What is Gain Staging? Intro When it comes to producing music, one of the most challenging parts of the process is getting your mix just right. But there’s one crucial part of mixing that often gets overlooked by producers, causing their mixes to sound unprofessional and unfinished. ...

How to Mix Drums Introduction Writing about the right way to mix is a bit like dancing about architecture. There’s really no substitute for hands-on practice. I want to make that clear before I dive into this detailed guide. What I hope to do here is give you some perspective on what to ...

How to EQ Bass Intro If you’re new to mixing music, it can be overwhelming to figure out which frequencies to boost or cut to make the bass sound good in a song. For beginners, one of the easiest ways to start is by learning where to cut or boost key frequencies for different instruments. ...

Vocal Mixing Tips Introduction There’s a lot you can get away with in your music, but there’s one thing your listeners will never forgive: a bad vocal track. The human ear naturally focuses on the vocals, making them the main element most people pay attention to. It’s the one area you ...

How to Use Reference Tracks Introduction Everyone in music production knows that reference tracks are essential for tuning your ears to a listening environment. While some classic songs will never go out of style, it’s important to keep adding new tracks to your reference list to reflect ...

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 ...