r/mixingmastering

I see similar questions asked, though they are usually geared towards specific songs and typically the OP is claiming the mix sounds perfect on their monitors but awful in the car or something. Most of the time the response is that their mix is definitely not perfect in the monitors (and they refused to accept that answer for some reason).

I want to ask more broadly, from a novice perspective. What should you do in that scenario? I'll fully acknowledge my mix is not perfect,

so I'm curious how one takes that "feedback" and applies it to the mix. Should you be trying to compensate for the sound in the other system? Is it an indicator your monitoring is bad?

I'm curious how one reconciles the differences between hearing a mix in a mostly flat monitoring environment vs. more colored consumer speakers or headphones.

I make guitar based music (alt rock) and I'm happy with my mixes in headphones etc. They might be a bit more muddy than your Deftones, Nirvana etc. but that's intentional (I like music that you can turn up really loud without the guitars being harsh, a la early Smashing Pumpkins)

But on phones, jesus it sounds so weak and quiet compared to most other stuff. I don't know if people remaster/change the sound for their social media edits? Because muddiness surely doesn't translate well to phone speakers.

Considering doing a "Tiktok master" lol, because I do believe when you get 15 seconds to make an impression, perceived loudness can have a big impact. Then when they actually hear the music on streaming, you can trust the listener to adjust their volume and listen properly.

Idk what I'm expecting to get out of this post, just a thought.

Hey i’m a small artist with an ep that needs to be mixed.

The one song i need mixed as of current is called candle lights which is an indie pop song which i recorded a little time ago.

Need someone who’s gonna listen to my feedback and how i want the song to be mixed as i have a lil bit of an idea just not able to execute.

Please pop up if you have experience in indie pop/rock.

So I’m trying to mix a song with longer/sustained vocal takes between verses. The takes where I’m singing words sound fine, but when there’s a prolonged one note being sang there are some nasty frequencies in the top range. I tried dynamic eqs, soothe and exciters and it still doesn’t feel right? Any tips? Should I put those takes on a seperate chain? or is there something else I could do?

https://vocaroo.com/1kwQszOm3ARu

I took everyones advice on my last song and threw in some saturation to the vocals. I also added more delay and reverb though im not sure if it is enough? I wanted to add more but whenever i did it would muddy up the mix. I feel as a whole this mix needs a few changes and i am unsure on what. It sounds like there is a frequency in my vocals that is too prominent but i am still new to mixing and cant figure out which frequency it is. I also feel the 808 could hit harder than it is right now.

Would love any feedback! And also i cant believe i even have to mention this lol. Last time i posted a track i had someone come at me so let me explain - the city i am from (I dont want to dox myself) is known for street rap and nobody listens to any music outside of that out here. That is why my lyrics lean more street. I am trying to make music that i love sonically that still appeals to people local to me. Is it wrong to try to gain the approval from those around me? Maybe but at the end of the day i dont want to make music that nobody around me listens to. So while i appreciate any feedback coming to my mix an entire essay not related to my mix is very unnecessary.

I'm a musician who mixes his own stuff, and i would say i am an intermediate at it. what im aiming for is a polished sounding mix that doesnt rely on any wild mastering changes to sound loud and punchy. but that lead me to the question - what level of "finished" should i be aiming for before applying a mastering chain? if a rather extreme EQ decision in the master bus just makes everything sound great, should i just roll with it or go back and work on the mix again?

Edit - thank you all for the incredible insights! Fantastic comments here

I am in the process of building out a music studio in a spare room in the house. Small room, but open on 2 sides so it behaves like a larger room. I have Kali In-8's and plan to treat it, but my question at this point is this - my monitors are about 1m apart, because I'm positioned about 1m from each of them. This seems quite close, but the desk I bought (unfortunately) isn't deep enough to give me more distance from the monitors. Nonetheless, they sound good and clear so far, but the low end is minimal, which is to be expected if I'm sitting so close. The low end doesn't really develop until I'm about 3m from the monitors, which is pretty much at the back of the room and not realistic for my setup.

So I'm wondering whether adding a sub to the room, let's say in a corner about 2m from my position, will raise the low end presence? If not, is there anything I can realistically do, other than try to set my desk up in a way that allows me to sit farther back from the monitors? If I don't add a sub, do I need to be careful about low end treatment since it's already not prominent at my listening position?

I'm working completely in the box and using arturia OB-Xa V and got it pretty close to what i want but its lacking the same bubbly thickness in the plucks. I'm going to try EQ boosting the end but I think it may have more to do with my sound design within the synth rather than mixing tools but im not sure. I'm new to sound design so I started from a preset and made a few tweaks.

Ill post a link to the sound im trying to acheive in the comments.. Im aware this producer is using authenthic hardware and that could be the difference. Any tips are appreciated.

I have a song that I love the Mix of, but its sitting at -10.3 LUFS, when I listen to the mix it sounds great to me, but ideally I'd want it to be maybe around at least low 8s high 7s. It's an older song and I'm more of a tracking engineer but I really like the mix I did, it sounds good. but having said that I probably didnt do the things a lot of loudness minded modern mixers do like compressing every single element even if its just by a db. I'm essentially asking if anyone can give me some quick tips/advice to get the mix a bit louder ideally between -7.7 to -8.5 LUFS. I just like how the song feels like its breaths right now so I dont want to kill the transients or ruin the dynamics, but I want it to be just a little louder. I should mention its also -10.3 LUFS assuming I keep the god particle limiter engaged. I also want to say that I know that its perfectly okay to put out a song at -10.3 LUFS, but I just want to see how a slightly louder verision might feel and sound, if it really doesnt help, ill probably just stick with the current mix. Thanks

I'm mixing a metal track with brutal vocals and heavily distorted guitars.

When making space between the vocals and guitars, do you prefer:

Regular compression (sidechained from the vocals)?

Dynamic EQ (sidechained from the vocals)?

Or both together?

If you use both, what does each one handle? For example, do you use dynamic EQ to duck only the vocal frequencies and compression to control the overall guitar level?

I'd love to hear how you approach this in modern metal mixes. Thanks!

Let me explain.

I understand that the tuning/key of a song makes these decisions different and the freq area is dependent on that. But what are the methods you use to find out where those areas live and need to be adjusted, etc?

My other question is is the 450-1000 the most important section because our ear is triggered by that area the most? Or do we hear from highest Freq first to low?

I'm just struggling to find where things should be locking together

Working on the mix for a new pop-rap track and I think the vocal sits too muddy and too dry in the mix.

Would appreciate feedback specifically on: 1) where the mud is likely coming from in the vocal, 2) whether it needs reverb/delay or just better EQ/saturation to feel less dry, and 3) anything else standing out in the full mix.

thanks in advance!

Been noticing this in certain songs, trailers, and audio posts…

Sometimes a dialogue, footstep, door creak, crowd noise, or random foley sound has this crazy sense of depth and space — like it’s actually happening right in front of you, not just coming from a speaker.

As a music producer, I’m curious:

What creates that effect? Is it the recording itself, stereo imaging, reverb, ambience, psychoacoustics, or some mixing magic I’m missing?

Would love to hear from sound designers, mixers, and fellow audio nerds.

I’ve been trying to figure out a solid approach to drum compression for rock/metal mixes and I keep seeing different opinions.

Do you guys compress the entire drum bus, or do you usually leave cymbals/overheads untouched and only compress shells (kick/snare/toms)?

I’m worried that compressing the full kit makes the cymbals pump or get too harsh, but at the same time I like the “glue” feeling a drum bus compressor can give.

Also — does anyone here use JST BG Drums? If so, what settings are you usually going for in rock/metal contexts?

Do you treat it like a fully mixed kit or still do additional processing (bus compression, EQ, etc.) on top?

Curious how others are handling this in real mixes.

Hi all,

As per the title, this track is in the late mixing stage and I'm just looking for some thoughts on general mixing, I guess in particular the bass, which is the area I struggle with the most in mixing.

I appreciate as this is a longer track it might not be for some to listen all the way through (circa 7 mins).

Thanks for your assistance :)

I think I am good enough at making music (Afro, EDM, Dancehall) but fail completely at mixing music. So my products never sound professional unless someone else mixes it.

But I have determined that my biggest problem is in compression on the Drumbuss. I have used all sorts of compressors. It always sounds like nothing is glued together but still sounding clear or sounding glued but overcompressed. I followed many tutorials but the SSL compressor never gave me the sound that I hear on the songs of big artists. And other Waves compressors/limiters never give me the sound i want.

But when I use WAVES C4 I get the closest to what I want. But it still sounds a bit over-compressed. 

Is there anything you can advise me to do?

Thank you.

Been working on getting loud, dynamic, and wide mixes, not a flat wall of sound

Spent the mix on kick/bass, vocal cleaning + layering, and carving space for some busy mids (sitar + guitars). Some spatial/FX work for dimension.

Want ears on:

Vocal layering: stacks sit clean, or smeary? Lead present without washing out?

Unmasking: sitar + guitars + synths share the mids. Separated, or fighting each other / the vocal? Anything muddy or honky?

Stereo field: placed deliberately, some 3D movement on the atmosphere. Intentional and wide, or centre-piled?

Low end: kick owns the punch, bass sits below. Locked and punchy, or competing?

Groove: Does it bounce. Move you, or pinned/flat anywhere?

FX: Delays, echoes, filter FX, glitch ideas for a dark track. There's a glitch/tremolo vocal moment, does it land?

Honest and rough is most useful. Limited at (~-8 LUFS), intentionally

If anyone can share references for this style of music I'd appreciate it too.

Drop yours, I'll return the favour.

Vocaroo Link: https://vocaroo.com/1bqcb6UAy8XJ