Mix School 101

Are you just getting into mixing music? If so, boy are you lucky you found this collection of awesome tutorials by DAW guru Russ Hughes, co founder of Pro-Tools-Expert.com! Russ helps those either new to mixing, or who just don't feel satisfied with their mixes by starting right at the beginning, looking at what mixing is, and what makes a good mix. Then Russ performs a full, in-depth "over the shoulder" mixing session, explaining it all as he goes.

The Basics

• Introduction (05:55) - What is mixing? What makes a good mix? How is a mix put together? Find out what goes into making a mix happen and the things that need to be considered.

• The Shape of a Mix (14:35) - Russ deconstructs 3 mixes to show how the shape of a mix can make a big difference to the final result. Watch this and soon you'll be knocking your mixes into shape.

• The Anatomy of a Mix (17:50) - Russ unpacks the anatomy of a mix and shows the 5 things to consider when mixing a track. Soon you'll be taking control of level, space, tone, dynamics, and effects to craft amazing mixes.

Getting Started

• Mix House Keeping (08:21) - Discover how some simple house keeping can help you to mix faster and get great mixes in record time.

• Using Mix & Edit Groups (20:16) - Why only do one thing at a time, when you can do ten - find out how Mix and Edit Groups can help you do the work of 10 people when mixing.

• Editing (07:36) - If you want to get super tight drums, clean vocals and more, then watch and learn about editing the audio and getting it into shape, ready for mixing.

The Vocals

• Main Vocals (23:14) - The core of any song is the vocals. See how to get them sounding just right, by applying EQ, Compression and Tuning. Make your vocals will really sing!

• Backing Vocals (09:06) - If you want to get that nice big vocal sound, you'll need to know the backing vocal tricks used in top studios. The secrets are revealed in this video and every genre from rock to dance will benefit from these principles.

The Instruments

• Acoustic Guitars (08:12) - Find out how to give your acoustic guitars that professional sheen and air that helps them sit just right in the mix.

• Piano & Keyboards (06:16) - Getting a piano to sit in a mix can b e hard to those new to mixing - Russ shows you his 2 step approach to getting the piano to sit just right.

• Re-Tuning the Piano (02:52) - Have an out-of-tune piano? Watch Russ take the MIDI piano on this track and replace it with a new one that's in tune!

• The Bass (06:01) - Driving along under every great song is a solid bass. Find out how to get that solid, thick bass sound heard on so many tracks with tricks he learnt from some top mix engineers.

• Drums (21:31) - How do you get a basic kit and give it the energy it needs? In this extended video, Russ takes a kit which needs some life and gives it smack and sparkle!

• Electric Guitars (22:04) - You may not have a stack of vintage amps, but knowing what to put on your electric guitars can make the difference between them sounding thin to being fat and in your face.

• Beats & Percussion (07:26) - Often back beats and percussion can be fighting the drums in a track. Find out how filtering can make them complement your drums tracks and be best friends.

Finishing Up the Mix

• Final Tweaks & Automation (17:27) - If you have ever struggled to get things sitting just right in your mix, then see how automation can be the difference between a mess and a masterpiece. - Russ also throws some "magic dust" on the mix with careful use of reverb.

• The Final Mix (30:39) - Stand back, we have a masterpiece to complete! See how using tape emulation and master bus compression can be the glue that holds the whole mix together.

• Bouncing to Disk (08:28) - So you want to share you mix with the world? In this session find out how to get your mix from Pro Tools out in a file format you can send to a mastering engineer or share with your friends. Russ also shows that when it comes to bouncing the mix, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

Bonus Video

• Cleaning Up Live Drums (27:31) - As a special bonus Russ does an extended session on cleaning up live drums.