Most beginner mixes have one of six problems. Find yours in the table, try the first fix, then listen again at a low volume.
Find your symptom
| It sounds... | Usual cause | First fix |
|---|---|---|
| Muddy or boomy | Too many sounds in the low mids, roughly 200 to 500 Hz | High-pass everything that isn't bass or kick; cut a little low-mid from pads and guitars |
| Bass and kick fight | Both hit the same low frequencies at the same time | Sidechain the bass to the kick, or give each a different low-end range |
| Harsh or tiring | Too much energy around 2 to 5 kHz, or over-compressed highs | Gently cut the harsh area; use a dynamic EQ so it only cuts when needed |
| Vocal is buried | Other parts sit in the same range as the voice | Lower competing parts, or cut a little of their mids while the vocal plays |
| Flat and lifeless | Too much compression, everything at the same level | Back off the compressors; let the chorus be louder than the verse |
| Quiet next to other songs | No headroom management, or no final limiter | Fix gain staging first, then a limiter on the master; check loudness with a meter |
See what you hear
A free spectrum analyzer such as Voxengo SPAN shows where energy piles up, and a loudness meter such as Youlean's free version shows how loud your track really is. Both are in our best free plugins list.
Use a reference track
Import a released song in the same style into your project, match its volume to your mix, and switch between them. Compare one thing at a time: the low end, then the vocal level, then the brightness.
Check on more than one system
Headphones exaggerate width; small speakers hide bass; cars exaggerate it. Check on at least two. If you are choosing what to mix on, read headphones vs studio monitors.
Before you mix next time
- Set healthy levels from the start: gain staging.
- Follow a simple vocal chain: how to mix vocals.
- Choose sounds that already fit together; mixing can't fix a crowded arrangement.
