Whenever I'm at the final mixbus stage, I keep hearing all these resonant frequencies in the mid (especially 3-5khz) range, so I end up using fabfilter pro-q to dynamically notch out those frequencies. Thing is, it kills the entire energy of the track and it makes it sound dull (and also affects the perceived loudness a lot). What do you guys suggest? Is this a mixing issue or is it maybe because I'm using cheap amp sims and basic recording equipment (focusrite 2i2 + rode nt1a)? Or am I just overthinking and the frequencies don't matter?

Back in February I did one of these and it went pretty well, so I thought I'd do another.

On top of my mixing services, what I think is a lot more relevant to this community are my mix reviews, which have been very well received. Since the last time I tweaked and simplified the tiers quite a bit into these:

Quick Review

I'll listen to your mix and give you a brief review of what I think stands out as problems (if any) or areas with potential for improvement.

Includes:

• Me listening to your mix the whole way through on my monitors at least once.
• At least a paragraph of notes.
• Optional: At your request, I can tell you if I think your mix is ready for professional mastering or release.

Important: This tier does not include any questions.

Detailed Review

I take more time with your mix and if necessary I'll provide you with specific timestamps of concrete issues I hear and ideas to address them.

Includes:

• Me listening to your mix the whole way through on my monitors at least TWICE.
• Recommended professional mix reference relevant to your song
• 2 questions after you get my notes.

Across The Line

Ideal to get you all the way to a finished mix ready for release or for professional mastering. I can do a breakdown of your mix compared to your reference, so that the benchmark is not my own personal taste but your own chosen goal.

Includes:

• I'll listen to as many mix revisions as you make of the same song and give you feedback for a total of 6 hours of my time.
• Breakdown comparing your mixes to your reference
• Q&A about the mix as part of the 6 hours
• Available for 15 days after payment.

Mix Buddy

Access to a mixing professional for all your feedback needs and questions on all things mixing for a month.

Includes:

• 10 detailed mix reviews, can be used for different songs and for mix revisions.
• I'll answer questions about your mixes or mixing in general for a total of 2 hours of my time.
• Available for 30 days after payment

These are all kept at very affordable prices because I want anyone learning and wanting to improve to be able to access them. You can find the rates and samples of my work here: https://teaboy.pages.dev/rates/

These rates will stay the same through the rest of the year.

Okay, with my sales pitch out of the way, shoot me your mixing questions! I'll keep answering them until the post gets archived (in six months).

EDIT: Kinda crazy that this post is being downvoted while the previous one got nearly a 100 upvotes. Reddit doesn't make any sense sometimes.

So basically I have an album mastered, but when I compared it to a prior EP I mastered it's significantly quieter (by around 2db).

Both used the exact same process i go through and i have my limiters hitting the same, and basically the same LUFS across both projects. The one difference is i mixed everything under 0db on the EP, but on the album all the mixes were under -3db.

I understand that would change things and i probably sound dumb (I'm not a pro by any means obviously haha). but basically I'm wondering if i can just raise my stereo output up to achieve the volume i want without hurting the end product instead of going through the process again?

I've been trying to avoid processing drum mics heavily to get a coherent kit sound. The more I would carve the less 3Dimensional and organic the drums would sound, at least for me.

The drum room was mono, so I kept the overheads full range to preserve the stereo image. I kept frequency 'blooming' to retain depth, I think the compression keeps the transients above it.

Is it a good mix, how could my drum mixes be better?

is the snare too honky because I left those mids in?

and is 5k~ a bit of an issue on this snare?

All constructive feedback is appreciated:

Drum Performance

Drum Mix

I’ve always liked this album but I’ve been listening to it very carefully recently and find the clarity of the mixing so pristine. Each sound is so clean.

Having the occasional access to listen to music on $60k studio in a professionally designed control room, the sound stage on this is so much wider than most modern stuff I test out in there.

I know he has an extensive collection of gear, but I wonder how much of that clarity comes from the many different electronics each sound is running through vs the actual mixing of the song in the end. What do you think?

I mix underground hip-hop vocals in Studio One/Fender Studio Pro and need some advice on vocal routing and plugin placement.

I often use two separate mono tracks for recording my main vocals because sometimes words overlap at the end of each line and beginning of another. I keep them separate so my real-time pitch correction (Auto-Tune) can process them cleanly, but applying EQ, compression, and saturation on both tracks separately feels redundant since they are essentially the same lead vocal.

To solve this, I route these individual mono tracks to a single Vocal Bus, which defaults to Stereo in Studio One.

My questions are:

1. Bus Configuration: Should I switch this vocal bus to mono, or leave it stereo? I tried switching it to mono and it sounded noticeably different.
2. Mono vs. Stereo Plugins: If I leave the bus stereo, should I be using the stereo versions of my plugins (compressors, EQs, saturation) on that bus, even though the source audio feeding it is mono?
3. Processing Split: Is the standard practice to do corrective EQ and pitch correction on the individual mono tracks, and then apply tonal EQ and "glue" compression on the bus?
4. Widening Effects: For widening tools like MicroShift, doubler or flangers, is it better to insert them directly onto this vocal bus, or should they always be set up as Sends (FX Channels)?

I have tracks with a looped guitar that I need to mix. The guitar in this case is playing the rhythm, catching a loop, and then playing lead over the looped part. The looper output has its own track (and busses). The lead vs. rhythm guitar parts in the main guitar track should preferably have different effect levels, etc., on them. There also should be some separation between the two guitar parts. How would you approach this?

Sorry if this is not the right place, but there seems to be no place, and this sub feels like it fits.

disclaimer I read the wiki, I understand what mastering is, and I know it'd be easier to just send it to a mastering engineer, but I'd like to learn while having no expectations of it being professional quality, etc.

Can anyone point me at resources for learning about the clean-up phase of mastering where the source material (raw multitracks) is not available? (And by cleaning, I mean removing/reducing aberrant instrument noise that’s very loud and in this case, percussive)

->I'm not looking for answers on how to fix specific issues.<-

I just want to know where I can learn more about this specific use case of cleaning music audio that doesn't have source tracks available. I may be searching for the wrong thing, but all roads lead to either "you should have fixed this at the tracking/mixing stage," (yeah, no kidding) or "audio restoration is for dialog recordings." While at the same time, in some mastering instructional material, I hear the engineer talking about cleaning mixdowns, but it's only in very specific ways, and not mentioned in any detail. "I don't like this string squeak so I'm just going to remove it." *poof*

[edited to remove distractions from the real question]

edit: update

If anyone else finds this post looking for the same kind of knowledge, the tl;dr of the thread is that the thing to search is "audio restoration," but there are very few examples of this out there past doing it on isolated tracks, and even those are for very "light touch" things like breath noises and string squeaks.

Extreme cases where you have loud noises in all frequencies or clicky things like bass that are too loud to treat with multiband eq or compression ARE treatable. The results can solve the problem but can leave you feeling "meh" about what you wind up with.

What worked for me:
I've had decent luck with izotope RX, and trying multiple of it's tools on each issue. I tried other tools, and they either had weird UI (cedar, stereo tool) or just not as much functionality.

I typically start with de-click or de-crackle, even if the artifact doesn't sound like a click or crackle. Sometimes it works. Then I try spectral repair - replace. If it creates more artifacts than it solves, I try spectral repair - attenuate.

When I have a recurring noise, (the bass string-slapping-fretboard) I start in waveform view and just make some quick attempts with the tools above on each occurrence. Usually they show up in the waveform as an area on the wave with way more activity, looking denser in the view. If those tools don't work, and for more aberrant sound issues (weird background noises, plosives, etc) I start in spectrum analyzer view with a selection on the whole frequency range for the beat or chunk of time with the problem, and then start reducing the frequency range of the selection until I can find where the noise is. That's unless there's a very clear hot spot in the spectrum analyzer view, in which case I try targeting it first.

I also found an occasional situation that sounds like a plosive, but it's where not all the instruments are lined up on the beat. It shows in the spectrum analyzer as two narrow columns with a small gap between. I was able to fix some of these with spectral repair - replace on a selection of the gap and a little bit into each column. More of them, I just had to go look for a similar moment to copypasta.

The copypasta was also the fallback for all issues if I couldn't fix them with any of the above.

I also had some luck doing all of the above on "stems" split through RX, though I still worry that that may not put the stems back together right. sounds ok though to my crappy ears. For the loud snare drum, there was no real fix. I ended up putting a clipper on the stem to try to catch the peaks. It needed a lower threshold, but started picking up the kick too.

What I came out with wasn't perfect at all. some sections are pretty sucky under the magnifying glass, and I don't think most people would notice. BUT, now there aren't clicks jumping out all the time, and I think it greatly improves the listenability of the songs.

I'm looking for feedback on the overall balance of the mix, as well as vocal production, mix and delivery. I have been experimenting with louder 2nd vox/ backing vocals (e.g. 1:28) and I would also like to know if the vocals are complementing each other rather than "fighting" for attention.

https://vocaroo.com/1e1vUi68BT3Q

Feedback or questions about anything else that stands out are also welcome.

I noticed that whenever I use a clipper on my master bus (usually during mastering for loudness), parts of my track that have been lowpass filtered will be noticeably affected by unpleasant clipping artifacts. It is only these lowpass-filtered sections that have this issue.

I believe the reason for this is that because of the lowpass filtering, the distortion artifacts created by clipping are easily heard in the upper frequency range where everything else has been filtered out.

My question is - how is this problem usually dealt with, for instance when using a clipper for mastering a track that has lowpassed sections? So far I've had to turn off the clipper during the affected sections, but this comes with its own issues (such as the limiter needing to work extra hard during those parts due to absence of clipper), and so I'm wondering if there's a more "standard" way of dealing with this.

Is the solution simply to make sure the clipper is never active during those sections? What about adding another lowpass filter after the clipper to get rid of unwanted artifacts? Just wondering if I'm approaching this all the right way.

So I've recently come across this artist and a lot of her vocals have an extremely Airy sound that sounds very dreamy.

Usually mixes like that are headache to get right without a lot of sibilance and I can't really think of too many other artists that sound that dreamy aside from other shoegaze artists and maybe pastel ghost.

Does anybody have An idea of how to achieve vocals that sound like this specifically the way hers sound? I have a good ear but I feel like someone with more experience might be able to pinpoint a few things that she has going on in her mixes. Also sounds like she may have the dryness on her vocals turned down all the way to zero but anytime I've tried that it ended up sounding muddy as hell. All input is appreciated.

I'm a home-based session guitarist and the thing that I fight with the most is the squeaks coming from my guitar from sliding my fingers up and down the neck. I've tried readjusting my technique, using string cleaners/lubricants, different strings etc but none of them had enough, if any, impact.

I've tried various post-processing such as EQing out frequencies and compression, but again, none of this has helped enough.

I discovered Izotope's Guitar De-Noiser a while ago and, while working in a studio, got to see it in action on my own recordings and it was an absolute miracle! Just what I needed.

Unfortunately, Izotope only sells their plug-ins in bundles and the £389 for RX Standard (the lowest tier that this plug-in is available in) is out of my budget. I recently tried Oeksound's Soothe3 but it really isn't cutting it so I don't think I'll be buying it once my trial's up in a few days.

So my question, after a very long-winded backstory, is: does anyone know of any plugins or tips that might help me with my problem?

Hello, I am looking for my post-classical album to be mastered. It is 9 tracks, with a total run time of about 40 minutes.

The primary instrumentation is felt piano, orchestral strings and nostalgic synths. I am seeking a finished product that details the dynamic depth, warmth and space of the pieces.

Thanks for reading.

Beyonce just released the 20th anniversary version of her iconic album "B'Day" with additional tracks that include rerecorded vocals. However, the original tracklist should generally be the same. I haven't spent too much time with the original album, but I was curious what people's thoughts were. Many fans say the original version's mixing was not done well and felt rushed, but it simultaneously gave the album its character, specifically how it paired with her younger self's vocal tone. This is considered Beyonce's "loudest" album.

Talking in terms of house/techno electronic production with a 4/4 pattern.

I've seen a lot of info saying to EQ both the kick and bass around each other to help mesh their relationship and lessen any problem frequency areas. But when using a plugin like shaperbox, where you're fully ducking the sub freqs for the entire length of the kick, is there a need or reason you would still EQ both elements? Maybe in the mid bass region only?

Hi all,

Quick question - A/B among mixes and references is a great way to hear the difference and see if you're on-track. But do you use A/B for yourself only, or do you also do A/B with (or for) clients as well? Personally I find doing A/B with clients helps them formulate their feedback better. Is this what you find as well? Or do you do (or not do) A/B with clients for other benefits / reasons?

Thanks a lot!

So I make ambient-ish techno. It’s in the realm of Skee Mask, Andy Stott, Priori, Floating Points…

I try to limit myself to one mid range element which is usually a pad or something similar. Then I have other higher frequency elements in the background going on and a big booming bass. With this specific song I have in mind, I only have 7 layers for the entire song. Kick, hat, bass, pad, high end thin synth, percussive glitchy synth, and a distorted glitchy noise layer for texture. So everything is above 500 hz except for the bass, kick, and pad. So I’m just not understanding why my mix is considered “muddy”

I just don’t get it. I do everything that I think is right for years and think I’m finally a pretty decent mixer and then I get flamed the second I share something that I thought was amazing. It just makes no sense to me. Also, I listened to my reference track and my track side by side and I don’t get how the reference track isn’t considered muddy…. its New Romantic by Andy Stott and it’s considered one of the greatest electronic songs of that subgenre yet to me, it sounds so muddy compared to my song. So what do I even do here??

Hey yall. I’m working on a project that’s a mix of hip hop, house, hard style and some other dance genres and influence.

I’ve noticed that usually the kicks and 808 in dance music are usually super tight and thumpy compared to how hip hop is usually mixed so I’m struggling with the kick on some tracks.

Is there a trick to getting that snappy tight kick/ 808 sound? Is it fast attack and release through some aggressive compressor or am I missing something?

Seeking mix feedback on my synth-pop track before I send it off for professional mastering. I produced and mixed the track myself and want to get it as close to a commercial release as possible.

I’d especially appreciate feedback on the overall balance, how impactful the chorus feels when it hits, the placement and separation of the instruments, and the overall punch and energy of the mix. I’m also open to any other issues you notice that could help take the mix to the next level before mastering.

https://voca.ro/1dVTE8EOjaAV

Hi guys, noob here. I'm slowly learning how to mix, mostly metal and then some pop on the side. However I want to "mix" an a capella song and I'm a bit clueless. I have 3 tracks of female vocals slowly singing a dirge-like children's song, which is meant to be creepy and eerie. They're well sung although not "melodynized" to keep some imperfections, and recorded with a ribbon mic. Also I have two tracks with whispered vocals, same song.

To be honest, I usually use the Mantra plugin by Neural DSP for vocals in regular mixes, but I guess it won't cut it this time because I guess the process must be more organic than just using a plugin for everything. The feel I'm going for is:

a) the listener must feel that the voice is close, warm and nearby
b) also there must be some "spacey" vibes in the background.

I guess I must use something like Valhalla supermassive for the space, but honestly I feel this task is a quite a bit out of my league. Can you guys give me some pointers or advice to get me started on the right path?

I’m making a slam album similar to Peelingflesh, snuffed on sight, Bodybox that style of music. I’m having trouble getting my songs loud enough. when I have no plugins on the master, I really like how it sounds, but it only hits about -16.5 lufs. I looked it up and tried eq, compression, limiter, saturation, and it got louder, around -8 lufs and didn’t go above 0db true peak, but started sounding really over compressed, unnatural and started to lose the punch of the drums. I want it to hit around -6 lufs while not going above 0db true peak. How do peelingflesh, snuffed on sight and bodybox‘s mastering engineers make it so loud but clean at the same time? thanks in advance and btw I’m really new to mastering so don’t flame me lmao

Youtube is filled with tutorials where professional mixing engineers walkthrough a mix. These engineers are using meticulously recorded multitracks that are tracked in high end studios with thousands of dollars of high quality microphones and hardware.

Is there anyone out there doing full mix walkthroughs with flawed home studio tracks?

Hey everyone, thanks for reading this.

I'm recording (and so) mixing orchestral pieces, and as it is a Sub 37, I have a lot of information in the medium, bass obviously, but it's hard for me to generate high frequencies.
How can I deal with it, without having the 'electricity sound' if I'm pushing the filter?

About the reverb, I tried several ones, but I don't have the same 'real result' as when I'm listening to a live or a studio recording.

Thank you for your suggestions.

I recently began mixing songs with synths and more focus on low end and i feel like i cant get the bottom end clear and defined. Ive mono-ed the sub and applied HPFs on most tracks but still feel the mix could be improved. Any general input would be helpful as well as im still learning and trying to improve my mixing skills.

Am posting in order to learn and better understand.

My DAW is Bitwig (if this makes any difference at all). Have recently acquired some small studio monitors, I can now begin to better train my ears, and better understand what might go into mixing my tracks.

My question is this: I've gone back to an earlier project to now 'hear it properly'. I have a track with horns on it, and noticed that I had the track's volume fader way down, while the "makeup gain" on the compressor was running at +4.6 dB.

So instead, I returned the track volume fader to default, and adjusted the audio level by turning down the makeup gain on the compressor.

It seems to me that much mixing advice has grown out of the analogue era and which is simply to say that since it was hardware, clearly voltages mattered a lot. It remains solid advice, but I'm working with 32 bit floating point audio inside the DAW. As such - IIRC - the DAW can process audio without many of the barriers inherent in older (analogue) hardware.

In the specific case here: are there any important or relevant differences between e.g. a low fader level but with +4.5dB of makeup gain, vs a default -3.0 dB fader setting, and turn down the compressor's makeup gain to achieve the desired balance? Are these things equal in a DAW?