What is Mixing?
Also called: mixdown, audio mixing
Mixing is the stage of music production where the separate recorded tracks of a song are balanced and processed into one stereo (or surround) file. It decides how loud each part is, where it sits in the stereo field and how it sounds.
A mix engineer works with levels, panning, EQ, compression, reverb, delay and automation. The goal is for every important part to be heard clearly, for the song to have energy where it needs it, and for the whole thing to feel like one performance rather than a pile of tracks.
Mixing comes after recording or production and before mastering. Many problems that people try to fix in mastering, such as a buried vocal or a booming bass, are much easier to solve in the mix, because there each instrument can be adjusted on its own.
Taking breaks, listening on several systems and comparing against reference tracks are some of the simplest ways to make better mixing decisions.
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