http://www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com/

Mixing Mastering Mentoring, London (2025)

16/11/2022

017 - The Finishing Line

In the final video in this FREE, 17-part 'Art of the Mixdown' series, we take a look at how to get your mix over that, often elusive, finishing line.

How do you know when your mix is finished?
What’s going to stop you from mixing and tweaking until your mix falls apart and you stop trusting your own judgement?

https://www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com/tutorials-all/017-the-finishing-line

This invaluable final tutorial gives you a raft of tips, tricks and ways of thinking to help give you a big picture mindset, so you can complete the process of creating the perfect mix down without sending yourself mad by spiralling into all the little details.

Check out the full tutorial and webpage via www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com which includes all the YouTube videos and a FREE pdf book of the whole 17-part course.

12/11/2022

016 - Balancing Your Levels

In the sixteenth video in this FREE, 17-part 'Art of the Mixdown' series, we take a look at balancing your levels to create the final mix. At this point in the mixdown process you should have already done all of your detailed work.

You will have been through each individual channel and have made sure there’s no frequency content in any of your parts that shouldn’t be there. This should provide you with some headroom to work with.

https://www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com/tutorials-all/016-balancing-your-levels

Now it’s time to balance your levels. This is where having your parts grouped into busses becomes super helpful. As long as everything is balanced within each group, then you should find it pretty easy to get a good balance within your track. The key is to make sure that each group, at this point, has no automation on it so you can simply move the faders up and down to get the balance as you like it as a whole.

To learn how to balance your levels in more detail, check out the full tutorial via the tutorials pages at www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com which include a YouTube video and FREE pdf cheat sheets.

09/11/2022

015 - Custom FX Chains and Templates

In the fifteenth video in this FREE, 17-part 'Art of the Mixdown' series, we take a look at custom FX chains and Templates. Creating custom chains and using templates are a great way to streamline your workflow.

Think of a custom FX chain as a series of plugins in a fixed order that you can call up at the click of a button.

https://www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com/tutorials-all/015-custom-fx-chain-and-templates

The best creative work tends to happen quickly. I’ve found that generally, the EQ, stereo control and compression devices I use tend to be the same on every channel, therefore creating a Custom FX chain really speeds up my process. That’s not to say I would use every plugin in my FX chain every time, but having them all there as an option at hand is a real time-saver.

To learn how to use custom FX chains and templates in more detail, check out the full tutorial via the tutorials pages at www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com which include a YouTube video and FREE pdf cheat sheets. It also includes my own Channel Strip FX Chain to download (for Ableton Suite 11 users).

05/11/2022

014 - FX Returns - Delays

In the fourteenth video in this FREE, 17-part 'Art of the Mixdown' series, we take a look at FX Returns, and specifically how to make use of Delays. Delay is an audio signal processing technique that records an input signal to a storage medium and then plays it back after a period of time.

Delay, when used on an Effects Return, can add width, shape, depth and groove to your mixes when they may otherwise sound rather flat and leaden.

https://www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com/tutorials-all/014-fx-returns-delays

Delay can be a great way of creating width from samples with little or no stereo content without affecting the dry signal (non-affected sounds). It can be used as a way of creating ‘ghost’ notes to make your programming feel more organic. Ghost notes are like a drummer tapping a snare drum in between the main snare drum beats in order to create more of a sense of groove. They create a vibe.

To learn how to use Delay as an FX Return in more detail, check out the full tutorial via the tutorials pages at www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com which include a YouTube video and FREE pdf cheat sheets.

02/11/2022

013 - FX Returns - Reverb

In the thirteenth video in this FREE, 17-part 'Art of the Mixdown' series, we take a look at FX Returns, and specifically how to make use of Reverb. Reverb is a persistence of sound, or an echo, that happens after an initial sound is produced.

It is an incredibly important tool that, if used correctly, can really help establish a sense of a convincing physical space for all of your elements to belong in. Controlling the stereo spread of your reverb signal is a great way to ensure the combined sound knits together well.

https://www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com/tutorials-all/013-fx-returns-reverb

Short, gated reverbs are a great tool for helping your drums gel together. The trick is to make the effect return barely audible, but very noticeable when removed. It also helps to remove the lows and highs from the reverb using Low and High Pass filters.

The longer your reverb is the more it feels further back (like on a z-axis) from the rest of the sounds in the mix. That z-axis is important to think about when creating your mix.

To learn how to use Reverb as an FX Return in more detail, check out the full tutorial via the tutorials pages at www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com which include a YouTube video and FREE pdf cheat sheets.

29/10/2022

012 - Limiting

In the twelfth video in this FREE, 17-part 'Art of the Mixdown' series, we take a look at Limiting. A Limiter is simply an extreme form of audio compressor where the ratio is set to 20:1 or higher. It keeps the volume from going over a threshold that you set.

A limiter is an essential tool to prevent unwanted volume spikes that might result in digital clipping, a nasty form of distortion created by overloading a channel with too much volume.

https://www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com/tutorials-all/012-limiting

The threshold of a limiter sets the maximum volume level and won’t allow any audio over that threshold. Those transient peaks (or attack points) that are exceeding the given threshold are being brought closer to the quieter moments within your sample. This can give the perception of making the part louder.

To learn how to use shaping EQ in more detail, check out the full tutorial via the tutorials pages at www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com which include a YouTube video and FREE pdf cheat sheets.

26/10/2022

011 - Shaping EQ

In the eleventh video in this FREE, 17-part 'Art of the Mixdown' series, we take a look at Shaping EQ. Shaping EQ is the process of creating tonal balance between different parts and buses.

This is usually applied towards the end of the effects chain after compression and saturation have been added and is used to pull out tonal characteristics you want to enhance.

https://www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com/tutorials-all/011-shaping-eq

This is a different approach from the Surgical EQ we looked at earlier in this series. Typically I would use Shaping EQ at the end of the processing chain, just before making a sound louder by increasing gain and using a Limiter. It’s usually used very subtly, almost as a mixing tool. Sometimes a small amount of shaping EQ can help a sound sit better within the overall mix and it’s an effective way of balancing groups within a multi-stem mix.

To learn how to use shaping EQ in more detail, check out the full tutorial via the tutorials pages at www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com which include a YouTube video and FREE pdf cheat sheets.

22/10/2022

010 - Saturation

In the tenth video in this FREE, 17-part 'Art of the Mixdown' series, we take a look at Saturation. Saturation, often described as ‘analog warmth’, is a means of adding color and character to a sound by adding harmonic content.

It affects sounds in different ways in terms of frequency spectrum, dynamic range and intensity, depends on the quality of the original sounds.

https://www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com/tutorials-all/010-saturation

As you drive saturation harder and harder more distortion comes in.
Your wave form starts getting more and more square so it starts actually becoming clipped at the top end, and that’s what is giving the appearance of additional volume or presence.

To learn how to use saturation in more detail, check out the full tutorial via the tutorials pages at www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com which include a YouTube video and FREE pdf cheat sheets.

19/10/2022

009 - Sidechain Compression

In the ninth video in this FREE, 17-part 'Art of the Mixdown' series, we take a look at Sidechain Compression. Sidechain compression is when one instrument or sound triggers a compressor to act on another instrument or sound to reduce its dynamic range.

Often overused or misunderstood, sidechain compression is a fundamental tool in the producer’s armory that can allow you to create more space and headroom in your mixes.

https://www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com/tutorials-all/009-sidechain-compression

The principal use of sidechaining is to create more space for sounds in your mix. This is what’s known as creating separation. The most common use is reducing the level of a bass signal each time a kick drum is heard – this creates that familiar ‘pumping effect’.

It’s also used effectively on Effects Returns to make sure your effects aren’t swamping your mix by lowering the amount of dry signal in proportion to the wet signal in your mix.

To learn how to use side chain compression in more detail, check out the full tutorial via the tutorials pages at www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com which include a YouTube video and FREE pdf cheat sheets.

15/10/2022

008 - Compression

In the eighth video in this FREE, 17-part 'Art of the Mixdown' series, we take a look at Compression. In its simplest terms, compression is a form of automatic volume control that’s generally used to tame the dynamic range of a sound or sample (ie. control the loudest peaks).

Reducing the dynamic range of a part means reducing the difference in volume between the loudest and quietest parts.

https://www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com/tutorials-all/008-compression

Compression can increase the perceived loudness of a track or sample without peaking. However, you’re using up a lot more of your available space so it can also reduce the separation and clarity in your mix. It’s a trade-off so use compression wisely!

To learn how to use compression in more detail, check out the full tutorial via the tutorials pages at www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com which include a YouTube video and FREE pdf cheat sheets.

12/10/2022

Find Your Purpose.

I like this infographic.

It's a simple way of distilling some of the struggles I know people (myself included) sometimes have with finding that elusive sweet spot. It may not give you the answers, but it does a good job at asking the right questions.

08/10/2022

007 - Mid-Side EQ

In the seventh video in this FREE, 17-part 'Art of the Mixdown' series, we take a look at Mid-Side EQ, which allows you to control the mono and stereo content of a sound independently of one another. This gives you much greater control over the space that certain frequencies occupy in your mix.

https://www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com/tutorials-all/mid-side-eq

Mid-Side EQ adjustments can be especially effective on Busses and groups to ‘glue’ the sounds together. For example, if you had a sample that has a lot of reverb in a group or bus and none of the other parts have reverb then you could reduce the stereo width of the part with reverb and bring the reverb signal closer to the mono signals making it sit more comfortably with the other sounds.

To learn how to do this in more detail, check out the full tutorial via the tutorials pages at www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com which include a YouTube video and FREE pdf cheat sheets.

05/10/2022

006 - Controlling the Stereo Field

In the sixth video in this FREE, 17-part 'Art of the Mixdown' series, we learn how important it is to have consistency in the stereo field across your parts. This is essential in creating clarity, space and balance in a mix down and making your track gel.

https://www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com/tutorials-all/controlling-the-stereo-field

Voxengo SPAN, which is a free downloadable frequency measurement plugin, used in Mid/ Side mode has a feature where you can see your stereo and mono content simultaneously. That’s important because it allows you to see if the level (volume) of the stereo content is exceeding that of the mono content. There’s no better way to emphasise the stereo content of your track than to have certain parts in mono.

To learn how to do this in more detail, check out the full tutorial via the tutorials pages at www.mixingmasteringmentoring.com which include a YouTube video and FREE pdf cheat sheets.

03/10/2022

What is 'Mixing in Key' and is it something you should do in your DJ sets?

In this short video I explain some of the benefits you'll see from using this technique yourself.

Mixing Mastering Mentoring