Mixing Archive

Compression 101

  Compression is often one of the more difficult concepts to wrap a brain around. Threshold, attack, ratio… what does it all mean? Today, I want to give you a primer on compression, and using a drum loop, show how you can use compression to bring punch, power, and energy to your tracks. Enjoy!

Reference Tracks: The Home Studio’s Secret Weapon

If you’re like me (or really, almost anyone with a home recording studio), you probably want the music coming out of your studio to sound like, and stand up to, the music you hear on iTunes, Spotify, and the radio. I get it, but if you’re not actually referencing that sort of music while you’re

The Way You Think About Plugin Presets Is Broken (And How To Fix It)

I mentioned in last week’s article that I have a love-hate relationship with plugin presets. There are times they can really help me out, and others when they’re the worst thing about DAW mixing. Let’s break that down a bit and talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. We’ll start with… The Ugly