The phase of audio signals plays a critical role in how signals interact and come together in a mix. Phase-shifting, including the phaser effect, is a creative way to add sonic interest to audio signals. The phaser phase-shifting effect allows us to manipulate phase in a controlled and pleasing way to achieve a distinct modulation…
Flanger is one of those instantly recognizable effects that really add character to an audio signal and musical performance. We’ve likely all heard the effect before and, for those of you reading, wondered how this effect is achieved. In this article, we’ll discuss the flanger effect in great detail, focusing on how flanger circuits produce…
When it comes to modulation effects, chorus is certainly one of the most popular. This versatile audio effect can be heard on countless records and helps in making audio tracks sound larger than life. In this article, we’ll discuss the chorus modulation effect and how it’s achieved. We’ll liken it to natural acoustic chorusing and…
Vibrato is a popular and powerful musical technique implemented naturally by singers and available to other acoustic instruments, and it’s also available electrically as an audio effect. In this article, we’ll primarily discuss vibrato as an audio effect and consider its origins as an acoustic pitch modulation technique. To further our understanding, we’ll also consider…
The tremolo effect is a staple in audio production, known for adding rhythmic modulation to sounds. This classic effect, characterized by rapid changes in volume, has been used across genres to create dynamic textures and captivating sonic landscapes. It translates very well to audio signals, where electrical circuits and digital programs can achieve the same…
If you’ve been mixing for a while, you’ve likely heard of gain staging (that’s why you’ve come to this article). The idea of gain staging has been around for a long time and continues to be an effective practice for achieving great, consistent results in both analog and digital recording and mixing. In this article,…
Vocals are often the most important element of a song and mix, while EQ is certainly one of the essential mixing tools. When it comes to EQing vocals, there are no simple step-by-step instructions; no vocalist, performance, or mix is the same. However, there are certain considerations we should take into account when EQing vocals,…
Great mixes have dimensionality, mimicking the three dimensions of the real world: height, width and depth (and time if you consider the fourth dimension). The dimension of height may be a bit more difficult to conceptualize in our mixes compared to width and depth, but it’s certainly worth understanding and striving for. In this article,…
There’s a lot of terminology in the world of audio engineering, and the term “group” often carries several meanings. If you’ve ever been confused by the term group/grouping when it comes to editing and mixing in digital audio workstations, or you want more information to make better use of audio groups in your DAW, you’ve…
We’ve all been there at some point in our mixing journey, spending a good amount of time on a mix, only to have it play back much quieter than our reference mixes and all other commercially released tracks we compare it to. With the loudness war spanning multiple decades, loud mixes have been considered “necessary,”…
Mix bus processing can be intimidating and can make or break a mix. Certain processes, such as compression, can help tremendously in polishing and finalizing a mix. There are no simple step-by-step instructions when compressing the mix bus because every mix is unique. However, there are certain considerations we should take into account if we…
Dimensionality is a sign of a strong mix, and in stereo mixes, width is perhaps the obvious dimension we want to get right. If you’re wondering how to not only make your mixes wider but also enhance the entire stereo field between the left and right extremes, you’ve come to the right place. In this…
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