Music Production Tips & Tricks

Do you suffer from muddy mixes? Let’s fix it!⬇️

1. Sound/sample selection is the most important part.
Your first line of defense against a muddy mix starts before the mixing process. The easiest way to avoid a muddy mix is to ensure that you’re working with the cleanest possible samples, presets, and recordings. Actively seek to get better at the sound selection!

2. Keep your low end in MONO.
Foundational sources like kick and bass should almost always be mono. Phase issues created by stereo effects on these sounds can cause problems in your low end.

3. Don’t be afraid to filter out unnecessary low frequencies.
Get rid of the unnecessary low of all the instruments other than the kick & bass/808. The high pass filter (sometimes called a low cut filter) is ideal for removing low-frequency information that’s muddying up the mix.

4. The annoying low mids...
The most common part of a mix that gets muddy is the 200-500Hz area. Use a bell-shape with a narrow Q-shape boost. Sweep the low-mid in search of these muddy frequencies. Flip the boost to a 1-3db cut!

5. Panning is more important than you think...
Good panning will give each instrument its own space in the stereo image so it’s not fighting other instruments. Your lead vocal, kick, snare & bass should be in the middle, pan everything else to the side!

6. Last, but not least: gain staging
During or before you start mixing, you need to keep in mind that you need to keep enough headroom. Not only is this a good habit, but it keeps the mix from getting distorted and sounding muddy. Aim for an average level of -18 dBFS with peaks around 9-10 dBFS.

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