Mix & Master Blog

Many new producers and songwriters believe that duplicating the vocal track will make the vocal a double track. However, this isn't the case. All you end up doing is making the vocal louder. You can use effects to give the impression that the vocal is doubled, and...

I am a plugin junkie. I can't stop buying them. If I had a dollar for everytime I said "this is the last reverb I will need" I would be rich. That being said, if you are new to mixing, having too many plugins can really make a hard job even harder. I always suggest to...

Producers and Artists spend weeks getting their song right so the last thing you want to do as a mixing engineer is change the feel and emotion. Having a Drum Bus with parallel processing gives you the ability to make the drums sound bigger, thicker and louder without...

Antares new Auto-Tune Access plugin is a stripped down version of there flagship Auto-Tune Pro Plugin. It may be small, but it can still pack a big punch. I think singers and songwriters who are looking for quick access to the Auto-Tune sound...

Having your ad-libs stand out from your main rap vocal is a necessary step to making your song sound unique and different.  I use a few different techniques to achieve this. One is filtering the ad libs, so you have no low end. Another is to add more...

As a former Pro Tools user for over 10 years, Audio Suite is one of it's most reliable features. It was one of the features I missed most when I switched to Presonus Studio One. The ability to select multiple tracks and process them all at once was a huge...

One of the features I've missed most since switching from Pro Tools to PreSonus Studio One is the tape stop. I have seen some videos on ways you can achieve this but all of them seemed a bit "clunky" to me. However, I recently found this plugin form...

In part two of this four-part series, we will talk about basic vocal settings. This includes 8th. quarter and half note delays. As well as feedback, and setting your filters correctly. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJAxwDh6_FU&t=115s Kick Your...

I am a huge fan of Digital Delay and in particular vocal delays! This is the first part of a new series I will be doing called Better Mixes Series. In each series, we will go over all the ins and outs of a specific topic. I figured since delays...

I have been working with Cam Meekins for quite some time now. He's much more than a client, I consider him a brother. He has done really well for himself and I'm super proud of his progress. He came by the studio the other day to work on some...

Acustica Audio's El Rey Compressor is an emulation of a famous compressor from the 1950s. My guess would be that it's an RCA compressor. Not only is it a recreation of an RCA compressor, but it's a recreation of superstar producer Greg Wells compressor. To...

There are a million and one tape plugins nowadays. All of them have their unique abilities and characteristics. In today's video, I show off the lastest, Acustica Audio Taupe. This plugin has over 40 samples of different analog tape machines. Including iconic ones...

Acustica Audio's new Viridian Module is amazing! It is an analog emulation of a few different units. The Mic Pre's emulate the sought after V72 Pre's as well as the Pre's of the EQ and Compressor sections. The EQ Emulates a Helios 69PK EQ, a Helios 69TR EQ...

The heavy reverb effect you hear on a lot of Travis Scott records has gone viral. You now hear it all the time, and it is such a cool effect to use. It can help fill in space on records that need more energy. I tend to use the Valhalla Vintage...

Overloud is an audio plugin company based in Italy, best known for making emulations of sought-after analog hardware. They are somewhat new to the audio world, but their plugins sound fantastic. When I saw that they released the Echoson I was super excited. The Echson...

Acustica Audio Coral plugin is an all in one mastering channel. It includes a stereo and M/S Equalizer as well as a compressor with a plethora of options. The Equalizer is based on a classic Baxandall configuration, a design which is highly prized for its clarity. ...

I love using External Hardware with PreSonus Studio One 4. The Pipeline plugin makes it super easy. In studio one 4 they released Pipeline XT which improves upon the already great plugin. New features include: Automatic latency compensation: instead of sending a...

I'm a sucker for all in one mixing and mastering plugins. So when the Brainworx Masterdesk came out, I was one of the first to download the trial. This plugin is an all in one Mastering chain. I think its geared towards the home studio owner who needs to polish off a...

Working in the music business can bring its fair share of ups and downs. I need more than one hand to count the times I wanted to give up. However, the love of music has always won out.  If your going through one of those periods or wanting to give up, here are 25...

Mixing your song can be an overwhelming challenge. It's hard to know where to start. Should you mix the drums first or start with the vocals? What effects should you put on?? Ugh! I think it's best to try a minimalist approach. The less plugin and...

Plugins. Plugins, Plugins.... So many to choose from these days, I can't even keep track! However, I seem to always come back to a few workhorses over and over again. The Fab Filter ProQ is an all-time favorite, as well as the UAD 1176. ( Or any 1176 plug for that...

As many of you know, I am a big fan of Acustica Audio's Plugins. So, of course, I had to review the Water plugin. The Water plugin is an emulation of the German WSW (Wiener Schwachstrom Werke) equalizer and compressor. It was the Austrian branch of Siemens Audio. It's...

Have you heard about the vocal barbeque? We need it brighter, more air! Those vocals need to cut through!! Deep fry those vox tracks!! Nowadays in popular music, the vocals are bright, trebly, and the most in dominating part of the song. But how do we get such a...