Set your EQ so that the width of the EQ band is somewhat narrow – not too wide – and adjust away. 200Hz is another culprit frequency that can cause a muddy amateurish-sounding mix when it is too prevalent in a mix. The next thing I do if I’m under a stressful time crunch deadline is I listen to my mix as a whole and, while doing so, I go through key instrumental and vocal tracks and, one at a time, (again, while listening to the ENTIRE mix), I adjust the EQ at around 200Hz – and usually end up cutting that frequency a bit (or more) on some of the key tracks on that song. And this is something you can do to your mixes IMMEDIATELY (this step is a less than 30 Minute Miracle Cure For Your Mixes)! And your Mastering Engineer (which might even be YOU!) will love you for it.įor details on how to mix the Bass and Kick track, refer to “The Lucrative Home Studio” within TEAM Premium Access. However – and here is one key Secret to great mixing – if you DON’T take all (or most) of your tracks in your mix and cut those low frequencies, a muddy sort of amateurish dull-sounding mix results.Ĭut those low frequencies across the boards, and listen to the punch and the brilliance and clarity of your mix. Cutting those low frequencies is what a “High Pass Filter” does – it allows the High Frequencies to Pass and Cuts the Low Frequencies thus the name High Pass Filter. In fact, even when you DO cut the lower frequencies (let’s say from 100Hz down to 20Hz) it’s hard to hear any big difference on that hi-hat track. You wouldn’t think that you would need to CUT the low end of that track in order to increase the quality of your overall mix.

Most producers like to mix their hi-hat tracks with a nice strong crispy high end up around 5kHz to 8kHz or even higher depending on preference. In other words, let’s say you have a hi-hat track (whether played by a live drummer or with a synth or virtual instrument). NOTE: This percentage is based on the assumption that the Rhythmic aspects of your mix are solid and tight with a good groove.Įvery mix has an “invisible” accumulation of low end frequencies that cause the final mix and master to sound “muddy” – EVEN ON HIGH FREQUENCY INSTRUMENT TRACKS. In these cases, I have found 4 fast steps to mixing (I call them my “30 Minute Miracle Cure For Your Mixes”) that have given me a 99% success rate in getting tracks accepted. There are times when I have extremely demanding deadlines and have to get music mixed and mastered for licensing clients – RIGHT NOW, right now. (This article is excerpted from a book TEAM CEO & Founder Gary Gray wrote titled “The Home Studio Bible.” This book is included as part of TEAM Premium Access.)

Free ebook one minute cure