In this video I’ll be showing a very quick trick that you can use to check your mix is balanced. Do subscribe for more videos like this and ring the bell to keep up to date with our notifications and deals.
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Even though you’re writing your tracks in stereo, you’ve got to be mindful that your mix will still sound good when summed to mono.
This is a classic mixing technique but many people don’t know it and it will help you balance your mix in mono and check for phase issues.
Here’s a simple example track that sounds perfectly fine in stereo. However, when we add a utility plugin and sum the mix to mono the synth line all but disappears – which is a big problem.
We can see this Ensemble plugin is the culprit, causing phase issues, so we change the settings and rebalance the output.
Flipping the mix back and forth between stereo and mono, we can hear that the synth line is now sounding much better.
So don’t forget to check your mix sounds good in mono before you send it out the door. As a general rule, if it works in mono, it’ll sound great in stereo.
So tell us in the comments, do you use this mono technique? What other quick checks do you perform to make sure your mixes are balanced?
One Response
Great reminder for an invaluable technique. I do use it, but I don’t always remember to. One way to ensure that you use it is to keep everything mono until late in the mixing process. Another simple trick is to check the mix at very low volume, checking for what disappears. High volume masks balance issues because everything is so clearly heard. Another is to insert an EQ plugin on the mix buss with a 6dB/octave high pass filter and low pass filter rolling off both ends, and make sure the mix still works. Playback system vary hugely and this is one way you can account for some of that. It’s analogous to monitoring on mix cubes.
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