Ableton for Music Creators and Artists
Course 20: Song 2 Mixdown

During your first mixdown we kept things a bit simpler so that you wouldn’t get too overwhelmed. This time around, you’re stepping things up! On song two, you’ll get into more advanced mixing techniques and jump into automation with the completion of not one, not two, but three different mixes of your song.

You’ll also peek behind the curtain on a few practices you may already be doing intuitively, like giving every instrument (digital or analog) its own space in the “virtual stage” of your mix. You’ll learn more about amplitude, pan, and frequency and uncover various recording workflows in the arrangement window.

The course 20 digital field trip will take you to Arturia to take a look at their software and hardware. Synthesizers may be a necessity in today’s music production environment, but that doesn’t mean they need to take up half a studio. Check out a synth and a piece of hardware from Arturia and talk about what you liked and how you would use their gear.

For the listening library, you’ll listen to Billie Eilish’s record-breaking album When We Fall Asleep, Where do We Go? The album is a great example of modern mixes, so discuss what you liked about the album, what you didn’t like about the production, and anything you would change about the recording.