Best of The Blog 2020 - Mastering The Mix

BEST OF
THE BLOG
2020
© Mastering The Mix 2020 Page 1 of 118

CONTENTS
Introduction 3
The Secret To Compressor Attack And Release 4
Mixing Bass In 5 Genres 13
How To Balance All The Elements In A Mix 20
How To Fix Muddiness When Mastering Music 30
Common Mixing Mistakes To Avoid At All Costs 38
How To Get The Right Amount Of Punch In Your Master 47
When To Use Different Mixing Tools 54
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Mastering in the Box 65
A Step-by-Step Guide to Mixing Drums 72
What to Listen For When Mastering82
Reducing Conflicting Frequencies 90
How To Know When Your Mix Is Finished 97
How To EQ During Mastering in 2020 104
How To EQ A Vocal in 2020 113

Introduction
Hey there :)
Thank you for downloading this eBook! I hope the info get’s you
fired up with some fresh new ideas to inject into your music
productions.
Mastering The Mix’s single driving goal is to help music producers

get better sounding mixes. We do this through free education, and
creating plugins that make a significant improvement to your music.
Some of the content involves our plugins. You can download the
free trials here: https://www.masteringthemix.com
Enjoy, and get your music sounding better than ever!
Tom Frampton
Director
Mastering The Mix


The Secret to Compressor Attack and Release
I can still remember when I actually heard the sound of compression for the
first time. Instructors had given me countless demonstrations, but I could
never really hear the difference between the various settings—especially when
it came to the attack and release times.
For months, I would add a compressor to my tracks because I knew I was

“supposed to.” I knew that compressors were used to reduce the dynamic
range of a signal, which can make tracks sound big and fat, or punchy and
exciting. But I had no idea how to make any of that happen.
I would open up whatever plug-in I saw on YouTube and scroll through the
presets until I found something that made my tracks sound better. But my
mixes always sounded disconnected, like each of the instruments were mixed
separately, in isolation from the other tracks.
It wasn’t until I mastered the attack and release settings on my favorite

compressors that I was able to make tight, cohesive mixes with punchy
drums, controlled bass, consistent vocals and a little bit of glue to hold it all
together. In this blog, we’ll break down everything you need to know about
attack and release settings to help you learn how to use compressors like a
pro.
HOW TO USE A COMPRESSOR
In order to understand how to set the attack and release times on a

compressor, you need to know how to use the other controls too. Most
compressors feature controls for threshold, ratio and make-up gain in addition
to the attack and release settings.
The threshold setting controls when the compressor kicks in. The term

threshold literally means a line that cannot be crossed without consequence,
and in this case, that consequence is gain reduction. Some compressors, like
the UA 1176 and LA-2A feature a fixed threshold, meaning there is no
threshold control. Instead, you have to use the input gain setting to push the

signal up against the threshold.
When the signal becomes louder than the threshold, the compressor reduces
the gain based on the ratio setting. Without getting too mathematical, the
ratio of a compressor determines how much gain reduction is applied to a
signal after it crosses the threshold.
With a ratio of 2:1, for every 2 dB above the threshold, the compressor only
allows 1 dB above the threshold through. With a ratio of 4:1, for every 4 dB
above the threshold, the compressor only allows 1dB above the threshold
through. With a ratio of 10:1, for every 10 dB above the threshold, the
compressor only allows 1 dB above the threshold through. You get the idea.

However, there’s no need to get too technical when setting the ratio on a
compressor. Just remember that high ratios make compression more audible
and aggressive, while low ratios are better for subtle compression. Use your
ears and choose whichever ratio sounds best.
The make-up gain setting should be used to add back however much gain

you “knocked off” of the original signal using gain reduction. So, if you
compress a signal by roughly 3 dB, use the make-up gain to increase the
output level by 3 dB so you can accurately judge the difference between the
original and the compressed sound.
Now that you know how the basics of how to use a compressor, it’s time to
talk about how to set compressor attack and release times.
COMPRESSOR ATTACK AND RELEASE SETTINGS
The attack and release settings essentially control the reaction speed of a
compressor. And with a little know-how, they can be used to make tracks
sound any way you want.
Think of the attack setting as the reaction time of the compressor. It controls
how long it takes for the compressor to kick in after a signal exceeds the
threshold.

Fast Attack Speed (10 microseconds - 1 millisecond)
With a fast attack speed, the compressor kicks in almost immediately, which

is great if you’re trying to prevent signals from clipping or tame unruly peaks.
As for tone, fast attack times can be used to tighten up sloppy performances
and make things feel a little more polished.
Setting the attack time too fast may suck the life out of a performance or push
an instrument back in the mix making it sound farther away from the listener.
Fast attack speeds can also cause audible distortion or artifacts, especially
when dealing with bass frequencies. To prevent this, try using a compressor
with a built-in high-pass filter to bypass the bass frequencies.

The release setting controls how long it takes for the compressor to “let go” of
a signal, or return it to an uncompressed state.
Slow Attack Speed (10 to 100 milliseconds)
With a slow attack speed, the compressor lets a bit of the initial signal
through before it kicks in, which can be used to emphasize the impact of a
signal, making it sound bigger and more aggressive.
However, slow attack speeds are not ideal for controlling dynamics. In fact,
slow attack speeds can actually make performance with uneven dynamics
even worse.
Fast Release Speed (50 to 100 milliseconds)

The release setting controls how long it takes for the compressor to let go of a
signal. Fast release times are also great for increasing the perceived loudness
of a track.
At low levels of gain reduction, fast release speeds sound the most natural
However, when used at high ratios, fast release times can make tracks sound
more gritty and aggressive. Just be careful, extreme compression with a fast
release time can cause an unwanted pumping sound.
Slow Release Speed (2 to 5 seconds)
Slow-release speeds are great for smoothing out dynamic performances. It

can also be used to push an instrument back in the mix, making it sound
farther away from the listener. If the release time is too slow, a compressor
may suck the life out of your performance, making it sound dull and flat.

HOW TO SET ATTACK AND RELEASE TIME
When it comes to setting compressors, discussing specific settings isn’t really

helpful. Settings that sounded good for one instrument may not sound good
for another. That’s why in most cases, engineers simply refer to attack release
times as fast, slow or medium.
Generally speaking, faster attack and release times will give you more
aggression, grit, and loudness, while slower times sound smoother. Many
engineers choose to begin applying compression with a slow attack speed
and a fast release speed for the most natural, transparent sound. These
settings will help ensure that the dynamics of the performance are preserved
while still taming the loudest transients.
Next, adjust the attack time as needed. Use a slower attack speed to
preserve the transient, and a faster attack speed for more control. Then,
adjust the release setting so that it breathes in time with the performance. To
do this, simply watch the gain reduction meter and adjust the release time so
that the signal just barely returns to 0 before the next transient. This helps
give each of the tracks a more cohesive sound—like they’re all working in
time together.

For even more control over your sound, try using two compressors in serial.
Start with a compressor with a fast attack and fast release to smooth out
peaks and tame transients, followed by a slower, more gentle compressor to
make tracks sound bigger and fatter.
The most important thing to remember when setting the attack and release
times on a compressor is to know what you’re trying to accomplish. Simply
scrolling through presets or spinning knobs isn’t going to get you where you
want to go.
Instead, decide what it is that you want to achieve before you reach for the
compressor. Do you want to tame peaks and reduce the dynamic range of a
performance? Do you want to glue tracks together with soft, slow
compression? Do you want to add excitement and perceived loudness?
As long as you know what it is you want to accomplish, you can follow these
simple steps to setting compressor attack and release times to get the job
done.
How To Measure Dynamic Range
To get a visual of what your compressor is doing to your music, you can use
the Dynamic Range section of LEVELS by Mastering The Mix.
The oscilloscope will grow green and bounce around if your audio is nice and
punchy. It will turn orange then red if your audio is over-compressed.
Click Here To Learn More About LEVELS

Mixing Bass in 5 Genres
Bass is one of the most fundamental elements of any modern production. Not
only does the baseline establish the root of the song, but the tone of the
instrument also sets the stage for the rest of the track.
For instance, whenever you hear a funky baseline, your first instinct probably
isn’t folk music. When you hear a snarling, growling baseline dripping with
distortion, you probably aren’t expecting to hear a classic jazz number. That’s
why it’s crucial to nail the bass tone from the start.
In this blog, we’ll break down some of our favorite tips for mixing bass in five
different genres, including pop, rock, hip-hop, R&B and electronic music.
Mixing Bass for Pop
With pop music, the bass usually goes one of two ways. It’s either a focal
point that draws your attention with a catchy melody, or a simple sustained
low note root of the chords. Let’s take a look at the melodic example first.
Listen To Example Of Great Souding Pop Bass

The bass in ‘Attention’ by Charlie Puth is clean, clear and extremely rhythmic.
To capture this sound, start by trimming any fat in the low-end. Use a high-
pass filter to roll-off any bass below 40 Hz or so. To help bring the melody to
the foreground, try boosting the highs with a shelf EQ. Brightening up the
bass tone helps listeners identify each note.
Use your favorite EQ to boost the fundamental frequency of the bass and
carve out a little space for the kick drum. If you’re looking for a quick and
easy way to dial in the perfect EQ curve, our plugin BASSROOM makes
genre-specific EQ target suggestions to help streamline the process.
To capture that funky, snappy bass tone, use a compressor with fast attack
and release times to help accentuate the transients of each note. If possible,
try to use a compressor with a side-chain filter to keep the low-end from
triggering the compressor.
Click Here To Learn More About BASSROOM

Mixing Bass for Rock
Flea, the bassist for Red Hot Chili Peppers famously blends elements of funk
and punk music with his unique style. He combines the dynamic performance
of funk bass with the gritty, grungy tones of punk.
Listen To Example Of Great Souding Rock Bass
To capture this tone in your mix, start by putting on a smiley face. No,
seriously—use a shelving EQ to boost the lows and the highs. This gives the
bass the power to hold down the low-end of the track, while also bringing out
the snap and bite of the strings when slapping.
Clean up the low-mids between 150–400 Hz to make room for the kick drum
and get rid of any muddiness. For a more punk rock kind of vibe, use a bell to
boost the upper mids around 800 - 1200 Hz.
For more control over the dynamics of the bass performance, heavily
compress a DI recording and blend it in with the amp channel. Since the DI
channel is so clean, you can use aggressive settings without creating
artefacts. Try using a ratio like 10:1 with fast attack and release times.
Finally, to capture the signature snarl of a rock bass tone, try using parallel
processing to add some subtle saturation. IGNITE is the perfect plug-in for
adding high-quality dynamic harmonic distortion, which can help your bass
tracks cut through a busy mix without overpowering the guitars.

Mixing Bass for Hip-Hop
Hip-hop is all about the bass. In most cases, the bass is an extension of the
kick drum. The kick typically handles the tight, punchy transient sound, while
the bass delivers a powerful sustained note.
Listen To Example Of Great Souding Hip Hop Bass
.
In order to dial in this sort of sound, you need to marry the kick and bass.
Start by using an EQ to carve out space on both tracks. Use a high pass filter
on the kick to open up the subs for the bass. Use a bell to cut the low-mids
on the bass and make room for the kick to knock.
To enhance the sustain of the bass, use a compressor with a slow release
time to squeeze the signal for a more consistent sound.
To make more space for the kick drum, add a second compressor side-
chained to the kick. Use fast attack and release times so that the compressor
quickly attenuates the signal whenever the kick drum hits.

Mixing Bass For R&B
When it comes to R&B, the bass is often at the forefront of the mix. Not only
does the baseline supply the bottom-end of the melody, it typically introduces
a lot of interesting movement in the forms of licks and fills. That’s why most
R&B bass tones are clean and balanced.
Listen To Example Of Great Souding R&B Bass
Start by using an EQ to roll off any unnecessary subs and cleaning up the low
mids around 200 Hz. Use a shelf EQ to boost the highs and help bring out the
clarity and detail of the strings.
You can use your favorite EQ or even a subharmonic enhancement plug-in to

boost the lows, but since R&B basslines often incorporate rhythm to gives
tracks that signature groove, I like to use a multi-band compressor. Not only
does this help me dial in the sub frequencies, but it also helps create
powerful, consistent bass and bring out the percussive and rhythmic
elements of the performance.

Use moderate attack and release times on the low frequencies to help
increase punch and sustain. As for the high-frequencies, you can use a slow
attack time to accentuate the attack or a fast attack time to tighten up the
transients—it’s up to you! Best of all, you can use the multi-band compressor
to apply a little compression across the board for more consistent dynamics.
It’s also not a bad idea to use side-chain compression to marry the kick and
the bass. If you feel that your rhythm section still needs a little more glue, try
sending the drums and bass to the same bus compressor and giving them a
good squeeze.
Mixing Bass For Electronic Music
With electronic artists like Hasley, the bass is often used to create a sense of
power and depth. Similar to pop music, many songs use the bass as an
extension of the kick drum, playing a sustained root note every time the kick
drum hits.
Listen To Example Of Great Souding Electronic Bass

For this approach, you just need to focus on the low-end. Use a high-pass
filter to get rid of any unwanted subs and clean up any muddiness in the low
mids.
Since the bass only plays a supporting roll, there’s no need for parallel
distortion to make it stick out of the mix. However, a heavy dose of
compression will help keep the low-end consistent.
To create that larger-than-life sound that electronic music is known for, you
might want to use a stereo enhancement plug-in like GROW to add depth and
width. Use the filter to cut out the bass frequencies. By focusing on the highs
you can create the illusion that the bass is huge without muddying up the mix.
Just be sure you don’t go overboard! Stereo enhancement plug-ins use phase
manipulation to simulate depth. Be sure to check your track with a stereo field
meter such as LEVELS to make sure your mix won’t fall apart in mono.
Other Genres
Didn’t see your favorite genre on the list? No worries, just use our
plugin REFERENCE to check the bass tone in your mix against your top
reference tracks to identify key differences. The white level lines at the bottom
of REFERENCE will help you balance the volume of the bass in the context of
your whole mix, which is one of the hardest but most crucial processes to
getting a pro sounding mix. You can also click the low-band in the trinity
display to solo those frequencies helping you better understand how the tone
and power of the bass compares to your reference track.

How To Balance All the Elements in a Mix
Have you ever heard the phrase, “It’s the ear, not the gear?”
I remember when I first started learning how to mix, I would research which
compressors my favorite mixers used on certain songs. I thought if I used the
same gear as them, my mixes would sound like theirs.
Eventually, I stumbled across a YouTube video of one of my idols mixing with

stock plug-ins, just to prove that it could be done. I couldn’t believe it.
The truth is, the most important element in any mix is the balance between
each element. Using simple level manipulation, you can quickly dial in a
balanced mix. Doing this first leads to less significant changes when
processing your mix with plugins, meaning you can get greater results with
even the simplest tools.
In this blog, we’ll show you how to balance each element in a mix for a
professional, cohesive sound.
Why Balance Is Important

Most modern productions have a lot going on. In order to hear everything
clearly, the mix must be well balanced. If one instrument is too loud, it can
make it difficult to hear one or more of the other instruments in the mix.
Loudness has a big impact on how people perceive sound. The ISO
published a set of standards in 2003 called the equal-loudness contours that
show how sound pressure level, or volume, can affect how we perceive
sound.
When a track is played at low volumes, humans are still able to make out
frequencies from 1-5 kHz pretty clearly, but we have trouble hearing
frequencies under 500 Hz. That’s why it’s almost impossible to hear the bass
when listening at low levels, but you can still hear the vocals.
As playback volume increases, our hearing becomes more balanced, making

it easier to hear the high and low frequencies evenly. The ideal listening range
for most home studios is around 73-76dB SPL. But mixers have no control
over how loud people listen to music. Only how loud each element is in the
track.

That’s why it’s crucial to make sure that your mix is balanced and each
instrument is at the proper level relative to the other channels. As you
increase the volume of an instrument in a mix, it sounds closer to the listener,
with more fullness in the low-end and clarity in the high-end.
This is why reaching for plugins right out the gate might actually mean you
spend more time trying to improve your sound. Setting the loudness of a
channel first helps you get 80% of the way there. The plugins can then help
you sculpt your sound to 100% of what you’re shooting for.
Creating a basic balance between each of the tracks at the beginning of a mix
gives you a solid foundation to work from and makes it easier to make critical
mixing decisions down the road, like which frequencies to cut or how much
compression to apply.
Use Reference To Find a Starting Point
It can be difficult to know exactly how loud each instrument should be in a

mix. One simple way to help you dial in a balanced mix is to use reference
tracks. Our plugin REFERENCE makes it easy to compare your mix to your
favorite tracks and quickly identify differences in volume.

Just drag and drop your reference tracks into the Wave Transport and listen to
how loud the snare sounds in the context of the rest of the mix. Then toggle
back to your track and compare. If the volume of the snare is louder in the
reference track, bring your snare fader up to match.
You can repeat this process for every instrument in the mix. Just be sure to
use the level match feature in REFERENCE for a fair comparison. As I
mentioned earlier, louder sounds seem brighter in the top-end and fuller in the
low-end which can trick you into making poor mixing decisions. Since you’re
still in the mix stage, your production should be a few dB quieter than a fully
mastered track. Level match in REFERENCE takes this issue out of the
equation by accurately matching the perceived loudness of all of your
reference tracks to the track you’re working on. Allowing you to make
informers mixing decisions that lead to improvements in your sound.

How to Balance Each Element of a Mix
Only one instrument can be the loudest track in the mix at a time. So the
loudest instrument should be whatever is the focal point of the song at that
moment. In most cases, that’s the vocal.
However, many engineers choose to start their mix with the drums, as they
encompass the entire frequency spectrum, making it easier to hear the
balance between high and low frequencies.
Drums
Start by setting the snare fader at 0 dB and bringing the rest of the drum mix
in around it. The snare is the foundation of the backbeat, and typically one of
the loudest elements in the mix.
Next, bring the kick fader up until it sounds almost as loud as the snare. It
should be loud enough that the low frequencies are rich and powerful, but not
so loud that it masks the bottom-end of the snare drum.
Then, start bringing in the toms. These can be almost as loud as the snare if
they’re used sparingly, but if they’re heavily featured they should sit a little
further back in the mix.
Start bringing in the cymbals, overheads and room mics as needed. The level
of these tracks will vary greatly from genre to genre, but they should definitely
all be used to support the main close mics—not overpower them.

One key component of balancing the drum mix is panning. Use the pan knob
to add separation between the toms, widen out the overhead mics, and add
depth to the room mics.
Just make sure to frequently check your mix in mono. You never know where
your track will get played, and you want to make sure it sounds good in every
format.
LEVELS features a mono button at the top for quickly referencing your mix in
mono. Select a mixing preset in LEVELS (presets in bottom left corner) so that
you get a warning if you push your peak or loudness too high. The sections in
LEVELS will turn red if there’s an issue, and you can hover over the section
icons to learn how to fix the identified issue.
Remember, if it sounds good in mono, it will sound great in stereo! Vice versa
is not always the case.

Bass
Once you have the drums balanced, it’s time to bring in the bass. This one
can be tricky due to the amount of low end. The bass should be loud enough
that the low end is big and powerful, but not so loud that it overpowers the
kick drum.
Remember to check your reference mixes often to make sure you’re staying
on course.
Once you have the bass level where you want it, don’t be afraid to adjust
some of the other faders as well. Mixing is a process of chasing your tail.
Every move you make affects the rest of the mix, so you may need to tweak
the balance from time to time.

Vocals
This is typically when I start to bring the vocal into the mix. I find that if I wait
until I bring in the other elements like guitar and synth, it can start to sound
like a karaoke track with the vocals slapped on top.
The earlier you bring the vocal into the mix, the easier it is to make it the focal
point. The vocal should be the loudest element in the mix, but not so loud that
it feels disconnected from the rest of the band.
Since drums are short transient bursts, they can have a higher peak than the
vocal, but not seem louder in context of the whole mix.

Instruments
Next, bring in the remaining instruments in order of importance. If it’s a rock

song, start with guitar 1, then guitar 2, and so on. Then move on to the keys,
and all the way down the list to the glockenspiel you used in the outro.
Use panning to help create separation, and remember to check your mix in
mono and compare against your reference mixes often.
Remember, only one instrument can be the focal point at any given time.

Learning how to balance all of the elements in a mix can be difficult,

especially since tastes tend to change from genre to genre.
In rock music, the guitars are one of the loudest instruments. In hip-hop, it’s
often the kick/808. In EDM, it’s usually the bass. And in pop music, the vocal
is everything.
It may take a little extra time at the beginning of your mix, but by balancing all
of the elements in your session first (before any EQ, compression of effects), it
makes it easier to address frequency and dynamics issues later on because
you have a clear vision of what you want the mix to sound like.
Just remember, it’s the ear, not the gear, and reference tracks will keep you on
the right path from start to finish.

How To Fix Muddiness When Mastering Music
When it comes to mastering, clarity is crucial.
If your track sounds muddy or muffled, it can be difficult to make out

individual tracks. Instruments may lack and clarity, making them all blur
together and sound like mush.
That’s why we put together this simple step-by-step guide to help you fix
muddiness when mastering music. Read on to learn what causes mixes to
sound muddy, how to know when your mix sounds muddy, and how to get rid
of muddiness in your mix.
What causes muddy mixes?
Muddiness can be a tricky thing to nail down. It typically occurs due to a

build-up in the low-mids—usually around 200 Hz - 500

Hz.
Muddiness can occur for several different reasons. It may be due to an issue
in the recording process, such as placing microphones too close to the sound
source or recording in an untreated room.
Muddiness can also occur from poor EQ choices, like boosting the low-end
on your guitar amp or cranking the low-mids on the recording console.
Another common cause of muddiness is a poor arrangement. Simply stacking

too many instruments in the same frequency range can cause your track to
sound muddy, making it difficult to hear isolate instruments.
How do you know when your mix sounds muddy?
In order to tell if your mix is muddy, you need to make sure you’re listening in
a controlled environment. Otherwise, you can’t be sure if it’s your mix or your
room that’s causing the muddiness.
Start by making sure you’re using proper speaker placement, then add in

some acoustic treatment to help reduce unwanted reflections and prevent
standing waves, which can cause your mix to sound muddy. Sonarworks is
another great tool for calibrating your listening environment.

Even with a professionally-tuned room, it can still be tough to know when

your mix sounds muddy. That’s why it’s important that you compare your
mixes to similar-sounding tracks to give yourself a frame of reference.
REFERENCE makes it easy to quickly compare your mix to your favorite

tracks and gives you simple visual instructions on how to improve your
sound.
Start by dragging or adding reference tracks to the Wave Transport. These

fully-mastered files will certainly be louder than your mix, so be sure to
engage the Level Match button to make sure you’re comparing tracks fairly.

At the bottom of REFERENCE’s interface, you’ll see the frequency spectrum
separated into three sections with white lines running through the center.
When listening to a reference mix, these lines will move up when your mix has
too much energy in a frequency range, and down when your mix is lacking
energy in a frequency range.
To zero-in on muddiness in your mix, use the first band to focus on

frequencies below 200 Hz, and the last band to focus on frequencies above
500 Hz. Play back your reference mixes and make sure your mix doesn’t have
too much energy in the 200 - 500 Hz range, which is where muddiness
typically occurs.

What Makes Muddiness Worse?
Compression can be great for gluing tracks together, but it can also cause a
muddy mix to sound even worse. By smashing the low-mids, the dominant
frequencies become even more defined, making it harder to hear the
instrument clearly. That’s why it’s best to use a compressor with a side-chain
filter so you can focus on compressing the frequencies you want.
The pan knob can also get you into trouble when working with a muddy mix.
Generally speaking, low-frequency instruments like the kick and bass are
mono instruments panned to the center. Panning or using stereo
enhancement tools on bass instruments is a quick way to cause phase issues
or masking problems.
While distortion can be an excellent tool for helping low-frequency tracks cut
through the mix, it can also make muddiness worse. In addition to high-end
harmonics that help your track shimmer and shine, low-end harmonics are
also created by distortion. These harmonics can quickly build up, causing
problems in the low-mids.
How to Fix Muddiness?
OK, so we’ve identified the source of the muddiness—what now?

Step One—Cut the Low-Mids
The easiest way to fix a muddy mix is to address the problem at the source
with EQ. BASSROOM makes it easy to fine-tune the low-mids and low-end of
your mix.
Load BASSROOM onto the master channel, choose one of the genre-specific
EQ targets, loops your chorus, and press play. BASSROOM will instantly
make suggestions on how you can improve your mix in real-time.
Tweak each band as needed, pushing them farther away to cut a frequency or
bringing them closer to you to boost. Be sure to use the level match feature at
the top to make up for any changes in gain.
Step Two—Dynamic EQ
EQ can help you carve out problematic frequencies. But what if a frequency
isn’t problematic all the time?
Oftentimes, a mix will only sound muddy some of the time. Most of the time, it
sounds great—but every now and then things will start to sound muddy.
Cutting the low-mids makes the track sound weak and thin, making it hard to
find a proper balance. That’s where dynamic EQ comes in. With dynamic EQ,

you can set a threshold for each band, just like a compressor. That way, the
EQ only engages when you want it to.
Target any problem frequencies in the low-mids and set the threshold so the
EQ only engages when the track starts to sound muddy.
Step Three—Boost the Lows and Highs
Last, but not least, if you still feel that your mix sounds muddy, use your
favorite shelving EQ to boost the lows and highs of the mix.
By adding some boom to the low-end and some shimmer to the highs, you
can sometimes rebalance a track and tone-down the midrange.

Conclusion
Now that you know what causes muddiness in a mix, how to identify it, and
even how to remove it, you should have no problem dialing in clear, balanced
masters that jump out of the speakers!

Common Mixing Mistakes To Avoid at all Costs
Mixing is one of the most important stages in the development of a song. It’s
also one of the most complicated stages. There can be dozens or even
hundreds of moving parts, all interacting with one another.
It can be difficult to avoid making mistakes along the way, especially when
you’re first starting out. That’s why we put together this list of the most
common mixing mistakes that you should avoid at all costs.
Mixing In Solo
It can be tempting to solo tracks while mixing in order to hear them more
clearly, but listening to tracks in isolation clouds your judgment.
Instead of making the track sound good in the context of the mix, you end up
trying to make the track sound good in solo. Then when you try to shoe-horn
it into the mix, it sticks out like a sore thumb.
Instead, make your mix decisions in context. Adjust EQ settings and dial in
compressors while the whole mix is playing in order to make sure you’re

working towards the big picture. The listener doesn’t have a solo button—
they only care about how the whole mix sounds.
We’re not saying ‘never solo’. We’re saying be careful to not make all of your
decisions whilst listening to a channel in solo. Jump between listening in the
context of the whole mix and listening in solo to get different perspectives.
Monitoring Too Loud
There’s no greater feeling than nailing a mix. It really makes you want to crank
the volume and sing along. But consistently mixing at high output levels can
cause hearing damage.
Science suggests the ideal sound pressure level (SPL) for mixing music in a
home-studio-sized space is between 73 and 76 dB because our hearing is
the most linear at that volume. A good rule of thumb is to mix a level that you
could hold a conversation with someone without having to speak up.
It’s still important to check your mixes at different levels for brief periods of
time. Before printing your final mix, be sure to crank the dial for a chorus or
two to see how things sound. You should also check your mix at whisper-
quiet levels to make sure that the mix remains balanced and the vocal cuts
through the mix.

For a full run through of how to set the perfect monitoring level in your home
studio click here.
Not Having a Plan
I was definitely guilty of this one when I first started out. I would load up a mix
and just start adding EQs and compressors on every track. There was no
rhyme or reason as to why I would select each plug-in. I would just listen to
the track and start spinning knobs until it sounded better.
Instead of wasting time spinning knobs, you should determine what you want
a track to sound like before you start adding plug-ins. That way, you can
always work towards a goal. Otherwise, you won’t know which direction to go
in, or even when to stop.
How do you know which direction a song should go in? One easy way to
make sure your mixes sound competitive is to use reference mixes to help
determine your sound.
Use REFERENCE to load up a few of your favorite tracks and see how your
mix compares. REFERENCE gives you detailed notes on adjusting the
frequency response, dynamics and stereo width of your track to sound more
professional.

Too Much Or Not Enough Reverb
Mixing in an untreated space also makes it difficult to assess how much

reverb you’re using. It can be hard to tell if the reverb you’re hearing is coming
from your speakers or your room.
Too much reverb can make your tracks sound washed out, making it difficult
to hear or identify instruments. Not enough reverb makes your tracks sound
dull and lifeless—like they were recorded in a vacuum.
To avoid this issue, check your mixes on multiple sets of speakers. People
generally add too much reverb when working on monitors and too little when
listening through headphones. In addition to your studio speakers, listen on
your home stereo system, in your car, on your favorite pair of headphones,
and even on your phone or laptop to make sure your mix translates to every
system.

Mix Is Muddy Or Thin
One of the most common mixing mistakes is a lack of balance in the low-end.
Often caused by mixing in untreated rooms where standing waves make it
difficult to make critical mix decisions, problems in the low-mids can cause
your mix to sound unbalanced and make it difficult to hear the kick, bass or
synth parts.
If your mix sounds muddy, make a small cut with a wide bell on your mix bus
around 100 - 300 Hz. If your mix sounds thin, try making a small boost
instead. However, even when you know where to look, it can still be tricky to
isolate and correct this issue.
That’s why I always use BASSROOM to fine-tune the low-end on my mixes.

Insert BASSROOM on your mix bus and select one of the genre-specific
presets to automatically suggest corrections for issues below 320 Hz.

Inconsistent Vocals
The vocals are the most important instrument in almost every mix, except for
instrumental tracks of course. But most vocal performances are very
dynamic, meaning sometimes they’re too loud and sometimes they’re too
quiet.
In order to make sure the listener can hear every word, you either need to do
some serious fader-riding, or use a compressor to create more consistent
dynamics.
Start by turning the vocal up so it’s always audible, and sometimes too loud.
Then use a compressor to tame the peaks for a more consistent sound. The
amount of gain reduction and compressor settings will vary greatly from song
to song but the approach is always the same.
For a full run through of how to mix vocals click here.

Too Much Compression
Compression is one of the secrets to a good mix, but too much can ruin any
track. Over-compression makes tracks sound small and squashed. It sucks all
the life out of the dynamics, making it sound flat and boring.
To avoid over-compression, try to make your compressors breathe in time

with the tempo of the song. Start with the slowest attack time and the fastest
release time. Increase the attack time until you start to lose too much of the
initial transient, then back off a bit.
Then slowly decrease the release time to make the compressor “breathe” in
time with the tempo of the song. The needle should return back to 0 just
before the next transient. Many compressors feature an auto setting that also
works well for this.

No Song Dynamics
Some engineers spend so much time mixing each individual track that they
forget to listen to the song as a whole. Mixes that stay at the same level
throughout the whole song can sound stale and boring.
When the chorus comes on, you want the listener to know it. Don’t be afraid
to automate your levels up by a dB or more during the chorus to help make it
pop and add separation between the verses.

Not Knowing When To Stop
Leonardo da Vinci once said art is never finished, only abandoned. You could
endlessly tweak every mix and never feel like you completely nailed it.
Mixing is an exponential process. At first, you make huge amounts of

progress in a short amount of time.
Within 20 minutes, you should be able to map out a rough idea of your mix.
The more time you spend mixing, the less effective you become. Eventually,
you actually start making the song sound worse because you lost sight of
your vision.
To avoid this issue, make a checklist of everything you need to accomplish in

a mix at the start. As you work your way down the list, cross off the items you
complete. After crossing off the last item, print your mix.
Sleep on it, then listen again the next morning. While you’re listening back,
use LEVELS to make sure there are no technical issues. If nothing needs your
attention, mark it as complete and move on to the next track!

How To Get the Right Amount of Punch in Your
Master
Punch is a crucial element of any mix or master. But it can be tricky to know if
your track has the right amount of punch—or what to do if it doesn’t. In this
blog, we’ll teach you how to dial in the perfect amount of punch for any track.
But first, let’s break down the basics.
What Is Punch?
The term “punch” is used often while discussing mixing and mastering—but
what does it actually mean?
Punch is just a cool word for dynamics. When people say a track needs more
punch, they want the transients to sound more dynamic. They want the snare
drum and synth plucks to jump out of the speakers and punch them in the
face—BAM!
The secret to dialing in a punchy master is making transients as exciting as

possible.

Below, we’ll break down some of our favorite tips for creating punchy mixes
using compression, dynamics processing, saturation and more.
But first, we need to talk about how to identify if your mix has too much or not
enough punch.
How To Tell If Your Mix Has Too Much Or Not Enough Punch
It’s usually pretty easy to spot mixes that are lacking punch. They sound dull,
flat and lifeless—as if every instrument in the mix is playing at the same
volume all time time. There’s no movement or dynamics. Everything just feels
static.
In most cases, if a mix is lacking punch, it’s usually due to over-compression.

Performers are inherently dynamic, so if your track feels lifeless, make sure
you didn’t smash the life out of it with a compressor somewhere along the
line.
However, it can still be tricky to tell if your mix has the right amount of
punch. LEVELS makes it easy to visualize the amount of punch your mix has
in the Dynamic Range window. Add LEVELS to your master stereo output
directly after your limiter. If your music has a dynamic range above the set
threshold, the oscilloscope will glow green. If your music approaches the
threshold it will begin to turn orange, and if your music exceeds the threshold,
the oscilloscope will turn red.
What Accentuates Bad Punch And How To Pin-Point The Issue
Mixes with too much punch are typically caused by one of three things. First,
make sure your levels are balanced. If one instrument is significantly louder
than another—say the snare drum—it becomes impossible to turn up the
song loud enough to hear the vocal without getting punched in the head by
the snare.
Particularly dynamic performances can also make a track sound overly-

punchy. If a drummer hits the snare at a different velocity every time, it will be
tricky to keep it consistent throughout the mix.
Finally, make sure you’re not over-compressing any tracks. Compressors with
fast attack times and aggressive ratios can cause a nasty pumping sound
effect.
Still, even knowing what to look for it can be tricky to tell if a track needs more
or less punch.

With REFERENCE, you can easily compare your track to your favorite mixes.
Drag your reference mixes into the Wave Transport, engage the Level Match
feature, and press play to compare the punch of your reference tracks.
The Punch Dots in the Trinity Display show the dynamic range of your
material.
If the Punch Dots move towards the 0dB line, your track is more

compressed than your reference, meaning it might lack punch.
If the Punch Dots move away from the 0dB line, your track is less

compressed than the reference tracks, meaning it could be too punchy.
How to Add More Punch to Your Mix
There are several ways to add punch while mastering. First, make sure that
your low-end is in check. If there are any phase problems or masking issues
in the low-end, your track will feel weak and lack punch.
BASSROOM is great for quickly cleaning up problems below 300 Hz. Select
one of the target presets and press play for BASSROOM to automatically
make EQ suggestions to help balance your sound and reveal more punch.

Another common solution is to use a compressor with a slow attack time and
fast release time.
The slow attack time lets the initial transient through, allowing you to hear the
full impact before the compressor engages. The fast release time helps add
excitement by quickly reducing the transient peak and creating dynamics.
For even more punch, try using parallel compression. Send your mix to an aux
channel and smash it to pieces. Use an aggressive ratio with fast attack and
release times to emphasize the pumping effect.
Many compressors begin to distort when pushed to the limit, which can also
add excitement. To enhance this effect, use a colorful compressor like a FET
or tube design.
Logic Pro X’s stock compressor is an excellent option, as it features multiple

FET compressor emulations and a built-in distortion unit with soft, hard and
clip settings that are perfect for adding punch to tracks.
If you’re not working in Logic, you can use any tape machine emulation or
distortion unit plug-in like IGNITE to add harmonics. Just be careful not to
over-do it. For a more subtle effect, try adding saturation in parallel and
blending it with the original track.
If you’re looking for the fastest, easiest way to add punch to any mix, check
out PUNCH. This powerful transient enhancing plug-in is perfect for making
kicks, snares and more punch through your speaker.
Reduce the threshold so it’s below the average audio level and increase the
percentage slider to add more punch. To add punch to a specific instrument
in the mix such as the kick or snare, use the frequency filter to isolate its
frequency range.

How to Reduce Punch In Your Mix
For mixes that sound too dynamic, try using a fast-acting limiter. By using a
brick-wall limiter with fast attack and release times, you can easily put a
ceiling on any transients in your mix.
If a limiter sounds too harsh or causes your mix to feel unbalanced, try using
multiple compressors in serial. By using two or more compressors with less
aggressive settings, you can achieve the same results without creating
distortion or artefacts.
If that still doesn’t cut it, try going back into the mix and using a transient
control plug-in or envelope shaper on the individual tracks that are causing
the issues—likely the kick and snare. SPL’s Transient Designer and the Waves
Smack Attack are both great tools for transient shaping. For even more
control, draw your own transient envelope using Logic’s Enveloper tool.

Now that you know how to tell if your mix has the right amount of punch and
how to fix it, you can use these tips to create professional-sounding masters
with the perfect amount of punch.

When to Use Different Mixing Tools
From parametric equalizers to multiband compressors, mixing engineers use
more tools per project than most carpenters. With so many options to choose
from, it can be difficult to know which tool is right for the job. In this blog, we’ll
break down the different types of EQs, compressors and reverbs—and when
to use them in a mix.
Fixed Frequency EQ
Fixed or selectable frequency EQs are one of the original equalizer designs
and were commonly found in analog consoles from the 50s and 60s.
Thankfully, you don’t need to own a vintage console to use one—many of
these designs have been emulated by plug-ins.
Fixed frequency EQs feature three or more bands, each with several preset
frequency options. Some, like the high-shelf on the Neve 1073, are fixed at
one specific frequency and cannot be changed.
Fixed frequency EQs do not offer Q controls—only frequency selection and

gain. Because of this, they’re better for colorful additive EQ as opposed to
surgical cuts.

However, some models, like the API 550 series feature proportional-Q
designs, which increase the Q value of a band as the gain is increased. This
allows you to pinpoint specific frequencies when making aggressive cuts or
boosts.
Semi-Parametric EQ
Semi-parametric EQs are found on modern analog consoles, such as the SSL
4000 E-Series.
Semi-parametric EQ designs typically feature four or more bands, while some

also include high and low-pass filters. The midrange bands are fully variable
with Q controls, making them ideal for gentle boosts or surgical cuts.
Typically, the high and low-bands are shelf shapes—although more advanced
designs allow you to toggle to between shelf and bell shapes. Depending on
the design, the frequency for the high and low bands may be fixed, selectable
or fully variable.

Parametric EQ
Parametric EQs are the standard digital EQs you find in the stock plug-ins
folder of your DAW. Most offer seven or more bands, which can be used to
create filters, shelves, bells, and hyper-specific EQ curves.
Each band features fully variable controls for frequency, gain, and Q, making
parametric EQs one of the most versatile options.
However, unlike the analog-modeled designs listed above, digital parametric

EQs tend to sound very transparent, making them better for subtractive EQ or
subtle boosts.

Graphic EQ
Graphic EQs are one of the most basic forms of equalization. Originally
utilized by live sound engineers to pin-point and eliminate feedback, graphic
EQs come in three different sizes.
31-band graphic EQs are typically reserved for live sound rigs. The smaller
15-band models are used for mobile sound rigs and occasionally found in the
studio. There are also modular 8 and 10-band models, such as the API 560,
which are commonly found in 500-series racks.
Graphic EQs feature so many bands because they have no frequency select
or Q controls. Instead, you shape your own EQ curves by adjusting each band
to create shelves, bells or filters.
Our very own BASSROOM uses a modified graphic EQ design to pinpoint

problem areas in the low-end.
Dynamic EQ + Multiband Compression
Dynamic EQs and multiband compressors are very similar. Both are digital
tools with multiple bands that use a threshold to dynamically boost or cut
frequencies.

The difference is, multiband compressors use crossover filters, which affect a
wide range of frequencies. Whereas dynamic EQs allow you to zero-in on
specific frequencies. Dynamic EQs also use upward expansion, which can
sound more musical when boosting.
Both tools are great for maintaining a balanced frequency spectrum

throughout a song. When a frequency range exceeds or falls below the
threshold, that range is attenuated or boosted. This gives you total control.
Optical Compressors
Some of the earliest compressors used optical designs. Often powered by

vacuum tubes, optical compressors have a warm, musical sound. One of the
most popular examples is the LA-2A.
They have slow attack and release times due to the optical sensor used to
trigger compression. As the level increases, an LED gets brighter, signaling
the optical compressor to trigger the compressor.
Because of their slow response time and colorful sound, optical compressors
are great for squeezing tracks with smooth, steady compression—especially
vocals!

Vari-Mu Compressors
Variable-Mu, or Vari-Mu designs are another type of compressor that has

been around for over 50 years. These massive tube-driven designs are great
for adding vintage vibe to any track.
Known for their variable or program-dependent ratios, vari-mu compressors

use a soft-knee style of compression to apply generous amounts of
compression without creating artifacts or unwanted distortion.
This makes them great for fattening up tracks with slow and subtle
compression, or slamming them to crank up the energy.
Perhaps the most famous vari-mu design is the $30,000 Fairchild 670. Or, you
know, you could always pick up a plug-in…

FET compressors
FET compressors were originally designed as solid-state replacements for

tube compressors because engineers were getting tired of servicing them.
They’re known for their super-fast attack and release times, which make them
great for peak limiting and taming unruly transients. However, they also
generate lots of harmonics when driven, making them a prime choice for
vocals and other instruments that need to cut through the mix.
Easily, the most well-known FET compressor is the 1176, with its infamous
“all buttons in mode." For this reason alone, FET compressors are the tool of
choice for aggressive or parallel compression.

VCA compressors
VCA compressors are both the most modern and most versatile compressor
designs. They sound the most transparent and offer a wide range of attack
and release times. They excel at both peak limiting and leveling applications,
making them a versatile, Swiss-army compressor.
There are no real downsides to using a VCA compressor, other than they lack
the color and character of the tube-driven and FET designs listed above.
Most modern compressors use VCA designs, but one of the most well-known
is the SSL console compressor—a go-to for mix bus compression.
Room Reverb
Room reverbs are the most natural-sounding, because they’re designed to

sound like actual rooms.
The size and materials the room are made of can be changed to recreate the
sound of almost any room—from a recording studio to your basement. For
this reason, room reverbs are one of the most versatile options available.

Room reverbs tend to have shorter reverb times, which make them better for
up-tempo songs. They can be great when used in small doses to glue tracks
together and make them sound like they were recorded in the same space.
Hall Reverb
Hall reverbs are designed to emulate the sound of concert halls and other
large buildings. They typically have very high ceilings, which gives them a
unique sense of depth and longer decay times that room reverbs.
Hall reverbs have slightly longer reverb times, and are great for pushing tracks
back in the mix. Many engineers prefer them for drums and vocals.

Plate
Plate reverbs were the first “mobile” analog reverb design. They’re made of
two metal plates suspended in a giant wooden box. When a signal is sent to
the plates, they begin to reverberate, which is captured by a small
microphone inside the box.
Dampeners can be adjusted to control the reverb time. Some models even
feature plates of different materials to provide a range of tones, making them
a very versatile option.
Understandably, plate reverbs tend to have a dark, metallic sound to them,

which works great on vocals and snare drums. Don’t be afraid to use a high-
pass filter to clean up the low-end!
Chamber
One of the original forms of reverb were actual reverberant chambers. These
rooms were made of highly reflective surfaces and featured odd angles for
long reverb times.

Chamber reverbs offer tons of color and texture, which can be great for filling
out sparse mixes but can quickly get in the way of busy sessions. If you’re
going for a vintage vibe, chambers are definitely the way to go.
With the right tools at your disposal, there’s nothing you can’t create! Use this
post as a reference next time you’re having trouble getting a track to sound
the way you want.

Common Mistakes To Avoid When Mastering in the
Box
Mastering is the final and arguably most critical stage of music production. It’s
also one of the most misunderstood. Great mastering can take your mix to a
whole new level with brighter highs, deeper lows, and punchier dynamics. But
bad mastering can ruin a great song.
In this blog, we’ll break down some of the most common mistakes people
make when mastering in the box and how to avoid them.
Over-Compressing
The most common misconception with mastering is that all you have to do is
slap a limiter on your track and make it louder. Ever since Death
Magnetic, people have been using limiters to squeeze every last decibel out
of their mixes.
Haven’t you heard? The Loudness Wars are over—we won! With streaming

services automatically adjusting the loudness of songs, there’s no longer any
reason to try to make your song louder than the next song.

Too much compression can suck the life out of your song, making it sound
dull and flat. Even worse, it can cause a noticeable pumping effect. Limiting
should be the last step, and used to prevent clipping—not the first and only
thing you do to your mix.
Instead of smashing your mix with a limiter, focus on enhancing the dynamics
of your track. Slow attack times and fast release times will preserve transients
for a more natural sound.
Too Much EQ
With EQ, a little goes a long way while mastering.
Use gentle boosts and cuts—typically under 3dB—to avoid completely

rebalancing the mix. If you find yourself having to make big EQ moves, it’s
best to go back to the mix and make adjustments on the individual tracks.
In most cases, it’s best to use low Q values and wide bells. It’s OK to use a
dynamic narrow band if you need to zero in on a specific frequency that’s
causing problems, but for most EQ moves, a low Q value will give a more
subtle and natural sound.

Be particularly cautious of the low and high frequencies. It’s important to
make sure the lows are powerful, but too much and the mix may sound
boomy. Similarly, adding high-end can breathe life into a mix—but too much
can make it sound harsh.
Our plugin MIXROOM helps take out the guesswork when it comes to

shaping the sound of your master. It does this by giving you EQ target
suggestions that are based on how a pro engineer in a world-class studio
would approach the same audio. It also has specifically designed filters to
maximise clarity when processing your audio during mastering.
Phase Issues
If something in your mix is out of phase it can cause the low-end to feel thin
and weak or even make stereo tracks disappear while listening in mono.
Sometimes you may need to correct phase problems from the recording or
mixing stages, but mastering engineers can also create new phase problems
by using stereo imaging plug-ins or “non-linear” EQs.
Traditional or “non-linear” EQs introduce phase shifts when you boost or cut a
band. Not only can this cause phase problems in your track, but they also
tend to have more color and character than linear-phase EQs.

That’s why many mastering engineers use special “linear phase” EQs to avoid
creating phase problems. Linear phase EQs delay the incoming signal to
ensure all bands are in phase, causing them to create significant latency.
While they may not be ideal for tracking, they’re great for mastering.
After making my EQ and stereo spread adjustments, I always use LEVELS to

check for phase problems. The STEREO FIELD tab uses a vectorscope to
display audio placement in the stereo field.
The meter on the left side will read near +1 to indicate a well-balanced mix,
and towards -1 to indicate that the mix has phase issues. Don’t forget to use
the mono button at the top to make sure your mix holds up in mono!
Not Paying Attention to Your Levels
Mastering isn’t just about making your mix sound good—it’s also about
making sure it meets the technical requirements for streaming and
distribution. And that means you need to keep a close watch on your levels.
Thankfully, LEVELS has everything you need to make sure your master is

radio-ready before pressing print.
Use the PEAK tab to make sure there’s no unwanted clipping in your mix.
Select one of the mastering presets to change the target decibel and make
sure your track stays under the threshold to avoid distortion.

Use the LUFS (loudness units relative to full scale) tab to measure the
perceived loudness of your track. The mastering presets have various
loudness targets ranging from a maximum of -6 to -12 LUFS.
There is a short-term LUFS meter on the left and an integrated LUFS meter on
the right. The short-term meter will display the LUFS measurement over the
last three seconds. The integrated meter shows the accumulating LUFS level
of your track.
The DYNAMIC RANGE tab uses an oscilloscope to measure the dynamic

range of your music. LEVELS creates a ratio of the ‘short-term LUFS’ to ‘peak
level’ of your track and gives you a Dynamic Range reading. The lower the
number, the less dynamic range your track has. Use this to make sure your
mix is not over-compressed.
The LOUDNESS RANGE tab measures the volume of your track over time to
show you how much it varies from section to section. Most tracks have a
loudness range between 6 and 4LU. If your track has a loudness range of less
than 3LU for more than 30 seconds, the meter will turn red.

Not Using Reference Tracks
References aren’t just for mixing engineers. In fact, most “reference mixes”
are actually fully mastered tracks, so it actually makes more sense to use
them when mastering.
Using references is crucial to learning how to master your own tracks. It can
be difficult to remain objective when working on your own material, which is
why it’s so important to compare your track to others to help guide your
progress.
REFERENCE makes it easy to quickly compare the levels and loudness of

your mix with professionally mastered tracks.
Load REFERENCE on your master bus, drag in your favorite reference tracks,
and instantly compare the tonal balance, punch, and stereo width of your
track. Use the level match feature to account for any level discrepancies, then
watch the Trinity Display for tips on how to make your track sound more like
the references.
If the white level line moves above the centre line, the original track has more
of that frequency range than the reference. If the level line falls below the
centre line, the original track has less of that frequency range that the
reference
You’ll also see punch dots pulsating across the frequency spectrum. If the
punch dots move toward the central 0dB line, the original track is more
compressed than the reference. If the punch dots move toward the level line,
the original track is less compressed than the reference.
REFERENCE even lets you compare stereo width. Understanding the stereo

spread of both your original track and your reference will help you get closer
to the sound you want. You can use panning in your DAW or a stereo tool to
reduce or increase the width of a specific frequency range in your track. 
 

Avoid making these five common mistakes when mastering in the box and
you’ll be well on your way to cutting radio-ready records.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Mixing Drums
The drum kit is one of the most complex elements in modern music. As the
primary rhythmic instrument, drums are the foundation of most songs. And
with multiple drums and cymbals that span the entire frequency spectrum,
drum kits take up a huge part of the mix.
That’s why it’s so important to nail the drum sound from the start—otherwise,
you'll spend hours mixing and remixing your track. Keep reading to learn how
to dial in the perfect drum sound with our step-by-step guide to mixing
drums.
Balance
The first step to getting a solid drum sound is finding the right balance—not
just between each element of the kit, but between the drums and the other
instruments as well.
Start by listening to the drum kit and making sure you can hear each element
clearly. The snare is typically the loudest element in the kit, followed by the
kick and toms. Use the overhead and room mics to her create a space for the
drums and make all of the close mics sound cohesive.

Even when you know what to listen for, it can be tricky to know when you’ve
struck the right balance. That’s why I always use reference mixes to make
sure I’m staying on track.
REFERENCE makes it easy to quickly compare your track to your favorite

mixes. Drag your reference mixes into the Wave Transport, engage the Level
Match feature, and press play.
Toggle back and forth between your mix and the references and listen
carefully to the balance between each element in the mix. Then tweak the
levels of each drum until you get the balance right.
You can also check the Trinity Display at the bottom to see how the frequency
balance, stereo width and punch of your track compares to your reference.
Make note of any issues and tackle them as you work your way through the
mix, starting with EQ.
EQ
When EQing drums, it’s important that you always listen in context. Using the
solo button to hear an instrument more clearly may seem like a good idea, but

you won’t be getting the full picture. You may be tempted to add more of a
certain frequency that’s already abundant in the overhead mics, and so on.
Of course, every drum mix is unique, but here are a few key frequencies I
always pay special attention to for each drum.
Kick
• Remove any low-end rumble using a high-pass filter, up to 50 Hz

depending on the mix
• Boost the fundamental frequency of the kick, typically between 60 and

120 Hz (or cut if there’s too much)
• Remove any mud in the low-mids, typically around 250 Hz
• Remove any boxiness or excessive room tone in the midrange, typically

between 250 Hz and 1 kHz
• Boost the 1 - 5 kHz range to bring out the snap and attack of the beater
(if needed) 
Snare

• Boost the fundamental frequency of the snare, typically between 150

and 250 Hz (or cut if there’s too much)
• Remove any muddiness or boxiness in the low-mids, typically between

250 - 500 Hz
• Remove any ringing in the snare drum with a narrow band, typically
between 500 Hz and 1.5 kHz
• Boost 3 - 5 kHz to add snap and attack if needed 

• Boost 8 kHz and above with a high shelf to add sizzle and air 
Toms

• Boost the fundamental frequency of the tom, typically between 80 and

200 Hz (or cut if there’s too much)

• Boost the 1 - 5 kHz range to add snap and attack (if needed) 
Cymbals and Overheads
• Make room for other low-end instruments by high-passing close-mic’d

cymbals up to 300 Hz

• Carve out space for the vocal by making a small cut around 5 kHz, if
needed
• Boost above 8 kHz with a high-shelf to add sparkle and glimmer  
After dialing in your drum mix, add BASSROOM to the drum bus and use the
target presets to make sure your low-end is in check. This can be a great way
to quickly improve your drum mix without having to make EQ tweaks on each
track.

Noise Gate / Transient Enhancement
Live drum recordings always suffer from noise bleed, or sound that picks up
in multiple microphones. Not only does this make it tough to mix, it can make
your drum tracks sound sloppy.
That’s why many engineers choose to use noise gates to remove drum bleed
from the kick, snare and tom mics. Of course, this only works when dealing
with close-mics. Using noise gates on the overhead mics makes it sound like
someone keeps opening and closing the door to the recording studio.
Add a noise gate to your drum track and set the threshold so that the gate is
closed whenever the drum isn’t playing. Then, when the drum is hit and the
signal exceeds the threshold, the gate is opened and you can hear the drum
again. As soon as the signal falls back below the threshold, the gate is closed,
removing any unwanted drum bleed.
However, this approach can sometimes make drum recordings sound sterile
or choppy. For a more natural-sounding solution, try using PUNCH. PUNCH is
a dynamic transient enhancement plug-in that can be used to accentuate the
attack of a drum without muting the room tone for a more organic sound.

Compression
Compressors are powerful tools that allow you to control the dynamic
response of a drum kit. They can be used to enhance the attack of each
drum, create a more controlled sound, or help glue the whole mix together.
In many genres, it’s common to compress each drum channel individually.

Although the settings may vary greatly, depending on what you’re trying to
accomplish.
Slow attack times allow the full impact of the drum to pass through and then
clamp down on the sustain portion of the sound, helping the transients cut
through the mix. But if the attack time is too slow, the compressor may not be
fast enough to catch each transient.
Fast attack times shave off the initial transient of the hit, which can be great
for adding control. But if the attack time is too fast, it sucks all of the impact
out of the drum and pushes it further back in the mix.
When working with drums, it’s best to use moderate to fast release times.
Fast release times can help add excitement and perceived loudness—but too
fast can cause unwanted pumping sounds.

When setting attack and release times for drums, I like to start with the
slowest attack time and fastest release time, then adjust to taste. I increase
the attack time until I start to lose too much of the initial transient, then back
off a bit.
Then I slowly decrease the release time to make the compressor “breathe” in
time with the tempo of the song. I want to see the needle moving 3-6 dB each
time the drum hits and returning back to 0 just before the next hit.
I typically start with the ratio around 4:1 and increase it for a more aggressive
sound, or decrease it for a more gentle sound, like for overheads and cymbal
mics.
Except when it comes to parallel compression—then I crank the ratio as high

as it will go. Some engineers will use parallel compression on the whole drum
bus, but I find it makes the cymbals sound rather noisy.
I typically send kick, snare and toms to an aux bus, smash them to
smithereens, and gently blend them back in to help beef up the sound. Using
heavy compression on the room mics creates an exciting, energetic sound
that’s great for some tracks too.

Reverb
When you listen to a drum kit, you listen to the whole thing. You don’t listen
with your ear three inches from the snare drum. That’s why a drum mix with all
close mics sounds claustrophobic. Reverb is a great tool for adding depth
and space to any drum mix.
Depending on the genre, you may choose a small room. Something bright
and echoing like a garage, or something smooth and warm like a wooden
recording studio.
Hall reverbs are also a common choice when working with drums. Perfect for
more “live” sounding material, hall reverbs capture the sound of drums being
played in a live music venue.
If you’re looking for something dark, moody and ambient, try a plate reverb.
These classic reverbs give your drums a cool metallic sound that’s great for
adding space by smearing the sound.
Bus Processing
Finally, I always like to apply a round of bus processing as the cherry on top.

First, I start with a colorful shelf EQ to help add a little thump in the lows and
sparkle in the highs.
Then I use a fast-acting compressor (preferably with a side-chain filter and an

automatic release) to glue the mix together with a little bus compression.
Depending on the mix, I may use a stereo enhancement tool like GROW to

help add excitement—especially in the high frequencies above 8 or 10 kHz.
And last but not least, I always like to top off my drum mix with a little
saturation. Personally, I like using a tape machine emulation plug-in to help
give my drum mix that final coat of polish.
Not only does it add harmonics, which helps the drums cut through the mix, it
also rolls-off the highs and fattens up the low-mids with a compression-like
effect.
Recap
That was a lot to take in, right? Let’s have a quick recap:
• Use reference mixes to help you balance each element of the drum kit 

• Use EQ to cut problem frequencies and enhance what you like about
each drum
• Use noise gates or transient enhancement to make help reduce drum

bleed
• Use compression to add attack, tighten up the performance, and make

the drums breathe in time with the tempo of the track
• Use room, hall or plate reverb to create a space and add depth to your
drums
• Use bus processing to apply the final coat of polish that takes your mix
over the top 
Follow these simple steps and you’ll be well on your way to professional-
sounding drum mixes!

What To Listen for When Mastering
Mastering is one of the most important stages of the production process. It’s
where you finalize your mix and apply the finishing touches. It’s also one of
the most difficult parts of the production process - especially when mastering
your own music.
It can be tricky to know what to listen for, particularly if you’re the only person
who’s worked on the track. That’s why we put together this mastering
checklist to help you identify issues with clarity, balance and separation.
The Four Elements of a Good Mix
The first step in mastering is to identify any problems that need to be

addressed. Focus your attention on tonal balance, dynamics, width and
depth. We’ll take a closer look at each category a little later, but here’s a quick
breakdown so you’re familiar with each element.
For tonal balance, your goal is to make sure that each frequency range is
properly balanced. That doesn’t necessarily mean that your mix should have a
flat frequency response. As a matter of fact, most genres accentuate different
frequency ranges as part of their signature sound. In terms of dynamics, you
want to make sure your mix isn’t clipping or peaking, which can cause
distortion. However, the mix needs to be loud enough to not sound too quiet

when heard back to back with other tracks. You should also keep an eye on
your LUFS levels, which measure perceived volume over time.
Much of the heavy lifting in the width department is taken care of using
panning in the mix stage, but there are still ways to tweak the stereo spread of
a track while mastering. Some tracks benefit from a wide stereo image, while
others require more focus in the center.
You can control the depth of the mix using EQ, dynamics processing and of
course, reverb. Instruments that are louder, brighter or drier will sound closer
to the listener, while tracks that are quieter, duller or wetter will sound farther
away.
However, even when you know what to listen for, it can still be tricky to
identify or correct problems in your mix. That’s why I always
use REFERENCE to compare my mix to reference tracks and make sure I’m
headed in the right direction.
Add REFERENCE to your mix bus, then drag and drop your favorite reference
tracks into the Wave Transport. Click the Level Match button to ensure a fair
comparison, then toggle between the original and reference tracks to identify
problems.
Check out the Trinity Display to see how your frequency balance, stereo width
and dynamics compare to your reference tracks. This makes it easy to find
issues in your mix and quickly correct them.

Tonal Balance
In order to achieve a balanced frequency response, you’ll need to listen

closely to each frequency range and identify any problems.
Start in the sub-bass range, below 60 Hz. Use an EQ to eliminate any

excessive frequencies in this range and remove any rumble. In some cases,
you may want to use a shelf to boost the subs for a more powerful, bottom-
end.
Next, focus on the bass frequencies from 60 Hz to 250 Hz. Make sure you can
clearly hear the kick and bass. Use subtractive EQ if the track sounds boomy,
or additive EQ to add warmth. One of my favorite EQs for this frequency
range is BASSROOM because it makes it easy to visualize my sound.
Check the 250 to 500 Hz range for problems in the low-mids. If the track
sounds muddy, make a subtle cut. To add more fullness to the track, create a
gentle boost with a wide bell.
Listen to the midrange from 500 Hz to 2 kHz for problems with clarity. If the
mix sounds boxy, honky, or tinny, use subtractive EQ. A gentle boost in this
frequency range can help your mix cut through on small speakers.
Our ears are very sensitive to the upper mid-range from 2 kHz to 6 kHz. Use
subtle boosts to add presence and detail to melodic instruments or
accentuate the attack of rhythmic instruments.
Just be careful, as boosting too much in this range can sound shrill or harsh
and quickly causes listening fatigue. Making unneeded cuts in this area can
cause a track to sound distant.
The high frequencies from 6 kHz to 20 kHz are almost entirely made up of
harmonics. Boosting can make a mix sound crisp and modern, while cutting
can make a mix sound vintage and dull, but, of course, it depends on where
you mix is currently at and what the audio needs.
MIXROOM’s mastering presets make it easy to dial in genre-specific sounds.

You can even create your own target presets using your favorite reference

mixes. And with Smart Bands and mid/side processing, you can quickly fine-
tune your track.
Dynamics
In terms of dynamics, the most important thing to listen for when mastering is
clipping. While some argue that you need at least 3 or 6 dB of headroom for
mastering, the only real requirement is that the mix doesn’t hit 0 dB. If you
want to make significant EQ adjustments, you may need to reduce the gain as
you go along.
Next, listen to the dynamics of each instrument and the mix as a whole. If
there’s a big difference between the loud and quiet elements in a mix, use a
bus compressor with slow attack settings, auto release settings, and a
modest ratio of around 2.5:1 to glue the tracks together.
If you’re working with a particularly unbalanced mix, try using a multi-band

compressor. This allows you to dial in different settings for each range, giving
you more control.
If the track feels over-compressed, you may need to add more dynamics
using a transient enhancing plug-in like PUNCH. Adjust the filter to select

frequencies in the midrange and above, then adjust the percentage slider to
add excitement (see image below).
If you’re not sure whether your track needs more glue or punch,
use REFERENCE to compare your mix to popular releases. The purple Punch
Dots in the Trinity Display will move towards the white Level Line if that
frequency band is more compressed in your track than in the reference track.
The Punch Dots will move away from the Level Line if that frequency band is
less compressed in your track than in the reference track.
Width
Dialing in the width of your track can be tricky. Does the mix sound wide
enough? Are there any phase problems? How does it sound in mono?
One common issue is a lack of separation between instruments. To solve this

issue, use a mid/side EQ like MIXROOM to isolate the fundamental frequency
range to the center or sides of the track.
For instance, you could boost all frequencies above 10 kHz on the sides of
the mix to help focus the cymbals out of the center of the mix and make room
for the vocals.

If you’re looking to make your whole mix sound wider, try a stereo
enhancement plug-in like GROW. Use the filter to keep bass frequencies in
the center of the mix, then boost the percentage slider to spread the sides of
the mix.
Depth
Depth, tone and dynamics go hand-in-hand, so you’ve likely already

addressed most of the issues in your mix at this point through EQ and
dynamics processing.
However, if you’re looking to move the whole mix back a bit, you can apply a
small amount of reverb to the mix bus. Listen carefully and make sure your
new reverb has a longer tail than any reverbs used in the mix.
You can control the depth of the mix as well as individual instruments using
EQ, dynamics processing and of course, reverb. Instruments that sound
louder, brighter or drier will sound closer to the listener, while tracks that
sound quieter, duller or wetter will sound further away.
If you’re looking to bring the whole mix closer to the listener, try a reverb
removal plug-in like SPL De-Verb.

Technical Check
Before you press print, it’s best to check your mix for technical problems. Use
headphones and listen closely for technical errors like clips, pops, bad fades,
phase issues, or anything else that you may have missed.
It’s also a good idea to run your final mix through a metering plug-in
like LEVELS to check for technical issues that might cause your mix to get
rejected by streaming sites.
Once your mix passes the final technical check, give it one last listen on a few
different systems to make sure everything translates well.
Listen to your final mix on your studio monitors, your favorite pair of
headphones, a small speaker like a laptop or mobile phone, and a large
system with a subwoofer like your living room, a community space, or even
through the soundsystem at a proper venue if you can.
Listen closely and take note of any issues you hear. If you notice the same
issue on more than one system, go back to your session, make corrections,
and repeat the final listening process.

Now you know exactly what to listen for when mastering. Use these tips to
help you dial in professional sound on your next track!

Reducing Conflicting Frequencies
Producing is kind of like a musical puzzle. When all of the pieces fit into place,
you can clearly hear the whole picture. But when two instruments are trying to
occupy the same space, it can be difficult to tell what’s going on.
In order to deliver a clear, detailed mix, you need to make sure there are no
conflicting frequencies. In this blog, you’ll learn how to reduce conflicting
frequencies using instrument selection, volume balance, EQ, panning and
compression.
Build the Song As You Go
Good sound starts at the source. That’s why it’s crucial to make sure your
tracks are as balanced as possible from the beginning.
One great way to make sure your tracks don’t have any conflicting
frequencies is to build the song as you go. Start by selecting an instrument
and recording something interesting. It doesn’t matter if it’s a drum beat, a
bass groove, a chord progression or even a vocal melody—just capture
something that inspires you.

Then, as you continue building your track, only use sounds that occupy a
different part of the frequency range. For instance, if you start with a bass
groove, try adding something more high-pitched, like a synth pad. If all of
your tracks are sitting in the same range, it will be difficult to hear any of them
clearly.
There are also other factors to consider, such as rhythm, timbre, energy,
stereo width and volume. If you start with a mono bass groove with lots of low
end, a complex rhythm, a dark timbre, upbeat energy—as outlined in green in
the graph below—you should add a synth pad with different characteristics
(outlined in blue) to ensure you can hear them both clearly.
How to Reduce Conflicting Frequencies
The process for reducing conflicting frequencies is more or less the same for
every set of tracks. Let's take a quick look at each of the steps, then talk
about some examples.
STEP 1—Choose the Right Instrument
Start by recording your instrument of choice. As you add the next track, use
the chart above to find an instrument that complements what you’ve already
recorded.
STEP 2—Level Balance

Volume level can be a powerful tool for creating separation between
instruments. Louder instruments sound closer to the listener, while quieter
instruments sound further away.
STEP 3—EQ
Next, use EQ to enhance the fundamental frequency of the instrument and

carve out space for the opposing instrument’s fundamental frequency—just
make sure they’re in two different ranges.
STEP 4—Panning
Use the pan knob to create separation between the tracks. The most drastic
options are panning one track hard left and the other hard right, or making
one track mono and the other wide stereo.
STEP 5—Side-Chain Compression
If you’re still having issues with conflicting frequencies, side-chain

compression can be a great tool for drawing focus to one instrument. To set
up side-chain compression, send the track you want to highlight to a new aux
bus. Then add a compressor to the conflicting track and set the key input to
the new aux bus you just created. Adjust the threshold so that any time the
key track plays, the compressor will squeeze the conflicting track to make
room.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s take a look at some common ways
to use these techniques.
Kick + Bass
One issue that many productions suffer from is conflicting kick and bass.
These two fundamental instruments reside in the low-end, making it difficult
to carve out space for both.
As outlined in Step 1, it’s important to choose sounds that complement each

other. Depending on the genre, most songs feature audible frequencies all the
way down to 20 Hz.
To start with, you need to make sure that no other channels in your mix are
emitting unwanted low-end so your kick and bass elements can sound
powerful and clear.
Use the BASS SPACE meter in LEVELS (pictured below) to help determine

which channels are emitting excess low-end and in your mix. To use BASS
SPACE first mute your kick and bass elements within your DAW. Whilst
monitoring your track, the frequency bars will jump into the upper red half of
the circle if there is too much low-end energy. If this is the case you need to
identify which channels are outputting the excess low frequencies. Mute the
individual channels one at a time until the bars drop into the green to find the
culprit and then use a high pass filter to clean up this excess low-end rumble
to maximise the clarity and power of your track. Be careful to not remove the
material you actually want to hear in your mix.
After cleaning up any unnecessary low-end, determine whether the kick or

bass will occupy the lowest frequencies, then find a sound that sits just above
that. For instance, the fundamental frequency of a bass guitar might sit
around 40 Hz, while the kick sits at 120 Hz—or vice versa.
Use EQ to emphasize the fundamental frequency of each track by boosting

the bass around 40 Hz and cutting around 120 Hz to make room for the kick
—and vice versa on the kick drum.

The kick drum should be the louder of the two tracks since it typically plays
less frequently and in short percussive bursts. This will help it cut through the
mix over the bass.
Finally, follow the instructions outlined in Step 4 to side-chain the kick drum to
the bass guitar so that every time the kick hits, the bass guitar ducks down to
make room.
Guitars/Piano + Vocal
Another common cause of conflicting frequencies comes from rhythm

instruments, such as guitar or piano, and vocals. Obviously the vocal should
be the loudest element in the mix and the focal point of the song, but the
chord progression needs to be present as well.
To help ensure both instruments can be heard clearly, follow the steps
outlined above. Start by cutting the 3-5 kHz range on the guitar or piano track
to make room for the vocals. Because our ears are so sensitive to this range,
you may not need to boost any frequencies on the vocal at all.
Instead, boost the midrange frequencies to help the rhythm instruments stand
out. Try around 1.5 kHz for a sharp, aggressive sound, or boost the low-mids
to add power and “oomph.” You can also use a mid-side EQ to further
enhance the separation by boosting each frequency range in a different part
of the stereo spectrum.
Side-chain compression can be a very effective tool for making sure the vocal
sits on top of the chord progression. Use the vocal as the key input and
compress the guitar or piano track. This helps the vocal “float” on top of the
music bed while keeping the music right up front when the vocals aren’t
playing.
You could even take it one step further and use a dynamic EQ to duck the 3-5
kHz range of the guitars or piano while the vocal is playing. That way the
fundamental frequency of the notes will still stay defined without interfering
with the vocal.
Percussion
Another area I often see conflicting frequencies is in the percussion section.

Between the kick, snare, toms, cymbals and everything else, the drum kit can
sound a bit busy at times.
Use the steps outlined above to carve out space for each instrument in the
mix. Panning is especially useful here, and it’s not uncommon to pan the
drum kit all around the stereo spectrum.

Dynamic EQ can be particularly useful here as well—especially when dealing
with the occasional tom hit. It doesn’t make sense to carve up your drum kit
to make room for a few toms that only play for two hits at the end of the
chorus.
Instead, use a dynamic EQ to push down the low-mids in the rest of the kit
and make room for the toms.
We outlined a few examples above, but these techniques can be applied to

any tracks with conflicting frequencies. Use instrument selection, level
balance, EQ, panning and side-chain compression to reduce conflicting
frequencies in your next mix.

How To Know When Your Mix Is Finished
One of the hardest parts of mixing is knowing when to stop. Most engineers
have an innate desire to tweak things. It’s part of what makes us good at our
jobs—we love to take things apart and tinker with the pieces.
But too much mixing can actually be a bad thing. Eventually, you stop
improving the mix and start making it worse. That’s why it’s so important to
stay focused while mixing to ensure you don’t lose sight of the big picture.
Check out our seven-step checklist for making sure your mix is finished.
You Can Hear Each Instrument Clearly
On a basic level, the goal of mixing is to make sure you can hear each
element clearly. Before pressing print on your final mix, listen closely to make
sure you can hear what each instrument is playing at all times.
When two instruments occupy the same space in the frequency spectrum, it
can make it difficult to hear them clearly. For instance, if you’re having trouble
hearing the kick and bass, carve out space in different ranges for each
instrument. Try cutting the lows on the kick and the low-mids on the bass to

make room for both instruments. For even more separation, boost the low-
mids in the kick and the lows in the bass.
You Can Understand Every Word of the Lyrics
Arguably, the vocal is the most important track in any song. It should be the
focal point of the mix, which is why it’s important to make sure you can
understand every word.
Start by checking the level—the vocal should be the loudest track in your mix.
If you notice that the vocal occasionally sounds too quiet or too loud, try
using a compressor to maintain consistent levels. Use a slow attack and a
fast release for a natural sound, and apply 3-6 dB of compression with a
modest ratio.
If you also happen to be the person singing on the track, after you get the
vocal level sounding right, bring the fader up by 1 dB. Due to the way that we
hear our own voices, vocalists tend to bury the vocal when mixing.
Remember, someone who has never heard the lyrics before should be able to
understand every word!

The Mix Is Glued Together
While it’s important to have separation between each element, your mix
should also feel cohesive. To make sure your tracks don’t feel disjointed, use
a bus compressor to “glue” all of the instruments together. Try using a slow
attack and fast release settings with very mild ratios like 2:1,and as little as
1-2 dB of gain reduction.
If you find that this throws off the balance of your mix, try using a multi-band
compressor to tame any frequencies that stand out. You may find it useful to
compress some frequency ranges more aggressively than others. This
approach can be great for making multiple tracks sound like they were
recorded in the same space together.

There Are No Technical Issues with the Mix
When the vibe is right and everyone in the studio is excited that you’re nailing
the mix, it can be easy for subtle mistakes to slip through the cracks. And
while it may not seem like a big deal, those tiny issues become amplified
during mastering.
Use LEVELS to check your mix for technical issues, including peak levels to
make sure there is no clipping or distortion and LUFS levels to make sure you
meet the target levels for your streaming service of choice. You can even
check the phase of your mix to make sure tracks don’t misspeak in mono, as
well as the dynamic range to make sure you didn’t squeeze the life out of the
performance.
It Grows and Changes Over Time
Songs that grow over time tend to be more dynamic and interesting. They
often start out quiet with the intro, add in a few new elements for the verse,
and pick up steam in the chorus before crescendoing at the bridge.
Too much compression can cause your mix to sound flat or stagnant. If you’re
going for a punchy sound but still want your mix to sound dynamic, you can

automate the level of the mix bus to add energy and excitement throughout
the song.
Identify the loudest and quietest moments in the song and emphasize the
changes in level during these sections. Bring the verses down 1 dB and the
choruses up to really grab the listener’s attention.
It Sounds Good Compared to Other Songs
Every song sounds good in a vacuum. That’s why it’s important to compare
your mix to other popular tracks in your genre—not to copy or mimic their
sound, but to make sure you’re in the right ballpark.
With REFERENCE, you can easily compare your mix to your favorite tracks.
Just insert REFERENCE on your mix bus, drag and drop a few of your favorite
songs into the Wave Transport, and select the Level Match feature in the top
right corner to make sure you’re getting a fair comparison.
Press play and toggle back and forth between your track and your reference
mixes. Listen closely to the balance of each instrument. Try to identify any
sonic trends or genre tropes you should be following. Check the Trinity
Display for detailed information on the differences between your mix,
including frequency balance, dynamics and stereo width.

It Sounds Good on Multiple Sound Systems
Once you get the mix sounding good on your studio speakers, you may think
your mix is finished—but it’s only just begun. The true test is to make sure
your mix sounds good on every system. When mixing in untreated rooms (like
most home studios), frequency build-ups can trick you into thinking your mix
sounds better than it actually does.
For instance, if your room has a frequency build-up around 80 Hz, you may
cut that frequency out of the kick and bass. But as soon as you play it on
another system with a subwoofer, it sounds weak and thin. When you can’t
trust what you’re hearing, it becomes very difficult to make critical mix
decisions.
Grab a pen and paper and take notes as you listen to your track on a few
different systems, including headphones, small speakers like your cell phone
or laptop, full-range speakers like a hi-fi system, and your car stereo. Use
your notes to guide you through the final steps and refine your mix until you’re
happy with the way it sounds on each system.

You Love the Way It Sounds
At the end of the day, the most important thing is that you’re happy with the
way the mix sounds. A great mix should make you have an emotional reaction
to the song. It should make you want to sing, dance, cry, or jump into the
mosh pit. That’s my marker for knowing when a mix is finished—as soon as I
find bobbing my head and myself singing along, I know I’m getting close.
Bookmark this checklist and use it next time you’re mixing to help make sure
you’ve covered all of your bases and don’t over-analyze your mix.

How to EQ During Mastering in 2020
Sculpting the sound of your master can be difficult. But the truth is, a little bit
of EQ can sonically transform a rough mix into a professional-sounding
master in no time—if you know what to look for. In this blog, we’ll explain how
to use EQ to sculpt your sound while mastering, and how plug-ins like
compressors can affect the frequency balance too.
Use Reference Mixes to Set Sonic Goals
Before you reach for an EQ, it’s important to listen to a few reference tracks to
get an idea of what you want your mix to sound like. Not only does it help
tune your ears to the type of sound you want to achieve, but comparing your
mix to reference tracks gives you a map of exactly what to change.
Load REFERENCE as the last plug-in on your mix bus and drop in a few of
your favorite mixes. Engage the level match feature in the top right corner and
toggle back and forth between your mix and the reference tracks. Use this to
guide your EQ decisions while mastering.

For instance, if you notice that your mix sounds a little harsh compared to the
reference mixes, check the Trinity Display to confirm what you’re hearing, and
make a note to tame the high-mids and high-end in your track.
Pay special attention to the level balance between instruments, as this can be
difficult to fix in the mastering stage. If possible, open up the mix session and
adjust the stem levels before you begin mastering. If the track sounds
balanced and you’re sure you can get great results from the mix, load up the
rest of your mastering plug-ins and get to work!

Essential Plug-ins For Mastering
Everybody has their own secret recipe for which plug-ins they like to use on
the master bus, but almost everyone uses some form of gain adjustment, EQ,
compression, limiting and metering. There can be other types of plug-ins too,
but these are the fundamentals.
At the beginning of every session, I’ll load up my favorite mastering chain.

Each of the plug-ins start with very subtle settings, which I tweak and adjust
to suit the needs of the track. I find it’s better to add the entire chain all at
once rather than adding plug-ins one by one because each plug-in affects
how the other plug-ins respond to the sound.
If I focused on adjusting the EQ first and then add a compressor, it could

squash my sound, forcing me to move back a step and tweak the EQ to
compensate. Or maybe I boost some frequencies with the EQ only to find out
they become harsh when the limiter is added at the end.

Set The Level
My first step is to set the loudness of the track to an appropriate level for
release. Depending on where you plan to release your music, that might be -9
integrated LUFS for a CD or -14 LUFS if you want to optimise for Spotify and
YouTube. You can read more about how I do this in this blog post. Once this
is done I can proceed with shaping the track.
Sculpting The Low-End
One of the keys to mastering is dialing in a powerful bottom-

end. BASSROOM makes it easy to sculpt frequencies below 320 Hz using five
bands with variable gain and Q control. Genre-specific EQ target suggestions
take the guesswork out of mixing and point you to the perfect sound in
seconds.

The first thing I do in every mix is roll-off the low-end. If the track is feeling too
bass-heavy, I’ll make a gentle cut at 20 or 40 Hz with a relatively wide bell.
The low cut will give me extra headroom to work with and tighten up the
remaining bass frequencies.
If the track feels a little boxy, I’ll make a small cut at 160 Hz or 320 Hz,
depending on the mix. This can help bring clarity to busy mixes. If you notice
that the track feels weak or thin, try boosting at 320 Hz to add body. Just be
careful as too much in this range can make your mix sound muddy.
To add warmth, try boosting with a wide bell at 80 Hz. Just be careful—
boosting too much in this area can quickly eat up your headroom or even
cause distortion.
Adding Character And Clarity To The Mix
Mastering is all about achieving maximum clarity and

transparency. MIXROOM makes it easy to zero in on specific frequencies,

using smart EQ bands to set the perfect balance. Plus, genre and channel-
specific EQ target suggestions make it easy to compare your mix to the pros.
To push the vocal forward in the mix, boost 1 - 5 kHz in the center channel by
pressing the “M” on the smart band. This switches the band from processing
stereo to processing the mid channel. Since the lead vocal is almost always
centered in the mix, this can help bring focus to the vocal. If you feel that the
vocal is too loud or in your face, try making a subtle cut in this range.
To add presence to vocals, snare drums and guitars, try boosting around 3 - 7
kHz. This can help give transients more bite and attitude. Just be careful not
to boost too much or your mix can sound harsh. I like to blend this boost
across the center and side channels to help create a sense of space.
Finally, I often add a bit of glistening top-end sparkle by boosting frequencies

above 10 kHz with a high-shelf. This helps give high frequencies a really crisp
feel without being overly crunchy or shrill.

‘Rules’ for Mastering EQ
There is a general ‘rule’ repeated by many mastering engineers that states

that one shouldn't make boosts or cuts greater than 3 dB. If you find yourself
wanting to make these kinds of changes, then it’s more than likely that the
track needs to be re-mixed.
Another fact to consider is that a low-end boost has a secondary effect of

dulling the high-end. Though the high frequencies haven't been reduced, the
human ear perceives them as having less presence due to the increase in low
frequencies.
Another ‘rule’ is to keep the Q’s wide rather than pushing or cutting resonant
frequencies. Thankfully, MIXROOM is loaded with useful features for
mastering. Linear Phase mode helps preserve phase while mastering for
pristine sound, while Master Mode limits your EQ moves to 4 dB and 1.5 Q.
Just remember, these ‘rules’ are a good starting point and more often than
not I stick to them… but don’t be afraid to break the rules if it will have a
positive effect on the music.
How Compression Affects Sound During Mastering

At this point, your mix should be sounding pretty good. But nothing will ruin it
faster than slapping a compressor across the mix bus and destroying the
delicate balance you worked so hard to create.
The compressor is often the culprit for introducing unwanted distortion into
your master. It can add volume which also has an effect on the tonal balance.
Louder music sounds fuller in the bass and more present in the high
frequencies than a track with EXACTLY the same balance but a few decibels
quieter.
Be aware that the compressor can have a flattening effect on the EQ curves
of the EQs that precede it. After dialing in a compressor setting, toggle the
bypass to see if it’s had any flattening effect on your tonal balance. If it has,
then adjust the EQ where needed.
As you start to apply more compression, this flattening effect can become
more pronounced. That’s why it’s so important to have the compressor
engaged from the beginning, even if the settings are rough.
Try using a subtle ratio, like 1.5 or 2:1. Moderately slow attack speeds and
fast release times tend to work well—although I usually prefer the auto release
setting.
Check on your gain reduction periodically while mastering to make sure

you’re not squeezing the mix too hard. Try to keep the needle under 3 dB. If
you find that you need more gain reduction than that, it may be best to go
back to the mix stage and adjust the balance.
As always, be sure to compensate for any lost gain using the makeup gain
setting. Just be sure not to overcompensate and cause your mix bus to clip or
peg the limiter.

Follow these steps to sculpting your sound during your next mastering
session for a clear, transparent sound.

How to EQ A Vocal in 2020
The earliest recording consoles had simple EQ controls for boosting or cutting
high and low-end. But recording technology has grown so much over the
years. And so have our perceptions of what sounds “professional.”
In this blog, we’ll break down everything you need to know about how to EQ a
vocal in 2020—from basics like setting the level and getting the right balance
to more advanced techniques like adding saturation for color.
Give Yourself A Sonic Target
Over the last 70 years or so, music genres have continued to splinter into new
sub-genres with unique sonic textures and tonal tropes. Perhaps the most
obvious place to hear this is in the lead vocal. Some genres like indie rock or
bedroom pop may call for a darker sound with lots of body, while other
genres like hip-hop and house tend to have brighter-sounding vocals.
That’s why it’s absolutely crucial to use reference mixes to help guide your
decisions while setting the vocal level and applying EQ. REFERENCE is a
plugin by Mastering The Mix that’s packed with powerful tools to help you

zero in on what makes your sub-genre unique, and how to make your track
and vocals sound comparable.
Drag in a few songs that give a good representation of what you want your
vocal to sound like into REFERENCE and engage the Level Match feature to
make sure you’re getting a fair comparison. Toggle between each of the
reference mixes and check the Trinity Display at the bottom of the plugin for
detailed visual insights to help you match the tonal balance, punch, and
stereo width of your reference tracks.
Pay special attention to the 1-5 kHz range, where the vocal is most
prominent. If the white level line in the Trinity Display is above the center line
(as shown below), that means your mix has more energy in this frequency
range compared to your reference. This might indicate that your vocal is too
loud in the context of the whole mix. Make note, and we’ll circle back to this
issue a little later.

How Volume Affects Tonal Balance
Next, listen to the balance of the vocal and the other instruments in the mix to
get a feel for how loud the vocal should be. In some genres like punk and
metal, the vocal tends to sit a bit further back in the mix, giving more energy
to the instruments. With other genres like pop, the vocal is right up in your
face.
The level of the vocal has more impact than just how close it sounds to the
listener. It can actually affect the tonal balance of the mix too. The human ear
actually perceives sound differently depending on the volume.
For instance, at lower levels, bass frequencies are harder to hear. Meaning a
vocal that’s too low in the mix can feel weak or thin. Alternatively, higher
frequencies become easier to hear at higher levels, meaning if you make the
vocal too loud it may sound harsh or shrill.
In most cases, the vocal should be the loudest instrument in the mix—except
for the kick and snare, which are only audible in quick, short bursts. Aim for
the vocal to “sit on top” of the rest of the mix, meaning it’s just a hair louder
than the other instruments. From here, you can boost or cut the vocal by 1-2
dB to move it forward or backward in the mix.

Remove Resonances Using Dynamic EQ
After setting the level, focus on removing any unwanted frequencies. If you
noticed any problems in the 1-5 kHz range while comparing to your reference
mixes, start by making a gentle cut to reduce harshness.
Next, look for any resonances that may cause your vocal to stick out of the
mix. If you’re having trouble identifying additional resonances by ear, use the
frequency sweeping technique. Start by boosting a single band with a narrow
Q and sweeping through the frequency spectrum. Listen closely for any
frequency resonances that hum or ring and use EQ to make a small, narrow
cut in this range.
However, the severity of these resonances tends to change as the vocalist

moves around the microphone while singing. Cutting enough to remove a
resonance issue may cause the vocal to sound thin at other times.
That’s why it’s best to use a dynamic EQ like SurferEQ 2 by Sound Radix or
the free TDR Nova by Tokyo Dawn Records. Dynamic EQs are threshold-
dependent (like a compressor or gate), meaning they only cut when the target
frequency exceeds the designated threshold.
Essentially, it’s an automated EQ that targets specific frequencies when they

become unpleasant. Think of dynamic EQ like the best mix assistant you’ve
ever had—now if it could only brew up some coffee…

Shape The Overall Sound And Add Depth Using Mid/Side EQ
After using subtractive EQ to remove any problems, it’s time to add depth and
dimension using a mid/side EQ. By focusing on either the mid or side
channels, you can create separation and space in stereo tracks.
For instance, cutting the low-mids in the center channel can help bring focus
to the mix, while boosting the highs on the sides creates a wide stereo image.
This can be a very powerful tool when working with busy mixes.
MIXROOM makes it easy to deliver maximum clarity and transparency in the

mid and high-frequency ranges with specially designed EQ filters ranging
from 300 Hz to 20 kHz. Pull up one of the target vocal presets or create your
own using stems from another session and MIXROOM will show you exactly
which frequencies to boost or cut to get the sound you’re looking for.

Add Richness and Warmth Using Harmonic Saturation
Classic analog signal processors are often said to make a song sound like a
“record,” and are great for adding color and character to vocals. Tube-based
EQs like the Pultec EQP-1A and Class-A designs like the Neve 1073 add
harmonic overtones that help your vocals cut through the mix.
Thankfully, you don’t have to run out and pick up a vintage tube equalizer to
add saturation to your track. There are plenty of great analog emulations
available in plug-in form, each with their own unique sound. For instance, try
using the EQP-1A to boos the highs for a brilliant sheen, or use the 1073 to
boost the low-mids for classic warmth.
Use these tips when EQing your next vocal to dial in a crisp, clean and
modern sound!

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BEST OF

© Mastering The Mix 2020 Page 1 of 118

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Mastering The Mix’s single driving goal is to help music producers

Enjoy, and get your music sounding better than ever!

© Mastering The Mix 2020 Page 3 of 118

For months, I would add a compressor to my tracks because I knew I was

It wasn’t until I mastered the attack and release settings on my favorite

HOW TO USE A COMPRESSOR

In order to understand how to set the attack and release times on a

The threshold setting controls when the compressor kicks in. The term

© Mastering The Mix 2020 Page 4 of 118

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The make-up gain setting should be used to add back however much gain

COMPRESSOR ATTACK AND RELEASE SETTINGS

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Fast Attack Speed (10 microseconds - 1 millisecond)

With a fast attack speed, the compressor kicks in almost immediately, which

© Mastering The Mix 2020 Page 7 of 118

Slow Attack Speed (10 to 100 milliseconds)

Fast Release Speed (50 to 100 milliseconds)

© Mastering The Mix 2020 Page 8 of 118

Slow-release speeds are great for smoothing out dynamic performances. It

© Mastering The Mix 2020 Page 9 of 118

HOW TO SET ATTACK AND RELEASE TIME

When it comes to setting compressors, discussing speciﬁc settings isn’t really

© Mastering The Mix 2020 Page 10 of 118

How To Measure Dynamic Range

Click Here To Learn More About LEVELS

© Mastering The Mix 2020 Page 12 of 118

Mixing Bass for Pop

Listen To Example Of Great Souding Pop Bass

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Click Here To Learn More About BASSROOM

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Listen To Example Of Great Souding Rock Bass

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Mixing Bass for Hip-Hop

Listen To Example Of Great Souding Hip Hop Bass

© Mastering The Mix 2020 Page 16 of 118

Listen To Example Of Great Souding R&B Bass

You can use your favorite EQ or even a subharmonic enhancement plug-in to

© Mastering The Mix 2020 Page 17 of 118

Mixing Bass For Electronic Music

Listen To Example Of Great Souding Electronic Bass

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Eventually, I stumbled across a YouTube video of one of my idols mixing with

Why Balance Is Important

As playback volume increases, our hearing becomes more balanced, making

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Use Reference To Find a Starting Point

It can be diﬃcult to know exactly how loud each instrument should be in a

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Next, bring in the remaining instruments in order of importance. If it’s a rock

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Learning how to balance all of the elements in a mix can be diﬃcult,

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