Tutorial · Intermediate · 12 min

Mixing a song

Balance the tracks, give them space with the reverb and delay buses, control the dynamics, automate changes and export the result.

1. Open the mixer

   Open a demo song and switch the bottom panel to Mixer. Every track has a strip: inserts at the top, sends to the two buses, pan, the fader with its meter, and mute and solo. At the right are the buses and the master.

   Open "Night drive" ↗

2. Balance first

   Pull all faders down a little and bring them up one by one, starting with the drums and bass. Aim for the master meter to peak around −6 dB: the master limiter catches the rest, but a mix that leans on it loses its punch. Double-click a fader to reset it.

3. Space with sends

   Rather than a reverb on every track, send tracks to Bus A (a reverb) and Bus B (a delay) with the send knobs. Everything then sits in the same room. Click a bus's effect to change it, for example to a Shimmer or a Tape delay.

4. Inserts

   Use + effect on a strip to add inserts: an EQ to cut low rumble from pads (Low −12 dB at 150 Hz), a Compressor to even out a bass, a Distortion for grit. Inserts run top to bottom; the arrows reorder them, ⏻ bypasses one.

5. Automation

   Press A on a track to show its automation lane. Pick a parameter (volume, pan, sends, any insert or any knob in the instrument) and click to add points. A filter sweep over 8 bars is a classic build-up. Double-click a point to remove it.

6. Export

   Choose File → Export audio. Whole mix renders the song in your browser, faster than real time, and reports its peak and loudness. One file per track gives a ZIP of stems for another studio. Choose Opus for a small file to share, WAV for further editing.