Mix & Master Blog
Insights, Tutorials, Reviews, oh my!
3 Easy Vocal Mixing Tips
When mixing vocals, there are three main things you need to focus on: clarity, volume, and emotion. If you can get those three things right, your vocals will sound great! In this blog post, we'll discuss each factor in detail and show three ways you can improve your...
Why I use Two Mix Buses in My Session Template
Introduction When it comes to mixing, your mix bus plays a huge role in shaping the final sound of your track. Over the years, I’ve experimented with all kinds of mix bus chains, presets, and setups. But after working across so many genres—everything from acoustic...
McDSP APB16 Review
McDSP APB 16 Review: Analog Flavor With Digital Control The McDSP APB 16 is a powerful analog emulation plugin that brings high-quality analog compression and saturation to your digital productions. With versatile sound-shaping capabilities, intuitive controls, and...
How to Send and Export a Logic Session Pro X
If you need to send a Logic session or export stems to send to another engineer or producer, there are a few steps to take that will make the process seamless. In this video, we will go over how to prep a session for export or prep a session to export stems. Enjoy!...
5 Things You Need To Build A Home Studio
Introduction: In today's music industry, having a personal space where you can create, experiment, and produce music is not just a luxury; it's a necessity. A home studio offers unparalleled convenience and control, allowing artists and engineers to work at their own...
Bettermaker EQ232D Plugin Review
The new Bettermaker EQ232D Plugin from Plugin Alliance is a remake of Bettermakers first hardware EQ. It has three sections. A LPF, two parametric EQ's as well as a full Pultec style EQ section. I am a fan of Bettermaker's hardware and own both the Mastering EQ as...
Presonus Studio One 5 Review
Today I had the opportunity to check out the new PreSonus Studio One 5. The release comes with a host of new features, including the Show Page for live performance and Score View for written music via notion. Being a mixer, the features don't excite me, but don't...
Mixing Vocals And A Two Track Beat With Waves Plugins
This will be the first video of a series where I will mix vocals and a two-track beat using a specific plugin company. The first video will be Mixing Vocals And A Two-Track Beat With Waves Plugins. The goal of doing this is to show that you can get a great sounding...
Mastering with Plugin Alliance Plugins
This is the first video of a series I will be doing Mastering the same song using different plugin brands. In this video, we will be Mastering with Plugin Alliance Plugins. Soon to come will be videos featuring Waves, Universal Audio, Acustica Slate and more. So make...
Vocalign Project vs Pro in Studio One
I've been using Vocalign for as long as it has been available. I always like to brag that I was one of the first engineers in Boston using it. People were blown away with what it could do. Is your vocal double off? No problem we can fix it in about 10 seconds! There...
3 of the Best Mastering Limiter Plugins Of 2019
I have quite a few mastering limiter plugins I use when mastering. (Being the plugin junkie I am) However, I find myself returning to the same three over and over again. The three limiters I prefer are the Fab Filter L2, the DMG Audio Limitless, and the relative...
Choosing The Right Mic With Audio Test Kitchen
Exploring the Revolutionary World of Microphones with Audio Test Kitchen Today, I want to introduce you to a groundbreaking web application that has captivated my interest - Audio Test Kitchen. A few years back, my buddy Alex, who I've known for quite some time,...
Mixing Rap Vocals with Waves Plugins
Waves plugins have been around for as long as I've been engineering. They are used in every major studio and home studio around the world. Since they are the most used audio plugin, I make a video showing you how to mix rap vocals using only waves plugins! P.S. I just...
Best Free Mixing Plugins
The 5 Best Free Mixing Plugins for Home Studio Producers Introduction As a mixing and mastering engineer, I know that mixing tracks to sound professional requires high-quality plugins. However, stock DAW plugins can only take you so far, and third-party options often...
Do You Need Analog Hardware For Mixing?
Do You Need Analog Hardware For Mixing? As an mixing and mastering engineer, I've had my fair share of experiences with both analog and digital gear. The ongoing debate about whether analog hardware is a necessity for mixing has been a topic of discussion in the audio...
Dangerous Music Bax EQ Hardware Vs Sofware
Dangerous Music Bax EQ Hardware vs Plugin Alliance & Acustica Audio Software: In-Depth Review Introduction In this review, we'll be taking an in-depth look at the iconic Dangerous Music Bax EQ and how its hardware version compares sonically to the software...
Antares Autotune EFX+ Review
Today we have something super special. It’s the Antares Auto-tune effect plus. It’s a regular auto-tune plugin that you can tune your vocals with, but the real special part about this plugin has to do with the effects. It has a vocoder, doubler, filters,...
Top 5 Waves Plugins
I've been using Waves plugins for over 17 years. They are some of the most widely used plugins in the business. Today I show off my top 5 favorite waves plugins. [thrive_leads id='7879']
My Hybrid Mixing Setup
The Complete Guide to Hybrid Mixing: How I Built My Professional Setup As a professional mixing engineer with years of experience in both analog and digital domains, I've discovered that hybrid mixing offers the perfect balance between the warmth of analog gear and...
Studio One 4.5 Review
Today we're going to review studio one 4.5. As an audio engineer and mixer, there've been features in studio one that I've missed since switching over from pro tools. In this update, they've seemed to give all the features we missed and made them better, which is...
3 Compressors You’ll Actually Use: Arturia Compressors
I've had the opportunity to work with a plethora of tools in my 20 years of mixing and mastering music. In this comprehensive blog post, we'll delve into Arturia's "3 Compressors You'll Actually Use" bundle, a collection that has garnered significant attention in the...
Best Vocal Frequencies To EQ
Mixing Vocals: My Go-To Frequency Spots for a Perfect Mix Hey everyone, Matty Here. I'm thrilled to share with you some of the Best Vocal Frequencies To EQ that I always turn to when mixing vocals. If you're into mixing, you know how crucial it is to get those vocals...
Pro Tools 2019.5 Review
Many of you know my feelings when it comes to Pro Tools. However, it is still a piece of software I have to use every week. Does the new 2019.5 update make it any better? Find out in today's Pro Tools 2019.5 Review! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tL43-szEzq4 ...
Top 4 Vocal Plugins Of 2019
Today I show you the 4 plugins I've been using the most to mix vocals in 2019 You can find the plugins here: Waves CLA HUB Kush Audio Clariphonic Slate Digital Gate Fab Filter Pro-Q3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYtBuJVunHw
Analog vs Digital Summing
It's one of the biggest battles on any pro audio website. Some swear by it, and some say they hear no difference. Whatever side of the fence you're on one thing is for sure. Everyone has an opinion on analog summing. In today's video, we listen to some music examples...
Mastering with Studio One
Introduction Mastering is one of those final steps that can make or break how your music feels when it hits someone’s speakers. Whether you’re wrapping up an EP or just trying to get a few tracks to sound cohesive, having a reliable workflow matters—and Studio...
Mixing Vocals In Studio One with Stock Plugins
Introduction Mixing Vocals in Studio One with Stock Plugins: My Professional Techniques for Beginners As a seasoned audio engineer, I've often leaned on high-end tools like UAD and Waves plugins to mix vocals. However, I've discovered that the stock plugins in Studio...
Can you make a Bad Recording Sound Good?
One of my subscribers on youtube asked me if I could make a video on how to make a bad recording sound good. I'm always up for a challenge so I asked him to send over a bad recording. Which Max graciously did. Today I show you how to make a bad recording sound good...
Thicker Vocals: Doubles vs Duplicates
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...
The 5 Plugins I Need to do a Full Mix
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...
