Mix & Master Blog

Insights, Tutorials, Reviews, oh my!

Acustica Audio Cream Tutorial

Acustica Audio Cream Tutorial

Acustica Audio Cream is an amazing plugin. It gives the classic console sound that was made famous at studios such as Abby Road's back in the 1960's and 1970's. This is a great plugin to use for both mixing and mastering. The plugins divided into 3 sections: The...

Auto-tune Pro Tutorial

Auto-tune Pro Tutorial

Mastering Auto-Tune Pro: A Comprehensive Guide for Music Producers Auto-Tune Pro by Antares has become the number one pitch correction software; I've been using it for years across genres, from pop to hip hop to easily manipulate and correct a vocalist’s pitch and...

How to use Parallel Compression in Studio One

How to use Parallel Compression in Studio One

Mastering Parallel Compression in Studio One: A Professional's Guide Introduction Hello, I'm Matty, a professional mixing and mastering engineer with years of experience in the music industry. Today, I want to share with you an essential technique that can transform...

Get Big Sounding Drums with Distortion

Get Big Sounding Drums with Distortion

Sometimes adding a bit of distortion can really help your drums pop out of a mix. I like to use Soundtoys Decapitator quite a bit. It can be a game changer on the snare drum. I also like to use it on parallel compression chain. I will send the kick and snare to a bus...

Use Digital Clipping to Make Your Song Louder

Use Digital Clipping to Make Your Song Louder

Everyone always thinks that louder is better. It's not always the case but you do need to have your song loud enough to compete with songs on the radio. Most people use a limiter. But using a limiter alone can make your song sound squashed. I use the technique of...

CREATE A REVERSE REVERB IN STUDIO ONE

CREATE A REVERSE REVERB IN STUDIO ONE

Introduction: Reverse reverb, a unique and ethereal sound effect, has been a staple in music production for decades. Used to create a swelling, atmospheric lead-in to vocals or instruments, it adds a dreamy, otherworldly quality to tracks. Studio One, with its...

How to get Thicker Sounding Vocals

How to get Thicker Sounding Vocals

Mastering Wide and Impactful Vocals: A Professional's Guide to Thicker Vocals As a seasoned mixing and mastering engineer, I've spent countless hours in the studio refining the art of vocal production. My name is Matty, and I'm here to share my journey and insights...

How to Mix Acoustic Guitar

How to Mix Acoustic Guitar

How to Mix Acoustic Guitar: Real-World Techniques from My Studio to Yours   Mixing acoustic guitar can be one of the trickiest—and most satisfying—parts of a mix. It’s an instrument that can sound beautifully rich or painfully thin depending on how it’s recorded...

My 3 Favorite Delay Plugins

My 3 Favorite Delay Plugins

My 3 Favorite Creative Delay Plugins (And How I Actually Use Them) If there’s one effect I reach for constantly—next to compression—it’s delay. I love delays that don’t just echo but do something. Texture, tone, movement—that’s the good stuff. In this post, I’ll walk...

The Best Music Mixing and Mastering Sites

The Best Music Mixing and Mastering Sites

I love learning about music, and I find all kinds of great info from different sites around the world. I thought it might be useful to share some, so here is the great list! https://www.pensadosplace.tv/ -This is the show created by world famous mixing engineer Dave...

Solid State Logic Sigma Tutorial

Solid State Logic Sigma Tutorial

Summing is something that is highly debated in most pro audio circles. I personally like it and choose to use the SSL Sigma. To me, it adds a little more width and a high-end extension that makes the music sound a little more "expensive".  In this tutorial, I will go...

IK Multimedia T-RackS 5 Review

IK Multimedia T-RackS 5 Review

I was recently at the AES convention in NYC and I got to see all the new plugins and gear that is coming out. I saw a ton of amazing stuff, but the new plugins from IK Multimedia really sparked my interest. They have some great new mastering plugins that I found super...

Creative Vocal Effects with Antares Harmony Engine

Creative Vocal Effects with Antares Harmony Engine

Most of us know Antares for their Auto-tune plugin. However, they also make a bunch of other really useful and creative plugs! One of them being the Harmony Engine. You can hear the effect on many of Travis Scott and Kanye's songs, but it's also used subtly in many...

Mixing Fundamentals 2: Gain Staging in Studio One

Mixing Fundamentals 2: Gain Staging in Studio One

The next installment in our mixing fundamentals series is gain staging. Gain staging is simple. When done correctly it will give you more headroom to work with when mixing and mastering. Our session is loaded up and ready. All sounds are in there place, labeled, color...

The Weeknd’s Vocal Chain

The Weeknd’s Vocal Chain

I must say that Jaycen Joshua is one of my favorite mixing engineers. I have learned a lot from listening to his mixes as well as watching him on Pensado's Place. In his current interview on Pendsado's Place, he talked about the vocal chain he used on The Weeknd for...

Creative Vocal Effects Using Positive Grid’s Bias FX

Creative Vocal Effects Using Positive Grid’s Bias FX

As a kid, the first effects box I ever got my hands on was a Boss digital delay pedal. My friend Ryan and I, fueled by our passion for music, saved every cent we had. On a trip to NYC, we bought this pedal from Manny’s - the famous music store that has sadly been torn...

How to De-ess vocals

How to De-ess vocals

How to De-ess vocals De-essing is a simple process that takes the slithering sibilance out of your vocal takes. This process is also known as de-sibilizing. Sibilance occurs in the consonants such as; s, z, c and sh. The problem frequencies occur around 2k and go up...

How to Create Future’s Vocal Effect Chain

How to Create Future’s Vocal Effect Chain

How to Create Future's Vocal Effect Chain I've always been fascinated by the unique vocal styles of various artists. One artist who particularly stands out is Future, known for his distinct sound that has captivated the hip-hop world. Recently, I stumbled upon a Sound...

How to use DJ TechTools Midi Twister with Presonus Studio One.

How to use DJ TechTools Midi Twister with Presonus Studio One.

If you haven't noticed yet, I really like Midi Controllers. I'm constantly on the search for a way to stop using my mouse. I find turning knobs helps me to listen more and look less. I feel if we are looking at the frequency we don't listen as much. I was so impressed...

Deconstructing a Mix: Sammy Adams – “Remember” Part 2

Deconstructing a Mix: Sammy Adams – “Remember” Part 2

Deconstructing a Mix | Part 2: Drums & Bass This is part 2 of the 4 part series, deconstructing a mix of Sammy Adams song, "Remember". Today we are going over the Drum in Bass sections. This song has a ton of drums to go over so let's get started. The Drums were...

3 Reasons Why You Need A Professional Audio Mastering

3 Reasons Why You Need A Professional Audio Mastering

Introduction   There’s something magical that happens in the final step of the music production process—a transformation that turns a great mix into a release-ready record. That magic is called professional audio mastering. For many artists, producers, and even...

The Role of the Producer and Songwriter.

The Role of the Producer and Songwriter.

The Role of Producers and Songwriters In today's episode of music biz Monday, we are going to talk about the role of producers and songwriters. These are the people who write the music and lyrics for the songs you hear on the radio everyday. So let's jump right in...

How to get Artist on Your Beats

How to get Artist on Your Beats

This week on #MusicBizMonday we will be talking about how to get artists on your beats. It's fun to sit at home and make beats all day but if you don't get artist on the actual tracks your career will go nowhere. I'm going to go over four tips which include: local...

How I use Softube’s Console 1

How I use Softube’s Console 1

Softube's console 1 is a hardware unit that controls plugins in your DAW. It has three different channel strips and you can use select Softube and UAD plug-ins with it. I was on a search for a way to control my plug-ins by hand. After trying three or four different...

How to get your Music Heard.

How to get your Music Heard.

This week on music biz Monday we are going over how to get your music heard. The two main points I'd like to touch on is content and where to put the content. I believe if you stay consistent with posting solid content the fans will slowly catch on and you will start...

Matty 5 Favorite Features of Studio One

Matty 5 Favorite Features of Studio One

Introduction   As someone who mixes and masters records every single day, the tools I use aren’t just about features—they’re about speed, workflow, and creativity. About eight months ago, I made the switch from Pro Tools to Studio One by PreSonus, and honestly, I...

Mixing and Mastering Engineer Matty Harris

Hello, I'm Matty Harris, and I've been professionally mixing and mastering music for over 20 years.

Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of working with many major labels and contributing to numerous #1 records. Some of the artists I've worked with include Kelly Clarkson, Travis Barker, and Sammy Adams.

My extensive experience in the industry has equipped me with the skills and knowledge to help musicians elevate their sound to a professional level. Whether you're a seasoned artist or just starting out, I can provide you with the techniques and insights you need to overcome any challenges in your mixing and mastering journey.