Skip to content

Music production guide

A cleaner mix before mastering: 6 key steps

A clear mix starts before mastering, with gain, balance, EQ, dynamics and deliberate reference listening.

The six steps

  1. Prepare the levels. Smooth very quiet and loud parts with clip gain or simple fades before compressors and limiters have to work hard.
  2. Start with faders and panning. A strong balance solves many problems before EQ or compression is needed. Check that the most important elements have room.
  3. Remove only problematic low end. Use high-pass filters where rumble or unnecessary energy is genuinely getting in the way, and listen in the context of the full arrangement.
  4. Reduce masking instead of adding more highs. Make room between competing tracks with small, purposeful cuts instead of adding more presence everywhere.
  5. Use dynamics in small steps. Moderate compression can stabilize a track, but compare with bypass at equal loudness so transients and movement survive.
  6. Check quietly, in mono and against references. A mix that works at low volume and in mono is usually more dependable. A suitable reference helps prevent getting used to your own mix.

Explore more guides

Find more practical tips for recording, mixing and releasing music in the SoundNexus guides.