Introduction to Mixing Basics

Over the next several weeks, I’d like to go through all of the different plug-ins you might run into inside of your DAW, how they affect the sound of your tracks, and how to properly use them in a mix.

There are really only 3 ways a plug-in can change a piece of audio. It can affect the volume, it can affect the tone, and it can replicate the recording over time. Every plug-in will fall into at least one of these three categories. Many of them fall into two or all three.

Volume-based plug-ins simply increase or decrease the output level of a track.

Most volume-based plug-ins are also time-based plug-ins in the sense that their effect on a track's volume changes over time. A compressor, for instance, which has many cousins that I’ll discuss later, will react to the input level of the track on which it is used, which is always changing, or at least has the potential to change, over time. A simple gain plug-in, on the other hand, will have the same effect on a track's volume over time, so long as it is not automated.

Automation is simply a change in one or more of a plug-ins parameters over time. A parameter is one element of a plug-in that can be adjusted to change its effect on a track. You can automate the volume of a vocal track, for instance, to make it louder during the chorus of a song.

The timbre of a sound is its quality, as represented by the frequency spectrum. Tone-based plug-ins affect a track by manipulating its timbre. This can be done by adjusting the volume of specific frequencies, like a basic EQ, or it can be done by adding new tonal information to the existing timbre, like distortion and its cousins, overdrive and saturation. Many tone-based plug-ins also have a volume- and/or time-based element.

Time-based plug-ins like delay and reverb simply replicate a recording and move it forward or backward on the track. This can be done once or many times. Most time-based plug-ins also have a volume- and/or time-based element.

As I go through the plug-ins, I’ll explain how and why each one falls into at least one of these three categories.

The first group of plug-ins I’ll discuss are basic plug-ins. These are plug-ins you’ll probably use in every mix, so they are essential to understand as you begin your journey into Bedroom Studio Magic. Basic plug-ins are the foundation of a balanced mix and can be used many times over the course of a mix in subtle ways to produce an aggregate of change, or they can be used to make stark and obvious changes to a track in order to create certain effects.

The second group of plug-ins I’ll discuss are effects plug-ins, or plugins I consider only to be useful for adding special effects to a track. I typically only use these plug-ins, after achieving a balanced mix, to “sweeten” the sound of a song.

The last group of plug-ins I’ll discuss are advanced plug-ins. You probably won’t use these plug-ins right away as a new bedroom producer. You might never use some of these plug-ins. At the very most, you’ll probably use them sparingly and with great discretion, but they are nevertheless important to understand if you want to have the highest level of control over your mix.

Before I dive into the plug-ins, though, I’d like to clarify more of the vocabulary I’ll be using to describe them. I’ll start next week by distinguishing between a few words that are often used interchangeably but actually mean very different things. See you there!