Mixing & Mastering Tips: the archive

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94 tips from my weekly newsletter, free to read. Techniques from real mastering sessions, newest first.

All Mastering Plugins Mixing Workflow Low end EQ Stereo Saturation Limiting Compression Vocals Loudness Gear Dynamics Career Monitoring Business Drums Headphones Reverb

2026

How to pitch a track to labels: one private link per labelMy rules for pitching a track to several labels: a private link per label, count replays not opens, let them hear the real master, close links on signing.
Why you shouldn't convert your master to 16-bit/44.1 kHz for streamingStreaming platforms prefer a high-resolution source. Why a 24-bit master at the session's sample rate beats a 16/44.1 file for Spotify and Apple Music.
Limiter channel linking: linked vs unlinked, and keeping lows linkedLinked limiting keeps the center stable, unlinked sounds wider but costs low-end punch. How Uni-L's Linked Lows gives you both.
Why I stopped using FFT resonance tamers on mix and master busesSoothe, Smooth Operator and SpecCraft damage the stereo image on any stereo bus, even used lightly. How to hear it yourself with a simple A/B.
How to fix a distorted kick with ShaperBox, and when to add harmonicsA ShaperBox 3 audio-trigger filter that removes kick distortion in 30 seconds, plus when to add kick harmonics with Spectre instead of RBass.
Panoramic: a stereo field processor that replaced my parallel chainsPanoramic shapes side-signal density, character, air and width without phase tricks or delays, and stays mono compatible. How its four modules work.
The first steps of mastering: get the limited mix and level-match itBefore any processing, ask the client for their limited mix and match its level from the mix bus fader. Then choose clipper and limiter by ear.
How to get solid, consistent background vocalsSolid backing vocals come from consistency: manual automation, two-stage compression, aggressive de-essing and a chain on every track, not the bus.
Sabol Hill Lacuna: the plugin I use for the last 5% of depthLacuna combines a 4-band EQ, stereo movement processor and saturator, adding subtle L/R phase movement. Where I use it: groups, synth buses, lead vocals.
Why I use Equilibrium's Free Phase mode for mastering filtersDMG Equilibrium's Free Phase mode and a very long impulse length (262144) give me more transparent high-pass and low-pass filters in mastering.
Why your limiter distorts: resonant mids, not always the low endA single loud vocal note around 1 kHz can become the biggest peak and trigger your clipper. How I tame that resonance subtly before the limiting stage.
How to bring back microdynamics on a stereo master without stemsIsolate the drums from a 2-track master with Ozone Stem EQ, send them pre-fader as a sidechain, and expand the master only when the drums hit.
How to make vocals brighter without boosting the sibilanceSplit the vocal with a dynamic split processor like Masterlab DynaQ, isolate the S's in the Above band, then boost the Below band for clean brightness.
How to prepare a clipped digital master for vinyl when mixes are goneVinyl hates square waves. How I unsquare a brickwalled master for vinyl cutting with analog tubes and transformers, and what to try in the box.
Why Soothe collapses your stereo image (and what I use instead)FFT plugins like Soothe narrow the stereo image even at the highest quality settings, Soothe3 included. How to hear it, and why I use SpecCraft.
How I use Eventide Invigorate on vocals, drums and the mixbusInvigorate blends compression, limiting and distortion on one control. How I use it on soft vocals, flat drum buses and, very lightly, the mixbus.
The 1 dB mid/side rule for mastering wide mixesFor wide mixes I aim for mids about 0.5-1 dB louder than the sides. How I check the mid/side balance in Voxengo SPAN without letting the meter decide.
Clipper then limiter, or limiter only? When clipping hurts a masterClipping before limiting works on most loud songs, but it reshapes low end transients. When a limiter alone sounds better, and how I A/B the two.
SBIR or room mode? How to diagnose a 100-130 Hz dip in your studioA dip around 100-130 Hz can be SBIR or a room mode. A four-step speaker and listening-position test tells them apart, and why bass traps won't fix SBIR.
What is intermodulation distortion (IMD) and how does it affect sound?IMD explained with the math: how nonlinear gear creates sum, difference and third-order products, why they sound dirty, and where IMD enters your mix.
My portable mastering setup: FiiO QX13 with headphone correction EQHow I get the same headphone sound on the road: FiiO QX13 driving Audeze MM-500 at 96 kHz, with my Oratory correction curve loaded in its built-in EQ.
What headphones hide when you mix on themNo crossfeed, no body cues, a louder centre and hidden low-end phase problems: why headphone mixes fall apart on speakers, and how to use both.
Can you save a bad vocal recording in the mix?Headphone spill, harsh S and F sounds, muffled top end: when to stop fixing a bad vocal recording and work with it instead of overprocessing it.
Where to start a mix: mute the vocals and build the low end firstI rarely touch vocals first. I mute them, focus on the instrumental and start with the low end, because vocals never sit right on a weak foundation.
Which Soothe 2 resolution sounds best? Why I use Normal, not UltraHigher Soothe 2 resolution chases tiny high-frequency harmonics, sounds sterile and costs CPU. Why Normal sounds most natural, unlike Gullfoss.
Why your export sounds different: check plugin offline settingsIf a render sounds darker or smaller than the session, check plugins' offline oversampling settings. How Soothe 2 changed my album exports.
Why waveshaping, saturation, clipping and compression are one ideaAll of them are an input-to-output transfer curve. Compression adds time, waveshaping is instant, clipping is hard waveshaping, limiting adds time.
Kelvin's default preset sounds like my analog tube EQToneProjects Kelvin's default setting on a master is the closest plugin I've heard to passing audio through my Wes Audio TubeEQ with no EQ moves.
Why real-time and offline renders sound different in every DAWSome plugins silently raise internal oversampling during offline bounces, changing nonlinear processing. Why exports differ and how I choose between them.
Mid/side clipping on the sides for louder, wider EDM mastersAfter your main clipper, add a second clipper in mid/side mode and clip only the side peaks, then add a little soft clip. Why it adds width and LUFS.
How to add natural room depth to live drums with a parallel room sendWhy I run UAD Sound City on a parallel send, never an insert, how I pick mic positions, and how EQing the send fixes boom, metallic tails and presence.
How I connected my task manager and client data to ReaperA custom Reaper integration that shows project notes, status, invoices and deadlines in real time for the open session, so I never leave the DAW.
How to limit kick and bass together for cleaner, louder mastersGroup kick and bass, check their peaks with a limiter, fix the mix first, then limit the group lightly so the mastering limiter works less.

2025

2024