THE 12 STEPS TO

ORGANIZE YOUR SESSION

STEP 1: Arrange your tracks by instrument. Extra points if you order them the
same way for every mix.

STEP 2: Relabel tracks. Make sure they’re understandable, not 12_kick.aiff.

STEP 3: Color code tracks. Again, extra points if you color them the same way for
every mix. This will help you find things quickly.

STEP 4: Delete empty or unwanted tracks. If it’s not going to be in the mix, it
doesn’t need to stay in your session.

STEP 5: Hide unused tracks. If you want it in your session for safekeeping, make
sure you hide it from view.

STEP 6: Send your individual instruments to busses. Having everything under

one fader will speed up your mixing.

STEP 7: Insert fades and crossfades. At least 10 ms at the beginning and end of
each region should be enough.

STEP 8: Gain stage your files. Reduce the gain of channels that peak above
-6dBFS, and add gain to channels that peak below -30dBFS.

120 BPM STEP 9: Input tempo data and time signature. Without them, editing and
4/4 automation will be extremely difficult.

STEP 10: Create song section labels. Knowing where your choruses are is
invaluable when you’re mixing quickly.

STEP 11: Make sure the buffer size is high. Set it to 1024 to keep your CPU
usage low.

STEP 12: Import your reference tracks. Find some mixes similar to yours and
listen to them throughout the process.
 HOW TO
GAIN STAGE YOUR MIX

STEP 1:
Gain VU Meter Load up a gain plugin at the top
of any tracks that are peaking
above -6dBFS.
Stereo Out

STEP 2:
Put a VU meter at the beginning
of your stereo output and
0 0 calibrate it to -18dBFS.
3 3
6 6
9 9
12 12
15
18
15
18
STEP 3:
21 21
24 24
Solo the loud tracks one by
one, and play it around its
30 30
35 35
loudest point.
40 40
45 45
50 50
60 60
STEP 4:
Turn the volume of the gain plugin
M S M S up or down until the volume of the
track is around 0 dB on the VU
Guitar Stereo Out meter. That’s the analog sweet spot.

STEP 5:
If you’re using instrument busses,
make sure you repeat the process
with each bus once you’ve done
VU 5 3 2 1 0
your volume balancing.
10 7 1 2
20 3
80
20
40 60 100
STEP 6:
Find any channels that are
peaking below -30dBFS and
repeat steps 1-5, this time turning
the channels up instead of down.
 VOLUME BALANCING
IN 10 SIMPLE STEPS

STEP 1:
Look for any channels that are peaking and reduce the gain with a gain plugin.

STEP 2:
Loop the loudest section of the song.

STEP 3:
Turn the faders all the way down.

STEP 4:
Listen to a few reference tracks to prime your ears.

STEP 5:
Decide on the most important channel (your vocal, snare, etc.) and set it to -5 dB.

STEP 6:
Bring in the second most important channel and balance its volume with the
first channel.

STEP 7:
Continue in this manner, bringing up channels in order of importance.

STEP 8:
Once all the channels are up, spend at least 10 minutes adjusting the balance.

STEP 9:
Take a short break and listen again. You will likely find some final tweaks to
make before you move on.

STEP 10:
Once you’ve finished your initial mix, play the song from the beginning and
automate the volume of each instrument to fit.
 EDITING CHECKLIST

ORGANIZE YOUR SESSION. Editing is stressful if you don’t know where

everything is.

CREATE A ROUGH VOLUME BALANCE. It doesn’t need to be perfect. You’ll do

the actual volume balancing once you’re mixing.

“CLEAN” YOUR TRACKS. Cut out any silence in between sections that could have
noise, pops, lip smacks, or bleed from other instruments.

ALIGN THE PHASE OF YOUR TRACKS. If you have any instruments that were
recorded with multiple mics (like a drum set), make sure you’ve aligned their phase.

GROUP YOUR TRACKS. You don’t want to do any editing on instruments that
were stereo miked if they aren’t grouped together.

FIX TIMING ISSUES IN YOUR RHYTHM SECTION. Your mix won’t sound pro if the
performance isn’t locked in. Use either hand editing or elastic editing.

REPLACE DRUM HITS WITH SAMPLES. This is optional. If you feel like your drums
need a little extra oomph, adding drum samples may help.

COMP YOUR VOCALS. Create the greatest performance possible by cutting

together the best bits from all of your vocal takes.

TUNE YOUR VOCALS. You don’t need to tune them too hard. Just make sure
there aren’t any distracting notes that take away from the performance.

FIX TIMING ISSUES IN YOUR VOCALS. You need to make sure your vocals are
sitting “in the pocket.” Use either hand editing or elastic editing.

TIME-ALIGN YOUR HARMONIES TO YOUR VOCALS. The tighter the harmonies,

the better they will sit in the mix.

CREATE YOUR FADES. Any region that has been cut should have a very short
fade or crossfade (e.g. 5ms) at its beginning and end.

BOUNCE EVERYTHING IN PLACE. Export all of the edits as their own audio files.
That will save you massive amounts of CPU.
 ANATOMY OF AN EQ

Spectrum Frequency Low Pass Filter (LPF)

High Pass
Filter (HPF) Q Bell Shelf

20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k

116 Hz 75.0 Hz 100 Hz 790 Hz 1500 Hz 2500 Hz 7300 Hz 11600 Hz

24dB/Oct 0.0 dB 0.0 dB +7.5dB 0.0 dB 0.0 dB +6.0 dB 24dB/Oct

0.71 1.00 0.60 0.71 0.30 0.20 1.00 0.71

High Pass
A filter that cuts the entire low end, letting the highs pass through.
Filter (HPF)

Spectrum Encompases all of the soundwaves that humans can hear (20 Hz–20 kHz).

Q How wide your filter is. The lower the number, the wider the filter.

Frequency The area of the spectrum that you are affecting.

Bell A filter centered around a single frequency. The most common EQ filter.

Low Pass
A filter that cuts the entire high end, letting the lows pass through.
Filter (LPF)

A filter on the high or low end of the spectrum that cuts or boosts
Shelf frequencies using a flat line.
 THE 4 WAYS TO USE AN EQ

#1 REMOVE THE GROSS STUFF.

Use narrow cuts to remove “room resonances.”

To find these, use an EQ sweep.
20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k
Boost a bell all the way with a Q of 1.5 and
move it slowly from the left to the right.
If a small area gets extra loud or sounds
“nasty” to your ears, cut it.
Use a high pass filter to remove low end
noise (but only when needed).

#2 ENHANCE THE GOOD STUFF.

Use wider cuts and boosts (0.1–2.0 Q) to

shape the tone.

20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k Do an EQ sweep to find areas that sound
good to your ears, and boost them. Start
with around 3dB and tweak to taste.
If any areas sound like they’re a little
overpowering, and cut them. Start with
around 3dB and tweak to taste.

#3 MAKE THINGS SOUND

DIFFERENT.
20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k

For example, filtering the lows and highs

and boosting the mids will create the
classic megaphone sound on vocals.

#4 CREATE SPACE IN THE MIX.

Carve out space in the spectrum of certain

20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k instruments to make space for other, more
important instruments.
For example, try cutting around
4 kHz in your acoustic guitar to
make space for your vocals.
 ANATOMY OF A COMPRESSOR
THRESHOLD
GAIN REDUCTION METER
Determines the level that the compressor kicks in.
How much gain is being reduced by
the compressor. When the audio is louder than the threshold level, the compressor turns on.
The more gain is reduced, the harder The lower the threshold, the more the audio is compressed.
the compressor is working.
RATIO
Determines by how much the volume is reduced.
The higher the ratio, the more aggressive the compression.
-10
To read a ratio, flip the numbers around. For example, a ratio of 4:1 means
-5
-20
that for every 1dB that goes above the threshold, 1/4th of a dB comes out.
-30
-50 0 ATTACK TIME
Determines how quickly the compressor completely engages and
reduces the volume of the audio.
Faster attack times make an instrument thick and controlled.
Slower attack times make an instrument punchy and exciting. Unless
THRESHOLD RATIO MAKEUP GAIN you have a reason, this is usually preferred.
5 10
-30 -20 5 8
0 15
3 12
20
RELEASE TIME
-5
-40 -10
30
Determines how long it takes the compressor to completely disengage
-10
2
20
and return the audio to its normal level.
-15 40
-50 0
1 30
dB :1 dB
KNEE
Determines how aggressive the compression sounds.
KNEE ATTACK RELEASE
A “soft knee” (1.0) makes the compression more subtle.
20 50 100 200
0.4 0.6
80 500
A “hard knee” (0.0) makes the compression more obvious.
15 50
10 120 20 1K
0.2 0.8
5 160 10 2K MAKEUP GAIN
0 200 5 5K Increases the output level to compensate for the loss in volume due to
0 1.0
ms ms compression.
Use makeup gain to keep your instrument from getting quieter in the mix.
 HOW TO USE A COMPRESSOR
STEP 1: STEP 6:
-10 Increase the release until
Set the ratio to 3:1.
-5
the compressor is
-20 “breathing” in time with
the song. This will likely be
-30
between 50–150 ms.
-50 0
STEP 2:
Lower the threshold until
you’re getting around 10 STEP 7:
dBs of gain reduction.
Increase the threshold until
you get the desired amount
of attack, thickness, and
THRESHOLD RATIO MAKEUP GAIN dynamic control. Use your
STEP 3: ears instead of looking at
5 8 5 10
-30 -20
15 the meter.
0
Set your attack time
3 12
very slow (100 ms). -5 20
-40 -10
20 -10 30 STEP 8:
2
-15 40
-50 0 Adjust the ratio to taste.
STEP 4: 1 30
Lower the ratio if you
dB :1 dB
Set your release time very want more subtle
fast (5 ms). compression. Raise the
ratio if you want more
KNEE ATTACK RELEASE aggressive compression.
20 50 100 200
0.4 0.6
STEP 5: 15 80 50 500
Decrease the attack until 10 120 20 1K STEP 9:
0.8
you hear the transients 0.2
160 2K Apply makeup gain to
5 10
of the sound become compensate for the
dull and lifeless. Then 1.0
0 200 5 5K
volume you lost during
0
back off a bit. ms ms
compression.
 THE 3 WAYS TO
USE A COMPRESSOR
-10

-5

METHOD 1:
-20

-30

-50 0

TO CONTROL THE DYNAMIC RANGE

THRESHOLD

5
RATIO

8
MAKEUP GAIN
5 10
OF AN INSTRUMENT.
-30 -20
15
0
3 12
-5 20
-40 -10

This is to make
30

Settings:
20 -10
2
-15 40
-50 0 30

the recording
1
dB :1 dB

■ faster attack
KNEE ATTACK RELEASE
■ faster release more consistent,
50 200

helping it to sit
20 100
0.4 0.6

■ harder knee
15 80 50 500

in the mix
10 120 20 1K
0.2 0.8
5 160 10 2K ■ higher ratio
0 200 5 5K
0 1.0
ms ms

-10

METHOD 2:
-5
-20

-30

-50 0

TO SHAPE THE SOUND OF AN INSTRUMENT.

THRESHOLD RATIO MAKEUP GAIN

5 8 5 10
-30 -20

Settings: This “colors” the

15
0
3 12
-5 20
-40 -10

2
20 -10 30
■ slower attack sound of an
-50
dB
0
1
:1
30
-15

dB
40

■ slower release instrument, giving

KNEE ATTACK RELEASE ■ softer knee it more character
0.4 0.6
15
20 50
80 50
100 200
500
■ lower ratio and excitement.
10 120 20 1K
0.2 0.8
5

0 200
160 10

5 5K
2K
Use an analog compressor if possible.
0 1.0
ms ms

-10

-20
-5
METHOD 3:
-30

-50 0

TO “GLUE” INSTRUMENTS TOGETHER.

THRESHOLD RATIO MAKEUP GAIN

Settings: Used on instrument

5 8 5 10
-30 -20
15
0
3 12

buses or the mix bus.

-5 20

■ medium attack
-40 -10
-10 30
20
2

■ medium release
-15 40

Helps to make several

-50 0 30
1
dB :1 dB

KNEE ATTACK RELEASE

■ medium knee instruments feel like
0.4 0.6
20 50
80
100 200
500
■ lower ratio they’re all performing
15 50

0.2 0.8
10 120 20 1K together.
5 160 10 2K

0 200 5 5K
0 1.0
ms ms
 HOW TO SET UP MIXBUS COMPRESSION
STEP 1: STEP 6:
-10 Increase the release until
Set the ratio to 3:1. the compressor is
-5
-20 “breathing” in time with the
song. Try soloing the kick
-30
and snare - make the gain
STEP 2: -50 0 reduction meter falls back
to zero between each hit.
Lower the threshold until
you’re getting around 10
dBs of gain reduction. STEP 7:
Increase the threshold
THRESHOLD RATIO MAKEUP GAIN until you get the desired
STEP 3: amount of aggression,
-30 -20 5 8 5 10 thickness, and dynamic
15
0 control - usually around
Set your attack time very
3 12 1-2dB of gain reduction.
slow (100 ms). -5 20
-40 -10
-10 30
20
2
STEP 8:
-15 40
STEP 4: -50 0
1 30
dB :1 dB Adjust the ratio to taste.
Set your release time very Lower the ratio (2:1) if you
fast (5 ms). want more subtle
compression. Raise the
KNEE ATTACK RELEASE ratio (4:1) if you want more
20 50 100 200
aggressive compression.
STEP 5: 0.4 0.6
15 80 50 500
Decrease the attack until 10 120 20 1K STEP 9:
0.2 0.8
you hear the transients 160 2K
5 10 Apply makeup gain to
of the sound become
0 200 5 5K compensate for the
dull and lifeless, then 0 1.0
ms ms volume you lost during
back off a bit.
compression.
 HOW TO CREATE A ROOM
REVERB FOR YOUR MIX

WHAT IS REVERB?
Reverb is the sound of the room. When reverb is added to an instrument, that instrument sounds like it’s
in a new space.

WHY SHOULD I USE REVERB?

1 To push things back in the mix. 2 To control the tone of the mix.

HOW TO CREATE A ROOM REVERB FOR YOUR MIX.

STEP 1: STEP 2
CREATE TWO AUX CHANNELS. SET UP YOUR TWO CHANNELS.

Label one “Ambience” and the other “Room ■ AMBIENCE

Tone.” Place a reverb plugin on each.
REVERB TYPE ROOM

Pre-delay Decay time Reflections Distance Balance

Bus 1 Bus 2

Reverb Reverb 0 ms 500 ms 0 sec 5 sec early late 1% 100% dry wet

Balance: 100% wet

Type: Room
Decay time: 250–750 ms
Pre-delay: 2–25 ms
Reflections: More early, less late
Distance: 1–5%
0 0
3 3
6 6 ■ ROOM TONE
9 9
12 12 REVERB TYPE ROOM, HALL, OR CHAMBER
15 15
18 18 Pre-delay Decay time Reflections Distance Balance

21 21
24 24
30 30
0 ms 500 ms 0 sec 5 sec early late 1% 100% dry wet
35 35
40 40
45 45 Balance: 100% wet
50 50
Type: Room, hall, or chamber
60 60
Decay time: 500–3000 ms
Pre-delay 0–75 ms
Ambience Room Tone Reflections: Less early, more late
Distance: 15–50%
 HOW TO CREATE A ROOM
REVERB FOR YOUR MIX

STEP 3
SEND SOME OF EACH INSTRUMENT TO
THESE TWO AUX CHANNELS.
If you want to push an instrument back in the
mix, send more of it to the Ambience channel.
If you want the instrument to have noticeable
reverb, send more to the Room Tone channel.
STEP 5
BALANCE THE VOLUME IN YOUR MIX.
Turn the volume of the aux tracks all the
way down.
Then turn them up slowly until they sound
nice to your ears.
Then turn them back down a 1-3dBs for safety.

Bus 1 Bus 2
Bus 1 Bus 1 Bus 1
EQ EQ
Bus 2 Bus 2 Bus 2 Reverb Reverb

Stereo Out Stereo Out

0 0 0 0 0
3 3 3 3 3
6 6 6 6 6
9 9 9 9 9
12 12 12 12 12
15 15 15 15 15
18 18 18 18 18
21 21 21 21 21
24 24 24 24 24
30 30 30 30 30
35 35 35 35 35
40 40 40 40 40
45 45 45 45 45
50 50 50 50 50
60 60 60 60 60

Vocals Guitar Drums Ambience Room Tone

STEP 4
PUT AN EQ BEFORE THE REVERBS.

Move a high pass filter up until the mix starts

to sound too thin.
Listen to your overall mix. Is it sounding too
dark? Try boosting the top end of the reverbs
with a shelf. Is the mix sounding too bright? 20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k

Try cutting with a shelf instead.

Are the reverbs making your mix sound
muddy? Try cutting 3-10dBs in the low mids.
 HOW TO CREATE
VOCAL DELAY
THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO CREATE A SENSE OF SPACE AROUND A VOCAL IF YOU WANT
AN EXCITING, UP-FRONT VOCAL SOUND.

Stereo Link

LEFT DELAY RIGHT DELAY OUTPUT MIX

Delay Time Feedback Delay Time Feedback Left Right

75.0 ms 5% 100 ms 5% 100% 100%

STEP 1 STEP 2

Input 1 Bus 1 STEP 1

AUX
Stereo Delay
Create an aux track to put your stereo delay on.
Bus 1 Send your vocal to that aux track.

Stereo Out Stereo Out

STEP 2
DELAY

Set your delay to 100% wet.

Unlink the left and right channels.

0 0
3 3 Set one side to 50–200 ms.
6 6
9 9 PRO TIP: The longer the delay time,
12 12 the more obvious the delay will be.
15 15
18 18
21 21
Set the other side 20-50 ms behind.
24 24 PRO TIP: The farther apart the second
30 30 channel is, the wider the vocal will sound.
35 35
40 40 Set the feedback to 0–15%, depending how
45 45
natural you want it.
50 50
60 60

M S M S
Vocals Delay
 HOW TO CREATE
VOCAL DELAY

20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k

STEP 3 STEP 4

STEP 3 Bus 1
EQ
EQ
Put an EQ before the delay. Stereo Delay

Move a low filter up until the mix starts to

sound too thin.

PRO TIP: Try not to cut higher than 300 Hz. Stereo Out

Move a high filter down until the delay gets

too lost in the sound of the vocal.

PRO TIP: Try not to cut lower than 3 kHz.

0
STEP 4 3
6
VOLUME 9
12
15
Turn the volume of the aux track all the 18
way down. 21
24
Then turn it up slowly until it sounds nice 30
to your ears. 35
40
Finally, turn it down a few dBs for safety. 45
50
60

M S
Delay
 HOW TO CREATE
VOCAL REVERB
THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO CREATE A SENSE OF SPACE AROUND THE VOCAL IF YOU
WANT A MORE NATURAL, LESS UP-FRONT VOCAL SOUND.

REVERB TYPE PLATE

Pre-delay Decay time Reflections Distance Balance

0 ms 500 ms 0 sec 5 sec early late 1% 100% dry wet

STEP 1 STEP 2

In 1 Bus 1 STEP 1
AUX
Reverb
Create an aux track to put your reverb on.
Bus 1 Send your vocal to that aux track.

Stereo Out Stereo Out STEP 2

REVERB TYPE

Set your reverb to 100% wet.

Try each reverb type (room, hall, chamber, or
plate) and pick your favorite.
0 0
Set the reverb time to 4 seconds, then slowly
3 3
6 6 move it down until it sounds natural with the rest
9 9 of your mix.
12 12 PRO TIP: Usually shorter reverb times
15 15
work best on vocals. Try something
18 18
21 21 between 0.5–1.5 seconds.
24 24
Increase the pre-delay until the vocal is standing
30 30 out from the reverb.
35 35
40 40 PRO TIP: Usually a pre-delay of 30-100 ms
45 45 is good.
50 50
Adjust the distance (or early/late reflections) to taste.
60 60
PRO TIP: Further distance or more late
reflections will sound lusher, but will push
Vocals Reverb
the vocal in the mix.
 HOW TO CREATE
VOCAL REVERB

20 50 100 200 500 1k 2k 5k 10k 20k

STEP 3 STEP 4

STEP 3 Bus 1
EQ
EQ
Put an EQ before the reverb. Reverb

Move a high pass filter up until the mix starts

to sound too thin. Stereo Out

Listen to your vocal. Is it too dark or too

bright? If it’s too dark, boost the highs with a
shelf. If it’s too bright, cut the highs.

Is the reverb making your vocal too muddy?

Cut 3–10 dBs in the low mids.
0
3
STEP 4 6
9
12
VOLUME
15
18
Turn the volume of the aux track all the way 21
down. 24
30
Then turn it up slowly until it sounds nice to 35
your ears. 40
45
Finally, turn it back down a few dBs for safety. 50
60

Reverb
 MASTER YOUR MIX
IN 14 STEPS

STEP 1: Optimize your listening space. Mastering in an untreated room will make
your song fall apart in any other space.

STEP 2: Finish your mix. You can’t master until the mix is done!

STEP 3: Check the levels. Make sure none of your faders are clipping. Also, the
loudest part of the song should be peaking between -4 dB and -6 dB on the mixbus.

STEP 4: Bounce down your stereo track. Make sure it’s exported at the same bit
and sample rate as the session. It needs to be a .wav or .aiff file.

STEP 5: Take a break. Give your ears a break. Wait at least a day.

STEP 6: Create a new project and import your references. Using reference
tracks will make a huge difference in the quality of your master.

STEP 7: Listen for the first time (and take notes). You’ll hear 80% of the problems
in this first listen.

STEP 8: Make a full analysis. Listen to your references, then listen to the mix
again. Check your mix in several different spaces. Write down what you hear.

STEP 9: Control the dynamics. Use a compressor to lightly compress the mix. 1–2
dBs of gain reduction is fine.

STEP 10: Fix the tone. Use an EQ and multiband compressor to match the tone
of your references.

STEP 11: Enhance the mix. Use tools like saturation and stereo widening to color
the mix. This is optional.

STEP 12: Limit the mix. Use a limiter to increase the loudness of your mix. Shoot
for 2–4 dBs of gain reduction at the loudest points.

STEP 13: Make your final checks. Use a meter like LUFS or Dynameter to make
sure your dynamic range is adequate.

STEP 14: Bounce it. Export your mix at 16 bits and 44.1 kHz. Don’t forget to dither!
 HOW TO USE A LIMITER
WHEN MASTERING

STEP 2 STEPS 3, 8 STEPS 4, 6 STEPS 5, 7

INPUT REDUCTION OUTPUT

dB 2.5 2.5 dB 2.5 dB -0.5 -0.5

20 0 0 OUTPUT LEVEL GAIN ATTACK RELEASE

12 1.5 -2 -0.5 dB +17.0 dB 100.0 ms 500.0 ms
9 3 -4
6 6 -6
3 9 -8
0 12 -10
-3 15 -12
-6 20 -14
-9 25 -16
-12 30 -18
-15 35 -20
-20 40 -22
-30 50 -24 AUTO
-60 60 -26

STEP 1: Add the limiter as the last plugin in your chain.

STEP 2: Set the output ceiling at -0.5 dBFS.

STEP 3: Increase your input gain until you’re getting about 10 dBs of gain reduction.

STEP 4: Set your attack very slow (100 ms).

STEP 5: Set your release very slow (500 ms).

STEP 6: Decrease the attack as much as possible until you hear the mix start to lose
impact, then back off a bit.

STEP 7: Decrease the release as much as possible until you begin to hear your mix distorting,
then back off a bit. You could also use the auto function to let the compressor do it for you.

STEP 8: Decrease your input gain until you’re getting 2–3 dBs of gain reduction.