Mix & Master Blog
Insights, Tutorials, Reviews, oh my!
Top Stereo Width Plugins
Making a mono instrument stereo can help add new dimensions to any song. It can be guitars, keyboards or even percussion instruments. In mastering a common technique is to widen the side information to make the overall mix sound bigger and larger than life. Two of my...
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
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
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
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
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
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...
Switching from Pro Tools to Studio One? Do this First!
Switching from Pro Tools to Studio One can be a big change. Make it a little easier on yourself with the tips in the video below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1o4fR6PRDM&feature=youtu.be
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: 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 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
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
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
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
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 1: Loading and Labeling Files In Studio One
This is the first video in a series of mixing fundamentals. We will be going over some basic concepts to help you get your mixes better. The first one is on Loading and labeling files. We are using Studio One but you can apply it to and DAW. Check it out!...
Mixing Fundamentals 3: The Importance of Reference and Rough Mixes
Times have changed, and many of us are now creating music from home. We all have the opportunity to tinker with the song as we create it. For example, you can add reverb to your snare drum with a click of a button. So as the song evolves more and more "mixing"...
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
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
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 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 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.
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 | 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...
Deconstructing a Mix: Sammy Adams – “Remember” Part 1: Session Setup.
Deconstructing a Mix: Sammy Adams - "Remember" Part 1: Session Setup This is the first video of a four part series where I will deconstructing a mix I did for Sammy Adams's song "Remember". I'm super excited to share this with you. I will break down the eq,...
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 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
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
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.
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...
