Audio Mixing Tutorials

When it comes to audio mixing, a big part of the battle is attenuating unwanted noise in all forms which it can take. This can be removing vocal breaths, bleed from other instruments like in the case of recording then mixing a drum kit, etc. In the case of string instruments, the infamous “finger sound”… Read more: How to Fix “Finger Sound” on Bass Guitar in the Mix

A limiter is essentially a compressor with a maxed out ratio and is designed to create a hard ceiling the peaks of your audio cannot permeate. While limiters are often used to maximize the level of a completed mix to make it commercially competitive with its peers, another practical application of a limiter is to… Read more: How to Use a Bass Limiter (With Best Settings)

A limiter is a useful tool for a number of different applications across both audio mixing and mastering. Essentially a compressor with extreme settings, let’s talk how to set up a compressor limiter in some common situations. How to Set Up a Compressor Limiter What differentiates a normal compressor from a compressor limiter is its… Read more: How to Set Up a Compressor Limiter

The cymbals of your drum kit and mix are useful for driving energy and marking the peaks of the mix in terms of energy. You also walk a tightrope when it comes to how to EQ cymbals in particular as one side leaves them dull while the other side leaves them harsh and grating to… Read more: How to EQ Cymbals – Cymbal EQ Cheat Sheet

Arguably the most important tool at any mixing engineer’s disposal is EQ. This plugin allows you to sculpt your audio, carving out the frequencies which are detracting from the sound or even accentuating the ones which aren’t. While there are many types of EQ, the most versatile type is undoubtedly parametric EQ. Let’s talk how… Read more: How to Use Parametric EQ to Improve Your Mix

I recently talked about mid side compression and how you can use it to correct issues on different levels of a mix or master, or even create some interesting aesthetic effects. Mid side EQ is another effect which exclusively targets one or the other, so let’s talk about what is mid side EQ and when… Read more: What is Mid Side EQ (And When to Use It)?

We always want the cleanest audio in the recording stage. This applies equally to laying down some vocal tracks or recording speech for a podcast, video, etc. One of simplest keys to attaining clean audio is to mitigate the plosive sounds, meaning those spikes in the 150Hz range on a voice when it enunciates a… Read more: How to Use a Pop Filter (Singing or Speaking)

There are a number of different types of equalizers you can use to sculpt the audio of your mix, and some are better suited for certain niche tasks than others. Let’s cover the different types of equalizers in mixing. Types of Equalizers Most equalizers fall into three categories: Parametric, Semi Parametric, and Graphic. There’s some… Read more: Types of Equalizers in Mixing – When to Use Each

A DAW or digital audio workstation is your connection between your audio whether you’re recording and mixing it. If you’re new to the world of home audio production, let’s talk what is the best DAW for beginners. Best DAW For Beginners Okay, starting out and strictly speaking, a DAW like Apple’s free GarageBand is most… Read more: What is the Best DAW For Beginners

Mid side compression is a tool which is especially useful in mastering but can be applied to any type of audio production where you want to isolate either the mid or stereo sides of your audio and compress them independently of one another. Let’s talk how to use mid side compression in your DAW and… Read more: How to Use Mid Side Compression (and Why Use It)

I recently talked about how to get clean vocals in both the recording and mixing stages of your mix. One of the elements I touched on to help achieve clean vocals was the importance of using a pop filter when recording vocals, so let’s briefly identify what is a pop filter in the realm of… Read more: What is a Pop Filter in Recording (And Why Use One)

Clean vocals are one of the nonnegotiables of a professional sounding mix. From recording to mixing, let’s talk how to get clean vocals in your mix. How to get Clean Vocals First and most obviously, recording clean vocals means less work to get them clean in the mix. This means: Of course we can’t control… Read more: How to Get Clean Vocals in Your Mix

A graphic equalizer has a lot more guardrails than most types of EQ, but in some ways that makes it easier to use than say a semi-parametric EQ which is much more common in mixing. Let’s talk how to use a graphic equalizer to dial in whatever type of results you want from your track,… Read more: How to Use a Graphic Equalizer in Your Mix

I say this all the time, but the kick drum is the anchor of the mix, and this is doubly true in a genre like techno which especially revolves around the kick and the role it plays in the mix. Therefore it’s crucial to get it sounding it’s best and it’s wise to begin with… Read more: Techno Kick EQ Cheat Sheet – The Best Settings

High shelves and low shelves make for nice alternatives to the extremes of high and low pass filters on either end, and can also slot nicely midway in your frequency spectrum to provide a relatively even boost or cut. Let’s talk high shelf vs low shelf EQ in audio mixing and how the two differ… Read more: High Shelf Vs Low Shelf EQ in Audio Mixing

It goes without saying that home recording has come a long way since it became available. You could go back to the 70’s or even 60’s to find the true origins of home recording, albeit with 4 track recorders. As digital audio workstations first became available and subsequently practical for musicians and audio producers more… Read more: The Best Budget Audio Interface For Recording and Mixing

Jazz is in equal parts about its bass or upright bass, the live feel and crispness of the drums, the warmth of the guitar, and more importantly finding a way to balance it all. With that in mind, I put together this cheat sheet of sorts of jazz equalizer settings which will work in a… Read more: Jazz Equalizer Settings – The Best EQ Settings for Jazz

Waves have a staggering number of plugins overall and a lot of options for one of the most common tasks in audio mixing in EQing. After using a large variety of Waves plugins for years, I thought I’d offer my pick for best Waves EQ for vocals to use in your next mix. Best Waves… Read more: The Best Waves EQ For Vocals in Your Mix

Saturation is a useful tool when it comes to warming up your audio and this extends to the acoustic guitar. Let’s talk how to use acoustic guitar saturation to supplement or fill out the low mids of your acoustic. Acoustic Guitar Saturation If you’re not familiar, saturation is an effect which distorts wave forms and… Read more: How to Use Acoustic Guitar Saturation in the Mix

The acoustic guitar is the centerpiece of some songs and genres and more of an accenting piece in others. Regardless of how it’s being used in the mix, here are 7 tips to improve acoustic guitar sound in your mix. How to Improve Acoustic Guitar Sound Let’s go through each of the tips on how… Read more: 7 Tips to Improve Acoustic Guitar Sound For Professional Results