforms.When
makingacriticaldecision,closeyoureyesandreallylisten.Levelmatch,and
thenbypasstheprocessingandreallyaskyourselfifitsimprovingresults.If
not,dontbeafraidtotrysomethingelse.AdrianBreakspear

12
WorkflowEfficiency&Organization
Becausemixingisaninherentlycomplexprocess,beingefficientiskey.Weasked
ourexpertstosharetheirmixingtipsforkeepingorganizedanddevelopingan
efficientworkflow.

41. Developaroutineandsticktoit.IusethesamemixtemplatethatItweak
everyfewmonthsandIimport/arrangeeverymixthesamewayregardless
ofgenre.MikeGlaser,pureMix

42. Isubmixnearlyeverything!Alldrumtrackstoabus,allguitarstoabus,all
keyboardstoabus.Then,alltheinstrumentsgotoabus,sothatthevocals
canbeseparatefromthem.SometimesIwillcompress/EQtheband
separatefromthevocals.Havingeverythingsub-mixedmakesiteasyto
shapesectionsatatime.DavidDas,AcademyofScoringArts

43. Inthepluginworlditseasytodrowninoptions.Itcanfeelgoodtohaveso
manychoicesbutitcanalsobeahugewasteoftime.Findwhatworks(2-3
options)foryourmostcommontasksandsticktoit.Everythingelseisjust
messingarounditsfunbutnotproductive.Ifyoufindasettingyoulike,
saveitasapresetandgivethatpresetanamethatmakessensesoyoucan
useitasastartingpointnexttime.MathieuDulong,StudioFastForward

44. Arrangethemixerinsuchawaythatyoudonthavemuchtodistractyou
fromwhatiscomingoutofthemonitors.IliketogetridofanythingIdont
thinkImgoingtousesothatImnotlookingatpilesoftracks.Ifthereare
DIs,orguitarmicsthatIknowImdefinitelynotusing,Iremovethem.The
fewerthingsthatdistractmefromgettingthemixwhereIwantittobe,the
better!RomeshDodangoda,LongWaveRecordingStudio

13
45. Createtemplateswithyourfavoritepluginchainandauxsends.Then
tweakthosepluginstoworkwithwhatyouremixing.Colorcodeyourtracks
basedoffIntro,Hook,Verse,etcaswellasmakemarkersatthesesectionsin
thesongitself.ChrisBlaney,InnerCreativeSound

46. Utilizestemtracks.Useauxestohavemultiplesimilartracksfunneldownto
onetrack,whichmakesiteasiertocontrolthesourcesasawholeandmakes
iteasiertocontrolintheend.JamesAlire,5JMediaLLC

47. Breakupthesessionintounitsofworkandfocusononethingatatime.
Startwithaneditsession,doyoureditsandrenderoutnew(edited)track
stems,thencreateamixsessionandmoveonfromthere.Spendsometime
workingoutyourcolorcoding!DaveS-B,CreativeMixing

48. Beingorganizedisoneofthemostimportantthingsyoucandobefore
beginningyourmixingsession.Organizingfolders,track/stemnames,
groupinginstrumentsandcolorcoordinatingarejustafewofthethingsIdo
beforeeverysession.Thiswillmakeyourmixingprocesseasierandsaveyou
time.Onceyougetusedtoit,itwillbecomenatural.MichaelCushionJr,
MikesMix&Master

49. Themoreinputyoucangetfromyourclientthebetter.Askforreference
tracksandexamplesofthesoundtheyaregoingaftertoincreaseyourodds
ofgettingthemixrightthefirsttime.ColeMize,ColeMizeStudios

50. Whereveryouremixing,treatyourselflikeyouredoingitprofessionally
evenifitsjustinyourbedroommixingyourownmusic.Settimelimitsanda
specificscheduleforyourself.Thiswillforceyoutobemoreefficientand
developanorganizedworkflow.ScottHawksworth,AudioSkills

14
Compression
Compressionisoneofthetopicsthatweareconstantlyaskedabout.Weaskedthe
expertstosharetheir#1compressiontip.Hereswhattheysaid.

51. Whenworkingonakick,duplicatethekicktrack.Ontheduplicatetrack,
placeanEQonitandboost(4-6dB)attherootfrequencyofthekick.Then
compress[Dbx160]theduplicatetrack(4-10dB),lowervolume,andblend
totaste.SometimesIllfollowtheDbxwithDecapitatorplugin.KevinLee,
MixedByKevinLee

52. Onavocaltrack,useonecompressorwithafastattacktocontrolthepeaks
ofthevocalandasecondvintagetypecompressorataslowerattack(10-15
ms)toaddtoneandwarmth.ChrisSelim,MixdownOnline

53. Dontusecompressionbecauseyouthinkyouhaveto.Noteverything
needscompression.Sometimesyoujustneedtoautomatethevolumeora
frequencyband.Soifyouusecompression,makesureyouhaveareasonto
dosoopposedtojustfollowinggenericrules.ColeMize,ColeMizeStudios

54. Puttwocompressorsonaleadvocal.Firstoneatalowratiotocontrolit
andbringoutthenoise,andthesecondoneatahigherratiotohelpwithjust
alittlegainreductiontocatchthereallyloudmoments.DannyOzment,
EmeraldCityProductions

55. Compressioninseriesworkswonders.Bettertocompress12dBGRusing
-4GRof3compressors(splittheGR)thancompressingusing1.Youcan
compressmorewithoutmakingthecompressorchokethisway.Paschalis
I.,MusicProductionTips

15
 56. Noteverythingneedstobecompressed!Backinthedaysofhardwareand
realconsoles,weoftenhadaverylimitednumberofcompressorstowork
with,andhadtochoosecarefullywhattousethemon.Mostofthemusic
fromthaterasoundsmuchbetterthanalotofmodernstuff,becausethere
arestillplentyofdynamicsonthetrackssincenoteverythingwas
compressedtodeath!StephenSherrard,StephenSherrardMixing

57. Forvocals,youwillgetabiggerandmoreeasilyplacedsoundwithtwo
compressorsinparallel,eachgiving2dBto4dBofcompression,thanone
compressorgiving6dBto8dBofcompression.MattSalazar,IndieRockInc

Wereceivedsomanygreatcompressiontipsthatwecouldntfitthemallinthis
article.Clickhereforevenmorecompressiontips.

16
EQ
Likecompression,learningtheproperEQtechniquescanmakeahugedifferencein
mixing.Weaskedourpaneltosharetheir#1EQtip.

58. Useahighpassfiltertorolloffthelowrangefrequenciesonalltracks
exceptthekickandbass.Atleastaround50-80Hz.Cleansupmuddinessand
allowsthekickandbasstoshinethrough.AnthonyClintJr.,Clint
Productions

59. EQbeforeyoucompresstoremoveunwantedfrequenciessothe
compressorcanfocusonamorenaturalsoundthatyouregoingfor.Chris
Blaney,InnerCreativeSound

60. UseshelvingEQsforloweringthevolumeofportionsofthelow
frequenciesfromsounds,sometimesinadditiontolessaggressivehigh-pass
filtering.Onesoundmayhavesomeaddedgritortexturethatahigh-pass

17
 filtermayremovealtogether.Listentoseeiftheoverallsoundismore
interestingwiththosefrequenciessimplyloweredinvolumeusingadipfrom
ashelvingEQ.McKayGarner,McKayMixing

61. DoEQboostsweeps(say18dBofboost,narrowQ)around120130Hzon
yourmaster.Moreoftenthannot,youllfindresonancestherethatyoull
wanttocutout.Goodfordrumsandvox,too.Fanu,FanuMusic

62. MixinmonowhileEQing!Itwillreallyforceyoutoworktoachieve
separationandclaritywhichisagoodthing!RickElliott,ReiverRecords

63. Ifyourestrugglingwithgivingavocalthatpristinepopsheen,tryahigh
shelfboostaround14to16kHz.Itcanaddaniceairypresenceandhelp
yourvocalsitmoreforwardandinyourface.BobbyPhillipps,
HomeStudioMixTips

64. Useahighpassfilterat4kHzontheinputtoareverb.Addsasplashor
sparkletovocalsoracousticinstrumentsanddrums.Sparkleverbtechnique.
JoeArsenault

WereceivedsomanygreatEQtipsthatwecouldntfitthemallinthisarticle.Click
hereforevenmoreEQtips.

18
AudioEffects
Properuseofaudioeffectslikereverbanddelaycanhelptakemixestothenext
level.Weaskedourcontributorsfortheiradviceonhowtouseaudioeffectswell.

65. Iuseeffectsascharacters.Reverbsanddelaysaddspaceanddimension.
Distortionaddsgrit.Pitcheffects(likeanoctaver)addharmonicsanddepth.
EQalterstheshapeofthesound.Useeffectstoadd(orsubtract)character
fromtheinstruments,asifyouremixingcolorsinapainting.DavidDas,
AcademyofScoringArts

66. Alwayscreateauxtracks,andusereverbsanddelayinsend.Alsoagreat
techniquetomakereverbs/delayclean(andmakethemworkbetterinthe
mix)istoputanEQbeforethereverb/delayandfilteroutthelows/low
midsandthehigh/highmidsandcreateasmalldeepcutaround1k.Mattia
Magi,BlueHouseStudio

67. DontbeafraidtoEQyoureffectsreturnjustlikeanyothertrack.Ittook
methelongesttimetorealizethebenefitofthis.YoucanalsouseanM/S
processortomonitorthesidesonlyofyourmixtoseeifthereverb(orother
stereoFX)istooboomyortoobright.FixingthatwithEQwillgiveyoumore
headroomandclarity.MathieuDulong,StudioFastForward

68. Iuseshortdelaysoverreverbswithvocalssometimes,asitcangiveyouthe
senseofspaceyouneedwithoutclutteringthemixtoomuch.Adjustingthe
pre-delayonreverbisalsosomethingthatcanreallyhelptheFXsitinthe
mixnexttothesourcetrack.RomeshDodangoda,LongWaveRecording
Studio

19
69. OnetechniqueIliketousefordelayonaleadvocalistoduplicatethelead
vocalandadddelaydirectlyontotheduplicatetrack,turningthedry/wet
settingallthewaywet.ThenIlltrimandkeepthepartsofthevocalthatI
wanttohavethedelayedeffectonthatduplicatetrack.Thatallowsmeto
controlwhenandwherethedelayorechoeffectontheleadvocalwillcome
in.AnthonyClintJr.,ClintProductions

70. Sendyourmonosignaltoastereoshortdelayviaaauxchannel,thenpan
themonosignalleftandthedelaychannel80%right.Thiswilladdspaceto
yourmonosignalWorkswellonanacousticguitar.ChrisSelim,Mixdown
Online

71. Letthedelayfillintheemptyspacesofasong.Usedelayfortransitionsinto
thenextsection.Usestereodelays/pingpongtogivetheaudiomoreofa
stereoimage.ChrisBlaney,InnerCreativeSound

72. Alwaystreatyourreturneffectsasequaltoyouraudiotracks.Thatmeans
addingEQ/compression/saturation/whateveraftertheeffectsothatthey
sitrightwithalltheothertracks.Abitofsaturationonareverbworks
wonders.DaveS-B,CreativeMixing

73. Trytogetarealsolid,balancedmixbeforeyoueveraddanyeffects(so
completelydry).Thenaddineffectsforcreativity,sweetening,andglue.If
yourmixcompletelydependsonreverb(forexample)tonotsoundhorrible
maybeyouneedtore-thinkthemixitself.ScottHawksworth,AudioSkills

74. Ioftenblendreverbsmyvocaloftengetsamixtureofplateandspringfor
example,drumsgetroomandperhapsplate,guitarsspringandroom.Also
automatereverblevelstocreateinterestinthesong.AdrianBreakspear

20
MixingVocals
Whileeachvocalistrequiresuniquetreatment,therearesometechniquesthatcan
beapplieduniversally.Weaskedourexpertstoidentifytheirfavoritetechnique
thattheyfrequentlyusewhenmixingvocals.

75. IliketouseAuto-Tunenotjusttotunevocals,butforitsharmoniccolor.If
youjustaddittoavocalitaddsalittlepresencethatyoucouldlikentoa
harmonicexciter.PlusifyoujustmassagethevocalwithAuto-Tuneabitit
canmakethevocalreallypop.TylerSpratt,ThreshMixing

76. Thoughsomehardwareandmanypluginshavemixorblendknobsonthem
thesedaysforcombiningaprocessedanddryversionofasignal,Ioftenuse
aduplicateoftheleadvocaltrackoranauxbusforparallelprocessing
instead.ThiswayIcantreateachversionofthevocalsounddifferently.One
oftheseapproachesishavingaparallelversionoftheleadvocalthatis
highlycompressedblendedinunderneaththemainleadvocaltrack.IcanEQ
thesquashedversionoftheleadvocaldifferently,addsaturation,sendittoa
differenteffect,orotherthingstoaddtoitsconnectionwiththelistener.
McKayGarner,McKayMixing

77. Listentothede-essersmonitorside-chain(thefrequenciesbeingde-essed)
toheartheharshestfrequenciesmoreeasily.Soops,MixedBySoops

78. Useamultibandcompressortocontrolthemidfrequenciesbetween
100-500Hzandreallymakethevocalshine.AJPatil,MixedbyA-Mack

79. IloveusingAbletonsgroupfeaturetohavemultiplevocaltracksatlow
volume,somepannedout,somepitchedupanddown,untilyoubuildone

21
 megavocal,andprocessitalltogetherwithanicereverbontopThem
Jeans,TallTalesPodcast

80. Vocalsrequirethemostattentionandautomation.Manuallyreduce
breathsandsibilantsifyoucan.Compressionmayover-exaggerate
unpleasantsounds.Automatereverblevels,delaythrows,doubletracks,
choruses,andparallelcompression/distortionthroughoutthesongto
enhancesection-to-sectioncontrastandkeepthingsfromgettingstatic.
ScottHorton,VirtualMixEngineer

81. Myfavoritevocaltechniquethatgetsusedinabout95%oftherock/metal
songsImixisusingparallelcompression/distortion.Simplycopythevocal
youreworkingwith,compressthehelloutofthecopy,addsomenicedirty
distortiontoit,maybesomespreadingdelay.Sneakthisbackunderneaththe
originalvocal.Itaddsatonofbodyandgrittotheoriginalvocalwithout
beingtooobvious.JeffroLackscheide,MakeYourMixesNotSuck

22
 82. Setyourprocessingwiththefullmix.Howyoutreatthevocalisalways
easierthiswayversuslisteningtoitonitsown.Whenyoumakeadjustments
insoloyoutendtoloseperspective.JaredKvitka,JaredKRecording

83. MelodyneandAuto-Tunedontworkonallvocals(sometimesstripping
feelingfromperformances)andcantbereliedontofixanuninspired
vocalperformance.Iprefertousetuningtoolssurgicallytocorrectnotes
asneeded(asopposedtoapplyingtheplugintotheentireperformance).
CatharineWood,PlanetwoodStudiosLLC

84. Filteroffthetopendofavocalreverbandordelaydowntothesame
frequencyyourde-essingthevocal.Doingthiswillhelppreventtheanyhard
andbrightconstantsoundshittingtheeffectsandhelpsitthevocalinthe
mix.JamesAparicio

23
ProToolsFeatures
AvidTechnologysProToolsisconsideredtheindustrystandarddigitalaudio
workstation(DAW)formixingandusedbymanyprofessionalstudios.Weasked
ourcontributorstoshareProToolsfeatures,tricks,andshortcuts.

85. TheProTools12trackfreezefunctionismyfavoritefeature.Itisnotonly
greatforsavingDSP,butitisfantasticforcreatingindividualstems.Just
freezeallthetracksandsendofftherenderedaudiofiles.Ofcoursethe
masterbusprocessingwontbewritten,butyoureallyonlyneedthatifthe
stemsareforaliveapplication.Inthatcaseyoudontneedthemaster
processingtobeperfectsoitcanberendereddownatalatertime.Tyler
Spratt,ThreshMixing

86. Whenneeded,ProToolsplaylistsmakecompingaperformanceadream
comparedtosomeDAWs.McKayGarner,McKayMixing

87. UsingImportSessionDatainProToolstobringinmymixingtemplatesis
byfarthemostimportantfeature/trick/shortcut(itsallthree)Iuseiton
everysinglemixwhichhelpsmygetamixupandrunningandsoundinggood
in2hoursasopposedtoawholeday.MattRussell,GainStructure

88. ProTools:Mytrickisusingatrackballwithedittoolssuchasthetrimmer
toolallocatedtoavailablebuttonsonthetrackball.ThelessIhavetomove
myhandtodoeverydayfunctionontools,thebetter/quicker!RyanSamuel
Bentley

89. Copyingthefaderlevelstothesendlevelsforparallelprocessing.Thisway
youcanhavethesameblendfeedingthecompressorthatfeedthestereo

24
 mix.Youcanalsodothisgoingtoareverbtocreatearoomsound.Jared
Kvitka,JaredKRecording

90. ThisoneisverysimplebutinProTools,Control-Option-Commandand
clickingonthePluginAutomationenablebuttonallowsallparametersto
beenabled.Thisallowsmetoexecutemyideasasquicklyaspossible
withoutworryingaboutindividuallyenablingpluginparameters.KevinLee,
MixedByKevinLee

91. ClipgaininProToolsisasimplebutamazingfeature,canbeusedasthe
bestde-esseryoulleverfind,andalsocanbeusedtoleveloutpeaksbefore
theyhitacompressor,essentiallyworkingasanautomatedinputgainand
thresholdforacompressor.Soyoucanusethecompressorinamoreeven
wayessentiallyforitstoneratherthanextremegainreduction.James
Aparicio

25
FeaturesinOtherDAWs
ProToolsainttheonlygameintown!TherearemanymoreexcellentDAWsout
therehelpingmixersgetfantasticresultsfromtheirprojects.Hereareafewmore
features,tricks,andshortcutsthatcanbeappliedinotherDAWs.

92. InFLStudioIliketofreestyleonmykeystocomeupwithnewideas,Iuse
themidicontrollerwithmyfavoriteVSTs.Whenfreestylingonkeys,
sometimesyoullforgetwhatyoujustplayed.SimplynavigatetoTools>
DumpScoreToLoganditwillmakethe.mididataavailableinsidethePiano
Rollandyoucaneditandchangenotes.Soyoucanalwayshaveyourideas
backandneverforgetthatamazingmelodyorchordprogression!J-rum,
J-rumBeats

93. IlovetracktemplateinReaper.NoneedforacompleteDAWtemplate
anymoresinceanyparallelprocessingisabuttonaway.JoeVegna

94. Irecommendmappingmtoamono-makingpluginonthemaster(Utility
withitswidthsetto0%onAbletonLive).Thisallowsyoutoswitchbetween
stereoandmonoeasily,whichisreallyhelpfulwhenmixing!Fanu,Fanu
Music

95. TheLoopbarinAbletonLiveattopofeditwindowistremendouslyhelpful!
Useitwell!RickElliott,ReiverRecords

96. SystemPref>Keyboard>Shortcuts>AppShorctutstoaddDAW
shortcutstoyourkeyboard.HastoinputexactlyasitisintheDAWmenu.
Soops,MixedBySoops

26
 97. UseCmd+S(save)andCmd+Z(undo)Honestly,ifyougotshortcutsfor
zoom-in,zoom-out,thescissorstool,save,andundo/redo,youllbeingood
shapemostofthetime.HubiHofmann,SlashZeroRecords

98. LearnthekeyboardshortcutsforyourDAW!Youcanmovearoundmuch
easierandgetthingsdonefasterwhenyouarentusingyourmousefor
everything.Theseextrasecondsaddupquicklyintheoverallcontextofyour
mix,especiallywhentimeisontheline.BrandonMarshall,MarshallMixing

27
MixingPlugins
Findingtherightmixingpluginscansavetimeandimprovethequalityofyour
music.Herearesomeofourexpertsfavoritemixingplugins.

99. IrecommendtheSoundToysDecapitator.ImaHUGEfanofdistortionand
saturation,whetherdirectlyonthesource,orinparallel,andDecapitatoris
superversatile.Idhatetohavetomixwithoutit.BobbyPhillipps,
HomeStudioMixTips

100. TheHOFAIQ-EQdynamicequalizerpluginisexcellent.Iprepeverything
throughthese.ThatortheValleyPeopledyna-mitecompressoronanFX
sendinthemix.Iwouldmissthatpipehittingfrontendandinternalclipping
combo.LimpsnaresbeGONE!StephenAWatkins,MixedBySAW

101. MyfavoritepluginasofrightnowistheFabFilterProQ2.Icanget
majorityofthemixdonewithjusttheProQ2andacompressor.Dacota
Fresilli,ParhelionRecordingStudios

102. IworkmainlyworkinTV&film,soIwouldhavetogowithiZotopesRX
PostProductionSuite.Itallowsyoutocleanupdirtyonsetaudio,remove
miscellaneouscarhonks,airplanesflyingoverhead,clicks,andthumps.
AnthonyOlivares,SoundintheCity

103. TheWavesPAZAnalyzer(oranyotherfrequencyanalyzer)isawesome.
Youcanuseittocomparelevelsofyourmixagainstsimilarsongs.John
Myers,GetMixed

104. TheWavesCL-1176compressorplugingetsmeawesomeresultsevery
time.JoeArsenault

28
MixingGear
AtAudioSkills,weconstantlypreachthattechniqueismoreimportantthangear.
Thatsaid,youdoneedsomegeartogetstarted!Weaskedourexpertswhatisthe
onepieceofgeartheycouldntdowithout.

105. Makesureyouhaveagoodroomoragoodsetofheadphones.Allthegear
intheworldwontmatterifyoucantreallyhearwhatisgoingoninthemix.
DannyOzment,EmeraldCityProductions

106. Thatsaneasyone:MyMaselecMEA-2precisionstereoequalizer.
Althoughveryexpensive,ithasproventomethatitswortheverypenny.No
matterhowyouturntheknobs,italwaysendsupsoundingverymusical,
smoothandflattering.PhilipDust,PhilipDustMixingandMastering

107. Mymostimportanttoolishavinganacousticallytunedroomtomixin.If
youcannothearthetruesoundsofeachinstrumentinyourmix,thenyou

29
 cannotmixasongthatwilltranslateitsbestonallsoundmediums.CJ
Jacobson,AudioMasteringAndMixing

108. Anopenmindisapowerfultool!Therearegoodandbadsongsandmixesin
everystyleofmusic.Keepanopenmindandlistentoasmuchmusicas
possible,fromasmanystylesaspossible.Youjustmaylearnsomenew
soundsandtechniquesthatmaycomeinhandylater.StephenSherrard,
StephenSherrardMixing

109. MySoftubeConsoleOneissoimportant,couldntlivewithoutit!Stephen
Freeman,StephenFreemanAudio

110. IcantlivewithoutSonarworksReference3monitorandheadphone
calibrationsoftware.SOworththeinvestmenttobeabletohearwhats
actuallygoingoninyourmixandgettingitrightonthefirstormaybesecond
mix,ratherthanmix10thatfinallystartstosoundgoodinyourcar.Manyof
usinsmallhomestudiosdonthaveidealroomsoracousticallyneutral
spaces.Usingthissoftwareandthecalibrationmicrophonetocreatethe
correctionprofileformyroomandmonitorschangedeverythingforme.
Dontthinktwicejustdoit.ItswaymoreimportantthananyEQor
compressionpluginyoucanpurchase.StephenMichaelBabula,SMB
Recordings

111. Myspeakers(Auratone5C).IknowhowtheyaremeanttosoundandIcan
quicklyidentifyproblemsinamixwhenIreferencethroughthem.Aaron
Ahmad

30
BonusMixingTips
Mixingissuchabroadtopicthatweaskedourexpertsforsomepartingwordsthat
didntfitneatlyintoanyoftheabovecategories.Sohereareafewfinalwordsof
wisdomfromtheexperts.

112. AtrickIliketouseistoputanMSprocessoronthemonitorfaderandlisten
tothemidonly.IworklikethatuntilIgetareallysolidbalance.Ifyoudoit
rightyoumightevengettheimpressionthatyourmixgetsalittlewidereven
ifyourelisteninginmonoatthispoint.Whenyoureachthatpointyoucan
getbacktolisteninginstereo.ItmakesahugedifferenceformeandIfind
thismoreefficientthanthetraditionalmonolistening.MathieuDulong,
StudioFastForward

113. AddwarmthandcharactertoyourdrumsbyaddingParallelSaturationon
yourdrumbus.Sendyourdrumbussignaltoastereoauxchannelwhereyou
insertaSaturationplugin,andmixtotaste.Thatcanworkonvocals,bass
andmore.ChrisSelim,MixdownOnline

114. Whenmixing,saveoften.Youneverknowwhensomethingcouldcrash.
JamesAlire,5JMediaLLC

115. Alwaysgiveyourearsrestafteryourmixingsession.Neverspendtoomuch
timeonthesamemix;yourearswillgetusedtohearingthesamethingover
andover,andovertimeyoubegintonotknowwhatsmissing.Youdbe
surprisedhowmuchwillcometoyourattentionwhenrevisitingamixafew
hoursorevenadayafteryourfirstmix.MichaelCushionJr,MikesMix&
Master

31
116. Imahugefanofmixinginmonoandatconservativevolumes.Ifyoucan
getsomethingsoundinggoodundertheworstcircumstancesyourmixwill
shineonprettymuchanysystemitsplayedon.ColeMize,ColeMizeStudios

117. Prelimitingandcompressionareessential.IprelimitvocalsusingL1before
anything.Thiskeepsthequickspikesofthevocalsfromtriggeringthe
multiplecompressorsIhavesetfollowingthelimiter.Iuse2-3compressors
afterthelimiter.Eachofthemserveseparatefunctionsandaddtheirown
harmonicstamp.Imnothittingthesehard,butusingthemtocompactthe
vocalinstages.TylerSpratt,ThreshMixing

118. Whatoftenmakesforafatsoundisqualitysaturation.Haveathinsnare?
Goodsaturationisyourfriend.Justdontoverdoittokillthepunch.Alsotry
parallelsaturation.Fanu,FanuMusic

119. Twoquicktechniquesforbetterresults.First,doubleatrackandprocess
separately(e.g.splitthebassbelow200-300Hzandabove)!Second,try
multibandcompressinginitsdefaultsettingonamixbusandjustgently
compressthelow-endalittlemorethatotherbands!HubiHofmann,Slash
ZeroRecords

120. Dontbeafraidtotrystuff.AsChrisLord-Algeoncesaid,Nobodysgonna
die.Youmayfindasnaredrumneedsdistortion,de-essing,reverb,more
distortion,3EQs,andacompressor.Ifitsoundsgood,awesome!Theonly
rulehereis,Ifitsoundsgood,itisgood.Theendlistenerdoesntcarehowit
gotthere;theycarethatitsoundsgoodandtheycanrockouttotheirnew
favoritesongs.BobbyPhillipps,HomeStudioMixTips

32
 121. Gainstagingisprettyimportant.Watchyourmeterscarefullyanddontfeel
likeyouhavetopushallyourlevelsupashotasyoucango.Infact,itsbetter
toleaveyourselfasmuchheadroomaspossiblebecauseeverypluginor
pieceofgearyouaddto,somethingismostlikelygoingtoaddgainalongthe
way.StephenMichaelBabula,SMBRecordings

33
Bonus:RecommendedReading
Weaskedourexpertstorecommendtheirfavoritemixingbook,article,website,or
podcast.Neverstoplearning!

Gearslutzhighendforum.Startreadingitfromthehighest/oldestpage
numberbackwards.Manyfamousmixerschimedinbackinthegoodold
days.Enjoy!StephenAWatkins,MixedBySAW

ThebookthatweusedincollegeatMiddleTennesseeStateUniversityis
titledUnderstandingAudiobyThompson.Iwouldrecommendthatfortext.
DacotaFresilli,ParhelionRecordingStudios

ZenandtheArtofMixing.Bestbookaboutmixinghandsdown.Danny
Ozment,EmeraldCityProductions

Iwouldrecommendthisbook,GeorgeMartinsAllYouNeedIsEars.Itgoes
beyondthetechnicalmumbojumbo.Therearealotofmixingtipsonthis
page.CJJacobson,AudioMasteringAndMixing

ZenandtheArtofMixing.StephenFreeman,StephenFreemanAudio

Recordingrevolution.com,PensadosPlace,TapeOpMagazine,andMix
withtheMastersStephenMichaelBabula,SMBRecordings

SoundonSoundmagazine,printoriPad.JohnMyers

MixingWithYourMindbyStav.Itsagreatbookandexplainsreally
complextechniquesineasy-to-understandterminologysoyoudontget
boggeddownwiththetechnicalstuff.AaronAhmad

34
 Forthosewholiketolistentoinstruction,3greatpodcastswouldbe
PensadosPlace,UnstoppableRecordingMachineandtheAudioSkills
Podcast.Jeremiah,UndergunnedProductions

AllthebestmixengineershavecontentonYouTube.DavePensado,Chris
Lord-Algetonameacouple.JoeArsenault

TheArtofMixingVocals-InstantDownload

Wanttocreateradio-readymixesthatshowcase
thebestofyourvocals?

Listentoanygreatmix,andyoullnoticehow
awesomethevocalssoundtruthis,awell
mixedvocalcanbethedifferencebetweena
killertrack,andalifelessone.

TheArtofMixingVocalsDigitalCoursegives
youtips,techniques,andshortcutstoimprove
yourmixesRIGHTNOW.

RegularPrice:$39
TodaysPrice:Just$7

ClickHeretoLearnMore

35