5 easy steps to mix your music

The topic of mixing is a tricky one and there are a lot of takes on it. When mixing my own music, I try to keep it simple and stick to several techniques that I developed over time and learned from others. Quick disclaimer that I’m not a professional mixing engineer and am just sharing my personal experiences here - what works for me might not be working for you.

Mixing in Ableton Live doesn’t have to be complicated. Keep it simple and develop a process that works for you.

When it comes to mixing, I think the most important part really is the ear training and practice in general - I've learned a lot from people who really are into mixing but the most was really improving over time and seeing how it works. But in general I would break mixing down in different parts:

1. Levels (Track volumes)

The general levels of your tracks is the most important part. Which elements are the main elements? these should be the loudest. Which elements are just in the backgrund? Make them more quiet.

2. Stereo field (Panning/stereo imager/mono compatibility)

Panning tracks in the stereo field really helps to separate sounds. You can also use stereo imagers (Ableton Live has one built into their utility device) to widen your sounds but be very careful that the sounds don't get any phasing issues and your track overall still works in mono. For that checking your tracks in mono (can also be done with the utility device on the master channel) really helps to ensure that they are working great on mono systems.

3. Frequency spectrum (EQ and general selection of sounds)

I try to view the frequency spectrum as a jar: It needs to be filled to the perfect amount but if it's too full then it doesn't work. So it starts with the sound selection during the arrangement process and in addition to that use an EQ to cut unwanted frequencies that are not essential to specific sounds. It also makes sense to check different frequency bands (eg lows/mids/highs) of your mix separately to see if there are any issues. I developed a very simple tool for that in Ableton Live which you can get on my Patreon:

4. Dynamics (compressor/saturator/clipper/limiter)

To make a sound loud and still maintain the punchyness, dynamics need to be controlled. The challenge is here to find the right balance between controlling dynamics/peaks but not squashing them completely. In addition to compressors, saturators, clippers and limiters can also work really well in specific scenarios. I for example like to use clippers or saturators with hard clipping on my percussion groups to not have too many peaks come throgh to my master channel in order to make the mastering easier.

5. Depth of Field (Reverb/Delay)

Using delays and reverbs can help to push certain sounds more in the background and give them some room and depth. But as with others you need to be careful that you don't overdo it and keep the rooms and reverb tails under control.

This is the formular I try to follow for my mixes - but as I mentioned in the beginning, try to develop your own workflows and most importantly: practice. The more you train your ears, the better the results will get.

What is your mixing process? Any things I forgot in this guide? Please let me know in the comments below!

Stay creative,

Miles