Mixing
A Beginner's Mixing Checklist: 10 Steps in the Right Order
Mixing feels endless because most people do the steps in random order. Do these ten in sequence and every mix lands somewhere professional.
1–3: Prepare
1) Gain-stage: every fader near 0, every track peaking around −12 dB. 2) Route buses: drums, bass, music, vocals. 3) Balance faders only, in mono, until the song works quiet. A great static balance is 70% of a mix.
4–5: Subtract
4) High-pass everything that isn't kick or bass (start 100 Hz, by ear). 5) Cut problems before boosting anything: find boxiness (200–500 Hz), harshness (2–5 kHz) with a narrow sweep, and dip a few dB.
6–7: Control
6) Compress only what moves too much — vocals (3–6 dB reduction) and bass (2–4 dB). 7) Sidechain the 808 to the kick. If nothing pumps or spits, your settings are fine.
8–9: Space and motion
8) One shared reverb send and one delay send; feed elements to taste — depth comes from different send amounts, not different reverbs. 9) Automate: vocal up 1 dB in hooks, filter sweeps into sections, mute moments.
10: Reference and check
10) A/B against a commercial track at matched loudness (free level-matched player), fix the two biggest differences you hear, then check LUFS/true peak before export.
A/B your mix against a reference →Loudness-matched instant switching — hear the truth, free.Frequently asked questions
What order should I mix in?
Balance → subtractive EQ → compression → space → automation. Loudness comes last, at mastering.
How loud should tracks be while mixing?
Peaks around −12 dB per track and a master that never clips — leave the limiter off until the end.
How do I know when the mix is done?
It survives three tests: sounds right quiet, sounds right in mono, and stands next to a reference without embarrassing you.