Advanced Audio Engineering
Course 9: Mixing in the Box

Mixing is an important part of the music production process, enabling individual audio tracks to be blended and balanced into a single stereo audio file. This file usually follows the Red Book standard (44.1 kHz sample rate, 16-bit depth) in order to be broadcasted on most media platforms. Knowing your way around a mix is essential as it has the ability to make or break the sound of a track.

Every engineer and producer has personal techniques for mixing that may work with certain genres or elements better than others. That’s why experimenting with different blends is key–always seeking the sound you desire. After all, having the mix that best reflects what you had in mind is what we all strive for – making sure every detail comes through and stands out!

In this course, you will find out how to make a great final mix. You will be exploring the techniques that are involved with mixing each individual track, such as EQ, compression, placing a track in the best stereo space available, and balancing all tracks in the stereo spectrum. In this lesson, you will also cover effects and editing techniques that are used or overused and how to keep these in mind during your final mix.

You’ll learn how to listen to your song as you mix for the best results, keeping in mind monitor setup and volume and how to organize all your studio effects and keep everything neat, simplified, and even make your mix more efficient. You’ll see when and how to apply compression to add dynamics to a track and how to add more life to a flat-sounding track with EQ. Finally, you’ll learn how to place an audio track in the right stereo space that will showcase its presence without overpowering another audio track unless desired.