Mixing and mastering make or break all of the hard work you previously put into recording your musical masterpiece. They allow you to process and balance your tracks together in a pleasing final form that will hopefully be listened to by millions. The following 10 tutorials contain techniques that will get you mixing and mastering like a pro.

• How to Achieve Good Translation in Your Mixes

  What is ‘translation’ and how does it relate to our mixes? A mix that displays good translation will play back well on a number of sound systems, with all its individual elements remaining clear and balanced. In this tutorial, we look at how you can achieve this with your own mixes.

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• How to Use Multi-band Compression in Mixing and Mastering

  In some of my recent tutorials I have been breaking down the processors used in a typical mastering chain into individual subjects. So far we have looked at buss compression, M/S processing and stereo enhancement. In this tutorial we are going to look at multi-band compression.

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• How to Master in Propellerhead’s Record

  As the new Props application Record offers a great buss compressor and full mastering suite I thought it would be useful to show a typical mastering set up and the workflow involved when mastering and delivering a new project.

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• How to Use Propellerhead Record’s Channel Strip

  Propellerhead’s new killer app Record has finally landed. Its an affordable all-in-one recording and production solution and after spending some time with both the beta and final release, I can safely say its about the most CPU efficient DAW I have ever used. I thought it might be useful for some of you who are using Record, or thinking about purchasing it, to see a run through of some of its key sections. This tutorial will simply walk through the different modules of the monster channel strip in Record’s main mixer.

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• How to Boost Your Audio’s Stereo Image

  There’s no doubt that wide stereo sounds are pleasing to the ear. It can bring a mix to life or make individual elements shine. It’s certainly a subject I get asked about a lot and something that many producers seem eager to be able to master. Here’s a rundown of the different methods we can use to boost the stereo image of both our whole mix or individual instruments. Of course some of these are more sensible options than others when it comes to producing a coherent, intelligible mix. It’s worth taking a minute before you turn your new stereo enhancer plug-in up to 11.

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• A Beginner’s Introduction to Limiters

  Limiters are possibly the most simple dynamics processors there, with few controls and often simple metering. Saying this, I think it’s possible the humble limiter is often misunderstood, mistaken for a compressor or simply overlooked. To try and clear things up I thought it might be useful for me to show some examples of different limiters (some from DAWs and some commercial) in action. When it comes down to it, it’s all about using the correct intensity of treatment for the job. It also helps to have a few different flavors of limiter as some will offer features and functions others do not.

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• How to Use M/S Processing in Mastering

  Mastering is always a hot topic. Most of us love to use the latest technique to make our masters bigger, badder and usually louder. Unfortunately, not all mastering techniques get as much airtime as others, and M/S processing is one of these lesser known subjects. It’s likely that a lot of budding producers who do their own mastering won’t be aware of M/S processing and its benefits. If you’re not taking advantage of what this technique has to offer you could be missing out, so let’s take a look at how it works and its practical applications.

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• How to Set Up Side Chain Compression in Cubase 4

  In past tutorials I have covered side chaining in Reason and touched on side chaining effects busses in Logic Pro, but after a few emails on the subject, I felt it was about time to cover the slightly less transparent side chaining method that Cubase 4 has adopted since the introduction of the VST3 protocol. I’ll cover side chaining using gates and compressors for varying effects and results. Obviously this isn’t one for the more seasoned Cubase user but it seems there are still some people out there that are slightly baffled by the process. Hopefully this will clear things up for those concerned.

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• 3 Differences Between Live and Studio Mixing

  Live sound mixing varies greatly from
  studio mixing. The fast paced adrenaline rush of the concert venue
  versus the calmer and quieter work area of the recording studio.
  Studio mixers can take their time while the live sound tech has to
  think quickly and react in real time so the difference can be
  significant, even though some might say they are doing the exact same
  thing. Besides this, there is also a difference in their
  workstations. Mixing desks in a live situation can be very different
  than the one used in a big recording studio. Let’s go through some of
  the main differences between both the mixing desks and their
  respective users.

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• How to Manage & Process Sub-Bass Frequencies

  Whether you are looking to add or remove sub-bass frequencies from your mix, it’s essential you’re armed with the right tools and techniques. Everything from a simple EQ to multi-band treatments and enhancers can be used, so there are certainly a few routes to choose from here. If you are in the business of creating club music of any kind, nailing these all important lows is a must. Get it right and your track will rock, leave them unchecked and your mix is in danger of becoming colored and your master distorted and quiet.

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