5 Annoying Mistakes Music Producers Make!

In this video, I'll show you 5 common mistakes music producers make, related to the mastering process. It doesn't matter if you use FL Studio, Ableton, Cubase, or something else. Some of these mistakes are pretty common across the board. As a mastering engineer, I often see people doing all kinds of stuff that's just wrong. There are generally no rules in music production, but when it comes to mixing and mastering, there are some basic guidelines that should always be followed, particularly when it comes to levels and such. If you want a clean and crisp-sounding mix, you need to make sure that your premaster is optimized for mastering.
In this tutorial, I will also show you some mixing tips and tricks, and how to properly prepare a mix for mastering so that you get it sounding as good as possible.
There are several things you can do when mixing your song to ensure that the master will sound as good as possible. Keeping this in mind during the mixing process can be very helpful. A lot of people get surprised when the mix is mastered because they didn't take into account how the compression affects the dynamics of the track. By following these simple mixing tips, you can ensure that your master turns out as good as it possibly can.
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00:00 introduction
00:29 Mastering is not magic!
01:11 It's best to fix problems in the mix
01:40 Energy distribution is important
02:05 Making changes after mastering
02:27 Headroom is important
03:27 How to prepare a song for mastering
03:44 Make sure that the mix is balanced
03:56 Don't use dynamics plugins on the master
04:10 Make sure you have enough headroom
04:37 Double-check your premaster's waveform
05:02 Simulate the mastering process before mastering
05:57 The best export settings for FL Studio
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#firewalkmusic #mixingandmastering #mixing
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[@FireWalkMusic]

👉 Full Academy -80% OFF: fltips.com/full-academy?aff=9 RECOMMENDED STUDIO GEAR: (Amazon links below) AUDIO INTERFACE: Focusrite Scarlett Solo: geni.us/scarlettsolo-3rd-gen Focusrite Scarlett 4i4 (3rd Gen): geni.us/scarlett-4i4 REFERENCE HEADPHONES: AKG 612 PRO: geni.us/akg-k612pro Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO: geni.us/DT-990-pro REFERENCE MONITORS: 5": Yamaha HS5: geni.us/Yamaha-HS5 7": Adam Audio: geni.us/Adam-Audio-T7V 8": Yamaha HS8: geni.us/Yamaha-HS8 SUBWOOFER: KRK 10S2 V2: geni.us/krk-10s2v2 MICROPHONE: Audio-Technica Cardioid Condenser Studio XLR Microphone: geni.us/at2020microphone Vocal recording booth/stand for microphone: geni.us/microphonebooth XLR CABLES: TISINO 35 ft Balanced XLR cable for mic: geni.us/xlr3ftoxlr3m Monoprice 6 ft Balanced XLR Cable for monitors: geni.us/monoprice104761 SHORTCUT KEYBOARD: Backlit FL Studio Shortcut Keyboard: geni.us/flstudio-keyboard Get The Complete Idiot's Guide To Music Theory Here: geni.us/idiotsguidemusictheory As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. 🎹 Do you need professional feedback on your music or perhaps mastering? Check out my gigs on Fiverr: www.fiverr.com/firewalk ✔ VST & Effect Plugins: pluginboutique.com/?a_aid=5d496680b59cd ✔ Premium Loops And Sample Packs: www.loopmasters.com/?a_aid=5d496680b59cd -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ❤ Support this channel on Patreon: www.patreon.com/firewalkmusic ❤ Support us with a one-time PayPal donation: www.paypal.me/firewalkmusic

[@digitalaudio-elalamiilyass1371]

I LOVE LIFETIME FREE UPDATES I'm most excited about the new color themes and the new LuxeVerb Reverb :)

[@moxieallen5428]

you just blew my mind with putting the limiter on the master track!!! like seriously that is life changing. having a preview of the later gain staging is genius and ive been messing for hours trying to mimic this with other gain plugins. thanks again. you successfully got a new subscriber.

[@FireWalkMusic]

You're welcome! Glad you found the video helpful :)

[@nil565]

Thanks so much for the tips man! I'm watching and learning from Chile 😅, and always been grateful for what your share with us; the FL gang. Stay safe!

[@fireraid]

The legend is back at it again!

[@FireWalkMusic]

Thanks! Glad you liked it! :D

[@jonathanbanda8688]

Great turtorial as always, thanks for the knowledge that you share i have really improved my production skills

[@Northern_Project]

Probably guilty of a couple of theese mistakes myself.😊 To avoid wasting time and money going back to the engineer, it can be a good idea to do a testmaster yourself first to sniff out those things that tends to stick out like a sore thumb when mastered, and then send the premaster to the engineer after you fixed the mix. That way you get to compare your own skills with a professional and you can hone in on your own mastering skills at the same time.

[@FireWalkMusic]

Good advice! :)

[@AlexStavi]

make mistakes, use your vst's , go in them , hear every knob what it's doing ;)

[@tantocaro]

Here is something in audio mixing i learned a LONG TIME ago....Garbage IN Garbage OUT...Great vid..keep them coming!!🍁🍁🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦

[@kevintran9321]

Awesome tips! Thanks

[@FireWalkMusic]

You're welcome :)

[@heroicdragon]

Good tips

[@FireWalkMusic]

Thanks! :)

[@matteotrabucco6152]

works, thx so much

[@FireWalkMusic]

You're welcome 🙂

[@emiel333]

If someone sends me a track that peaks at -1 dBFS, I use a gain trim to attenuate the pre master. As long as the artist hasn’t a limiter on his final mix, it is no problem to bring the overall volume down with the use of gain trim on the track.

[@FireWalkMusic]

The main problem I'm having is people heavily limiting the signal and then then just lowering the threshold afterwards. It might even be severely clipping due to overlimiting, but technically, there's still several db of headroom. Perhaps they just set the threshold in the limiter itself. As long as it's dynamic, -1 dB is no problem. It's only when it's already compressed and limited to death that it becomes ruined, in which case it's not really a premaster at all. No matter how much headroom there is. I just don't understand why some people keep doing that.. 🤔😳

[@emiel333]

@@FireWalkMusic I couldn’t agree more. When I receive a song with a limiter on the master or already compressed to heavily, I politely ask the client to bounce the song without the limiter and/or compressor inserted on the master channel, and send that version to me instead. Some people are fooled by the loudness that’s gained in the pre master when they use a limiter on the output. They don’t understand the psychology of hearing itself (perceived loudness, louder sounds better, which is in fact not true) I assume. So, with a limiter on the output, I also cannot do anything. Its annoying to say the least. I also do stem mixing and sometimes I get all the recorded channel and notice some imperfections. This can be on a vocal, acoustic instrument and even midi tracks that are out of harmony. I mix it to a great pre master and most of the time I can fix those imperfections. When I receive such a project, I will not tell the client if their already professional recorded vocal is somewhat out of tune or even don’t have a great voice for singing in the first place. It’s their project and as long as they’re happy with it, I will turn it into a great mix that’s ready for mastering (by me or someone else). I’m drifting off the topic a bit. Like you say, as long as it’s dynamic, there’s no threshold (except 0dBFS or clipping transients way above 0). Thank you for reply. I appreciate it. 👍

[@viceralchart6343]

Fire🔥🔥🔥 as always!!!

[@FireWalkMusic]

Thanks! Glad you liked it :)

[@psynuxx]

Nice video. As for having no headroom, they might as well just send you a block of wood :)

[@FireWalkMusic]

Indeed! 🙈

[@vigilantestylez]

Good tips but they can use a bus compressor on the master for glue but no more than 2 to 3 db gain reduction.

[@CasamTheAnimator]

2:34 but as you can see the audio has less dynamic range, it's not with completely no dynamic range, but you can see that in some parts that the audio is more dynamic.

[@emiel333]

Great ❤ video.

[@FireWalkMusic]

Thanks! 😀

[@brucegaminglee5685]

ANOTHER ONE ! ☝️❤👊

[@FireWalkMusic]

Glad you liked it :)

[@filipkrstevski5449]

when are you using the pioneer speakers? I am interested because I also have two pair Dynaudio BM5MKIII and X-DJ50X and I like them both although the Dynaudio are more precise the Pioneers are also good sounding for some electronic music thanks in advance cheers

[@johnnyanko6051]

Thanks

[@FireWalkMusic]

You're welcome

[@Suchitttt]

Awesome

[@FireWalkMusic]

Thanks! :D

[@ik-oq5ev]

Vocal bus processing tutorial plss !!!

[@FireWalkMusic]

Thanks for the suggestion! :)

[@sugarskulldigital7769]

Can you make a video on creating a rolling sub patch?

[@FireWalkMusic]

I have something like that already on my list :)

[@monstropropositus]

What about a soft xlippernin the master channel ??

[@jabulanimahlangu6863]

someone asked me to make him sound like Chris Brown but his voice doesnt even come close to chris, he sound like Kenny Rogers. so i didnt know what to do/

[@FireWalkMusic]

It can be difficult to deal with certain requests, that's for sure. It's like that with autotuning too. Sometimes you just don't know what to do because it's so out of key that even manual pitch correction probably won't do the trick.

[@driftgxdly]

😂😂Bruh i used a similar vocal chain on this other Jamaican dancehall artist then came this other one with a totally different vocal range en style.... Then he was like its not sounding the same.... Am like dude i literally used the same steps in my its jxt ur track that is fully different 🤣🤣

[@mass-1128]

Best to tell him is there's only one Chris Brown and that he'll never be able to sound like him.

[@YeahSorryAboutThat]

Just dub the vocals over a country and western backing track..

[@Jalmaan]

I suppose you could change the formant, but it'll sound very digital and doesn't change anything on how something is pronounced or whatnot... Impossible request haha

[@CasamTheAnimator]

Isn't reverb okay, but what about the issue of phase cancellation and muddy mix as well as the issue of muddy low end? Should reverb not be used in the master, also perhaps EQ would be okay since it doesn't cause any phasing issues but shouldn't be used to cut the low end nor the high end but it can be used to cut some frequencies using the peaking slope filter.

[@CasamTheAnimator]

Does this mean that the drop must be squashed while the intro and breakdown have to be more dynamic? Or the drop must be also be dynamic but louder than the intro and breakdown must quieter?

[@maestrokutz]

hi, what are your prices for mixing and mastering

[@sugarskulldigital7769]

Can you make a tutorial on adding drive to a trance track?

[@FireWalkMusic]

You might want to check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGXVYoaXg9Odhq8

[@Barnet310]

Number 1 mistake: Submitting jpeg or gif instead on 24 bit wav

[@FireWalkMusic]

Indeed! 😂🙈

[@upcoast]

Shit in, Shit out

[@graju8840]

good👌👏👏👏

[@FireWalkMusic]

Thank you! Cheers! :)

[@eightcoins4401]

I feel like alot of mistakes showcases here are a result of people collaqualy using mix and master interchangly.

[@arthurrodrigues7535]

Great video. I stilk have a doubt though: Is okay to use compressor on the individual tracks before rendering as a single, mixed audio? Or I must avoid in both?

[@FireWalkMusic]

It is perfectly OK to use compression on individual tracks and or bus mixes, and then again on the mastered version later. Keep in mind that compression was originally developed as a way to deal with inconsistent levels on vocals. It can be used to bring out more transients from a sound, or to fatten up the body of a sound. It's a tool like any other and there are no rules that says anything about how much compression you can use on various things in your mix, as long as it sounds good in the end. :) Compression has gotten a bad rep due to the loudness war. As any tool, when abused, it can do a lot of damage, but when used right it can also do a lot of good, so feel free to use compression whenever you feel it is needed. :)

[@FireWalkMusic]

@@Soksabaaaiii Totally understandable, what I meant to say was that it's perfectly OK to use compression on both individual tracks, as well as bus-mixes, and then also again on the mastered version. :) So long as nothing is over-compressed, there's no problem compressing something that's already slightly compressed. For a premaster that is going to be sent to an engineer for mastering, there should of course not be any compression on the master, unless you've made some very light glue-compression that you're really happy with and want to keep in there. In that case, you need to clear it with the engineer so that he or she doesn't add even more compression on top of that again. In most cases though, they'll prefer a "clean" premaster. :)

[@FireWalkMusic]

@@Soksabaaaiii Yes, they would have to be aware of it. You could also just take a screenshot of the settings before disabling it, and tell them that you were quite happy with that setting for example.

[@FireWalkMusic]

@@Soksabaaaiii you're welcome 😊

[@music_creator_capable]

Hey!

[@FireWalkMusic]

Hey! :)

[@heroicdragon]

Yo I've got a question, I'm currently trying to master a collab I did with another artist, so I applied my usual master settings, but when I listen to it in the car, my collaberator's voice sounded a bit overrided by the beat, I tried increasing the volume of their vocals and it still didn't work, do you know anything I could do to fix this?

[@FireWalkMusic]

The "car test" can be helpful in some ways but it's not really a reliable way to properly test a mix for a whole lot of reasons. It sounds like there are some frequencies being canceled out here. This could be due to the mix itself and the frequencies in it, or it could occur due to the environment itself. A car is in reality a very small room with lots of reflective surfaces (windows). it won't allow the sound waves from the bass to properly propagate, so you get a lot of interactions that affect the sound in a variety of ways. You can make a mix that sounds great in your car, but chances are it won't sound great anywhere else. That's why a proper recording studio with acoustic treatment etc is the best option. It allows you to hear the sound in a neutral way, and that's important because you always want to make a mix that is balanced. Once you have a fairly neutral and tonally balanced mix, it should sound decent on most systems, including the car. It's impossible to make a mix that sounds great everywhere, the best we can aim for is a mix that sounds decent on most devices. :) That said, I realize that most people don't have the luxury of a properly treated studio. There are various plugins that can be helpful though, such as Izotope tonal balance, sonarworks reference and so on. One of the best solutions, which is also free, is to use commercial tracks as a reference, and train your ears using the equipment you have at hand. Once you know how a commercial mix is supposed to sound in your room and on your gear, it will be easier to mix your own music too. :) Knowing how things translate on your gear and in your room is the key.

[@heroicdragon]

@@FireWalkMusic thanks, I've only got monitor speakers and some beyerdynamic headphones on😭, so I'm just gonna have to work with that and see how it sounds through things like my phone afterwards

[@FireWalkMusic]

@@heroicdragon It's not easy when you don't have the best gear and such, but try using a commercial track that is similar to what you're producing as a reference. Render out your music, then drag it back into your daw and then drag in the reference track into another track, and switch between them. You'll then be able to hear if your track has too much bass, too much midrange, or too little and so on. :)

[@steppabanton9753]

Did you try saturation and/or parallel compression?

[@heroicdragon]

@@steppabanton9753 No, but i fixed my problem, I just applied another mastering preset and it worked. Though, I will have to try and see what it is that made it pop out

[@JostSchwider]

👍 - _also_ for the YT algo! 😊

[@FireWalkMusic]

Glad you liked it! :D

[@trvnq]

2:31

[@rikkistarrett307]

Wonder how many of these mistakes I make 😅

[@FireWalkMusic]

Haha, I think you're doing pretty well so far :D

[@ottomanbeatsofficial]

is this your actual voice or you use some kind of a script reader AI?

[@LukeSly91]

This comment is for the algorithm 👊

[@FireWalkMusic]

Thanks 😀👍