11 tips for successful mixdowns

1 Hide nothing

If you are unsure about a sound and automatically mix it down, it is better to leave it out altogether. Less is more. You should also consider whether the sound deserves a place in the track at all or possibly doesn‘t matter at all.

2 Repair or replace

The same applies if a sound does not work and has to be extensively reworked. If it is not the „mega rare, but incredibly individual“sound at all, you should rather save this time and look for an alternative. Small rule of thumb: If the sound still doesn‘t sound good after 30 minutes, replace it.

3 Keep it clean

Keep the frequency spectrum clean and reserve the necessary space for all sounds. For example, with dance and club tracks, only kick and bass belong in the low frequencies. All other sounds can be safely EQ‘ed from 200 Hz down.

4 Full Mix

The fact that songs seem „big“and literally push the listener against a wall is rarely only due to the bass foundation. Rather, a mix becomes full and punchy when the spectrum is well filled. So don‘t get tempted to listen to kick and bass solo for a long time and want to make them fatter and fatter, because only in exceptional cases can the two elements later be heard alone. Only when hi-hats, snares and effects join in, the mix becomes full and round.

5 Using panorama

Another feature for full mixes is the consistent use of the stereo panorama. The goal here is not to permanently fill every corner, but to distribute the sounds sensibly and play with mono and stereo parts. Classic example: In the breakdown, a melody, a pad and a drum roll play together and use the complete width in the mix. Midrange and treble-heavy instruments are in the foreground, the bass range remains empty. Finally, if the mix continues, only kick and bass come in, both naturally mono. The blatant change from maximum stereo width with swirl, shine and glory to the low-frequency mono part makes the subsequent beat all the more powerful.

6 Pimping weak sounds

If a sound lacks punch, you can also use a distortion unit with a clear conscience and let it intervene gently. A reliable candidate for roughening up is, for example, Decapitator from Soundtoys. Even with minimal DRIVE, a pleasant fullness and transparency in the sound is quickly established.

7 The three elements

The human ear can only perceive and locate three elements at the same time, such as drums, bass and a melody. So when arranging, make sure that you don‘t overwhelm the listener with too many elements, but create excitement through a sensible variety of different sounds.

8 Fix it in the mix!

If the mix doesn‘t work, mastering is not the solution you want. If in doubt, question the sounds you are using. Even if it can be frustrating at the beginning, if you don‘t reach the same pressure yourself: Always listen to your tracks in direct comparison with similar commercial tracks.

9 Midi to Audio

If some parts just don‘t fit into a track and the „three element rule“doesn‘t help either, it can be useful to convert the plug-in tracks to audio. This way, reverb tails, delays and decaying sounds become clearly visible. Under certain circumstances, this makes a mix that is too full recognizable. Besides, it also saves a lot of computer capacity, because you can then deactivate the originals.

10 Big break

Don‘t forget your breaks! The ear tires quickly and gets used to the acoustic conditions. At some point you tend to want to make an actually fat mix even fatter, because the ear can no longer judge objectively. Or you think after a while of listening that a mix is nicer than it actually is. Breaks of 15-30 minutes work wonders here. But if possible without music at all!

11 Sidechain space

One of the classic ways to free up space in the mix is sidechain. Usually with the kick as the trigger for a compressor, which in turn pushes the bass away when the bass drum is playing. But other elements can benefit as well. For example, if you want to add a lot of delay or reverb to a vocal track without blurring the transparency of the vocals with the effect. Load the delay or reverb onto a return track and place a compressor behind it, with the vocals themselves as the trigger for the sidechain input. As a result, the echo or reverb will be suppressed exactly when the vocals are active, effectively avoiding sonic mud. You can then use the delay or reverb effect all the more intensively.