Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio
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Additional resources
- Ch. 1: Using Nearfield Monitors
- Ch. 2: Supplementary Monitoring
- Ch. 3: Low-End Damage Limitation
- Ch. 4: From Subjective Impressions to Objective Results
- Ch. 5: Essential Groundwork
- Ch. 6: Timing and Tuning Adjustments
- Ch. 7: Comping and Arrangement
- Ch. 8: Building the Raw Balance
- Ch. 9: Compressing for a Reason
- Ch. 10: Beyond Compression
- Ch. 11: Equalizing for a Reason
- Ch. 12: Beyond EQ
- Ch. 13: Frequency-Selective Dynamics
- Ch. 14: The Power of Side Chains
- Ch. 15: Toward Fluent Balancing
- Ch. 16: Mixing with Reverb
- Ch. 17: Mixing with Delays
- Ch. 18: Stereo Enhancements
- Ch. 19: Master-Buss Processing, Automation, and Endgame
Notes mentioning this note
22 music tech š
22 Music Tech š [[22.01 Mixing and Mastering Tips š]] [[22.02 Audio Theory š]] [[22.03 Recording Tips š]] [[22.04 Gear...
A rule of thumb for eq boosts when balancing
A rule of thumb for EQ boosts when balancing Be wary of boosting more than 6db of gain on an...
Automate throw delays and reverbs
Automate throw delays and reverbs This is especially useful if there is nothing else interesting happening between vocal phrases.1 [[Mixing...
Balancing reverbs and pads
Balancing reverbs and pads Turn it up until itās too loud, then make EQ cuts to dial it back.^[ [[Mixing...
Blending a mix
Blending a mix Send the tracks that need blend into the same reverb (see [[Using reverbs to create depth]] and...
Bus processing
Bus processing
Beware sometimes bus processing can counteract track processing.1
[[Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio]] pg. 328Ā ↩
Classic pitch Shift delay effect
Classic pitch-shift delay effect Use different short delay times for the left and right channels as well as different pitch...
Controlling harsh high end
Controlling harsh high end Balance a cut with a boost, e.g. a cut at 5kHz and a boost at 15kHz.1...
Creating a haas effect
Creating a Haas effect The Haas effect, or precedence effect, or law of the first wavefront, is a phenomenon discovered...
Creating a fake double track
Creating a fake double track If a part is repeated elsewhere in the song, copy it and use it as...
Distorted slapback trick
Distorted slapback trick Instead of distorting the vocal directly, try distorting a slapback delay. This helps preserve intelligibility of the...
Double Check distortion with headphones
Double-check distortion with headphones Distortion levels that might sound good on nearfield monitors may sound overbearing on headphones or grotboxes.1...
Eq your reverb sends
EQ your reverb sends You may want to EQ the reverb to make sure it isnāt causing [[Frequency masking]]. Bypass...
Fine tune balances at low volumes
Fine tune balances at low volumes Chris Lord-Alge and Andy Wallace both agree on this.1 This can help you [[First...
How to address stubborn sibilants
How to address stubborn sibilants Automate the amount of de-essing to work harder when you need it most.^[ [[Mixing Secrets...
How to mask time edits
How to mask time edits Use these techniques to mask timing edits to a waveform:^[ [[Mixing Secrets for the Small...
Listen to an 80% Finished mix with a "soft gaze"
Listen to an 80%-finished mix with a āsoft gazeā Donāt hyper-focus, listening critically, but just listen through the song as...
Music is more fun when things are a little inexact
āIf you were to give me the same song on different days, it would probably come out differently. Thereās no...
Pitch Shifting to create depth
Pitch-shifting to create depth Chorus tends to make sources sound less focused. Using pitch-shifting can produce a similar effect.1 The...
Re Comp interesting instrumental licks
Re-comp interesting instrumental licks Toward the end of a mix, if thereās a span of time that doesnāt hold the...
Reassess eq settings at different points in the song
Reassess EQ settings at different points in the song If you equalized an instrument in a dense section, make sure...
Reverb can be used to add sustain
Reverb can be used to add sustain This is similar to how [[Reverb can be used to create size]], but...
Reverb can be used to create blend
Reverb can be used to create blend Use this when something is sticking out or is not āgluedā into the...
Reverb can be used to create size
Reverb can be used to create size Natural-sounding reverbs are best for this purpose, just as taught in [[Reverb can...
Reverb can be used to unmask
Reverb can be used to unmask Reverb can in some cases unmask an element by adding sustain, creating stereo width,...
Reverb can used to change the tone
Reverb can used to change the tone In much the same way that [[Reverb can be used to create blend]],...
Send a client a limited version of the mix
Send a client a limited version of the mix This will simulate what the song may sound like when mastered....
Setting compressor attack and release
Setting compressor attack and release Attack time, simply put, is the amount of time it takes for the compressor to...
Shaping transients to create depth
Shaping transients to create depth Quiet transients and longer sustain can make a sound sit in the background.1 You can...
Sync the delay to the tempo for a less Noticeable effect
Sync the delay to the tempo for a less-noticeable effect Tempo-synced delays are less noticeable because the transient of the...
Take care using stereo delay on mono signals
Take care using stereo delay on mono signals Stereo delays on mono sources may be distracting and artificial-sounding. But mono...
Taking mix feedback notes
Taking mix feedback notes Ask for a commercial mix that has the quality they want in order to understand better...
Testing speakers' comb Filtering
Testing speakersā comb-filtering On a speaker with a tweeter and a woofer, a crossover splits the signal and sends it...
Testing speakers' low frequency response
Testing speakersā low frequency response Use the LFSineTones file here to test for resonances in your monitoring setup. These resonances...
Testing speakers' stereo field
Testing speakersā stereo field Use this StereoTest to check for phase and polarity issues. āThis file contains a repeating pattern...
The volume Timing effect
The volume-timing effect āIf a player is rushing, you can slow them down by pushing the fader up. Conversely, if...
Treating problematic stereo sounds in a mix
Treating problematic stereo sounds in a mix Sometimes too many stereo tracks can make things muddy. For instance, a stereo...
Try using multiband saturation instead of eq
Try using multiband saturation instead of EQ Multiband saturation can do a similar thing as EQ boosts, but as a...
Use a graphic eq for stereo widening
Use a graphic EQ for stereo widening Duplicate the track and use equal and opposite cuts and boosts on a...
Use a single bus eq for high freq boost
Use a single bus EQ for high freq boost Instead of doing EQ boosts across multiple tracks, use a single...
Use short delays for stereo width
Use short delays for stereo width Create a short delay and hard pan it opposite the dry signal. Delays of...
Using eq to create depth
Using EQ to create depth Air absorbs high frequencies, so distant sounds less high end information.1 Lower frequencies tend to...
Using delay to create blend or size
Using delay to create blend or size In the same way that [[Reverb can be used to create blend]] and...
Using reverbs to create depth
Using reverbs to create depth As a sound moves farther away, its direct level decreases while its reverberated level remains...
Using stereo wideners to increase loudness
Using stereo wideners to increase loudness Sounds that are closer to the listener have the effect of āwrapping aroundā the...
Why i prefer eq cuts for balancing
Why I prefer EQ cuts for balancing EQ changes introduce phase changes around the center frequency, which themselves create tonal...