Audio Mixing Tutorials

Reverb is a great effect for creating space and separation on vocals, not to mention creating some interesting aesthetic effects. The one problem with reverb is when we use too much of it whether that’s the mix amount or an excessive length, it tends to muddy up our mix. It steps on the transients of… Read more: How to EQ Reverb for Vocals

We often think of compression as being one of the most important mixing tools we have at our disposal along with EQ and deservedly so. Compressors work by reducing dynamic range and making our audio sound like it has more energy behind it. Like with any plugin in our tool belt, if we run a… Read more: What is Dynamic Range in Audio (and Why It’s Important)

Whereas the threshold, attack, and release settings on a compressor are all important in affecting the dynamics of your audio, the ratio is the key parameter on a compressor. Let’s identify what is compressor ratio and how it affects the dynamics and overall sound of your audio. What is Compressor Ratio To answer what is… Read more: What is Compressor Ratio – Defining the Most Important Setting

Background vocals can be a catchall term for any number of type of non-lead vocals. These include harmonies, gang style or choir style vocals, or simply backing vocals which sing a unique melody with its own timing against the lead vocal. The key to mixing background vocals is to make sure they have a lot… Read more: Background Vocal EQ – The Best EQ Settings for Backing Vocals

Linear phase is a term which relates to a feature included on some types of processing, such as certain EQ plugins. Let’s identify what is linear phase as it relates to mixing, and if this is something you should be using if your plugins feature it. What is Linear Phase Linear phase is a feature… Read more: What is Linear Phase in Mixing – Does It Matter?

Dynamic EQ is different from a conventional EQ in that it acts somewhat like a multiband compressor, allowing you to set a threshold on a band and then cutting or boosting in proportion to how much the audio at that frequency exceeds the threshold. I love dynamic EQ in a lot of spots in my… Read more: How to Use Dynamic EQ on Vocals – 5 Useful Tips

Compression on drums helps you bring out more sustain and energy from the most important elements of your kit. Like whenever you use compression, being too aggressive will actually work against you and suck the life out of your drums, so let’s talk how to use compression on drums, piece by piece. Compression on Drums… Read more: Compression on Drums Cheat Sheet – The Best Settings

As I covered in my overview of the types of EQ filters, there are a number of different ways to cut or boost different sections of your audio’s frequencies. We’re going to focus on the low shelving filter here, covering what it is and when to use it in your mix. Low Shelving Filter A… Read more: Low Shelving Filter – When and Why to Use It in Your Mix

Compression is a useful tool in mixing – it helps to smooth out excessive dynamics for a more stable overall level in a track or even entire mix. This brings more energy to that track or mix, not to mention more practically it makes it easier to set the level of that track without needing… Read more: What Over Compressed Music Sounds Like (and How to Avoid It)

Even after you’ve compressed all of the individual mics and/or components of your drum bus (see my drum compression chart), your drum bus itself can benefit from some light (or even some extreme) compression. Use this drum bus compression cheat sheet to bring a bit more cohesion to your entire kit. Drum Bus Compression My… Read more: Drum Bus Compression Cheat Sheet – The Best Settings

A buzzing snare can drive you crazy and draw your attention away from the rest of the mix, let alone the drums themselves. Let’s talk how to mitigate snare drum buzz to clean up your drums and mix. How to Fix Snare Drum Buzz Snare drum buzz is obviously best addressed before you record the… Read more: How to Fix Snare Drum Buzz in Recording or the Mix

I recently talked how to EQ a live kick drum, so I thought I would also put together a cheat sheet for the second most important element of the drum kit live or otherwise, the snare. Just like with the kick, there are some curveballs to consider when EQing a live snare, so let’s get… Read more: Live Snare EQ Cheat Sheet – How to EQ Live Snare

Backing vocals come in a lot of varieties: harmonies, doubles, gang vocals, or simply parts which are unique from but not priority like the lead. Let’s talk how to mix background vocals. How to Mix Background Vocals The key in getting your background vocals to sound great is to contrast them with the lead, and… Read more: How to Mix Background Vocals To Make Them Sound Perfect

Plosive sounds can completely derail a vocal, drawing your listener’s attention away from the rest of the mix or just making your compressor a nightmare to set up. Thankfully there’s an easy way to fix this in the mix, so let’s identify what are plosive sounds and how to fix them. What Are Plosive Sounds… Read more: What Are Plosive Sounds (And How to Fix Them)

Acoustic guitar has a lot of key frequency ranges which each contribute different things to the overall tone. Adjustments in each and any one of these areas will yield a very different tone, not to mention correct (or cause) problems in the overall tone. As such, it’s important to understand the full frequency spectrum of… Read more: Acoustic Guitar EQ Chart – Every Frequency and What It Does

There’s a certain extra bit of synergy you get in your mix when the kick which is the anchor of your mix matches the main key of the song itself. I don’t recommend changing the tuning of your drums on the pieces themselves ahead of the recording; they should be in tune with one another… Read more: How to Tune Your Kick to Your Song in the Mix

I’ve covered the best vocal EQ settings in the past, but EQ can ALSO benefit spoken voice. Voice EQ can be used to lock in the low end while cleaning it up and adding presence and overall a more balanced sound. Use these voice EQ settings to get your recorded spoken voice on your podcast,… Read more: Voice EQ – The Best Settings For Your Voice Recording

Dynamic EQ is a specialized type of EQ which gives you an additional ability over a typical parametric EQ. This is the ability to attenuate or boost a certain frequency range exclusively when that particular range reaches a certain threshold in gain. Let’s talk how to use dynamic EQ and why it’s oftentimes preferable over… Read more: How to Use Dynamic EQ for Situational Adjustments

Background noise is a constant frustration when it comes to trying to record anything via a microphone. There are many things you can do to mitigate or attenuate the background noise, so let’s talk how to remove background noise from a mic. How to Remove Background Noise From a Mic Let’s cover 4 different effective… Read more: How to Remove Background Noise From a Mic

While I’ve been mixing music for nearly two decades now, I began as a musician and specifically a songwriter. Out of all of the seemingly limitless themes which songwriters have tackled, love is undoubtedly the most popular. Whether it’s about new love, old love, unrequited love, lost love, there’s always someone who can relate to… Read more: How to Write a Love Song