Mixing Cheatsheet

Inspired by Hardcore Music Studio

TRACK EQ BOOST EQ CUT COMPRESS

50-80hz for sub/low-end
1khz to cut through mix 350-700hz for boxiness Medium attack
BASS 2-2.5khz for pluck sand LPF 7-4khz Medium-fast release
presence

Between 60-80hz for low-end 150-350hz for mud

Slow attack
KICK 2.5-4.5khz for snap 700-900hz for boxiness
Fast release
8khz for click & attack (basketball sound)

8khz for crack/snap

SNARE 2.5khz for midrange attack 500-700hz for boxiness

Slow attack
Fast release
200hz for low end thump

HPF 200hz or higher

OVERHEAD 12khz shelf for high-end Medium-fast attack
400-700hz for boxiness and
brilliance Fast release
reduce kit sound

120-200hz for low end

150-300hz for mud
70-90hz for low end Slow attack
TOMS 4.5khz for attack
700-900hz for boxy or
Fast release
“basketball” sound
8khz for attack

150-300hz for mud Fast attack

80hz for low end
ROOMS 5-8khz for presense
700-900hz for boxy or Fast release
“basketball” sound Compress hard

Fast to Medium Attack

8khz for aggressive brightness Fast Release

LEAD VOX 4.5khz for clarity 200hz Low-Shelf for mud COMPRESS HARD
Slower Attack = harder
1-2.5khz to get up-front
consonants

Could also LPF 12khz

12khz for air / brightness
BKG VOX
1-2.5khz to make space for LD Fast attack
3-4.5khz for definition
Vocal Fast release
800hz for fullness
200hz Low-Shelf for mud

GUITAR
1.5khz to cut through the mix HPF at 90-120hz
Medium attack
2.5khz for extra aggression LPF at 9-12khz
(DISTORTED) 5-8khz for brightness 250-350hz for mud
Medium-fast release

GUITAR 1-2.5k to cut through

250-600hz for mud or boxiness
Medium attack

(CLEAN) 8-12khz for brightness Medium release

 EQ & Compression Tips
EQ TIPS
Only use the frequencies above as a starting point.
Move up or down to find the sweet spot for each track.
Use cutting to fix and boosting to enhance
Boost as much as you need to get the job done (don’t
hold back)
In general, make narrow cuts and wide boosts
Try EQing in mono to more easily hear where tracks
are clashing
Listen back to your track at 85-90db while using EQ to
hear the most accurate picture of the frequency
content and make the best decisions (mix at low
volumes the rest of the time).
Don’t use EQ unless you need it (use your ears)

COMPRESSION TIPS
Punch is derived from the tail of a sound, not the initial
transient. This is why slower attacks are great for
punchy drums.
If you want to soften the initial transient of a sound,
use a faster attack speed
Higher ratios are great for adding aggression and
more obvious compression
If you want to be transparent, use lower ratios
Make sure to volume balance (keep the volume the
same after compression as before with makeup gain)
Don’t worry about the meter (use your ears)
 How To Finish
Songs Fast
The faster you can finish your So mix fast, and you'll actually
songs, the more songs you'll produce better quality songs.
be able to create and release,
which means more fans for here many different productivity
you! hacks out that you can employ to
help you finish songs faster, but what
But this isn't the only reason why you is going to help you THE MOST is
want to mix fast. In fact, I'd probably following a proven, step-by-step,
say the number 1 reason to mix fast is repeatable system.
listening fatigue. You're always on the
clock when you're mixing, because Not only will this help you save time
the longer you go, the less objective because you'll know exactly WHAT to
you come, and the poorer decisions do, and when, but you'll actually start
you start to make. producing higher-quality music more
consistently. This proven system
Sure, you can take breaks, but there involves 4 phase, and I include
is also a cumulative impact. I've checklists for each of these 4 steps
mixed songs over and over to the below, but here is a summary of
point where I could hear in the end each phase:
was noise, and I couldn't even figure
out what to do next.
 Phase 1

Cleanup
Before we dive into mixing, we want to make sure we clean up and
organize our tracks. This will allow us to be the most efficient and get the
best results.

Here are the steps you’ll want to follow in phase 1 of mixing a song:

DeNoise Tracks (This could include gating amped guitars)

Aligning any tracks that need it so they are in sync

Any other needed cleaning (plosives, clicks, pops, etc.)

Vocal tuning

BONUS TIP /REMINDER

Don’t go overboard trying to over correct everything. For example, you

don’t need to try and remove every instance of headphone bleed.
Sound too quiet to show up can be ignored. But if you listen through
your song and hear anything annoying, you can fix it in this phase.
 Phase 2

Preparation
After clean-up, we’re still not quite ready to mix. We want to prep your
DAW so that you can be as efficient and effective as possible, which will in
turn, produce the best results possible.

Here are your next steps:

Color & name tracks

Create group & effect busses

Set stereo output to mono & import references

Gain Staging

Subtractive EQ & vocal automation

BONUS TIP /REMINDER

Try to always use the same colors and buss numbers when mixing.

This way, at a glance ,you can know what track is what, and what
effect is what.
 Phase 3

Mixing
In order to create consistent results, save time, and not lose our minds,
we’ll want to follow a mixing system. There are multiple schools of thought
when it comes to how to go about mixing, but one great approach I like is
the “Top Down” mixing approach, where you start with mixing your whole
track first, then you move to your instrument groups, and then finally, your
individual tracks. This gives you a faster result, requires fewer plugins, and
reduces your odds of getting lost in the weeds and losing your mixing
objectivity. Here are the 5 steps to Top Down mixing...

Volume balance

Make a plan

Mix buss processing

Group processing

Individual channels

BONUS TIP /REMINDER

Always keep “Unity Gain” in mind when you’re mixing. This is so

important, the college I attended to learn audio engineering is named
“Unity Gain Recording Institute”. Unity Gain just means input = output,
level-wise. Anytime you add a plugin to a track, such as a
compressor or EQ, make sure that the track is the same volume after
the plugin as before. This will help you to achieve the highest quality
sound as possible and prevent you from running into problems later.
 Phase 3 Continued...

Processing Order
So now we know WHAT to work on first when it comes to processing, but
now what processing do we apply first, and in what order? Well, we’ll want
to start with the 3 “signal controllers” (EQ, Compression, Expansion), and
then move on to the 3 “signal processors” (Reverb, Delay, Pitch). But before
any of these, if you’re working completely “in the box”, meaning computer
only and you’re not using any outboard gear or a console, then you’ll likely
want to apply some saturation first(more on this later on). Here is a good
processing order of operations:

Saturation

EQ

Compression

Panning

Effects & Automation

BONUS TIP /REMINDER

Often, less is more when it comes to mixing. Stick to the concept of

“minimum effective does.” Don’t add a bunch of plugins and effects
just because you think you’re “supposed to.” Always use your ears, and
if you think a particular track sounds great the way it is in the mix, then
move on.
 Phase 4

Mastering
Mastering is the final step. This is where you put on the finishing touches
that make your song meet commercial standards. Now, you generally
don't want to master a song by itself. If you're releasing an EP or an album,
then you would want to master all of your songs together to make sure
they have a consistent feel. But if you're just mastering a single, then just
use a reference track for perspective. A reference track is any other song
you like that sound similar to your track. You can then use this reference
track as a measuring stick to guide you.

EQ

Compression

Limiting

Check against reference

Test on multiple systems

BONUS TIP /REMINDER

Mastering should only take you about 20-30 minutes. If you find
yourself getting bogged down trying to fix too many problems, then you
may need to go back to the mix, make corrections there, and re-
export..
 Mixing Prep Workflow
Phase 1 - Editing

DeNoise ALIGN VOCAL

Tracks Tracks Tuning

Phase 2 - Preparation

CREATE CREATE COLOR & NAME

Effect Busses Group Busses Tracks

SET STEREO IMPORT GAIN

Output to mono references Staging

TAKE VOCAL SUBTRACTIVE

A BREAK Automation EQ
 Mixing Workflow
ALL FADERS SET MOST BALANCE
Important channel tracks, starting with low
Down to 0db frequencies working up

IDENTIFY
BREAK biggest issues & COMPARE
write these down to references

GROUP
MIX BUSS
processing & BREAK
Processing
Lead Vocal

INDIVIDUAL
EFFECTS PANNING
Channels

AUTOMATION LISTEN
BREAK
Keep DAW hidden

WRITE
BREAK FIX down issues

YES
LISTEN
ARE THERE
Keep DAW hidden
MORE ISSUES? NO

FIX CHECK EXPORT &

Issues on other speakers BREAK

FINAL EXPORT
BREAK 24 bit, 44.1kHz
Listen
 ENROLL NOW

Radio Ready Record

FINISH MORE MUSIC!

Write & Produce Pro-Quality Songs from your Home Studio or Bedroom
with just your Laptop... using only free or stock plugins.

Finally have the CONFIDENCE and repeatable SYSTEM to consistently

FINISH MORE MUSIC!

LEARN MORE
THANK
YOU
I hope you found this resource helpful
on your music journey!

If you have any questions, don’t

hesitate to email me at:

[email protected]

REAGAN RAMM
ORPHEUS AUDIO ACADEMY
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