What is Frequency Balance Introduction We all go through phases of growth and frustration in our careers. Whenever we try to improve our skills or learn something new, we experience moments of insight followed by stretches of doubt and discouragement. The same goes for learning about ...

How to Use Panning Introduction As a newbie, looking at a mixing desk—whether it’s in your DAW or a hardware mixer—can feel pretty intimidating. Beyond all the controls, there’s also a lot of terminology to get your head around. “Panning,” or “Pan” as it’s often labeled, is one such term. ...

Mixing with Saturation Introduction Do any of these situations sound familiar? Maybe your mixes come out sounding a bit lifeless and thin compared to the polished, professional tracks you hear on the market—even though you feel like you did a great job mixing. Or perhaps your individual ...

How to Make Bass Traps Introduction What does it take to achieve success in recording and mixing? First and foremost, expertise is key—and of course, having the best gear possible certainly helps. But don’t overlook the importance of a good-sounding room! Is there really such a thing as a ...

What is the Difference between Gain vs Volume Introduction Let’s say you’re at a show or rehearsal, and you turn to your amp or mixer because you need to make something louder. You’re probably faced with a bunch of knobs or maybe even a fader, labeled things like gain, trim, level, volume, ...

How to EQ Vocals Introduction One important thing to remember when you EQ a vocal is that the settings will be different for every project. This will also depend on a variety of factors such as the type of microphone, the singer's position, mic technique, the room, and many ...

Adding Delay on Vocals Introduction You probably already know what a delay effect is, and maybe you've even tried out a cool delay guitar pedal that inspired you to write some awesome psychedelic songs. You might have seen delays being used in various mixing tutorials online, especially ...

How To Use Autotune Introduction It happened exactly 36 seconds into the song—a glimpse of the kind of pop music that was on its way, a hint of the future we now live in. The line “I can’t break through” suddenly turned crystal clear, as if the singer had vanished behind frosted glass. ...

How To Build A DIY Vocal Booth Introduction A DIY vocal booth is a great solution for recording clean, professional-sounding vocals at home. Having a booth in your home studio will help eliminate unwanted room sound and make recording vocals much easier. Vocals are one of the most ...

What is Compressor Attack and Release Introduction Compression can be tricky to understand, even if you already know about threshold and ratio settings. And if your attack and release times aren’t set just right, it can be tough to get the effect you want. This quick guide will show you a ...

What is Compressor Ratio? Introduction Compression can be confusing. If you’re a home studio musician, producer, or engineer struggling to understand it, you’re definitely not alone. But don’t worry—this article is here to make things easier by focusing on one of the most important ...

How to Mix Vocals Introduction Ever heard a modern hit with badly mixed vocals? Probably not. That’s because they just don’t exist. The hard truth is, if your vocals don’t sound great, your music might never get noticed. But just knowing this doesn’t make mixing vocals any easier. Vocals ...