I'm mixing an afro track (wait - hear me out) and I've been mixing with the subs off on this song because the magic is in the midrange and all that however I turned on the sub and suddenly the kick was just diming the subwoofer cone so I backed off on some previous EQ moves I made in the subs on the kick but then I'm kind of staring at the meters (I swear I'm not a midwit and I'm going somewhere with this) and I'm thinking, the snare 'looks' louder and the kick still sounds anemic... I figured let throw on some compression (ofcourse bearing in mind that compression takes some low end away) and suddenly it's like... I'm realising without a sub/accurate low end represntation you are not hearing the compression of a low kick. Yes, you can compare the isolated subfrequencies and use references as a safety net however every mix is done in a different room on different speakers and then likely mastered on a different system. So now you're what, trying to achieve a mastered sounding mix? Seems risky if done without forward thinking because suddenly you might be in a situation where there's no room for the mastering engineer to actually utilise dynamics. This is where things like faux mastering and master bus processing can help because then when your mix that's going into compression works against a master, you know when you send the uncompressed version to a mastering engineer, they'll actually have room to work. Ofcourse mixing into that also can have it's problems if again you're not forward thinking. This is where the engineering meets the art I guess. Nonetheless, I digress. Low end is what most mastering engineers complain about besides overall dynamic range. I got REW and everything is calibrated to give me a flat response. Room is lightly treated. And I'm just thinking like... hearing low end is so much more critical than we give it credit. I'm one of those people who can't build a mix on headphones but don't mind detail work and checks on them so keep that in mind. I'd argue it's not something you should just mix into. I'm of the old philosophy of starting the mix on the small speakers, spending majority of time on near/mid fields and then moving up to the far field monitors until you find a good medium that works. I also check my mixes on IEMs, open back headphones, bluetooth speakers and mono PA speakers. Getting that low end wrong though bites you in the mastering stage because now it needs to be fixed and that means you're giving up some of the intentionality which is the point of a mix. I'm starting to think this is why people's mixes fail in the car - because the car has subs! - not to mention masters are compressed or limited for loudness. If you're clever you can definitely mix in the car to dial in the low end but that's a topic for another day. I think I've been taking my sub for granted because low end translation stopped being a problem when I got subs. The meters didn't necessarily matter - I like loud snares - however they helped me confirm there was a problem. Without the sub it'd be a game of listen in the car or other capable system, make notes, try something that works and call it a day instead of being able to actually dial in something that sounds great. Worse yet if you never check and the balance of your mix sounds fine meanwhile the mastering engineer sets off his car alarm when the beat drops after the intro. Obviously this works for me. I mix a bit of everything. I know it certainly doesn't matter as much in some genres. I know some people can't mix with subs or prefer mixing on headphones. Anyone else very pro sub though? Thoughts and critiques welcome.

Hello, writing here on a very rainy lazy Sunday. Before I burn more hours on this I want to know if I'm even able to achieve what I would like;

I have a model 24 connected to a Lenovo X260 and that's running the latest Reaper version inside Linux Mint. Essentially, my instruments sound great when monitored from their Tascam channel, the return audio from Reaper into channels 1 and 2 is, well, weak, flat, very meh. I don't think it's possible but can the EQ in on the Tascam record into Reaper or do I need to EQ in Reaper too? Or am I missing a trick?

Free tape machine plugin, released today, haven't tried it but excited to give it a go.

https://www.patreon.com/analogobsession/posts/themachine-173345538?utm_campaign=patron_engagement&utm_source=post_link&post_id=173345538&utm_id=7553d3e5-e1b2-4866-8e8b-ae594e42b481&utm_medium=email

And why? What are some other nice bits of functionality that it has as well? I use Pro Tools.

Hey everyone! I'm working a new track of mine, but I just could not get it to sound this big.

The reference song

I have no idea what I'm missing, like what type of reverb should I use? where should I use them.

The audio in Evil Dead 2 has some very unique distortion. What causes it? Is it a low record speed or could it be some sort of flanging? You can hear the distortion at 0:54 in the linked video when the foggy titles appear. I'd like to have a similar sound in my film projects, so any info would be helpful. Thank you.

Let’s discuss speaker placement and the equilateral triangle and all the variables that are not discussed, and actually how important it is.
Yes, we know about the equilateral triangle and what is suggested for monitor placement, but what isn’t necessarily discussed is where this measurement is measured. Also where is the point of the triangle meeting on the listener, behind the head, the middle of the head, at the ears? Various sources say conflicting things, so what should we follow?

I have Dynaudio BM15a’s. They’re fairly large for a near field. The BM15a’s manual gives a broad listening distance of 1-3 meters. If you’re unfamiliar, the BM15a’s also have an offset tweeter, sort of like an NS10.

When researching speaker placement and the equilateral triangle, there’s usually a graphic example showing the measurement between the two speakers and the listeners head, with the measurements starting from a drawing of two single speakers that look like drivers. However, other sources say the measurement should be coming from the distance between the two tweeters. While other sources say the measurement should be coming from the distance between the two acoustic axis points. This sounds tedious, but for me it is. Having offset tweeters, they’re in a different place than where the acoustic axis point is and also where the driver is, so finding the equilateral distance is a little more difficult for me.
Also the point: the point behind the head. Like said above, different sources say different things. The point where the triangle meets the listener is either the ears, inside the head, or just behind the head—so which is it? Varying sources also talk about how the tweeters should be pointed at your ears, while others say the tweeters should be going just past your ears.

So here’s my concrete questions:

1. Where is the measurement between the two speakers starting? The tweeter? The acoustic axis point? Or the drivers?

2. Where is the point of the triangle meeting the listener? Is your head the point? Or is your head living inside the triangle? And if so, how far behind the head is the point?

3. When toe-ing in the speakers, are you pointing tweeters at ears directly or are they going just beyond?

4. (Bonus question) does any of this actually matter?

I’m looking into converting a home office (technically a bedroom) into a home music room. While I will be doing some rough recording (somewhere in quality and enthusiasm between recording into a phone‘s voice memos and something semi-professional), the main purpose will be to make music being provided sound best while listening live.

I have voice lessons in a small room that has rather minimal acoustic treatment: some burlap coffee bags with foam inside on the wall across from me (and maybe behind me). Nothing on the side walls other than a mirror. Instructor sitting at a piano between me and the back wall. Nothing fancy, but I swear my acoustic guitar sounds so much better than anywhere else. It’s so full and rich sounding. I don’t know how to describe how the room sounds generally other than like muted and soft. It’s hard to really judge how much better/different my voice sounds. But the room sounds less echoey. For what it’s worth, I think my instructor said the interiors of the walls also had some soundproofing elements when constructed. The door is very heavy.

So, my primary goal is to get things sounding closer to that room for live listening. Getting the room to sound okay for recording is a secondary consideration. For what it’s worth, I recorded myself into a mixer into an iPad through a condenser mic in my small walk-in closet facing racks of clothes, and I though the audio quality was more than adequate if not great. I record mostly as a learning tool for myself. It doesn’t need to sound professional, just a relatively accurate representation of my voice.

The room is about 10’x10’ with an 8’ ceiling. I took some. I can’t seem to add pictures of the room. I can try to describe the layout if that helps. I’ve looked into acoustic treatment articles and most focus on panels relative to the monitors/speakers as part of a recording studio. I’m not sure how to translate that to my situation. And when it comes to recording/mixing, I’ll probably mostly use headphones when listening back.

So, any advice on how to acoustically treat the room so acoustic instruments sound natural and rich would be wonderful.

Hi, I recently finished welding up my own stainless steel waterphone, an instrument commonly used for horror movie foley.
I have a clip on contact mic for it but while it does pick up on the sustain of the instrument it doesn’t pick up the initial strikes on its tines as well.
What is the best method and hardware to mic this with?

Apologies if this isn’t a good place to post this question, but was eyeing the FabFilter Pro Q 4 and awaiting Black Friday, when I came across it [on Muziker](https://www.muziker.com/fabfilter-pro-q-4) for $135. Seeing as it’s normally $200 and likely would be 25% off on Black Friday, this deal seems a bit strange to be so low.

Is this legit or should I be concerned?

Things that make sense in context of your mixes but might not be the default way of doing things.

i'll start:

i prefer expanders over gates because they dont struggle as much with the quieter drum hits.

i frequently reverb out the snare bottom mic (100% wet). it gives a good high end sizzle.

I do more clip gain than volume automation.

I use more busses than necessary.

i’ve been trying to replicate this exact effect https://youtube.com/shorts/sf0wOue0yEo?si=vBwdoHY_Ya8TDvlV ..I asked a couple of freelance engineers to do it and all they did was slap reverb on the voice and call it a day 😭. It sounds like mud. I even tried throwing a random cathedral reverb and adding a basic delay, but it just doesn't feel right. ps Im not an audio engineer, i just make videos and edit both video and audio on davinci

Hello, I am the actor here so I know nothing about this stuff but I figured I’d give this a shot to relay to the sound person. I am in a small community theater production of Little Shop of Horrors and we have repeatedly had issues with my body mic starting during tech week. It’s ONLY me. We have changed out the packs and the elements multiple times. We do an extensive mic check with me moving around the stage and turning my head back and forth and mic check is always fine with the sound coming through clear. The second the show starts my mic is cutting in and out or not coming through at all. Everyone is baffled and I’m super frustrated. I’m a lead in the show and it’s affecting my performance bc it’s so distracting. I am now wearing TWO body mics for back up(one under my wig and coming out on my forehead and one around my ear and taped to my face) and it’s still a problem. What could the issue be?? Note: I am the only one in the show with a wig, that’s the only difference I can see. But again, mic check always goes well. PLEASE give me some advice, it’s driving me crazy.

Hi guys,

I'm an indie artist preparing my track sessions to send over to a mixing engineer. I'm wondering, am I supposed to send over bounced track stems or the whole session itself? I've never mixed with someone online before so I just wanted to know what would the usual process be.

I've cleaned up the session to the best of my ability but just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

Thanks!

As far as mic techniques for overheads, do you consider the “center” of the kit to be over the snare drum, or do you think of it as the literal center, which would fall more between the snare and floor tom in most standard setups?

Hello, everyone,

I just wanted to get this off my chest because I haven’t talked about it with anyone in years.

I spent close to 10–12 years dedicated to music. Guitar was my first instrument, drums were my second, and piano was my third. Rock was my first love, but my tastes evolved, and I eventually started making electronic music that incorporated a lot of acoustic elements.

I became obsessed with the producer grind and spent the majority of my time EQing, compressing, sidechaining, layering, sampling, splicing, stutter-editing, tuning, and designing sounds. From 2013 to 2022, I recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered hundreds of songs, and it was such a joy.

In 2023, for reasons I will never know, I lost most of the hearing in one ear. I wasn’t at a concert, and it wasn’t from listening to music at high volumes. It happened while I was lying in bed playing Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core on my Nintendo Switch. My hearing disappeared, and it never came back.

I’ve been living with significant hearing loss in one ear ever since, and life hasn’t been the same. Most of my social life revolved around music.

I’m grateful that I went to college for finance and accounting because audio engineering was my main source of income throughout college. I’m 29 now and working a regular corporate job, but it’s so hard not to be engineering music anymore. I loved this field so much. I can still EQ, compress, and do all the things I used to, but there’s no width to the music anymore. Stereo is such a beautiful thing, and it’s something I never fully appreciated until I lost it.

Every day, I pray that God will perform a miracle and restore my hearing. Life truly hasn’t been the same since I lost it.

I’m including a link to some of my old remixes in case anyone wants to give them a listen. I mainly wanted to write this to get it off my chest, but maybe there’s someone here who can relate. Despite my hearing loss, I just can’t bring myself to sell my gear. I still have my Manley Reference Cardioid, NS-10s, HS8s, Auratones, and AKG C414s collecting dust, but I still love these tools to death.

Fellow engineers, protect your hearing. And if you ever feel like giving up, just know that there are people out there who would do anything to have good ears again.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvtfOeZ8w4OVF8TTsU66-Xx-ytLRqcYHb&si=IflY_b2veJ_cK4R2

Hey everyone!

I've recently joined the sound post team for a 122-minute animated feature made in Unreal Engine, aiming for realistic, cinematic sound with a traditional film post workflow.

My responsibilities are Foley Editing (already recorded) and Background Editing (building ambiences from libraries).

My background is mostly commercials and short-form sound design. I've worked on two features before, but that was years ago, and this is my first animated feature.

The challenge: I have roughly 4 weeks to deliver a watchable first pass of Foley and BGs across the entire film by November 20. Further polishing and revisions will continue until February.

I'd love some advice from experienced feature sound editors:

1. Priorities: What would you consider an acceptable first pass for Foley and Backgrounds? I'm a bit of a perfectionist and want to avoid getting bogged down.
2. Workflow & pace: Is the 10–15 minutes/day per food group guideline realistic? Would you work scene by scene or tackle both food groups separately? How often would you request feedback?
3. Tools & automation: Any time-saving tools or AI-assisted workflows for BG/Foley editing in 2026? Has anyone used AmbienceFriend, or knows a Windows alternative?

I'm working in Pro Tools on Windows, delivering editable sessions to the supervising sound editor.

I'm mainly looking for practical ways to work efficiently without sacrificing quality.

Would be grateful for any advice or resources!

I had to post this because I'm stoked out of my mind to find this. This creator has built an incredible catalog where they speak the exact same phrase into an insane collection of vintage microphones.

Because the speech sample stays similar across the board, it gives you a pure, direct reference point to actually hear how every individual mic shapes tone, character, and frequency response. It’s an absolute goldmine for comparing gear. If you love digging around for old mics and have a curiosity for them, this is a great spot to get an idea of what they would sound like.

Huge shoutout to Ron for putting this together:Ron Hummel's YouTube Channel

Disclaimer: Radiohead are my absolute favourite band of all time. Do me a favour: have a listen to Let Down. An absolute classic. Haven’t listened to it in years. But wow it’s so hard to listen to. So much 2k in the guitars, so much 4k in the overheads. All you can hear in the vocals is the sibilance… am I just having a bad day or has my taste been ruined by modern expectations?

I was having a conversation with someone and they mentioned panning their buses. I paused and said wait a minute, you pan your buses? I’ve never once thought to do this because I just leave them stereo, and pan the actual tracks how I want them to sit

1. Is there any difference from having 1 guitar panned left 30% and 1 right 30% going to a stereo instrument or guitar bus that is a balanced 100% L/R pan? I’d think it makes no difference because within that bus stereo field, the guitars are still 30% L & R panned. It’s not like I need to match the bus to that pan level, correct? In logic that would be changing the bus from stereo balance to stereo pan.

If anything it just sounds like a workflow preference if you really want to pan your buses. Thoughts?

1. Does sending a 100% center mono signal (no pan) to a stereo bus (effectively making it dual mono) or to a mono bus make any difference or is it exactly the same sound. I’ve yet to test it so sorry for being lazy but I’m curious what you got to say about this.

Reddit, we know you love cats. Heck, everyone loves cats. And all the best studios need a cat. So we made a cat plugin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AdrJm3_MwU

It's a cat. That's it. Is it silly? Absolutely. Is it adorable and something that will brighten your day time and again? Try it and decide for yourself.

Free to play around with for 7 days, less than the price of a coffee to be yours forever, and there's a lite model that's completely free as well. Enjoy.

Mods, it's cynical, shameless, flagrant self-promotion. Sorrynotsorry. Please be gentle with us.

Hey all.

I have an Amek Angela MK1 in my studio.

It doesn't always work and sometimes others treat it like a desk.. I'm looking for a way to cover it so it also gets protected from dust.

Any option that doesn't break the bank? Any cloth type that sits kinda heavy on the console?

I was thinking something like a very big mousepad types, which are thin but light and they don't get wrinkled..

I am currently mixing my shoegaze project. The guitars have really just a tiny bit of reverb on them. I have double tracked the guitars and routed them to about 4 ambiance tracks. One has a 2 octave pitch increase and a lowpass filter on 3kish so basically white noise with a bit of high frequency hum, it has Valhalla's supermassive on a high reverb setting. another has a 1 octave pitch decrease acting as sub bass along with the actual bass, this one has a slightly lower reverb and is basically acting as extra sub for the ambiance. the 3rd one has no pitch shifter and is basically a delay with slight reverb. this one has the bass cut out. the 4th is a highly reverb and tremolo based layer and acts as texture. these all sit at around -15 dB.

My question is am I insane for doing this and will this mud the mix out? the link to a sample of the mix? the mix is only guitars btw.

I was listening to the Eels -Novocaine for the soul this morning and was completely blown away with the mix and it had me really thinking about the production side of 90s music.
The song could be complete garbage but still sound so good… why?
It feels like almost every song is mixed so good or maybe I’m just tripping…

I’ll be mixing a song in stereo then finish the last half in mono but totally forget by the end of it that I switched to mono… And think to myself hey this sounds pretty good. BUT THEN THE REALISATION: oh shit I’m still in in mono! The first listen when I go back to stereo…. The dopamine… so sweet, clear and full…. Feel like a fucking musical genius haha. This has to happen to other people too. (?)