EQ Training Series Part 3: How to EQ Vocals

Today we're going to loot at the third part of the training series on EQ. We'll be looking at specifically some tips and tricks you can use when using an EQ on a vocal track. Let's start by talking about vocals. Vocals are probably one of the most important, if not the most important parts of a song. Most...

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How to Start Recording and Marketeting Your Music

Creativity is the cornerstone of great music. It’s how you leave your signature in a song and how a song remains impactful years after listening. As musicians, we love to create. We love to pour our heart and soul into our music. But how do we share our music with others once we’ve created it? How do we get past the hurdles of going to a studio and getting our song out there? Today I’m going to share how you can record your own music, get...

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EQ Training Series Part 2: How To Use EQ

Welcome to part two of the EQ Training Series. Today we're going to discuss how you can get started using EQ and walk you through the process using EQ through a couple different steps: How to use a high pass filter How to EQ a kick drum Alright, so let's get started....

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EQ Training Series Part 1 - What Is EQ?

Over the next few weeks I'll be doing a series on how to use EQ. We'll be covering all kinds of topics and questions! What is EQ? How do I use EQ? How do I EQ vocals? How many EQ bands do I need? How do I use EQ to create balance? We'll be looking at all of these questions and answering them thoroughly...

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The Best Mixing Tip I Ever Got

When I started out with recording and mixing, I felt like a lost puppy. I had no idea what was going on. My professors in college would show me things like EQ and compression and I would just stare into space feeling massively confused. I felt like there were so many rules and so many technical know-hows that I would never learn how to be a good audio engineer. Then I heard the best tip I've ever gotten for mixing. Don’t be afraid...

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Mixing In Context Part Two: Don't Solo Your Tracks

Today I want to talk about a very important aspect of mixing in context.  Putting a track in solo.  Now, I covered this in a previous post but I think it bears repeating again because people still do this all the time. I used to do this all time. It's a hard habit to break, but when you do you'll be on your way to making better mixes.  The problem with listening to a track in solo is that no one else will. Nobody...

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Three Steps To A Cohesive Mix

This may come off as hypocritical considering that I run a website dedicated to mixing tips, but I don't like "mixing rules." When I started mixing I fell into the trap of thinking that there were special mixing tricks that were going to revolutionize my mixing. I learned the hard way that there are no secret...

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How To Use Parallel Compression (Video Tutorial)

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Adaptable Mixing

Do you still listen to the radio? I do. But not near as much as I did say, five or ten years ago. I mainly now listen to music on my iPhone or computer at home. So what does this mean for us as mixing and recording engineers? Well, one thing it means is that we need to make our mixes more adaptable. Let me explain. When your audience is primarily listening to the radio, they are more than likely hearing genre specific music. There...

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Using Stereo Reverb To Widen A Mix

In today's world of unlimited tracks and digital instruments, it's rare to have a mix with less than four instruments, but, it happens. So let's say you have a mix that is fairly simple as far as instruments go. Electric guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. You may be wondering how you can get a wide sound with such little instruments. One way you can do this is simply by using a stereo reverb track. Note: I'd like to say right here that...

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What Is The Best Way To Record Or Mix "X"

One question I hear all the time is, "What is the best way to record or mix x?" The problem with this question is the word best.  Anytime you approach recording or mixing with the idea that there is a "best" way to do something, you undercut creativity. Sure there are rules and guidelines that will help you along the way, but you have to be risky and try new things. A ton of what we do in the industry today is because of people...

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Mixing In Context Part One: Using EQ To Create Balance

Over the next few weeks I'm going to be doing a series on mixing tracks within the context of the mix. This is such a huge aspect of mixing that many people seem to miss. As you learn how to mix in context your mixes will begin to flourish and it well help you get a more cohesive mix. Today we're going to look at using EQ to create balance within the mix. EQ is a wonderful tool. I use it probably more than I do anything else, and it...

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(Video Tutorial) - EQ Tricks for your Drum Buss

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Where To Pan Your Tracks When Mixing

One of the first questions new mixing and recording engineers have is, "Where do I pan my instruments?" This may seem like a simple question to someone whose been in the field for a while, but even something like panning and setting levels can be daunting if you don't have any experience or know where to start. Today...

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How To Get The Right Reverb Level On Vocals - Video

In this tutorial we show you how to get the right reverb level on a lead vocal track. ...

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Three Items You Need To Start Home Recording

I get this question a lot and so I think it bears mentioning. What do I need to start recording my own music?  Although this answer will vary depending on the person you ask, here are three items that I think are very important when first getting into recording. 1) Recording Interface When first starting out, it's crucial that you get some sort of recording interface. A recording interface is basically an external sound card with...

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What's The Next Step After Recording?

Often times as musicians we are perfectionists when it comes to our music. You want your songs to be the best they can be. And so you set out to create great songs, spending tons of time arranging, writing, and composing. Once you've got the ideas laid out, it's time to move on to the next phase: Recording.  So you rehearse every day for a week getting your songs perfect, and then you head to the studio. You spend hours, days, weeks,...

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Why You Shouldn't Spend Too Much Time On A Mix

Have you ever started working on mix and spent the whole day mixing, only to go back later and realize it doesn't sound good? If so, you're not alone. This happens all the time. It can happen as a result of spending too much time on a mix. Yes, there is such a thing. Today I'd like to share a couple reasons why you shouldn't spend too long on any mix.  Fatigue The first and probably most important reason why you shouldn't...

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Creative Mixing

I love the technical side of mixing. I love turning all the knobs, setting EQ's, messing with compression, and pretty much anything technical in your DAW or on your console. However, over time I've learned that it's important to try risky mixing. What I mean by this is be creative.  Far too often we get wrapped up in the technicalities and what we are supposed to do. We forget that mixing and music is an art. It's all subjective....

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Getting Vocals to Sit Right in the Mix

In most songs today, vocals are probably the most important part of a song. If you listen to the majority of pop songs, the vocals are loud, upfront, and clear. Even in rock and other genres the vocals are what drive the melody and catch peoples ear. So, with vocals being such an important part of the mix, how do you get it to sound right? Today I want to mention three things you can do that will help your vocals sit right in the mix. Save...

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Video Tutorial (How to Clean Up A Muddy Mix)

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Video Tutorials Coming Soon!

I'm very excited to announce that we will be offering video tutorials for mixing and recording within the next couple of weeks. We will be covering topics from EQ and Compression to automating plugins and more! You can look for these video tutorials here on the site, on YouTube, or at http://willsterling.net/blog. We can't wait to share these videos with you and help you become a better mix enginee...

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Thoughts from an Insecure Audio Engineer

Over the past couple years I had this crazy idea to start a business. I wanted to start a mixing and mastering service for small musicians trying to get a great sounding demo or EP. So I set out on the journey hoping it would work. I began by learning as much as possible. I already knew a decent bit, but I really wanted to excel at the art. So every day I would practice mixing. On the way to school and home I would listen to podcasts....

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Question of the Week

I'm excited to announce a new post series called Question of the Week! Basically every week I will be answering a question on the blog, that you submit. Hopefully this will help to give you relevant information to the type of issues and barriers you may be having when mixing or recording. Remember to submit your questions to info@willsterling.net. Anyways...let's get started! This week our question is as follows: "How do I make each...

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How to Clean Up a Muddy Mix

Today I want to share two tips on how you can clean up a muddy mix. 1. High Pass Filters The first tip I want to share with you is using a high pass filter. If you aren't familiar with a high pass filter, I'll briefly explain it. A high pass filter essentially rolls off the low end and allows the highs to pass through. Hence the name. This can do wonders to a muddy mix, and it's very simple to implement. To get started using a high pass...

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Do You Mix With Your Eyes Or Your Ears?

I love being in the digital age of music. It's great being able to sit in your bedroom and record an entire album with hardly any gear. Limitless possibilities are opened up with the addition of plugins and unlimited tracks. We can record at lower volume levels without worrying about losing sound. We can edit tracks with the click of the mouse. The list of benefits in digital recording goes on and on. But I fear we are missing out on a...

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Mixing in the Mix Box

I saw a great post today from Graham Cochrane over at The Recording Revolution. (Great and informative site) Graham was talking about mixing in the mix box, and I felt this was such an important concept that I needed to share it. The idea is that there is a box that your mix falls in. It's basically the depth and width of your song. How wide does your song go and how dynamic are the instruments? Today I want to share some ideas that...

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New Website!

I'm happy to announce that I've got my new website up and running. If you need more information on how to get stuff mixed, mastered, or you just want to hear some sample work of what I've done, check it out! Will Sterling Productio...

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The Number One Secret to a Great Sounding Mix

So you want to know what the secret is to having a great sounding mix? You want your mix to sound like the top professional mixing engineers? Then listen up because here is the secret... You ready? There is no secret.  I'll say it again in case the italics didn't drive the point home, there is no secret! If you want to be a better mixing engineer and you are looking for a cure-all secret to great sounding mixes, I've got bad...

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How to Make Your Chorus Bigger

When you are a mixing or producing a song, you want there to be some dynamics. This means that you want there to be dynamic differences between verses, choruses, bridges, and so forth. If you don't have any dynamic change, say when you get to the chorus, then your song will sound  flat and have no parts that stand out. Today I'm going to talk about two things that will help you have a bigger chorus in your songs. Tip One: Automate...

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The Free Mixing Session is Over!

First off, a big thanks to everyone who submitted your songs for free mixing! I had a blast working with you all and got to mix some great (and hilariously awesome) tracks. If you still need mixing done, contact me at willsterling23@gmail.com. Currently rates are $25 per song. Below is a link to my mixing portfolio if you'd like to hear some samples of my work. Cheers! https://soundcloud.com/willsterling/sets/mixing-samples...

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Free Mixes!

I will mix one song of your choice from either your EP, Album, or single! What you will get: Strategic EQ, compression, setting levels, widening your mix, automation, proper gain staging, the addition of creative effects such as reverb, delay, etc, and EQ and limiting on the master bus to bring up the volume and clarity of your mix. You will get three files back when I am done: Original WAV File, Master WAV File, and a Master MP3 file. Also,...

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How Do I Get My Mixes to Sound Huge?

Today I'd like to share a couple tips for how you can widen your mix. Often times when we are mixing or recording we end up with a song that just doesn't sound as big as we want it to. It feels like we are listening to it in a narrow hallway, instead of a big, wide open sound. There are a lot of things you can do to alleviate this problem, but today I'd like to just share two. Number One:  Do an LCR mix. So what do I mean by LCR...

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Just Tell Me What Gear to Buy!

The other day I was browsing a forum on recording, and one post was a guy asking questions about beginner recording. He started off by saying that he wanted to get into recording, but didn't know all the gear that he needed. His father would apparently buy him any gear he wanted, as he supported his son's endeavors. So he began his post by naming off all of the gear that he already had, and then went on to ask what other gear he should...

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