Mixing turns a pile of recorded tracks into a finished song. It feels mysterious at first, but most great mixes follow the same repeatable order of operations. Here’s a beginner-friendly version you can use on every song.
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1. Start with balance and panning
Before reaching for a single plugin, set fader levels and panning until the rough mix already sounds like a song: vocals and key elements clear, drums and bass solid in the centre, guitars and keys spread out. If the static balance is right, you’re halfway done.
2. EQ for clarity
Use EQ mostly to remove problems and carve space so instruments don’t fight: high-pass rumble out of non-bass tracks, cut muddy build-up around 200-400 Hz, and only boost where something genuinely needs air or presence. Learn the fundamentals in our EQ and compression guide.
3. Compression for control
Compression evens out performances so they sit consistently in the mix – especially vocals and bass. Start gentle: a few dB of gain reduction, medium attack and release, and trust your ears over the numbers.
4. Effects for depth
Reverb and delay create space and glue. Use them on sends so multiple tracks share the same space, and keep them lower than you think – you should feel them more than hear them.
5. Reference and check translation
- Compare to a professional track in your genre at matched volume.
- Check the mix on phone, earbuds and a car if you can.
- Take breaks – fresh ears catch what tired ears miss.
Accurate monitoring makes all of this easier – see monitors vs headphones for mixing.
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