How To Mix Music (Part 1):

Fundamentals
Tim van Doorne
December 31st, 2019

G ood mixing can make a good track sound great. It can create a
huge difference in how a piece of music is perceived. It creates clarity
in the sound. Gives it room to breathe. And creates definition that
makes the individual elements stand out. Having your music mixed
and mastered by a professional, or doing it yourself (with the right
approach), can truly make a world of difference.
If you are about to release music or landed on this article because you
were curious about how to mix music in general, or how to better mix
your song or album, you have come to the right place.

In this series, I will share our years of experience and insight on

mixing and mastering, our best mixing tips, mastering tricks, and
music production strategies. Covering the necessary preparations,
tools, underlying physics and insider tips and tricks to achieve the
perfect mix and master.

We have been responsible for the majority of music released on

Heroic, our sublabels, our artists and also for major labels such as
Monstercat and Armada.

With this first article, we will talk about setting yourself up to become a
great engineer.

Mixing Fundamentals

Contents [Hide]
 1 Monitoring
 2 DAW & Plugins
 3 Composition
 4 Preparing stems

Monitoring
In order to become good at mixing, you need to set yourself up to be
able to hear all the details in the music.

Ideally, you want to have listening equipment that reflects the full
frequency range that we (humans) can hear (20Hz – 20kHz) in detail.
The best scenario would be having an isolated studio with proper
monitors, however there are very good headphones on the market
too. The Sennheiser HD600 and Shure SRH940 MKII headphones
are examples of great low-budget options.

When you have acquired a new listening source, it will take you some
time to be fully accustomed to the sound and details that they reflect.
A good way to get used to the specific sound reflection of your source
is to listen to music that you are very familiar with, frequently.

By listening to these signature tracks over and over, you will get used
to how these are displayed and in turn these can be used as
reference material for the music that you are going to mix.

Therefore it’s smart to listen to tracks that you could use to potentially
reference the music with that you intend to mix or master. Preferably,
you pick a perfectly mixed song of the same musical genre as yours,
and compare these constantly (also called to as “A/B-ing”).

Through referencing you can better determine what you need to

improve in your own mix, by spotting the differences to the tracks you
chose for the perfect comparison.

DAW & Plugins

People love to discuss which digital audio workstation (DAW) is
better, whether you are working in FL Studio (Fruity
Loops), Logic, Ableton, Pro Tools, Reason, Cubase, Bitwig or others.

In terms of sound quality it does not matter. The difference is in the

lay-out and work-flow of these tools and is mostly a matter of
preference. You should work with whatever you are most comfortable
with.

At the end of the day it is about the results you can produce with the
DAW. Some people are better with Fruity Loops, others with Ableton.
One thing we will say though, is that from a live-performance
perspective, Ableton Live is typically the safer bet, as it will allow you
to effectively use your projects live (for shows).
What does however influence results dramatically, is what plugins (or
virtual studio technology (VSTs)) you use, and how. Most DAWs come
equipped with a selection of standard plugins, which are OK –
however rarely outstanding.

We recommend that you expand your toolkit.

Our audio engineers love to use the following (affordable) plugins to

improve their mixes:

 Equalizer: Fabfilter Pro-Q 2
 Compressor: Unique Recording Software Strip Pro, Fabfilter Pro
C
 Delay: Fabfilter Timeless 2
 Reverb: 2C Audio Breeze, 112dB Redline Reverb

Composition
At the core of creating a perfect sounding track, is an understanding
of the frequency spectrum.

This allows you to think ahead, to craft the musical composition of a

song in such a way that you perfectly utilize the frequency spectrum
so that you can later achieve the perfect mix.

The frequency spectrum is the audible frequency range, that

spans from the lowest frequency of 20 Hz to the highest frequency 20
kHz. In the image below, the lower frequencies are displayed on the
left, whereas the higher ones are on the right.
A good mix starts in the composition of a song. Choosing elements
that fill the frequency spectrum the right way.

You should save space in the low frequencies for the bassline and the
kick drum, by not adding too many other elements that contain low
frequencies. The same applies to high frequencies for the hi-hats, the
crashes and the high-end of vocals.

Another important aspect is utilizing the stereo image, which

concerns the spatial placement of sounds. In other words, whether
sounds are coming from the left, right, back or front. A well configured
stereo image creates definition.

Many VSTs have stereo knobs or direction faders that allow you to
adjust the width of an element.

An essential tip is to place the elements with low frequencies in the

center of your stereo image, and to make the ones with higher
frequencies more wide. This creates a sense of depth.

Whilst mixing, an effective way to make the lows centered is by

making them mono. You can make specific stems wider by panning
them wider in the mix. Then down the line when mastering, you can
also center or widen specific frequency ranges, as you can see in the
image below.

In this mastering plugin, I have solo-ed the lower frequencies and

have centered their stereo width. You can see by the vectorscope that
the lows are in the centre of the spectrum.
In this mastering plugin, I have solo-ed the higher frequency range,
which has a wide frequency rage (as displayed in the vectorscope).

For making your whole mix blend together better, we have learned an
effective trick from professional musicians. That is to put your drums
and effects in the same key (tonic note) as the rest of your track.

Just like live players, who tune their instruments to match the specific
song they are going to play, you should be doing this too as an
engineer. If your samples or stems are not already in the same key,
use other samples that are, or use pitch shifting to transpose them
until they fully blend in.

Preparing stems
Before we proceed with the actual mixing, you need to make sure that
your individual stems are well prepared. Create clarity in the mix by
removing the standard reverbs and delays added by the VSTs.

It can be cleaner to send the signal to a reverb and/or delay bus after
equalizing and compressing the sound, as it will allow independent
processing of the reverbs and delays. Also, it allows for multiple
channels to be processed with the same reverbs and delays. The
simultaneous use of multiple reverb spaces causes the mix to sound
cluttered – More about this in a later post.
Make sure that each stem has enough headroom (at least -6 dB) and
that there is no moment of clipping in either the VST, the plugins or on
the channel.

If you like distortion, for the best results plugins such as iZotope Trash
2 or Fabfilter Saturn. These professional plugins provide you with
much more freedom, control and a better mix. For an in-depth look at
distortion, check out our guide here.

At this stage you have the option to export the stems in order to save
CPU. Double-check the settings and export all separate stems in the
highest quality wav format.

—-
That concludes this episode of The Essential Guide To Becoming A
Music Mixing Professional series.
I appreciate you reading this post. I hope you put some comments
down below and ask me any questions, we are all learning this
together. Also, join our private mailing list and be the first to be
updated with new mixing and mastering tips.

In part 2, I discuss everything that you need to understand to become

great at mixing. Part 2 covers how to set up your mixer, stems and
channels, how to setup a good signal flow and why. Furthermore I will
discuss equalizing (EQ), compression (dynamics), delay and
reverberation (reverb). Continue reading the second episode here.

How To Mix Music (Part 2): Signal

Flow & Plugins
Tim van Doorne
December 31st, 2019

T he Essential Guide to Becoming A Music Mixing Professional is a

series to help explain and teach you – musicians, producers, and
aspiring mixing engineers – how to mix music . I share our years of
experience and insight on mixing and mastering, our best mixing tips,
mastering tricks and music production strategies. Covering the
necessary preparations, tools, underlying physics and insider tips and
tricks to achieve the perfect mix and master.
 In the first episode I talked about setting yourself up to become a
great engineer. We covered monitoring, DAWs and plugins,
composition, and stem preparing. Make sure you have read it before
continuing here.

In this second part I will further explain your perfect setup for mixing
music, and we go more in-depth on the signal flow and the plugins
that you need to use to achieve a well-mixed track.

Contents [Hide]
 1 Preparation
 2 Plugins
o 2.1 Equalizing (EQ)
o 2.2 Compression (Dynamics)
o 2.3 Delay
o 2.4 Reverbs
 3 Signal Flow

Preparation
The keyword here is ‘organize’. To create a good mix – and do this
more than once – you need to organize your work using these 6
steps:

I understand that these steps seem unimportant at first, but after

years of experience we notice that these small things are really what
makes the difference.

Step 1:Name your project properly so that you know exactly which

project it is tomorrow, and are able to easily find it 2 years from
now. Name your tracks clearly, and always use the same name
types. For instance: Kick 1, Kick 2, HH 1, HH 2, Snare, Synth 1, Synth
2, Violin, Guitar, Vocal 1, Vocal 2, etc.

Pro-Tip: If you work with the stems of someone else, keep the original
names of the stems on the audio files. This way, when that person
refers back to a specific stem, you can easily spot which is the audio
file in question. For your own organization you can still name and
color the corresponding track in your mixer.

Step 2: Always order your stems in the same structure. For

instance: first kicks, then snares, hi-hats, crashes, percussion, bass,
synths, instruments, vocals, then effects. Make sure to keep drums
with drums, synths with synths, vocals with vocals etc. Find an order
that works for you, and consistently use it.
Step 3: Always color your groups in predetermined colors. For
instance: color your drums blue, your synths red, instruments green,
vocals yellow, and your effects grey. These steps makes it a lot easier
for you to navigate through your project. Find colors that work for you,
and consistently use them in your specific order.

Step 4: Add markers to the different sections of the song. For

instance: intro, verse 1, build up 1, drop, chorus, etc. This allows you
to navigate quickly to the parts of the song that you want to listen to.

Step 5: Always setup your buses in predetermined order. Buses are

also referred to as ‘sends’ or ‘auxiliary channels’. A good order of
buses can be: delay bus, reverb bus, drum reverb bus, snare reverb
bus, side chain bus. Don’t forget to name your buses correctly. Find
an order that works for you, and consistently use it.

Why can’t I just put reverb and delay plugins on the tracks
themselves? The advantage you get when you use buses for delay
and reverb, is that you have more control over volume as they now
have a designated fader, you have more control over the frequency
spectrum as you can add an equalizer for the reverb or delay
specifically, and you save CPU by using one reverb or delay plugin for
multiple channels instead of adding separate reverb or delay plugins
on each channel.

Reverbs and delays can be used as insert effects, but this is done to
drastically change the sound at the channel level. Avoid overdoing
these insert reverbs and delays, as they can smear elements in the
mix and decrease clarity.

Step 6: Setup the signal flow of your mixer. This is also referred to

as ‘routing’. In your mixer you have your tracks, your buses, and the
master channel. Make sure that the output of all your tracks lead to
the master channel, except for the tracks that you want to side chain
to the kick drum, these tracks should lead to the side chain bus. The
buses that you would like to side chain such as the reverb bus and the
delay bus should also lead to the side chain bus. The side chain bus
should lead to the master channel. Exact setup may differ from DAW
to DAW, but this is a standard and time-tested configuration.

Pro-Tip: If you mix often, this one will save you lots of time: create
your custom mixing template. Look up “templates” in the manual of
your DAW, and learn how to set this up. If you have found a routine
way in how you mix, line up your signal flow, and organize your buses
– your own custom template is the professional way to go.

Plugins
Plugins are great tools to enhance the sounds of your music. The 4
essential plugins that you can find in any DAW are equalizers,
compressors, delays, and reverbs. It is very important that you fully
understand what each of these plugins exactly does, before you apply
them to your tracks.

Equalizing (EQ)

An equalizer gives you control over the frequencies of a sound. You

are able to cut out frequencies, and make frequencies quieter or
louder.

An equalizer has a few types of filters. There is a high-pass

filter (HPF), also referred to as low-cut filter, which cuts away
frequencies that are lower than the set (“cutoff”) frequency.

There is a low-pass filter (LPF), also referred to as a high-cut filter,

which cuts away frequencies higher than the set (“cutoff”) frequency.

Shelf (or shelving) filters, can boost or cut (make louder or quieter)
all frequencies above or below a set frequency. High shelf filters alter
all frequencies above the set frequency. Low shelf filters alter all
frequencies below the set frequency.

Bell filters can boost or cut a range of frequencies that surrounds a

set (“center”) frequency. By adjusting the Q-knob, this range can be
altered. A higher Q value means a narrower range – a lower Q value
means a wider range.

Notch filters cut away frequencies that surround a set (“center”)

frequency. Note that an attenuated (or lowered) bell filter with an
extremely high Q acts like a notch filter.
Compression (Dynamics)

A compressor decreases the difference between loud and

quiet sounds. It compresses the louder sounds to be quieter. To make
sure that there is no loss in volume of the overall sound, it amplifies
the signal in the end of its process. The result is that the
quieter sounds become louder.

A compressor has generally 6 main knobs that can be adjusted:

threshold, ratio, attack, release, knee, and (makeup) gain.

The threshold determines how loud a sound has to be to be

compressed. By adjusting the ratio you determine how much that
sound will be compressed. The higher the ratio the more the sound
will be compressed.

By adjusting the attack you determine the time it takes before the

compressor starts compressing after detecting volume peaks above
the threshold. The release determines the time it takes before the
compressor stops compressing after the peak of a loud sound, when
the volume is below the threshold again.

The knee determines how much the sound above the threshold reacts

to the compressor. With a ‘soft’ knee, signal will be compressed more
the further it passes the threshold. With a ‘hard’ knee, all signal above
the threshold will be compressed more equally.

The signal within a compressor ends at the (makeup) gain. If you

compress a sound by 4 decibel, you want to amplify the plugin’s
output signal by 4 decibel to make up for the volume loss.

Delay

A delay is an effect plugin that repeats the signal it gets a set amount
of times until it fades out.

There are a great variety of possibilities for delay types. For example,
the ping-pong delay nicely creates a wide stereo image, by timing
delays differently between left and right.
Every delay plugin has 3 main controls. The dry/wet control
determines how much you hear the dry signal or the wet signal. With
the control on 100% dry, you only hear the original sound without the
repetitions – with the control on 100% wet, you only hear the
repetitions.

The delay time determines the time between repetitions.

The feedback control determines how long the sound will keep

repeating itself. If the feedback is set to value lower than 1 (or 100%),
every repetition will be quieter in volume than its predecessor, until
the repetitions will be too quiet to hear.

Reverbs

A reverb plugin creates the reflections of a synthesized space.

Most reverb plugins have the following controls: dry/wet, reverb time,
predelay, size, and shape.

The dry/wet control works the same as with a delay plugin. It

determines how much you hear the dry signal or the wet signal. With
the control on 100% dry, you only hear the original sound without the
ambience – with the control on 100% wet, you only hear the
ambience.
The reverb time controls the time it takes until the ambience fades
out. The pre-delay determines the time takes before you hear the first
reflections of the ambience.

With the size control you determine the size of the synthesised room

that creates the reflections. A larger room creates a larger sounding
ambience, and vice versa.

The shape control of a reverb plugin adjusts the shape of the

synthesised room – in other words, how many walls it has. Depending
on the reverb plugin, you can determine if the room has 3 walls, 4, or
more.

Pro-Tip: After each plugin that you have setup, close your eyes and
click the bypass button a number of times until you do not know
anymore if you are listening to the sound with- or without the plugin –
then compare which version sounds best. A bypass button makes the
signal pass by the plugin, you could see it as the on/off button of the
plugin.

As a good habit, try to maintain the same perceived loudness on both

sides of each plugin. To test this, try the same on/off technique and
make sure signal sounds the same volume with the plugin either on or
off.

Signal Flow
Now that you know how these plugins work, it is very important to
understand in which order you should apply them on your tracks.

This is a great way to line up your plugins on your individual tracks:

 Equalizer
 (Possible effect plugin such as a distortion plugin or a phaser)
 Compressor
 Equalizer

With the first equalizer in your signal flow you filter out all the
frequencies that you do not want the sound to contain. By filtering out
these unnecessary frequencies you create more space in your mix for
other sounds, and you make sure that the compressor does not react
to frequencies it does not need to react to.
If you want to add an effect plugin such as a distortion plugin or a
phaser, best is to place these after the first equalizer and before the
compressor. This way you make sure that the effect plugin does not
react to frequencies that it does not need to react to, while you also
ascertain that the compressor compresses the possible volume peaks
created by the effect plugin.

After the compressor you can add another equalizer with which you

can boost certain frequencies to improve the sound. The reason that
you should boost frequencies only after the compressor is because –
as we discussed earlier – a compressor compresses the louder
sounds, and makes these quieter.

In that regard, if you only boost frequencies after the compressor, you
eliminate the high possibility that these frequencies would then be
softened again, or over-compressed.

If you want to add reverb or delay to a sound, you can send the

signal of your track to your reverb or delay bus. While the output of
our track still goes to the master channel, a bus (or send, or auxiliary)
takes a copy of the signal and sends it to your designated reverb or
delay bus.

Pro-tip: On your reverb bus or delay bus you can first add an
equalizer to filter out the frequencies that you do not want in your
reverb or delay. While the original sound might have frequencies
below 250Hz, it often sounds better to cut these low frequencies out
from your reverb and delay in order to prevent a muddy mix.

When you use your reverb and delay plugins on a separate bus, make
sure to set the dry/wet ratio on 100% wet, so that you only hear the
reverb and not the original sound. The original sound is already sent
to the master channel via the output of the original track.

That concludes this episode of The Essential Guide To Becoming A

Music Mixing Professional series.

I hope you enjoyed this post. If you found anything in this series so far
helpful to you, please feel free to share the link to our blog. We are
just trying to spread the message and help creators like you improve
their sound.
 Don’t forget to grab my Mixing Template Checklist if you hadn’t
already. This will save you lots of time (that should be spent actually
improving your sound) and will set you up for a professional workflow:

I am Tim van Doorne, it’s an honour to serve you. Stay motivated to

improve your sound, every single day!

How To Mix Music (Part 3): Stereo

Image & Mixing Tips
Tim van Doorne
December 31st, 2019

H ow To Mix Music is our essential guide to becoming a music

mixing professional. In this series I explain and teach you –
musicians, producers, and aspiring mixing engineers – how to mix
music. I share our years of experience and insight on mixing and
mastering, our best mixing tips, mastering tricks and music production
strategies. Covering the necessary preparations, tools, underlying
physics and insider tips and tricks to achieve the perfect mix and
master.
The first episode covers setting yourself up to become a great
engineer. We discussed monitoring, DAWs and plugins, composition,
and stem preparing.

The second episode covers organising your mixer, setting up your

signal flow, and understanding the essential plugins (EQ, compressor,
reverb, and delay).

In this third part we will cover how to improve your stereo image and
make your mix sound wider. Also, we cover how to use the essential
plugins to mix kicks and snares, the backbone of a song.

Contents [Hide]
 1 Stereo image
o 1.1 Panning
 2 Mixing Kicks
 3 Mixing Snares
 4 Note Frequencies

Stereo image
Whenever I help people with their mixing, I always tell them to
imagine they are mixing in a space. In this space you have three
dimensions: stereo image, frequency spectrum, and depth.

If you are unfamiliar with this principle concept, please click the big
orange button above and download the complete PDF for free. In
these seven slides you will learn how this mixing space works, and
how it helped me and many other engineers, musicians and
producers to achieve better mixing results.

Stereo image is the difference between left and right, and mid and
side. The center of the mixing space is also known as “mid”. Left and
right are also known as “sides”.

A few years back I could not understand why my mixes sounded so

narrow in comparison to the reference tracks that I was listening to
from my idols. I was using stereo-wideners and big reverbs hoping to
get a wide and big-sounding mix, but instead it sounded messy and
actually not that wide at all.

It was only after the realization of a very simple concept that I finally
understood how a stereo image actually works.

This simple concept is that people listen to music in stereo. Two ears:
one left and one right. Two speakers: one left and one right. Two
earbuds: one left and one right.

If the left speaker emits a sound louder than the right speaker, this
sound appears to come from the left, and vice versa. If both speakers
emit a sound at the same volume, this sound appears to come from
the center.

Stereo is the difference between left and right. To create a wide

sounding mix, you need to establish differences between what sounds
come from the center of the space, what sounds come from left, and
what sounds come from right.

Panning

The easiest way to achieve this is by panning.

With the panning knob you can move a sound horizontally in the
mixing space. Turn the knob to the left and the sound will appear from
the left. Turn the knob to the right and the sound will appear from the
right. Easy.

With this knowledge you can place different elements of a song at

different places in the mixing space. By doing this correctly, your mix
will sound much wider as you are now creating differences between
left and right.

We will discuss how to place all different elements of a song correctly

in the mixing space further in this article and in future episodes.

Pro Tip: Make sure that elements with low frequencies – say, all
frequencies below 100Hz – are placed in the center of the mixing
space. By keeping the sides of your mixing space clear from low
frequencies, you prevent your mix from sounding muddy.

Mixing different elements of a song (part 1)

So far in this series we have covered:

 the basic equipment and tools you need to be able to mix music;
 tweaks in song composition for a better mix;
 the understanding of the mixing space with frequency spectrum,
stereo image and depth;
 how to organize your mixer;
 and how the essential plugins work (EQ, compressor, reverb,
delay), and how you should line these up in your signal flow.

In other words, we covered about everything you should know before

you start mixing the actual music elements.

Below I start explaining step by step how I and my fellow mixing

engineers go about mixing different types of elements of a song.

Please note that every song is unique and each mix should be treated
accordingly. However, below we describe the universal techniques we
have found to be contributing each time to achieve a great sounding
mix.

We start by mixing the kick and the snare – the backbone of almost
any song. Let’s go!

Mixing Kicks
Placement: Kicks (or kick drums) are most often rich in low
frequencies, therefore it is natural to place the kick in the center of the
mixing space.

EQ (cut): While it heavily depends on the sound of the kick that you

want to achieve, kicks are often an important element of a song
(especially in most electronic music) and require their full frequency
range. To define its frequency range we add a high-pass filter (HPF)
at around 20Hz to 40Hz, and a low-pass filter at around 15kHz to
20kHz.
Compression: As kicks are most often rich in low frequencies, we
often compress kicks heavier than other drums. This often makes it
easier to achieve a loud master later on.

We compress kicks by 2dB to 8dB with a ratio around 4:1. For a

punchy sound, we set the attack time of the compressor right after the
attack time of the kick. This is often somewhere between 10
milliseconds and 25 milliseconds.

As the sub-tails of kicks often differ, you should play around with the
release time of the compressor and find what sounds best. However,
do make sure that the compressor is back to 0dB before the next kick
sound occurs.
EQ (boost): Boosting frequencies should be done very delicately, we
rarely boost frequencies more than 3dB.

All kicks sound different and can be in different keys, however often
the following applies: boost around 50Hz to enhance the bass of a
kick, and boost around 100Hz to enhance the punch of a kick.
Only do this if that specific kick really needs it, and if you decide to
boost, try to do this in the note frequency of the kick.

Reverb: In these parts where I share our insights on mixing different

elements of a song, I talk about reverb as an effect throughout the
track in order to create a sense of space, not as a miscellaneous
creative effect.

Also, I will mention reverb of the overall space. With this I mean the
reverb that we have setup as main reverb to create one (large) space
in the mix. We have covered this in part 2 of this series, and I will
elaborate further on this in the coming episodes.

Having that made clear, we rarely add reverb on a kick, we often find
this unnecessary and therefore resulting in a less clear mix.

If we do use reverb on a kick, we send it to the drum reverb

bus where we setup a reverb of a small room, with a short reverb tail.
In some occasions this might give certain drums more body and a
more authentic feel.

Mixing Snares
Placement: As snares are often an essential part of the core beat
throughout a song, they feel most natural when placed in the center of
the mixing space.

Sometimes, however with acoustic drum kits it might be fitting to pan

the snare slightly to the left to resemble the point of view of the
drummer. If you would aim to resemble a point of view of the
audience, you would pan the snare slightly to the right.

EQ (cut): Snares often have their lowest tones somewhere between

100Hz and 400Hz. To cut away unnecessary frequencies and create
space for the kick, we set a high-pass filter (HPF) right before that
frequency.

Depending on what sound you are going for, snares generally need
their high frequencies to sound bright in the track. Therefore, we apply
a low-pass filter (LPF) at the very peak of its frequency range, around
20kHz.

Compression: Depending on what sound we are going for, we

compress snares most often somewhere between 1dB and 6dB with a
ratio around 4:1.
The more you compress a snare, the tighter it will sound. The less you
compress a snare, the more it will breathe. Aim for the sweet spot in
the middle.

To enhance the punch of the snare, same as with the kick, you set the
attack time of the compressor right after the attack time of the snare.
This is often somewhere in between 5 milliseconds and 20
milliseconds.

It often sounds great to have a short release time of the compressor

on a snare. We find that the sweet spot is often somewhere in
between 20 milliseconds and 100 milliseconds.

EQ (boost): A great way to give snares more body and a rounder

sound, is by enhance the ringtone with a notch filter. Slowly move the
boosted notch filter through the frequency spectrum to find the
ringtone, or identify the peak with a graphic visualizer.
Reverb: Snares often come really to life with a bit of reverb. This can
be the earlier mentioned drum reverb, or it might sound great in the
general space reverb.

You could also choose to create a new reverb especially for the snare
to create a specific sound. Some large plate reverbs can sound great,
as do large reverbs without low frequencies.

Side Note: If you’re using samples for your kick and snare, there’s a
good chance they’re already pretty compressed. Be sure to take this
into account when compressing these drums. Trust your ears! If
something is sounding over-compressed, turn that compression down.

Note Frequencies
All musical notes have a specific frequency. In that regard, assuming
the musical elements of your song are all in key, each sound will have
volume peaks at these specific frequencies.

If you want to enhance the ringtone of a snare or another element of

your song, but you have difficulties finding the ringtone (the frequency
of the note that the snare is playing) by ear in your equalizer, here is a
cheat sheet of all frequencies (in Hertz) of musical notes.
That concludes this episode of Our Essential Guide To Becoming A
Music Mixing Professional series.

I hope you enjoyed this one. If this article was valuable to you and you
want to give other music producers, musicians or aspiring mixing
engineers a nudge in the right direction, feel free to share the link to
our blog.

In the next episode we continue with how to mix: claps, toms,

percussions, hi-hats, crashes and bass. More detailed mixing tips,
and a step by step approach to achieving great sounding drums.

Thanks again for reading the articles and sharing the message.

I am Tim van Doorne, it’s an honour to serve you. Stay motivated to

improve your sound, every single day!

How To Mix Music (Part 4): Mixing

Drums & Mixing Bass
Tim van Doorne
December 31st, 2019
 H ow To Mix Music is our essential guide to becoming a music
mixing professional. With this series I help explain and teach music
mixing to you – musicians, producers, and aspiring mixing engineers.
I share our years of experience and insight on mixing and mastering.
Covering the necessary preparations, tools, underlying physics and
insider tips and tricks to achieve the perfect mix and master.
The first episode covers setting yourself up to become a great
engineer. We discussed monitoring, DAWs and plugins, composition,
and stem preparing.

The second episode covers organizing your mixer, setting up your

signal flow, and understanding the essential plugins (EQ, compressor,
reverb, and delay).

The third episode covers how to improve your stereo image and

make your mix sound wider. Also, we covered how to use the
essential plugins to mix kicks and snares, the backbone of a song.

In this part I reveal our best techniques to mixing drums and mixing
bass. I explain step by step how we place these different elements in
the mixing space, go over our compressor settings, and give
equalising tips to achieve a clean and crisp mix.

Mixing Drums & Mixing Bass

Contents [Hide]
 1 Mixing Claps
 2 Mixing Toms
 3 Mixing Percussion
 4 Mixing Hi-hats
 5 Mixing Crashes
 6 Mixing Bass

Mixing Claps
Placement: Claps are often added as either a replacement of snares,
an addition to snares, or as miscellaneous effects.

With this in mind, and the fact that claps most often don’t have low
frequencies, you can place claps at different locations in the mixing
space. You have the opportunity to be creative here.
EQ (cut): The base frequencies of claps are often somewhere in
between 350Hz and 500Hz. Add a HPF to cut away all unnecessary
frequencies right before that base frequency.

Claps often need their high frequencies to cut through the mix.
Therefore, we apply a LPF at around 15kHz to 20kHz to specify its
frequency range.

Compression: With claps, same as with kicks, snares and other

drums, we set the attack time of the compressor to occur right after
the attack time of the clap to enhance the punch of the sound. This is
often somewhere between 6 and 20 milliseconds.

The release time can be short, somewhere between 20 and 100

milliseconds often sounds great.

We compress claps often by 2dB to 6dB, with a ratio around 4:1.

EQ (boost): We rarely boost frequencies of claps. If we do, it is most
often to increase the higher frequencies a tiny bit to enhance its
brightness.
Reverb: Depending on what sound you are going for, claps often
sound great with either drum reverb or the reverb of the overall space.

Mixing Toms
Placement: Even though toms have low frequencies, if equalized
properly, they can sound very interesting on the sides of the mixing
space. By doing this properly, you also create more space for the kick
and the bass in the center of the mixing space.

EQ (cut): It is very important to cut away the low frequency rumble of

toms. By doing this, you vastly improve your mix by making it less
muddy.

The base frequencies of toms are often somewhere around 100Hz

and 200Hz. You want to set a HPF right before these frequencies.

The highest frequencies of toms often differ, this could be between

500Hz and 15kHz, set a LPF according to the sound you want to
achieve.
Compression: Same as with the other drums, we set the attack of the
compressor right after the attack of the tom. This is often somewhere
between 10 milliseconds and 25 milliseconds.

The release time of the compressor on a tom can be experimented

with as the tails of toms often differ. Though, make sure that the
compressor is back to 0dB before the next tom occurs.

We compress toms most often by 2dB to 6dB with a ratio between 3:1
and 5:1.
EQ (boost): To make toms sound rounder and give them more body,
try boosting their ringtones with a notch filter. Read how to do this
effectively in the previous episode.
Reverb: Toms often sound great without any reverb. Though, if they
are rich in mid-high frequencies, they might also sound great with a
little drum reverb.

Mixing Percussion
Placement: Placement can be experimented with. If the percussion is
a vital part of the core beat, it might sound best in the center of the
mixing space. However, placement of miscellaneous percussion on
the sides can create an interesting stereo image.

EQ (cut): The base frequencies of percussion are often somewhere

between 300Hz and 500Hz. Add a HPF right before these
frequencies.

On percussion we apply LPFs often around 15kHz, this way we still

keep some high frequencies, but leave enough space for hi hats and
crashes to come through in the mix.
Compression: Same as with the other drums, we set the attack time
of the compressor right after the attack time of the percussion. This is
often somewhere between 8 milliseconds and 20 milliseconds.

The release time of the compressor on percussion can be short. It

often sounds great to set this somewhere between 25 milliseconds
and 90 milliseconds.

We most often compress percussion by 2dB to 6dB with a ratio

around 4:1.
EQ (boost): With certain percussion sounds you could enhance the
ringtones with notch filters, which might give more body and
sometimes more definition.
Reverb: Percussion often sounds great with drum reverb, and in
some occasions with an emptier or more minimalistic mix, with reverb
of the overall space.

Mixing Hi-hats
Placement: Hi-hats sound great in the center as well as on the sides
of the mixing space. If you have multiple hi-hats in a song, it can
widen your mix by placing them differently on the sides.

EQ (cut): The base frequencies of hi-hats are often somewhere in

between 500Hz and 2kHz. Apply a HPF right before these
frequencies to keep a clean mix.

Hi-hats are important in defining the high frequencies of a song.

Therefore, we add a LPF at the peak of their frequency range at
around 20kHz.
Compression: The attack time of hi-hats is often somewhere in
between 5 milliseconds and 15 milliseconds. For a defined sound, set
the attack time of the compressor right after that moment.

The length of the sound of a hi-hat is short, so can be the release time
of the compressor. For a right sound, you can set this often
somewhere between 20 milliseconds and 60 milliseconds.

We compress hi-hats often by 2dB to 6dB, with a ratio between 3:1 to

6:1.
EQ (boost): We rarely boost the frequencies of hi-hats as this often
results in a messy sound. If necessary, you can boost the high-end of
hi-hats slightly around 10kHz to increase its definition.
Reverb: The reverb of hi-hats depends completely on the style of the
song. For a clean and tight sound, do not apply any reverb on the hi-
hats. For a more natural sound, add a little drum reverb on the hi-hats.
For a spacious sound, add reverb of the overall space.

Mixing Crashes
Placement: Crashes often consists of solely high frequencies and
therefore sound great at the sides of the mix.

EQ (cut): Crashes often do not need any frequencies below 500Hz or

1kHz. Apply a HPF in this area and find the sweet spot.

Crashes, same as hi-hats, are important in defining the high

frequencies of a mix. Crashes need to be able to utilize their highest
frequencies to have impact on climaxing moments in a song.
Therefore, we apply a LPF at around 20kHz, the peak of its frequency
range.
Compression: You can set the attack time of the compressor on
crashes depending on what kind of sound you want. If you want the
attack of the crash to come through, you should set the attack of the
compressor right after (often around 5 milliseconds to 20
milliseconds).

If you do not want to give an extra accentuation to the attack of the

crash, you can set the attack time of the compressor before the attack
of the crash.

As crashes often have a long tail, it often sounds great to set a long
release time for the compressor (around 100 to 300 milliseconds).

We compress crashes often by 2dB to 4dB with a ratio between 3:1 till
5:1.
EQ (boost): We rarely boost frequencies of crashes. Though, if
necessary, you can slightly boost frequencies above 10kHz to
enhance the brightness of a crash.
Reverb: Depending on the sound you are going for, crashes often
sound good with and without reverb.

For a clinical sound, do not use reverb. For a spacious sound, you
can use the reverb of the overall space.

Mixing Bass
Placement: A bass is rich in low frequencies and it is therefore
important to place it in the center of the mixing space.

EQ (cut): To get a defined sound for a bass, and get rid of the mud, it
works great to set a HPF right before the base tone. This is often
somewhere between 20Hz and 80Hz.

Some basses contain only low frequencies, others are also rich in
mid-range frequencies. If the bass has only low frequencies, set a
LPF right after the highest tone.

If the bass has also mid and/or mid-high frequencies, you want to
define its highest frequencies according to other synths or instruments
that might need those mid or mid/high frequencies to come through in
the mix, or vice versa.
We often find that it sounds best to set a LPF on a bass with mid and
mid/high frequencies somewhere around 500Hz to 1kHz. However,
this depends solely on the bass and the song.

Compression: As basses are rich in low frequencies, we often

compress basses more than other elements to increase the
possibilities on a louder master. We do this with a compression of 2dB
to 8dB with a ratio around 3:1 to 6:1.

To maintain the impact of the bass we set the attack of the

compressor often around 30 milliseconds.

The tails of basses often differ, therefore you have to play around with
the release time of the compressor and listen what sounds best.
EQ (boost): We rarely boost frequencies of basses, as that often
gives a muddy result. Sometimes however, if the mix allows, we boost
frequencies between 200Hz and 500Hz to improve the sound of the
bass on laptop speakers.
Reverb: We do not use reverb on basses to create a sense of space,
as a reverb with low frequencies sounds muddy. Only in some
occasions you might want to use reverb on a bass as a creative
effect.

Pro Tip: In the low frequencies of a mix there is almost always a

battle between the kick and the bass. To keep the mix clean it can
help to determine that only one of the two elements is allowed to have
frequencies below 60Hz. It depends on your judgement of the song
which element that is.

Also you can figure out on which frequencies the key tone of each
element is, and cut a little away from those frequencies of the other
element.

That concludes this episode of Our Essential Guide To Becoming A

Music Mixing Professional series. You can comment and ask any
questions below.

Next episode we continue with how to mix: synths, instruments,

vocals, sound effects, reverbs, and delays.

Thanks again for reading the articles and sharing the message.
 I am Tim van Doorne, it’s an honour to serve you. Stay motivated to
improve your sound, every single day!

How To Mix Music (Part 4): Mixing

Drums & Mixing Bass
Tim van Doorne
December 31st, 2019

H ow To Mix Music is our essential guide to becoming a music

mixing professional. With this series I help explain and teach music
mixing to you – musicians, producers, and aspiring mixing engineers.
I share our years of experience and insight on mixing and mastering.
Covering the necessary preparations, tools, underlying physics and
insider tips and tricks to achieve the perfect mix and master.
The first episode covers setting yourself up to become a great
engineer. We discussed monitoring, DAWs and plugins, composition,
and stem preparing.

The second episode covers organizing your mixer, setting up your

signal flow, and understanding the essential plugins (EQ, compressor,
reverb, and delay).

The third episode covers how to improve your stereo image and

make your mix sound wider. Also, we covered how to use the
essential plugins to mix kicks and snares, the backbone of a song.

In this part I reveal our best techniques to mixing drums and mixing
bass. I explain step by step how we place these different elements in
the mixing space, go over our compressor settings, and give
equalising tips to achieve a clean and crisp mix.

Mixing Drums & Mixing Bass

Contents [Hide]
 1 Mixing Claps
 2 Mixing Toms
 3 Mixing Percussion
 4 Mixing Hi-hats
 5 Mixing Crashes
 6 Mixing Bass

Mixing Claps
Placement: Claps are often added as either a replacement of snares,
an addition to snares, or as miscellaneous effects.

With this in mind, and the fact that claps most often don’t have low
frequencies, you can place claps at different locations in the mixing
space. You have the opportunity to be creative here.

EQ (cut): The base frequencies of claps are often somewhere in

between 350Hz and 500Hz. Add a HPF to cut away all unnecessary
frequencies right before that base frequency.

Claps often need their high frequencies to cut through the mix.
Therefore, we apply a LPF at around 15kHz to 20kHz to specify its
frequency range.

Compression: With claps, same as with kicks, snares and other

drums, we set the attack time of the compressor to occur right after
the attack time of the clap to enhance the punch of the sound. This is
often somewhere between 6 and 20 milliseconds.

The release time can be short, somewhere between 20 and 100

milliseconds often sounds great.
We compress claps often by 2dB to 6dB, with a ratio around 4:1.

EQ (boost): We rarely boost frequencies of claps. If we do, it is most

often to increase the higher frequencies a tiny bit to enhance its
brightness.
Reverb: Depending on what sound you are going for, claps often
sound great with either drum reverb or the reverb of the overall space.

Mixing Toms
Placement: Even though toms have low frequencies, if equalized
properly, they can sound very interesting on the sides of the mixing
space. By doing this properly, you also create more space for the kick
and the bass in the center of the mixing space.

EQ (cut): It is very important to cut away the low frequency rumble of

toms. By doing this, you vastly improve your mix by making it less
muddy.

The base frequencies of toms are often somewhere around 100Hz

and 200Hz. You want to set a HPF right before these frequencies.

The highest frequencies of toms often differ, this could be between

500Hz and 15kHz, set a LPF according to the sound you want to
achieve.
Compression: Same as with the other drums, we set the attack of the
compressor right after the attack of the tom. This is often somewhere
between 10 milliseconds and 25 milliseconds.

The release time of the compressor on a tom can be experimented

with as the tails of toms often differ. Though, make sure that the
compressor is back to 0dB before the next tom occurs.

We compress toms most often by 2dB to 6dB with a ratio between 3:1
and 5:1.
EQ (boost): To make toms sound rounder and give them more body,
try boosting their ringtones with a notch filter. Read how to do this
effectively in the previous episode.
Reverb: Toms often sound great without any reverb. Though, if they
are rich in mid-high frequencies, they might also sound great with a
little drum reverb.

Mixing Percussion
Placement: Placement can be experimented with. If the percussion is
a vital part of the core beat, it might sound best in the center of the
mixing space. However, placement of miscellaneous percussion on
the sides can create an interesting stereo image.

EQ (cut): The base frequencies of percussion are often somewhere

between 300Hz and 500Hz. Add a HPF right before these
frequencies.

On percussion we apply LPFs often around 15kHz, this way we still

keep some high frequencies, but leave enough space for hi hats and
crashes to come through in the mix.
Compression: Same as with the other drums, we set the attack time
of the compressor right after the attack time of the percussion. This is
often somewhere between 8 milliseconds and 20 milliseconds.

The release time of the compressor on percussion can be short. It

often sounds great to set this somewhere between 25 milliseconds
and 90 milliseconds.

We most often compress percussion by 2dB to 6dB with a ratio

around 4:1.
EQ (boost): With certain percussion sounds you could enhance the
ringtones with notch filters, which might give more body and
sometimes more definition.
Reverb: Percussion often sounds great with drum reverb, and in
some occasions with an emptier or more minimalistic mix, with reverb
of the overall space.

Mixing Hi-hats
Placement: Hi-hats sound great in the center as well as on the sides
of the mixing space. If you have multiple hi-hats in a song, it can
widen your mix by placing them differently on the sides.

EQ (cut): The base frequencies of hi-hats are often somewhere in

between 500Hz and 2kHz. Apply a HPF right before these
frequencies to keep a clean mix.

Hi-hats are important in defining the high frequencies of a song.

Therefore, we add a LPF at the peak of their frequency range at
around 20kHz.
Compression: The attack time of hi-hats is often somewhere in
between 5 milliseconds and 15 milliseconds. For a defined sound, set
the attack time of the compressor right after that moment.

The length of the sound of a hi-hat is short, so can be the release time
of the compressor. For a right sound, you can set this often
somewhere between 20 milliseconds and 60 milliseconds.

We compress hi-hats often by 2dB to 6dB, with a ratio between 3:1 to

6:1.
EQ (boost): We rarely boost the frequencies of hi-hats as this often
results in a messy sound. If necessary, you can boost the high-end of
hi-hats slightly around 10kHz to increase its definition.
Reverb: The reverb of hi-hats depends completely on the style of the
song. For a clean and tight sound, do not apply any reverb on the hi-
hats. For a more natural sound, add a little drum reverb on the hi-hats.
For a spacious sound, add reverb of the overall space.

Mixing Crashes
Placement: Crashes often consists of solely high frequencies and
therefore sound great at the sides of the mix.

EQ (cut): Crashes often do not need any frequencies below 500Hz or

1kHz. Apply a HPF in this area and find the sweet spot.

Crashes, same as hi-hats, are important in defining the high

frequencies of a mix. Crashes need to be able to utilize their highest
frequencies to have impact on climaxing moments in a song.
Therefore, we apply a LPF at around 20kHz, the peak of its frequency
range.
Compression: You can set the attack time of the compressor on
crashes depending on what kind of sound you want. If you want the
attack of the crash to come through, you should set the attack of the
compressor right after (often around 5 milliseconds to 20
milliseconds).

If you do not want to give an extra accentuation to the attack of the

crash, you can set the attack time of the compressor before the attack
of the crash.

As crashes often have a long tail, it often sounds great to set a long
release time for the compressor (around 100 to 300 milliseconds).

We compress crashes often by 2dB to 4dB with a ratio between 3:1 till
5:1.
EQ (boost): We rarely boost frequencies of crashes. Though, if
necessary, you can slightly boost frequencies above 10kHz to
enhance the brightness of a crash.
Reverb: Depending on the sound you are going for, crashes often
sound good with and without reverb.

For a clinical sound, do not use reverb. For a spacious sound, you
can use the reverb of the overall space.

Mixing Bass
Placement: A bass is rich in low frequencies and it is therefore
important to place it in the center of the mixing space.

EQ (cut): To get a defined sound for a bass, and get rid of the mud, it
works great to set a HPF right before the base tone. This is often
somewhere between 20Hz and 80Hz.

Some basses contain only low frequencies, others are also rich in
mid-range frequencies. If the bass has only low frequencies, set a
LPF right after the highest tone.

If the bass has also mid and/or mid-high frequencies, you want to
define its highest frequencies according to other synths or instruments
that might need those mid or mid/high frequencies to come through in
the mix, or vice versa.
We often find that it sounds best to set a LPF on a bass with mid and
mid/high frequencies somewhere around 500Hz to 1kHz. However,
this depends solely on the bass and the song.

Compression: As basses are rich in low frequencies, we often

compress basses more than other elements to increase the
possibilities on a louder master. We do this with a compression of 2dB
to 8dB with a ratio around 3:1 to 6:1.

To maintain the impact of the bass we set the attack of the

compressor often around 30 milliseconds.

The tails of basses often differ, therefore you have to play around with
the release time of the compressor and listen what sounds best.
EQ (boost): We rarely boost frequencies of basses, as that often
gives a muddy result. Sometimes however, if the mix allows, we boost
frequencies between 200Hz and 500Hz to improve the sound of the
bass on laptop speakers.
Reverb: We do not use reverb on basses to create a sense of space,
as a reverb with low frequencies sounds muddy. Only in some
occasions you might want to use reverb on a bass as a creative
effect.

Pro Tip: In the low frequencies of a mix there is almost always a

battle between the kick and the bass. To keep the mix clean it can
help to determine that only one of the two elements is allowed to have
frequencies below 60Hz. It depends on your judgement of the song
which element that is.

Also you can figure out on which frequencies the key tone of each
element is, and cut a little away from those frequencies of the other
element.

That concludes this episode of Our Essential Guide To Becoming A

Music Mixing Professional series. You can comment and ask any
questions below.

Next episode we continue with how to mix: synths, instruments,

vocals, sound effects, reverbs, and delays.

Thanks again for reading the articles and sharing the message.
I am Tim van Doorne, it’s an honour to serve you. Stay motivated to
improve your sound, every single day!

How To Mix Music (Part 5): Mixing

Instruments & Synths
Mixing Synths
Lead Synths
Lead synths are very important in a track. They may vary greatly from
one to another, but are most often used to play the lead melody of the
song.
Placement
As they are usually a focal point in the track, lead synths sound great
when placed in the center of the mixing space.
In some occasions you can also experiment with stereo placement of
lead synths. This could be possible in emptier mixes, where the lead
would not be in danger of being masked by other elements.
EQ (Cut)
Lead synths often play their part above chords played by saw synths,
keys, or other synths/instruments. Therefore, they rarely have low
frequencies.
Nevertheless, stay consistent and always clean up the mix by setting
a high-pass filter right before the key frequency. For lead synths this is
often somewhere between 300Hz and 600Hz.
Set a low-pass filter at around 12kHz to define its high frequencies.
This way you keep the high-end aspect of the lead synth, while saving
enough space for the hi hats and crashes to come through cleanly.
 MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – LEAD SYNTH – EQ CUT

Compression
Same as with saw synths, lead synths can have either a short or a
long attack and release.
If the attack of the synth is short, you can set the attack time of the
compressor slightly after the attack time of the synth to give it a
punchier impact. This is often somewhere between 15 milliseconds
and 40 milliseconds.
We often set the release time of the compressor somewhere between
60 milliseconds and 200 milliseconds.
We compress synths about 2dB to 4dB with a ratio in between 2:1 to
5:1.
If the lead synth has a long attack and release you might want to give
the compressor a lower ratio to keep a subtler dynamic sound. With a
long attack of the synth, the attack of the compressor can be shorter
and with a softer knee.
 MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – LEAD SYNTH – COMPRESSOR

EQ (Boost)
Same as with saw synths, only boost lead synths if it is really
necessary. Boost frequencies around 1kHz to bring the synth more to
the foreground. Boost frequencies between 6kHz and 10kHz to
enhance its brightness.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – LEAD SYNTH – EQ BOOST

Reverb
Depending on the style of the song, lead synths can sound great with
some reverb. Sending the lead synth to the main reverb can give a
bigger and more spacious feel to the track.

Saw Synths

A saw synth may be used as the lead in a track, but these versatile
synths can also be used as support layers to fill out the frequency
spectrum.

Placement
Saw synths are often used to give a song more body in the mid
frequencies. Especially when the saw synth is used to play the main
chords throughout the song, it sounds great when placed in the center
of the mix. When placing them here, make sure they don’t get in the
way of any other leads.

When the saw synth is played for shorter instances or in higher keys
(with higher frequencies), there is opportunity to experiment with
placement on the sides of the mixing space.

EQ (Cut)
Saw synths tend to get muddy very quickly, make sure to set a high-
pass filter right before the key frequency to cut a way any
unnecessary rumble. A rule of thumb here is to never have
frequencies below 100Hz.

Depending on the type, the saw synth can be rich in high frequencies.
This might give the synth the edge you’re looking for, but it is highly
dangerous in cluttering the high frequencies of your mix.

To prevent this from happening, set a low-pass filter at least

somewhere between 10kHz and 14kHz. This way the synth has still a
sharp impact while you save space for your hi hats and crashes to
come through cleanly.
 MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – SAW SYNTH – EQ CUT

Compression
Saw synths can have either a short- or a long attack and release. If
the attack of the synth is short, you can set the attack time of the
compressor slightly after the attack time of the synth to give it a
punchy impact.

We compress synths about 3dB with a ratio in between 2:1 to 5:1.

If the saw synth has a long attack and release you might want to give
the compressor a lower ratio to keep a subtler dynamic sound. With a
long attack of the synth, the attack of the compressor can be shorter
and with a softer knee.
 MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – SAW SYNTH – COMPRESSOR

EQ (Boost)
Only boost saw synths if it is necessary. Boost frequencies between
100Hz and 300Hz to enhance the sound of a round, and full body.
Boost frequencies between 6kHz and 10kHz to enhance the
brightness of the saw synth.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – SAW SYNTH – EQ BOOST

Reverb
Be hesitant on giving saw synths reverb, they often have a big
frequency range and easily clutter the reverb space. Wait until the end
of the mixing process to evaluate whether your saw synths need
reverb or not – they often don’t.
If you decide to give the saw synth some reverb, send a
send/auxiliary/bus signal to the main reverb bus – as we discussed
in episode 2 of this series.

Pluck Synths

Pluck synths are also quite versatile, as they can be used as leads or
to provide some “ear candy” for the listener as support layers.

Placement
Pluck synths are usually short in length. Therefore, they are rarely
used to play the main chords of a song. Because of their shortness,
pluck synths can sound great on the sides of the mixing space.

EQ (Cut)
Set a high-pass filter right before the key frequency to prevent the mix
from getting muddy. This is especially important if you pan the pluck
synth to the side of the mix.

This is often somewhere between 180Hz and 1kHz.

Pluck synths often need their higher frequencies to have their impact
in the mix. Set a low-pass filter around 12kHz to allow this, while still
keeping enough space for your hi-hats and crashes to come through
cleanly.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – PLUCK SYNTH – EQ CUT

Compression
Generally, pluck synths have a short attack and a short release. It
sounds great to set the attack time of the compressor after the attack
time of the pluck synth to enhance the punch of the sound.

This is often somewhere between 20 milliseconds and 40

milliseconds. The release time of the compressor can be short as
well, between 35 milliseconds and 100 milliseconds often sounds
great.

We compress synths about 3dB with a ratio in between 2:1 to 5:1.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – LEAD SYNTH – COMPRESSOR

EQ (Boost)
In some occasions you can boost between 5kHz and 10kHz to
enhance the higher frequencies and make the pluck synth cut through
the mix a little more.
 MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – LEAD SYNTH – EQ BOOST

Reverb
If the song and mix allow, pluck synths can sound beautiful with a little
reverb. Use the main reverb for this.

Atmospheric Synths

Atmospheric synths do a great job at supporting the rest of the track,

filling the frequency spectrum and stereo space nicely.

Placement
Atmospheric synths are used to create the atmosphere of a space
that is not (or cannot be) created by reverb or by recording. These
synths often have big frequency range and a wide stereo image.

Used wrong, atmospheric synths can ruin your mix. Used right,
atmospheric synths create that special atmosphere you are aiming
for.

EQ (Cut)
With a low-pass filter you can cut away the high frequencies of the
atmospheric synth. If you choose to let these synths keep their high
frequencies, they will appear closer and brighter.
 MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – ATMOSPHERIC SYNTH – EQ CUT BRIGHT & CLOSE

If you choose these synths to have less high frequencies they will
appear deeper and further away.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – ATMOSPHERIC SYNTH – EQ CUT DEEP & FAR

With a high-pass filter you can cut away the low frequencies of the
atmospheric synth.
If these synths have low frequencies they will appear deep and heavy,
if these synths have less low frequencies they will appear lighter and
more breathable.

Since these synths often have low frequencies while being very
stereo, they are a danger in making your mix muddy. If the low
frequencies are not an important aspect of the sound, make sure to
cut these out with a high-pass filter.

If you want to maintain the low frequencies, you can control the stereo
image of the atmospheric synth by using a multiband stereo imager.

In this example I use the iZotope Ozone 6 Stereo Imager. I make sure
all frequencies below 100Hz are completely centered (mono), and
frequencies between 100Hz and 500Hz are not too much on the
sides. This prevents the mix from sounding muddy.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – ATMOSPHERIC SYNTH – STEREO IMAGER

Compression
It often sounds great to compress atmospheric synths subtly. Use a
soft knee and a low ratio of about 2:1. The attack can be short, but the
release time of the compressor can be long.

We often compress atmospheric synths by 2dB to 3dB.

 MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – ATMOSPHERIC SYNTH – COMPRESSOR

EQ (Boost)
We rarely boost atmospheric synths. In some occasions however, you
could boost frequencies between 5kHz and 10kHz to enhance the
brightness of the synth.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – ATMOSPHERIC SYNTH – EQ BOOST

Reverb
Atmospheric synths already create a sense of space and do not
necessarily need reverb. You could choose to apply the main reverb
to your atmospheric synth, to make it more part of the space of the
rest of the song. But be careful, as this might clutter the reverb space
too much.

Mixing Instruments

Mixing Keys, Pianos and Organs

Placement
Keys (or piano or organ) can sound great both in the center as well as
on the side of the mixing space. Find the best spot for them by
avoiding the place where they might mask, or get masked by other
elements in the mix.
Masking is a mixing problem that occurs when two (or more) elements
are using the same frequencies at the same time. When this happens,
one element will be less audible than it should be – it is
being masked by the other element.

EQ (Cut)
Make sure to cut away any unnecessary low frequencies, especially
when the keys are placed on the sides of your mix. Set a high-pass
filter right before the key frequency. As a rule of thumb don’t have
frequencies below 100Hz.

Set a low-pass filter at around 10kHz to ensure enough space in the

high frequencies for your hi-hats and crashes to come through
cleanly.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – KEYS – EQ CUT

Compression
The compression on keys often sounds great with an attack time
between 25 milliseconds and 60 milliseconds, and a release time
between 50 milliseconds and 120 milliseconds.

We often compress keys by 2dB to 3dB with a ratio of 2,5:1.

 MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – KEYS – COMPRESSOR

EQ (Boost)
Keys rarely need any boosting of frequencies. In some occasions you
could boost frequencies between 1kHz and 6kHz to enhance its
brightness and definition.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – KEYS – EQ BOOST

Reverb
Wait until the end of the mixing stage to evaluate whether or not the
keys need reverb. Your mix could sound much cleaner without reverb
on the keys.
However, in the emptier mixes, or emptier moments in the mix, keys
can sound beautiful with a little of the main reverb.

Mixing Guitars

Placement
If the mix allows, guitars sound great on the sides of the mix. If done
correctly this can really change your song’s stereo image for the
better.

EQ (Cut)
Guitars can quickly make your mix sound muddy. Make sure to cut
away any unnecessary low frequencies by setting a high-pass filter
before the key frequency of the guitars.

Often, guitars don’t need frequencies below 180Hz.

Set a low-pass filter at around 12kHz to save enough space in the

high frequencies for your hi-hats and crashes, while maintaining the
brightness of the guitars.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – GUITAR – EQ CUT

Compression
Guitars often sound great with the attack time of the compressor
between 10 milliseconds and 40 milliseconds.
Depending on the guitar sound, the release time of the compressor
can be short or mid-long between 30 milliseconds and 120
milliseconds.

We often compress guitars by 3dB with a ratio of 2:1 to 4:1.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – GUITAR – COMPRESSOR

EQ (Boost)
Only boost guitars if necessary. In some occasions it can sound great
to boost frequencies around 350Hz to enhance the body.

In other occasions it can sound great to boost frequencies around

6kHz to 8kHz to enhance the brightness and definition of the guitar.
 MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – GUITAR – EQ BOOST

Reverb
Same as with keys, wait until the end of the mixing stage to evaluate
whether or not the guitars need reverb. Your mix can sound much
cleaner without reverb on the guitars.

However, in the emptier mixes, or emptier moments in the mix, guitars

can sound beautiful with a little of the main reverb.

Mixing Strings

Placement
If your strings don’t have (or don’t need) low frequencies, they can
sound great on the sides of the mixing space.

EQ (Cut)
Strings can quickly make your mix sound muddy, especially when
placed on the sides of the mixing space.

Critically evaluate if your strings need all the low frequencies they
have – often they can do without. You can often set a high-pass filter
somewhere between 100Hz and 500Hz.

Set a high-pass filter right before the key frequency. Set a low-pass
filter at around 12kHz to save high frequency space for your hi-hats
and crashes.
In some occasions it also sounds great to set the low-pass filter at a
lower frequency to make the strings appear from a further distance.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – STRINGS – EQ CUT

Compression
Strings and violins often sound best when compressed delicately. Use
a soft knee and a ratio between 1,5:1 and 2,5:1.

For strings you can use a long attack between 40 milliseconds and 80
milliseconds, and a long release time between 80 milliseconds and
150 milliseconds.

We often compress strings about 2dB to 3dB.

 MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – STRINGS – COMPRESSOR

EQ (Boost)
Boosting strings can quickly sound ugly. Only in some occasions you
can boost frequencies around 8kHz to enhance the brightness.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – STRINGS – EQ BOOST

Reverb
Same as with keys and guitars, wait until the end of the mixing stage
to evaluate whether or not the strings need reverb. Your mix can
sound much cleaner without reverb on the strings.
However, in the emptier mixes, or emptier moments in the mix, strings
can sound beautiful with a little of the main reverb.

Mixing Horns

Placement
Same as with strings, if your horns don’t have (or don’t need) low
frequencies, they can sound great on the sides of the mixing space.

EQ (Cut)
Make sure to cut away any unnecessary low frequencies by setting a
high-pass filter before the key frequency of the horns.

Often, horns don’t need frequencies below 150Hz.

Set a low-pass filter at around 10kHz to save enough space in the

high frequencies for your hi-hats and crashes, while maintaining the
brightness of the horns.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – HORNS – EQ CUT

Compression
Same as with strings, horns often sound best when compressed
delicately. Use a soft knee and a ratio between 1,5:1 and 2,5:1.

For strings you can use a long attack between 30 milliseconds and 70
milliseconds, and a long release time between 60 milliseconds and
130 milliseconds.
We often compress horns about 3dB.

MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – HORNS – COMPRESSOR

EQ (Boost)
Boosting horns can quickly sound ugly. However, if the sound allows,
you can enhance the body of the horns by boosting slightly between
200Hz and 350Hz.

Also, in some occasions you can enhance the brightness of the horns
by boosting frequencies between 6kHz and 9kHz.
 MIXING INSTRUMENTS & SYNTHS – HORNS – EQ BOOST

Reverb
Same as with keys, guitars, and strings, wait until the end of the
mixing stage to evaluate whether or not the horns need reverb. Your
mix can sound much cleaner without reverb on the horns.

However, in the emptier mixes, or emptier moments in the mix, horns

can sound beautiful with the main reverb.

—-

That concludes this episode of our How To Mix Music series. You

can comment and ask any questions below.

The plugins I used for the examples in this articles are: Fabfilter Pro
Q, Fabfilter Pro C and iZotope Ozone 6 Imager.

Next episode we continue with how to mix: vocals and sound effects.

Thanks again for reading the articles, for sharing the message, and all
the kind emails I keep receiving. Everything is much appreciated and I
am very happy these articles are useful to you guys.

I am Tim van Doorne, it’s an honour to serve you. Stay motivated to

improve your sound, every single day!