Compressing Vocals 101 Intro When you're trying to find the perfect vocal compression settings, there's one key aspect to focus on: you need to hear every word. Sure, color and character are important too, but they're not as crucial. Concentrating too much on these aspects can often distract ...

What is Serial Compression? Introduction Imagine you want to add punch to an instrument while also ensuring it remains consistent throughout the entire song. As we've discussed in previous articles, a compressor is an excellent tool to achieve both of these qualities. However, achieving ...

What Is Multiband Compression? Introduction Using a multiband compressor allows you to divide a track into different frequency ranges, known as “frequency bands,” and compress them independently. You can choose to compress only a specific part of a track’s frequency spectrum or apply ...

What is Sidechain Compression? What is sidechain compression and where should we apply it? Sidechain compression is a powerful yet often misunderstood tool available to every producer. In this article, we'll learn how to use sidechain compression effectively to make your mixes sound perfect. ...

What are True Peaks? Introduction You’re probably already familiar with peak meters. They’re built into every DAW, and they help you see when your mix is clipping. “Clipping” happens when your mix is too loud—the music’s volume gets pushed past its limit, and the loudest parts are chopped ...

What Is Noise Floor Introduction When you study audio theory, everything sounds straightforward. But once you start working in practice, things change quickly. Instead of focusing on the creative side, you often spend most of your time just fixing audio problems. As soon as you get your ...

Reverb Mixing Tricks Introduction You can instantly improve your mix by adding reverb to different elements. Mixing reverb in a variety of ways can have a huge impact on the quality of your sound. The point at which reverb overwhelms your mix is when it’s pushed too far, causing everything ...

Introduction We've already covered some basics about processing your mix bus after finishing the mixing process. Now, it's time to dive deeper into mix bus compression and offer some extra insights on the topic. There are different opinions about this step—some engineers add compression at ...

Mixing Hip Hop Vocals Introduction Over the past several decades, hip-hop has gone through many changes. Still, one thing has always stayed the same: hip-hop is all about the vocals. Sampling, drum patterns, and, especially these days, bass grooves are all crucial to hip-hop’s sound. But ...

Best Stereo Miking Techniques Introduction Are you looking for a way to make your recordings sound more lively and open? Try making stereo recordings by using two microphones on certain instruments. You can angle or space the microphones apart to create a stereo effect. In this article, ...

What Is VariMu Compressor Introduction Welcome to another informative guide, this time focusing on a different type of compressor. In this article, we’ll be discussing VariMu Compressors, also known as Variable Mu compressors. Originally designed as hardware units to deliver a creamy, ...

What Is 500 Series Gear Introduction Modular audio formats have always had their fans, but their popularity is soaring now more than ever. Still, many people aren't familiar with this kind of gear, and one of the first questions they ask is: “What are the benefits of getting into 500 Series ...