Soundtoys Tutorial
Soundtoys makes some of the most musical plugins in the game, and I reach for them on literally every single mix. Whether I’m adding punch to drums, width to vocals, or creating wild delay effects, these tools are essential to…
Matty Harris
How To Make A Chorus Sound Bigger
One of the questions I get asked the most by clients is how to make a chorus sound bigger. Many people believe there’s a special plugin or effect that will suddenly make their chorus sound huge and epic. Unfortunately, that’s…
Setting up a Tempo Based Reverb
Understanding the Role of Reverb in a Mix Reverb does more than just make things sound “big.” It shapes the emotional landscape of a track. Whether you’re working on a stripped-back acoustic ballad or a tightly produced trap record,…
How to Separate a Drum Loop
How to Separate a Drum Loop (The Smart Way) When you’re knee-deep in production and stumble on the perfect drum loop—but wish the kick wasn’t buried under a pile of hi-hats—you’re not alone. I’ve been there. Whether you’re making…
Creating Drake’s Marvins Room Reverb Effect
Introduction: Why This Effect Still Hits Hard There’s something hauntingly timeless about the vocal reverb on Marvin’s Room. Drake’s delivery is already intimate, but the way that vocal trails off—echoing in the distance, almost like a memory—elevates the emotion…
How to use Parallel Compression on Kicks
If you’ve ever felt like your kick sounds good solo but disappears once everything else comes in — you’re not alone. Early in my career, especially working on EDM and pop sessions, I ran into that problem all the time.…
How To Use Pro Tools Automation
Pro Tools automation is something I touch on literally every mix. Even the simple ones. Even when I’m not thinking about it, I’m still riding levels, tweaking sends, automating something. If a mix feels polished and alive—like it’s breathing with the…
How to Create the Phone Effect
How to Create a Phone Effect in Any DAW Introduction As a professional mixing and mastering engineer, I’ve used the classic “phone effect” on countless records—whether it’s to add a lo-fi vibe to a vocal, create a transition moment in…
How to Fly a Hook
Introduction A powerful hook can be the difference between a song that lingers in the background and one that captivates listeners from the first note. A hook is the catchy, memorable element of a song that grabs the audience’s attention…
How to find the Auto-Tune Key
How to Find the Auto‑Tune Key Last updated: January 2026 Auto‑Tune hasn’t gone anywhere. If anything, it’s more common now than it’s ever been. Whether you’re producing pop, hip‑hop, R&B, or modern rock, getting the correct key into Auto‑Tune is…