Mixing turns a pile of tracks into one balanced record: levels, panning, EQ, dynamics and space, all serving the song. This hub collects every Solar Heavy Studios guide on mixing in one place, grouped by subtopic, so you can learn in order or jump straight to the problem you have today.
A learning path through mixing
Start with the foundations: gain staging, mix balance, panning, bus routing, mixing with sends and mix templates. Then learn core techniques: automation, parallel processing, sidechaining, phase alignment, buss compression and mix bus processing. Next, work through instruments: drum mixing, kick drum, snare, toms, overheads, hi-hats, claps, percussion, drum bus, 808s, synth bass, bass guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, pads, strings and brass. Then focus on the voice: vocals, vocal mixing, rap vocals and background vocals. Finally, polish and translate: mixing low end, mix clarity, depth in a mix, mix loudness, mix referencing, mix translation, mixing in mono, mixing on headphones, ear fatigue and stem exports.
Start here
- Mixing Piano
- Mix Bus How To
- Practice Mixing
- The Runaway Mix and How to Fix it
- Delay Mixing Tips
- Mixing Rap Vocals
- How To Mix A Vocal
Free tools and quick guides
Subtopics in this hub
Each subtopic has a short explanation below. Where a full guide already exists on the site, it is linked; the rest are being written.
808s
808s act as both bass and drum. Tune the 808 to the song's key, control the sub with compression or saturation so it stays consistent, and add harmonics so it is audible on small speakers. Make the kick and 808 work together by choosing complementary sounds, sidechaining, or letting one dominate each moment.
Read the full guide: How To Mix 808S That Bang
Acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitars often need low-end control, with a high-pass filter and cuts around boomy low mids. Gentle compression evens strumming, and a lift in the upper mids or highs adds sparkle. In dense mixes, thinning the guitar helps it sit with vocals.
Read the full guide: Acoustic Guitar Eq
Automation
Automation changes levels, panning and effect settings over time. Use it to ride vocals, lift choruses, add effects on specific words and create movement. Broad volume automation of sections often makes a mix feel more dynamic than static faders.
Read the full guide: Pro Tools First Volume Automation
Background vocals
Background vocals support the lead without competing. High-pass them, cut more low mids, compress them firmly and pan doubles or harmonies wide. Using more reverb or a darker tone places them behind the lead.
Read the full guide: Background Vocals
Bass guitar
Bass guitar usually needs compression for consistent level, EQ to balance low end and note definition, and sometimes saturation for presence. Blend a DI with an amp or amp simulator for both clean low end and character.
Read the full guide: Bass Guitar Eq
Brass
Brass sections can sound harsh when too bright. Control the upper mids, compress lightly to keep the section together, and use reverb to blend players into a shared space. Pan sections to create width.
Bus routing
Bus routing sends groups of tracks, such as drums, music and vocals, to shared channels. This lets you process and adjust whole groups together, making balance and effects easier to manage.
Buss compression
Bus compression glues groups together. Low ratios, slow attack and gentle gain reduction, often only a couple of decibels, add cohesion without crushing transients.
Claps
Claps often layer with snares. Align or offset layers deliberately, shape the attack with transient tools, and add short reverb for space. Watch for phase issues when layering.
Depth in a mix
Depth comes from level, brightness and reverb. Closer sounds are louder, brighter and drier; distant sounds are quieter, darker and wetter. Use pre-delay to keep a source clear while adding space.
Drum bus
A drum bus processes the full kit together, often with compression, saturation and EQ, to add punch and cohesion. Parallel compression on the drum bus is common for thickness.
Read the full guide: Do You Need A Drum Bus
Drum mixing
Drum mixing starts with balance between kick, snare and cymbals, then EQ, compression and phase alignment for multi-mic kits. Drums define the groove and energy, so get them solid early.
Ear fatigue
Long sessions dull your hearing and lead to brighter, louder mixes. Take regular breaks, monitor at moderate levels and make final decisions with fresh ears.
Electric guitar
Electric guitars often occupy the midrange. High-pass to remove unnecessary low end, tame harshness, and pan double-tracked parts wide for a big stereo image.
Read the full guide: Eq Electric Guitar
Gain staging
Gain staging means keeping healthy levels at each stage, avoiding clipping and leaving headroom. Setting tracks to sensible levels before processing helps plugins behave as intended.
Read the full guide: Gain Staging Presonus Studio One
Hi-hats
Hi-hats can become harsh. Control brightness, use velocity variation for groove, and pan slightly off centre. Transient shaping changes how sharp they feel.
Read the full guide: How To Mix Hi Hats In Any Genre : Master the Art of Hi Hat Mixing
Kick drum
The kick needs both low-end weight and a clear attack. EQ these separately, compress for consistency if needed, and ensure the kick and bass do not mask each other.
Read the full guide: How To Mix Kick Drum
Mix balance
Balance is the most important part of mixing: setting levels so every element can be heard as intended. Start with faders only before adding processing.
Mix bus processing
Mix bus processing, such as gentle compression, EQ and saturation, shapes the overall sound. Apply it subtly, and many engineers mix into it from early on.
Read the full guide: Everything You Need To Know About Mix Bus Processing
Mix clarity
Clarity comes from good arrangement, reduced masking and controlled low mids. Each important element needs its own space in frequency, stereo position or time.
Mix loudness
Mix loudness depends on controlled dynamics and balanced frequencies. Leave final loudness to mastering, but make sure the mix holds up when limited.
Mix referencing
Referencing compares your mix with professional tracks at matched loudness. Check low end, vocal level, brightness and width against references during mixing.
Mix templates
Mix templates contain buses, sends and common processing. They speed up sessions and keep your approach consistent.
Mix translation
Translation means a mix sounds good on many systems. Check on headphones, earbuds, car speakers and a phone, and fix problems that appear consistently.
Mixing in mono
Checking in mono reveals phase problems and masking. If a mix balances well in mono, it usually sounds clear in stereo.
Read the full guide: Mixing In Mono Why Why Not
Mixing low end
Low end is hard to judge in untreated rooms. Use references, a spectrum analyser and headphones, and decide whether the kick or bass leads in each frequency range.
Read the full guide: Mixing Low End Kick Bass: Mastering the Art of Powerful Audio
Mixing on headphones
Headphones remove room problems but exaggerate stereo width. Use crossfeed or calibration plugins, check on speakers, and compare with references.
Read the full guide: Mixing On Headphones Guide: Master Your Audio Excellence.
Mixing with sends
Sends route signal to shared effects such as reverb and delay. They save CPU and help place sounds in a common space.
Overheads
Overheads capture the whole kit and cymbals. High-pass carefully, control harshness and check phase with close microphones.
Pads
Pads fill space but can clutter a mix. High-pass, cut competing mids and keep them lower in level, often wide in stereo.
Panning
Panning places sounds across the stereo field. Keep kick, bass, snare and lead vocals centred, and spread supporting parts.
Read the full guide: Panning Cheatsheet
Parallel processing
Parallel processing blends a processed copy with the dry signal. It adds density or character while keeping transients and natural tone.
Read the full guide: How to Use Parallel Processing Techniques in Audio Mixing
Percussion
Percussion adds groove and movement. Pan elements to create width, control levels and use short reverb for cohesion.
Phase alignment
When multiple microphones capture one source, align their timing and polarity to avoid thin or hollow sounds.
Read the full guide: Phase Alignment Plugins: Perfect Your Mix!
Piano
Piano covers a wide frequency range. Decide its role in the mix, thin the low end when bass is present, and control resonances.
Read the full guide: Piano Eq
Rap vocals
Rap vocals need to be clear and consistent. Use firm compression, de-essing and EQ for presence, with effects that do not blur the rhythm.
Read the full guide: Best Way to Mix Rap Vocals
Sidechaining
Sidechaining uses one signal to control processing on another, most commonly ducking bass when the kick hits.
Snare
Snare needs body and crack. EQ the fundamental and upper attack, compress for punch and use reverb to define its space.
Read the full guide: Enhancing The Snare
Stem exports
Stems are grouped exports, such as drums, bass, music and vocals. Export from the same start point at the same sample rate.
Strings
Strings often need gentle EQ, reverb for space and attention to dynamics. Control harshness in the upper mids.
Synth bass
Synth bass can have extreme low end. Use mono low frequencies, control dynamics and add harmonics for small speakers.
Toms
Toms ring and bleed. Gate or edit them, EQ the fundamental and attack, and pan them to match the drum kit.
Read the full guide: How To Pump Up Your Toms With Compression
Vocal mixing
Vocal mixing combines editing, EQ, compression, de-essing and effects to make the vocal clear and emotive.
Read the full guide: Hip Hop Vocal Mixing
Vocals
The vocal is often the focus of a song. Make it consistent in level and clearly audible throughout, with effects that support the style.
Read the full guide: De Ess Vocals
Worked example: a mixing order of operations
| Stage | Task |
|---|---|
| 1 | Organise, name and colour tracks; set up buses |
| 2 | Gain stage and build a static balance with faders and panning |
| 3 | Corrective EQ and compression on key elements |
| 4 | Add space with send reverbs and delays |
| 5 | Automation for movement and focus |
| 6 | Reference, check in mono and on other systems |
| 7 | Export the mix and stems |
Building a static balance
The static balance is the foundation of every mix. Pull all faders down, then bring in the most important element first, often the vocal in a song or the kick and bass in dance music. Add each remaining element at the level where it serves the song, not where it sounds impressive on its own. Use panning at the same time, because position changes how loud a sound seems. Many engineers spend a significant part of their mixing time here, because a strong balance makes later processing smaller and more targeted. If an element only works soloed, it is either the wrong sound or needs to be lower.
Managing the low end
The low end carries a lot of the energy in modern music and is where most mixes fail on other systems. Decide which element owns the deepest frequencies at each moment: in many styles the bass or 808 owns the sub, while the kick provides a punchy attack and a slightly higher body. Keep low frequencies mono so they stay solid on club systems and in mono playback. Filter out unnecessary lows from vocals, guitars, pads and effects returns, because many small amounts of low-frequency energy add up to mud. Check low end with references, headphones you know well and a spectrum analyser, especially if your room is untreated.
Making vocals sit in the mix
A vocal that sits well is clear, consistent and connected to the music. Start with editing: remove noises, tighten timing and fix obvious pitch issues if the style calls for it. Use EQ to remove rumble and boxiness, then compression to control level; many engineers use two compressors in series, each doing a little, for a smoother result. A de-esser controls sibilance that compression and brightness exaggerate. Volume automation, often called riding the vocal, is the final step to make every word audible. Effects such as a short plate, a slapback or a tempo-synced delay give the vocal space without pushing it back too far.
Using reverb and delay with intent
Reverb and delay create space, depth and mood, but too much makes a mix washy. Use a small number of shared reverbs on sends, such as a short room for drums and percussion, a plate for vocals and a longer hall for pads or special moments, so instruments feel like they share a space. EQ reverb returns to remove low end and some harsh highs. Delays can add width and depth with less clutter than reverb, especially when filtered and set to the song tempo. Automate effects throws on key words or transitions to add interest without permanent wash.
Checking translation
Before calling a mix done, listen on several systems: studio monitors, headphones, earbuds, a phone speaker and a car. Take notes rather than making changes immediately, then look for problems that appear on most systems. A mix that sounds bass-heavy only in your car may simply reflect the car, but if the bass is too loud on three systems, it needs fixing. Compare with level-matched references on each system, because they show what normal sounds like on that playback device.
Preparing a mix for mastering
Deliver a mix with peaks comfortably below 0 dBFS, no clipping, and any mix bus processing you rely on left in place. Export at the session’s sample rate and at least 24-bit, trim silence sensibly without cutting tails, and include notes about references and any concerns. If you used limiting for client approval, also supply a version without it so the mastering engineer has room to work.
Before exporting, listen once from start to finish without stopping or touching anything, noting any moments that distract you. This final pass often catches small level jumps and forgotten mutes.
Common mistakes
- Processing before setting a basic balance.
- Over-compressing everything.
- Mixing too loud for too long.
- Ignoring mono compatibility.
- Not comparing with references.
- Copying settings from a tutorial without listening in your own track.
FAQ
What should I mix first?
Start with the element that carries the song, often drums or vocal, then build everything around it.
How loud should my mix be before mastering?
Leave peaks a few dB below 0 dBFS and avoid a limiter on the master bus unless you are referencing.
How do I know a mix is finished?
When further changes stop improving it on several playback systems.
What should I mix first?
Many engineers start with drums and bass or the vocal, depending on the genre.
How loud should my mix be before mastering?
Leave headroom, with peaks below 0 dBFS, and avoid heavy limiting.
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