Mixing Guidelines
The quality of your final mix has a big impact on the improvements that are possible during mastering. That’s why I run a detailed check on every mix that comes into my mastering studio for free, and offer recommendations if necessary, before I agree to book a project.
It’s always a good idea to get your mixes as excellent as possible before mastering, as waiting to fix something during mastering can lead to results that aren’t as good as they could be. Mastering is an enhancement process, not a fixing process.
If you have specific requests as to the final sound of a mastered project, you’re always welcome to submit two versions to me: a compressed/effected file mastered yourself as a reference track, and an uncompressed file as the version for me to work with.
Here’s my mixing guidelines. If you’re hiring a mixing engineer, they should be taking care of these for you, in collaboration with your creative direction.
How should I check my mixes?
Avoid using phone speakers or built-in computer speakers when checking your mixes or masters. These tiny speakers can’t reproduce bass frequencies accurately, so any notes generated using them will be inaccurate as well.
Mixing only on headphones can lead to overcompensating with your panning, compression, and reverb choices. Try to use both speakers and headphones during music production, not one or the other.
If you’re DIYing a project, check your mixes on at least 3-5 different playback systems, on both headphones and speakers, before submitting to mastering. This will allow you to catch problems that your room acoustics or equipment could be masking.
Check your mixes in mono, making sure your music sounds substantially similar in both mono and stereo. Beware of instruments disappearing when switching from stereo to mono.
Volume level, Loudness, and Compression
The loudest points in your mix should peak at around -3-6 dB on your meters, before submitting to mastering.
During mixing, you should be aiming to get your mix to sound exactly how you want it to sound in every respect, with the only exception being the final volume level. If you’re mixing and you want to hear it louder, simply turn up the volume on your speakers or headphones.
Even in your final version of a mix, don’t worry about it being a little bit soft: I’ll take care of bringing everything up to final delivery volume.
Make sure not to over-compress your material. Your mix should retain musical dynamics and a clear, open sound. Be particularly careful of using master bus compression during mixing: a little can be tasty, but it is very easy to overdo it.
Conversions, Sample Rates, and Dithering
Record in at least 24 bit, if possible.
Don’t apply any sample rate conversion or bit rate dithering before mastering your music.
Meaning, if you record and mix at 48k/24 bit, you should send those mixes at that same original recorded resolution. And, make sure that “dither” box is left unchecked when you export.
Conversions add digital noise to your music that doesn’t sound good when amplified during the mastering process.
Learn to mix, using your home studio
For my comprehensive curriculum on mixing with your home studio, check out Amazing Audio at Home. It’s my course that shows you how to sound just like your favorite artists, using affordable gear in a home setting!