Mixing / Production

Distortion can be a surprisingly useful mix effect, if you know what you're doing. Mike Senior reveals several common applications, and explains how to get the best results in practice.

Your DAW makes it easy to fake old-school doubling techniques, and gives you much more control than producers had in days gone by. We show you how...

Multiband compressors offer unique advantages over their broadband cousins — but they also present some perilous pitfalls for the unwary.

Time-alignment can help solve problems in multi-mic recordings — but it can also introduce new problems!

Lady Gaga's latest album was two years in the making, and marked a return to her electronic roots.

Mike Senior delves into some of the most common troubleshooting tasks when dealing with acoustic guitar recordings at mixdown, and shares his own favourite processing fixes.

Doja Cat's 'Say So' was already a worldwide hit when a new version featuring Nicki Minaj rocketed to the top of the charts. One man mixed them both.

Elevate the clarity of your mixes with our indispensable guide.

In just seven years at hip-hop label Quality Control, Thomas 'Tillie' Mann has helped shape the sound of Atlanta rap.

If you're a musician, podcasting is the perfect application for the studio skills and equipment you already have.

Compression can do radically different things to the sound of a snare drum, depending on how it's set up. In this episode, Mike Senior explores three ways in which a compressor can help bring your snare tracks to life.

Social distancing needn't mean the end of studio recording. We explain a simple, free setup for real-time online collaboration.

Dua Lipa's mega-hit 'Don't Start Now' grew out of a writing session in Wyoming to achieve world-wide chart domination. Producer Ian Kirkpatrick was there from the start.

In our latest in-depth video feature, producer Oak Felder takes us inside his studio — and his Logic session — to show exactly...

Working with ace mixer Tony Maserati taught producer Sir Nolan that hit-making is as much about what you take away as what you add...

Virtual drums and guitar processors are certainly capable of delivering great sounds — but they don't always behave as you'd expect when it comes to mixdown.

Chris Rabold has gone from selling T-shirts out of a van to mixing Bruno Mars' epic two-year 24K Magic tour.

The minimal arrangement of Ellie Goulding's unlikely New Year number one was underpinned by a rather less minimal mix...

Solutions to mixing problems can sometimes be found in your arrangement...

These audio files accompany my Mix Rescue article in SOS March 2020, featuring the song 'Muddy Water' by Dorothea Wessel.

Our engineer visits a reader's home studio to help improve his mixes, and shows that you can get great results from even the modest of monitors.