It’s the cherry on top of your ice cream sundae. Try not to apply more than 2 dB of compression. Your email address will not be published. Last but not least, it’s time to add the finishing touches to your mix. Caleb J. Murphy is a singer-songwriter and music producer based in Austin, Tx. If you plan to use a bus compressor, it’s important to insert it before you start mixing. Its output is often referred to as a ‘stem’ and typically forms a key part within the final mix. And when you’re making adjustments to many tracks at once, you’ll hear the change even more. View all posts by this author. Mix bus compression is all about “gluing” tracks together. That way you don’t also cut the low-end on the other bass instruments in your mix. Then route the output of each channel to the input of the Mix Bus. If you’re looking for an authentic analog vibe, check out Mastering The Mix plugin IGNITE. Too often music is released with technical issues that degrade the quality. We've got a complete guide to that here. Best DAW 2020: Which Digital Audio Workstation Works Best For You? If you mix your track and then add a bus compressor, it could completely change the dynamics you worked so hard to get. Compression can change the dynamics and tone of a track, so adding it after you’ve already mixed the song can ruin your mix. Instead, try increasing the width with stereo widening plug-ins like. What if I told you that you can make radio-ready music at home, even if you’re new to mixing? So you have more control over both the original and the duplicate. It’s also used to measure your audio levels to identify technical issues in your mix. It still sounded like a recording instead of a song. My mixes sucked for years until I discovered this ONE THING that gave me the ability to make professional quality music at home. Lower lows, higher highs, more dynamic… dynamics. A mix bus is a channel through which you send your instrument channels. Many engineers use the same or similar mix bus processing on every track—almost like a sonic fingerprint. The best metaphor for a mix bus is an actual bus. Is your track release ready? Watch this free masterclass now: That way, you can mix into the mix bus for more nuance and control. How to Master a Song at Home (in 14 Easy Steps), Route the desired channels to this bus track (choose “send” from each channel or add a “receive” of each channel from the bus track), Use a ratio around 2:1 to lightly compress the tracks, Start with a slow attack (try 30 ms) and a fast release (keep it under 50 ms), Don’t apply any more than 2 dB of compression, Create two new tracks: a “Reverb Bus” and a “Delay Bus”, Apply your favorite reverb effect to the reverb bus and your favorite delay effect to the delay bus, Route every single track in your DAW except for the bass, drums, and percussion to each of these bus tracks, Pull down the gain levels of the bus tracks to the point where you almost can’t hear the effects working, Compression: shoot for 1-2 dB of gain reduction, Compression: use a slow attack time (start between 30-50 ms), Compression: use a fast-but-not-too-fast release time (keep it under 50 ms), EQ: make small cuts and boosts (no more than 2-3 dB), Reverb & Delay: keep the levels lower than you think they should be so they don’t overpower the mix. Or you can quickly adjust the amount of reverb on each track from the bus track. It works especially well for accentuating high-frequency transients. So use wider bands and smaller cuts (no more than 2 or 3 dB). Mixing can seem overwhelming, time-consuming and downright frustrating… if you don’t have a process to follow. Using Too Much Gain Reduction. Treat them with the same reverb to give the perception that they’re all in the same space. If so, then you’re going to love this new free masterclass. Once you have the tonal balance of the track locked in, it’s time to glue things together with a little compression. It’s … It makes things more convenient, and it can make your mixes sound more professional. A mix bus (also spelled mixbus) is where all those combined tracks are routed and merged together so you can take collective action on them. So when you apply an effect to the bus track, it adds that effect to every channel routed to it. Caleb J. Murphy is a singer-songwriter and music producer based in Austin, Tx. That way, you can mix, EQ to remove unwanted elements and enhance pleasing elements, Saturation to add excitement or create a classic analog vibe, Metering plug-ins to monitor technical issues, Is your track release ready? Feeling overwhelmed with recording and mixing? Hone in on the high frequencies and instantly increase the width of your mix. Each instrument can have different frequencies you need to cut or boost. You just want to add a little harmonic saturation to make things sound more exciting. The most common problems typically occur in the bass frequencies, which is why. Mix bus EQing is helpful for making small tweaks to a group of tracks as a whole. 7 Steps to Pro Mixes at Home It’s only playing for a limited time – we’re always updating the site and this could get removed soon. Once you’re done mixing and you’ve gotten everything sounding how you want it, add a mix bus compressor. Want your mixes to sound pro? There’s no point in spending hours getting the dynamics just right if you’re going to slap a compressor across the whole track and rebalance everything at the end. After finding a signal chain that helps you achieve the sound you want, save it as a template and load it into your session before you start mixing. But what if I told you that you don’t have to be an expert (with years of experience) to make professional music at home? Mix bus processing can be used to tweak the tonal balance of a mix. This, instead of an obscure component or acronym, makes the purpose much easier to remember. Mistake #3: Adding A Compressor At The End, 15 Best Amp Simulators of 2020 (Most Realistic Amp Sims), How to Mix Vocals: The Definitive Guide [15 Steps], Vocal Compression: Learn How to Mix Like the Pros, Gain Staging: 9 Tips to Supercharge Your Mix, The Best Vocal Plugins of 2020 (No Matter Your Budget), How to Use EQ: 10 Amazing Tips for a Professional Mix, How to Use a Compressor: The Easy to Follow Guide, How To EQ Vocals: 5 Steps to Professional Vocals, Home Recording Studio Setup [8 Essentials You REALLY Need], The 3 Types of Microphones You NEED to Know. Just remember, small movements can make a big difference.