Introduction What is the key to a clean and loud mix? Is it EQ? Is it compression? Limiting maybe? To some extent – yes. But in my experience, the biggest game-changer that significantly improved my mixes was focusing on properly gain staging my tracks. What is gain staging? Gain staging is the process of managing … Read more
Mixing is complicated. If it were easy – everyone would do it well. It requires an investment of time and effort spent on understanding, and a lot of practice. When I’m teaching, I’m constantly trying to help my students become more efficient so they can make better music and spend less time mixing it. I … Read more
Compression is a highly talked about topic in the world of mixing. Unfortunately, it is an often-misunderstood tool in the engineer’s toolbox. In this article, I aim to answer the question “what is a compressor?” and perhaps more importantly – how do I use compression in a mix? What is a compressor? A compressor is … Read more
Talk about a good question. I myself mulled over this one for awhile back in 2012 before I ultimately decided to pursue the college route. Years later – after graduating and navigating the music industry as an entrepreneur – I’ve formulated an opinion on this question which I will share with you in this article. … Read more
Every music producer loves making music. So much so that it is the easy part. The challenging part is taking that passion and turning it into money so you can pay your bills and continue making more music. The music industry offers some of the most diverse income streams imaginable for those who are savvy … Read more
Getting a song mixed can be an exciting and daunting experience at the same time. You’ve spent so much time making sure that you’ve created your best art – now its time to put it together and add the polish it needs to leave a mark on the world when its finally released. Making sure … Read more
At the beginning of everyone’s journey, most music creators ask themselves: should I build my own home-studio or should I pay to use a professional studio to record? Before we delve into how to answer this big question – we first need to evaluate your preferences, abilities, expectations and future ambitions. Look at the following … Read more
As a mentor to many young and upcoming producers, I often get asked the same question: “I’ve made a lot beats, but how do I get someone to rap/sing on them?” It’s not such a simple answer. At least not as simple as opening up your favourite DAW and banging out a beat. Connecting with … Read more
Getting sounds to compliment each other in a mix can sometimes be a challenge- especially if you aren’t familiar with mixing audio yet. A common question most producers ask when it comes to mixing is how to get their 808s and kick drums to sit better together in a mix without clashing or drowning each … Read more
Mixing vocals can be a piece of cake when the artist and recording engineer played their parts correctly. But sometimes it can be a head-scratching nightmare if you are dealing with tracks that pierce the ears. Harsh vocals are never good for the end-listener– they aren’t pleasant (borderline painful really) and usually appear worse on … Read more