Tim Johnson – Introduction to Mixing

Learn fundamental techniques for GREAT-SOUNDING MIXES

Improve your music with tried-and-true techniques for gain staging, EQ, compression, and more. Whatever your style of music, this on-demand course will show you how to sculpt the tone of your tracks, use effects to create space, and take control of your dynamics to craft a polished sound.

You will learn these techniques using the stock plugins in Cubase and Logic, but they are equally applicable to any DAW. There are also hands-on exercises, quizzes, and projects to get you familiar with your new-found skills.

What You’ll Learn In Introduction to Mixing

1. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
   We will give you an introduction to the core concepts of mixing and why it’s an important step when you create music. This module will also introduce you to a cut down version of the mixing method, so you can see the whole process before diving into the specifics.
2. GAIN, BALANCING, AND PANNING
   These three tools set the foundation for everything you do later. We will explore the DAW mixer, gain staging, balancing your tracks, and deeper explanations for those who want to take this a step further exploring depth of field and using ‘Pink Noise’ balancing techniques.
3. ADDING EQ
   Whether you’re boosting the warmth of a bass guitar, taming the harshness of cymbals, or carving out space for a lead vocal to cut through, an understanding of EQ allows you to sculpt the sound and craft a well-balanced. We will also take this further using mid-side EQ techniques.
4. TAMING THE DYNAMICS
   Here we look at the basic mechanics of compression, including compression ratio, threshold, and setting up a mix bus. Taking this further, we look at sidechain compression, and transient shapers. All of these are easy to implement once you understand the tools and the purpose behind them!
5. REVERB AND DELAY
   Reverb and delay allow you to craft the ‘room’ that your music is in, despite likely being recorded in your home studio! These effects, when applied creatively and carefully, have the power to completely transform your mix into something either small and intimate, or spacious and epic.
6. THE MIX BUS AND FINAL PROCESSING
   The mix bus is a way of grouping your tracks together for group processing, and adding final processing like automation. We will also touch on some additional creative tools you can use at the mixing stage that can add a much more unique character to your work, such as distortion and saturation, and multiband compression.

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