How to Mix and Set Your Levels Easily Using Pink Noise

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In the following video Echo Sound Works will teach you a super effective mixing trick you can use in your mixes. Learn how pink noise can help determine your tracks volume levels.
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[@ErvinHyatt]

Quick tip... Put a trim (a input level control) plug in at top of every track and set faders at unity (looks like -12 fsdb on this daw). Then do your pink noise trick with trim at input of each track instead of fader which is your output fader. I think you will find that you will gain headroom (level between -12 on fader meter and zero where clipping begins) in your mix with out having to red light any track and you will find faders much more fine tuning with small moves. If you look at faders small moves at the bottom are 10 db around -12 (unity) small moves are 1 db. Before digital we had to do this with mixing consoles with input Gian or trim knobs on every channel. If you do this you will find that when your mix is done your faders will look like how loud each part is in final mix, not some really loud tracks barely up and some quite tracks all the way up. If you arrange your tracks from bass on one end to high on others your faders will look much like the eg curve of pink noise.

[@chris8651]

Brilliant explanation thank you!!

[@ItsWiddit]

This is also referred to as gain staging, right?

[@timmypena241]

Liam Phillips no faders are used to attenuate the sound source.

[@gidiyongidi17]

How now going this trick ?

[@MikaKotikoski]

This.

[@darkeco]

After watching this i tried it in my current project, and i have to say it's giving me remarkable results! It's not perfect, but it gives you a really good jumping off point that only requires minor EQ tweaks to fit the rest of the instrumentation when the pink noise removed. I also foudn teh pink noise to be incredibly helpful in pinpointing the EQ frequencies that sounded best for each instrument; just sweeping them until the right sound clicks. So if i was to give you a guide for this i'd say to set the levels as shown in this video to start with. Then, imagine the pink noise is the rest of your instrumentation and for each instrument perform small and narrow EQ boosts to teh frequencies that that shound like they should stand out in your mix. You can also play with attack/release on a compressor to hear how your transients will sound in the mix too. After you've gone through every instrument, mute the pink noise. If anything sounds like it's not playing quite well then a minor EQ or volume adjusment seems to sort it. I had two synths that were a bit of a problem, so removing a small bit of low end from one of them and reducing the overall level of the other by about -2dB sorted it out and my mix now sounds 10x better than it did before this. It's crucial that you mix all of this in mono so you can truly hear how the sounds are playing together. Thanks for uploading this!

[@happystar1000]

Your Pink Noise should probably be set at -18db since that is the sweet spot for balancing a mix.

[@markb8312]

Yep, this one is a game changer. I use it literally every time on everything. 80/20 law - You get a good mix in a very short amount of time. Just highly effective. Thanks for all you do Echo!

[@sunnygeorge4152]

This trick really helps me to get confidence in leveling.

[@markaugustus4064]

A very concise and useful demonstration on pink noise use for mixing. Thanks so much. You've convinced me in spite of the naysayers.

[@precisionsoundworksstudio]

Great vid. Thank you for posting!

[@devinb2104]

I had pleasant results with this technique. Its not magic beans, but no one (as well as ESW) said it was. It is a valuable guide, though. Thank you and much appreciation for your continued efforts and contribution to those learning, i learned a great deal from ESW and its improved my mixes 10 fold.

[@Hummelsbusch]

Great mixing trick!

[@seres-de-luz]

Thank you, this is gold

[@MikeMcKew]

I've always heard of this, but never gave it a try. Might have to experiment with this in the future.

[@disisyoutube7606]

IS there gonna Be a Black Friday Sale on adsr?

[@EricPeelMusic]

Strong pink, or a mix between pink and brown noise represents the best noise tone for human hearing. Pink noise is 3db/8ve. Brown is 6db/8ve. Strong pink is 4.5db/8ve. Creates a warmer, more pleasant, and more realistic tone. You'll probably sacrifice 3-6db of loudness, but a warm, high quality sound is much better than a piercing, loud one.

[@ScoringStageDe]

can I use this technique for orchestral mixing as well?

[@kevinesmeral2029]

Should I do this after or before gain staging?

[@devind4183]

So simple, but so next level!

[@weststarr2046]

Wow..that's a great trick even it takes a bit work, but is COOL 👑!!!

[@sonnyhaury57]

Thank you!

[@rskityaev]

Fantastic!

[@lelegambera100]

thank u so much!

[@rjbush7955]

I gain stage first. Would you use this before or after gain staging? Or are they mutually exclusive? I note others have said AB your mix but then you're trying to compare to a mastered track.

[@anthonymmeek]

I'm using Ableton and I don't have Izoptope either (like some people suggest having to make Pink Noise). What should I do, since other KZbin videos aren't giving any options as to how I would be able to get this accomplished. Is it possible within stock Ableton 9 presets/ Massive/ Serum ?

[@diefex3499]

Awesome man I'm going to have to try this, it's basically another way of gain staging, I usually use a Vu meter, but I'm going to have to try this and see how it works for me

[@ChrysesProductions]

My good Sir, the default setup in Logic is post fader listening so you are not changing the input gain doing this (Gain staging is done using pre fader listening).

[@sibusisotshabalala3662]

I get ur point i use pre fader to set the levels against pink noise that leaves my post @unity for minor ajustment👊👊👊🔥🔥

[@RoboticusMusic]

I'm wondering if it would be good to use pink noise while adjusting other aspects of a sound besides volume to perhaps have certain things stand out above noise in general that the listener may experience, (chatty club, listening in a car, on a train, etc.)

[@RoboticusMusic]

For example if the reverb on your snare sounds good even masked by pink noise, then perhaps it is a very good choice of reverb.

[@keremk]

Great tip, thanks alot ::-)

[@Hassan_Omer]

What would be the order of doing these tasks if you do them. ? e.g 1 gain staging , 2 Setting up your levels 3 mixing.

[@unao3637]

Wow Fantastic Vid

[@anshuldawar3210]

How much Gain should I keep for the Pink Noise ? Is it necessary to make different Pink noise tracks for different instruments section (like you did for Drums and synths)

[@frankiebautista7085]

Can you remake the pluck sound in fake love plzzzzz I've tried remaking it and it just doesn't come out right

[@daaamn001]

THX!

[@avia4281]

Can I use open back headphones?

[@alfonsoperez2646]

Great..!! I use a similar technic in Garage Band it’s really cool

[@VimDoozy]

Would it be useful to not only adjust track levels individually, but to follow this up by soloing and referencing multiple tracks which primarily occupy a similar frequency range, i.e. lows, mids, highs? For example, a track primarily occupying the lows may sound balanced in reference to the pink noise in isolation, but when stacked with other tracks occupying a similar area the amplitude of that general frequency range will rise and stick out more prominently above the pink noise. Perhaps this extra step may give you an even better foundation to work from, particularly if you've already done some general shaping with EQ to place each track in a more defined area of the spectrum.

[@nicholascowan1731]

does this still work if you've taken excess amounts of lsd in the past?

[@tomforsythe7024]

Yes, but the noise will change colours.

[@frangellico]

nice one! would be intresting also to describe the idea on how to set the levels of pink noise. thanks

[@noobpower96]

Set the Pink Noise to a level that leaves you the amount of headroom you need. Leave a bit of room, you can always turn shit up later on.

[@shadik6903]

What program did you use to do this live presentation?

[@iiam_Ed]

Logic

[@Gennovense]

EQing goes after or before?

[@sancho316]

very interesting

[@DjBoyEyram]

Okay man This is actually one of the mindblowing mixing technique I ever seen! I tried to mix with PinkNoise and I can't believe how effective this iss.. Not only about level matching but about Eq crafting, compression and more!!! The nature of PinkNoise itself is like an (almost) thruth about is what you are doing it good or not... Honestly mindblowing. After trying this I can't ever mix again without it

[@frankatana1568]

Do I need a different pinknoise track for every different instrument I want to mix?

[@RaviChauhan-pr9vz]

no brother use the same

[@AaronSteve]

There would be high clipping ??

[@leeahegg2377]

What is this tutorial come from? What is course name?

[@deesee2008]

Thanks. The pink noise was funny too when it overtook you !

[@ownedbymykitty270]

Very convoluted explanation compared to others I've seen on this topic.

[@russelledwards2405]

One thing I have found helpful when experimenting with this technique is to use gain control on each channel ( in Logic, use the gain plugin on each track. Most DAWs have an equivalent or trim control on each channel). This allows you to keep mixer at unity, which will come in handy once you do your actual mixing. Pulling any fader down too low at this point can create problems in the lower volume levels where the throw of fader is in large increments. More precise adjustments can be made if you are starting from unity.

[@matrixate]

This technique is probably more useful on a semi-finished mix to find frequencies that are poking out that your ear can miss listening to the stereo mix. I find this useful for that reason. To balance out a mix? Well, I guess...but from my experience, the more experience you have, you won't use this like the way he is using it, instead you'll look at this like training wheels on a bicycle...eventually you take them off. Like somebody mentioned, maybe this would be useful if you didn't have a VU meter. Just my 2 cents.

[@marionannmacredie]

Hey Echo ! Cool name😄 can I get pink noise on GarageBand for iPad?

[@A05_233]

Marion Macredie no

[@seasonbeats6221]

I notice that you have everything panned and EQ'ed first. Is that a better strategy or does it not matter?

[@enkibumbu]

Sorry, one point I don't understand. Is the pink noise a preset level? Or do you need to set the initial level of the pink noise first, an then set tracks to that volume? Is the pink noise always a uniform level, or does it need to be set before starting this interesting process? Thank you! I am trying to learn a lot quickly and making nice progress because of vids like this.

[@apoplexiamusic]

i think you would have to set the level of the pink noise to the level you want your mix top peak at. for instance, if you want 6 dB of headroom, set it at -6 or so.

[@MusicByNumbersUK]

If you look at pink noise on a spectrum analyser and then compare it to loads of good mixes, you'll notice that pink noise is not really a good match for an overall spectrum of what the ear likes to hear. It needs sloping more towards "brown" then pink in the bass with less treble. It's an interesting idea though! Just maybe try and eq the pink noise first to match it up to an average set of good mixes first rather than raw pink noise. ;)

[@MusicByNumbersUK]

Also, depending on volume you are doing this at (or intended listening volume). You might want to also further eq the pink noise to match one of the fletcher munsun curves that show how are ears work at different volume levels.

[@bigtray4546]

After this process would the track be ready for mastering

[@harmansekhon541]

Buddy this process is just to set the balance and levels of the mix and it should be the very first step of mixing. All the processing should be done afterwards.

[@russelledwards2405]

Not at all. At best, this could get your base levels about right.

[@sibusisotshabalala3662]

Im sure that all the people who talk down on pinknoise have been using it secretly for a long time or using analyzer features to macth pink noise #same destination diferent route...now they mad😂😂😂secret came out tryed it on one of the toughset mixes i had to do and it was 80% the in 10 min😂😂😂 .this ia no substitution for your taste but the chef outdone himself#Nowweknow🎓🎓🎓

[@ketolimbo7539]

sibusiso Tshabalala or just know basics of which frequencies you want to keep levelled in comfort to the human ear? 🤷🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️ like it’s not that deep just use a meter and know your levels lmao

[@sibusisotshabalala3662]

@@ketolimbo7539ppl giving advice when its not needed....b the same ppl who dont give it when u need it...😞😞

[@Umitto]

What should be the noise level as db?

[@MegaFlackFerry]

-18 db

[@markangel3093]

Can i use pink noise from serum noise oscillator?

[@HopePeaceLight]

yes man

[@Adsrsounds]

Yeah I don't see why not, it should just be an endless loop of pink noise :)

[@xsavierdj9202]

Where can I find to download please a Pink Noise to use?

[@IHMadeThis]

www.vst4free.com/free_vst.php?plugin=Pink&id=2852

[@iamgerer]

🤔 how should I generate pink noise in fl studio

[@adrianbarker9547]

I think if you are using this tip to mix a track and it helps.... great. Personally, I can get a result in far less time that takes into account artistic or stylistic demands of the music with out using pink noise... which is why professional mix engineering exists. If it sounds good (on a proper monitor set up) it is right. However.... Lots of producers should use this as an acid test to check their mix isn't bad. Many mixes are bad because of a lack of balance across the pink spectrum. When I use such backing tracks on a PA system (which is my trade) it is very obvious.

[@metacognitionproductions1915]

I thought you weren’t supposed to use faders in this way? Shouldn’t you do this pre fader? This seems like it would be better used during gain staging phase.

[@majewskimusic]

Thanks, ;-)

[@DJYukie]

After one year do you still find using pink noise reliable?

[@themotobuddies3760]

How do you monitor in mono when you don’t own ozone????

[@MrSilver8790]

add a gain plugin lad and toggle mono

[@emekecho2024]

echo

[@filipjonathan]

Wait, I'm confused. You get the same volume of all the tracks. What's the point of that? Not every track is gonna be the same level. Edit* I can see it working for kick and snare for example since you usually want them the same volume.

[@VeganKebabDoRuky]

You do this to quickly set a baseline, and furthermore, the perceived loudness won't be the same when you do this againt the pink noise. And obviously you will tweak the levels afterward, especially after EQing, compression and all that.

[@ThommasSRB]

5:43 Decide, is it pink or is it white noise ? :P Nice video about old trick!

[@nikhilgautam6540]

Will this work for Big Room and House Music ?

[@kayboog2000]

Try getting levels on small speakers not headphones...computer monitors work well, but at low levels.....Do this trick not just in the beginning but the entire time you're mixing making sure your mix cuts thru...

[@XRXONE]

But wouldn’t the volume change after adding eq,saturation,compression etc? Thus using this technique to get levels right pre processing useless

[@reyshinryu]

Scooter1 i was wondering about this too so i'd usually do it after adding effects like eq, compression, saturation etc cuz it really doesn't make sense to do this BEFORE apply those effects

[@itslogeyyy]

What if, after balancing the track using this method you sort of discover that the mix needs only few effects to make it sound the best? Otherwise you will be adding every effect and it still may not sound the best together? Using Pinl Noise is a professional level advice.

[@matrixate]

Scooter1 Yes, he's incorrectly explaining WHEN to use this technique IMHO. He should be using it on a mix that has all the effects in place. I'll be honest...you should be getting these tips from a real professional mixing engineer. Notice how CLA and Tony M don't use this not didn't they ever advise it. It's KZbin...you get what you pay for.

[@darkeco]

Yes, dynamic processing will change your output gain, but you're supposed to compensate for it. That's why you have a gain control on every processing plugin. Dynamics processing isn't meant to be used to make things louder or quieter, it's only to make things sit better in the mix. So always make sure that your output gain after processing is the same as the input gain by A/B'ing, otherwise you could be tricked into thinking it sounds better because of the gain increase, as humans naturally find louder things more exciting and better sounding.

[@XRXONE]

DarkEco Ah nice, thanks

[@Withajay]

But it also seems that setting the level is to "taste". It seems that he sets the first ones higher compared to the pink noise than the later ones. That shaker, he gets it to the max fader and you still can't hear it but it just moves on. It may help but it certainly doesn't seem like some kind of genius mixing technique that's going to change my life. I'm going to smoke a joint.

[@marcelturra8108]

nice observations

[@ketolimbo7539]

this is really not the way to mix... like just use your Meter and your ears, and use a reference song

[@chrish7336]

@@ketolimbo7539 He did claim its a starting point for when your mix seems all out of sorts and provides a base line, not the final mix. HE also pushed the levels to out of wack settings to purposely show you how it works and bring the mix back to a reasonable blend.

[@Rezyon]

I love his voice

[@PennyBling]

Logic Pro x 10.4 update just got released so we need a video on it right now !!!

[@wavfunktion]

I use pink noise to calibrate my studio monitors, but never did I think to use pink noise to mix.

[@Powhart]

Not only is his Voice the best I've ever heard but he's quite handsome :D

[@mysterybro100]

Hmm, first off I believe you are doing this to establish "pre mixing" levels, yes? Then do Not use faders, but trim/gain for this! You want to start your mix with faders at unity where the fader resolution is optimal. Second put your instrument groups on submix/busses (for many reasons). And one should not start with all those plugins on the final outs (or two bus). Interesting method, though I prefer meters and ears. That said thx for the post...

[@vicioussuspicious894]

mysterybro100 Why No Faders?

[@Elijahyats]

because it's the pre mixing phase after you use your eq or compression etc then you move the faders around to adjust your mix.

[@mathewo9209]

Realistically you should be matching your input and output gain, that's where this method will become useful.

[@livelikeus4980]

Just use soft rain in your room and use the volume for the rain. It works and it isn’t obnoxious lol

[@woodgecko106]

mixing isn't adding reverbs and compressors... it's building a master track from the individual tracks, by setting levels, pan, etc. mixing is after production and before mastering. but all 3 can definitely be combined.

[@AldyWaani]

i don’t think thats the correct way to use pink noise as a reference. Don’t play the noise in context with your mix, but use specific plugin / tools to ‘capture’ or ‘learn’ the pink noise on your reference track, then, tweak your mix based on the result spectrum. I use it using Dynamic Spectrum Mapper or iZotope Ozone. Correct me if i’m wrong :)

[@Adsrsounds]

You aren't wrong or right ha! Using a spectrum analyzer is a great way for referencing. This pink noise trick has been around for a long time, well before Ozone ever existed. It does have different results in certain contexts. This is more for setting volume levels in a way that is musical to the human ear. Reference spectrums from references tracks look more at EQ curves and tonal balance.

[@HopePeaceLight]

pink noise is more fast and good results

[@mattipalosaari8895]

Aldy Waani o

[@Wizardatwill]

honestly think just by doing proper gain staging you can get the same results! most of all the sounds on here are being set to 12 and some a lil higher all it is, is gain staging with noise!!, im all set hearing that noise !!

[@dryrainwetsun]

Dope tip👍🏾

[@sleepsmilemusic]

Pink Noise technique will only work well for electronic music which uses samples/processed/well balanced stems. When you put this up with an acoustic track/rock it will set you 100 steps backwards if you have a poorly recorded track. The reason an electronic track was displayed in this video was to convey the idea of this technique working, but unfortunately, is not always a guaranteed to perfectly balance any track

[@Skrenja]

I thought you were not supposed to hear the tracks over the white noise?

[@Adsrsounds]

Well first it's pink noise not white! Second, you need to hear them a little bit, but not much. On some of the tracks in the video i went a little louder because I knew the sample or sound was quiet in the first place

[@davelordy]

You actually say 'white noise' in the video (for example at 5:40), and your levels were way too high compared to the pink noise, the kick should just about be able to be heard . . . the logic of "I knew the sample or sound was quiet in the first place" so I went louder, doesn't seem to make any sense !?

[@lifewhyz]

It should be pink noise. And they were a little loud. But still, the point remains. This a great tool towards gain staging one's mix.

[@davelordy]

@Emrah Unturk - agreed, this method is for setting levels and not gain staging . . . . for example - if you bring down the fader for the snare so you can just about hear it over the pink noise, then you would have had no effect on the snare's gain staging, that happens prior to the fader, it needs to happen before your plugins and your fader.

[@VeganKebabDoRuky]

Emrah Unturk Pink Noise is a good starting place, but it's not for everyone, not everyone has the same workflow. And you're not solely supposed to rely on the pink noise technique to get your levels right, so you're using your ears either way. Pink noise is just a faster baseline to work from for some. Some top-end producers more credible then all of us combined in the comment section use it as well. It's a prefference really.

[@martinvallee6609]

Doesn't work for me..

[@boldequation]

This is only going to "work" if you turn all that stuff off on your master, when you solo your kick it sounds like the pink noise is being sidechained.

[@Adsrsounds]

Not knowing how those are even set, I don't know why you would say that. The API compressor is not contributing to any gain reduction, I am using that purely for the analog circuit setting, the fattener is set to 4%, and the PRO L is just so nothing clips during the video. It's adding 1dB of gain and the ceiling is set to -.05.

[@JoshLeTissier]

This is a very controversial topic 😂

[@Metadataone]

Thanks you . But this is a secret by analog mixers engineers from 70"s , Is more real in a reel to reel analog recording, and add little pink noise in final mix is more amazing with determinated Hz, MASTERING IS ADD A TYPE NOISE TO FINAL MIX.

[@impolitikful]

look at pink on span its got too much high end

[@matrixate]

There's a far better purpose in using Pink Noise that either he doesn't know about or actually has no idea about. Listening to this guy reminds me of the old saying, "blind leading the blind."

[@sagecarter2368]

Oh my garsh what a cutie-patootie

[@l00pdigga42]

Justin Carter LMFAOOO

[@bppspb7741]

wouldn't hurt to hear unbalanced and balanced mix next to each other

[@bigtray4546]

From the look of the master track it looks like u already did some light processing to get the track loud

[@reversefukkatsuz214]

fucking dope

[@congdungnguyen7354]

It sounds Sunstroke Project Hey Mama

[@kontemplatemusic2189]

you supposed to "BARELLY" hear the track while pink noise is on, not over the pink noise. Bring the volume of the track up while the pink noise is on and as soon as you start hearing the track thats the sweet spot. And dont take it as a bible. thats a starting point for you to start doing the balance among the tracks.

[@davelordy]

This is not a great example of mixing to pink noise, the tracks need to be just about audible over the pink noise . . . in this video they are clearly audible over the pink noise. The kick drum for example was way off.

[@chrish7336]

HE DIDN"T SAY IT WAS A FINAL MIX, He clearly claimed it was a starting point when things were all out of whack.

[@Asitem_Sound]

You should use Pink noise :-)

[@thejuice1254]

Its nonsense. Level balancing is different for every track and different for every genre. How does pink noise know if I want to mix my kick in really thick or really light, and why the hell would I want to give up such an important creative choice?! I wouldn't recommend this technique to anyone. If anything its going to hinder your mixing abilities. You should be doing this by ear and using a reference track to guide you when your uncertain.

[@TalkinMusicProduction]

Sorry but I have to do this, not hating or anything like that. People are getting misled. This Pink Noise stuff is just BS, don't waste your time on this stuff. Simply get 3 of your favorite songs, add them in your project, keep switching from your song to the reference tracks till you get the balance that will work well for the SPECIFIC GENRE that you're mixing. Don't waste your time on this stuff. Anyway, when you start processing your tracks with plugins or hardware the level will change. What a waste of time. This stuff is for losers, and rather catch flu don't catch feelings. I'm just trying to help.

[@Adsrsounds]

You have completely misunderstood the content of this video.

[@itslogeyyy]

Talkin Music Production: I don't think original Wave track formats are easier to get. What if you listen to the mp3 file and ruin it all together? More over the instruments that you use in your track may not be the same as that of your reference tracks. How would you get them to be equal? No one wants copy of a copy of a endless chain of copy. Like guitars, drums etc sounding the same as other tracks. Nightmare, I believe.

[@whomikejonezzz]

Disagree completely. I'm an audio engineer by day and this is a great trick for finding relative volume levels and achieving volume balance.

[@russelledwards2405]

It's not misleading at all. It does not promise miracles. If you are going to critiscize this technique, at least state a technical reason based on fact instead of throwing insults with nothing to back it up.

[@matrixate]

Talkin Music Production But the noobs will believe anything you tell them. Totally agree. First off, if you were to use this, you would use it on a final mix to find extremities but that's about it..and even then, no one needs it. TBH, this is a joke.

[@tylermiddaugh1515]

Thank you!