Mixing A Trap Soul Beat - Start To Finish

Even with only 9 audio tracks, I'll show you how creative mixing can give us a clean, full and impactful sound. This trap beat was made by Stefan Guy using only stock Logic Pro X sounds. Be sure to check out his channel!
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[@stefanguy]

Broooo love this! Loved the why behind all your mix decisions and problem solving. I've picked up a tonne. Love the bounce you added to the woodblock. Also with the tremolo on the hi-hat. I'm definitely going to be using that going forward! Along with the many other tips, air in the pad etc. The list goes on. Great job bro and I look forward to doing more in the future!

[@SeanDivine]

appreciate it bro. A great producer that provides the right elements makes my work much smoother... and a lot more fun :)

[@Capital414]

Sean Divine @stefan did you send the files dry or wet?

[@stefanguy]

Nevan Lewis dry as toast. Nothing on them. If the sound, a synth for example had a reverb as part of the sound I'd usually keep it. Everything else I usually disable before I send off the stems.

[@stefanguy]

Sean Divine thanks brother!

[@Ashtonsecoya]

In my opinion, you offer the best tutorials on beat mixing on KZbin hands down! With the help of this video alone I was able to take my beat to the next level! Keep doing what you do brother, you're a great teacher :)

[@SeanDivine]

appreciate that Ashton, so glad it helped 🙌

[@Ashtonsecoya]

@@SeanDivine me too lol. I’ll be on the look out for more content brother 🙏🏽

[@diggadin]

Man, you’re officially my mentor and you don’t even know it. I watched several of your vids and without questions my mixes are way better than ever. Can’t thank you enough for sharing so much valuable content. There’s definitely something in the universe bigger lined up for you. Thanks again!!

[@SeanDivine]

glad to hear that Digga 🙏🤜

[@mastamnd]

Entire video was great! I especially liked the EQ move on the Pad. Raising the shelf to bring some 'air' into it. Made the entire mix sound more like a record. Heard of it hear and there but rarely see it used like that! I gotta put that in the workflow! :) Thanks for the time you took to show some love!

[@SeanDivine]

no problem, glad it was helpful! :)

[@HitMuziqProd]

Sean, it is great that you and Steph collaborated to bring us a wonderful tutorial (one created the sound and the other mixed) First Class stuff...keep it up!

[@juliana.2120]

Vinyl is such a great plug-in, so happy that they re-released it. can be useful in so many ways, even on vocals!

[@SeanDivine]

agreed, it's fantastic!

[@allexfenty]

You are the best sean, I swear. Even for advance audio guys like me you really keep teaching great stuff. You are one hell of an audio guy.

[@SeanDivine]

thanks Alex!!

[@chadmiller9379]

This is great stuff. More of these collabs with you and Stefan, please!

[@Yungumbro]

Great video once again

[@iamsartor]

i've been learning so much from your videos! thanks a lot for taking the time to make these!

[@francissreckofabian01]

You & Stefan are my favourite LPX teachers.

[@SeanDivine]

that's awesome Francis. I love teaching and interacting with you all and I know Stefan feels the same!

[@francissreckofabian01]

It's appreciated too. You both bring a real warmth to your tutorials. It's a pleasure to listen and then use the techniques you have shown. I have certainly become better at making music since I started watching you guys. Of course, that doesn't mean my music is better! But that's ok. Making music now is the most fun I've had since I was in a band.

[@SeanDivine]

so glad to hear that man, that's what we hope for :) Thanks for sharing Francis!

[@stefanguy]

For sure!

[@christiansilvestri5221]

I remembered watching this video a while ago and just today I was listening to a couple of new songs and this song called Holiday came on by quality control, lil yachty, and quavo. And I immediately recognized the piano sample and thought it was crazy how such huge artists actually used that logic sample

[@leightonh1999]

All hail the mixing and mastering god... Every video is another page of his bible

[@Gameslayer25-h9v]

hey dude just wanted to say i really appreciate you putting yourself out there and showing us how to move around, salute.

[@SeanDivine]

sure thing Rafael, glad it's helping 🙌

[@tezzytmusic9031]

Sean I learned so much from you and Stefan in just that short amount of time. Thank you both for sharing your knowledge! #Respect

[@FaustinoBeatsBA]

amazing!!

[@SeanDivine]

🙏🤜

[@tiffanyonwudinanti]

You and my bro steph killed it! By far the most informative and motivating channels in the tube 🙌🏾

[@SeanDivine]

appreciate the support Tiffany! Stefan has a great channel. We may do more content in the future :)

[@tyraeomo8572]

Sean Divine hey I got a question when busing a group a vocals should I use mono plugins or stereo plugins I use pro tool 10 and it seems like my vocals cut each other in and out when I put mono plugin on the hook with the harmonies what do I think I'm doing wrong

[@SeanDivine]

I almost always send tracks to stereo aux channels w/ stereo plugins for more flexibility. You would want to process your harmonies on a different stereo bus than the main vocal.

[@tyraeomo8572]

Sean Divine ok so my main 3 take far left far right and center a all go through the same buss with stereo plugin not mono right because I be having problems when put mono compression on each track individually and the. Send all those though a stereo buss I'm trying to find where my problem is why it start sound like there cuting each other out

[@SeanDivine]

Tyrae Walker yes, they should be stereo especially when you're panning the tracks

[@vancenichols9490]

This is awesome! I'm gonna buy your course this week so that I can beef-up my mixing skills in the 3 relevant genres you're presenting therein! I feel empowered, brother! Thanks and God bless you!!

[@SeanDivine]

🙌🙏

[@FizzENT]

This is cool. “ less is more “ I like the approach ✅

[@dmn2273]

Awesome work! Your droppin so much knowledge on us!

[@bigtray4546]

I may have watched this video 3 to 4 times already in its entirety but i think the light bulb went off..great information as always thanks bro 💯💯💯💯

[@SeanDivine]

glad to hear it bro 🙌🙏

[@jstlez97]

I appreciate the work you put in. Please do more of these mixing tips and trick vids. Getting a lot out of them.

[@SeanDivine]

glad to hear it! will see what I can do :)

[@artx498]

Ok... this was nice to watch! Thanks for all the lessons.

[@SeanDivine]

sure thing :)

[@only1shaneo]

Dope video, man. Very informational. Thanks for sharin'.

[@JamesCA]

Your stuff is always so solid and inspiring. Thanks for taking the time to explain so thoroughly and clearly to young aspiring producers.

[@SeanDivine]

my pleasure James! :)

[@YoDeNN]

Such a great example bro. I really enjoyed it.

[@onimisilovesonmusic4548]

I love your channel. U are a great teacher. God bless u

[@SeanDivine]

🙏 thanks so much, Blessings

[@mack11beats]

one of my favorite teachers rn dude I know this is what i want to do

[@cabrawl473]

You are a mixing savage 🙌🏽

[@The_Gary_Douglas]

Hey man. Just found your channel last night and Ive already consumed a bunch of your videos. GREAT content!! And as some others have commented, I love the way you explain everything. Look forward to checking out more. Thanks!

[@SeanDivine]

glad to hear it man! Welcome :)

[@africanrevolution3551]

DOPE!!!! FIRE!!!!! will be nice to see a video on mixing a sample based beat

[@iahuymusic]

CHAMP!!!!!!

[@Rgeternal]

Good techniques. Some of them I learned myself through trial and error over the years. I also learned some new things as well. Great channel bro, keep it up!

[@ODDMANOUTMUSIC]

Yo real nice SEAN. Keep it clean always. Peace

[@draccoon]

thanks man!

[@claytonparker16]

Real dope!

[@Lyriquebeats]

that bitcrusher trick was amazing !

[@SeanDivine]

:)

[@kreamkrafttv1683]

Sean Divine is dope!!

[@steffmusic89]

i love the part with the pad! great

[@SeanDivine]

🙌

[@jokerandthethief7284]

Can you make a tutorial with stock plugins, That would also be very helpful, some of us cannot afford the plugins that you're using... It will also help us to know more about mixing too, really liked your session and it was very helpful, subscribing right now. Love from India.

[@no-yj2cf]

If engineering had a religion, I would be a devout follower of Divinity. Dope content as always

[@YARAMusicOfficial]

Binge watching your tutorials, man! Really learning a loooot! Thanks a ton!

[@SeanDivine]

glad to hear it Y :)

[@thelifeproductions1]

Nice Mixing techniques.

[@KayPlayaMusic]

More valuable information!! Thanks for the education my man

[@bmxt939]

This is nice. Thanks.

[@SeanDivine]

sure thing!

[@jjdagreat187]

Dope Beat!

[@bhostylebeats]

Bravo!

[@DrewCarson1212]

Ou the bitcrusher on panpipe is niceeee

[@blakbone_]

Nice!! Your tips are great broo!

[@SeanDivine]

thanks bro!

[@jordanjohnston7255]

Great video bro thanks!!!!

[@marvinbergh]

hi sean, i've learned a lot from this video! i've noticed you don't EQ the drums. i was wondering why you chose not to. i hope to hear from you soon! awesome video man

[@SeanDivine]

Marvin Bergh glad to hear it Marvin! I would normally EQ the drums but for sake of time, chose to focus on mainly balancing and creative plugin use for this video. I have other beat mixing videos on the channel that dive more into EQ :)

[@MaceoDior]

Hell yeah i learned some from this video

[@NOA-producer]

Love your Videos!!!!!

[@luciferincestus666]

Your master bus is clipping hard at the end of the video.

[@luciferincestus666]

Once again great tutorial though!

[@ebnima174]

you do awesoome job greatttttttt

[@whoiskgainez]

im really mad you have a logic beat sounding like this. wow. i need to watch you more.

[@SeanDivine]

lol thanks :)

[@dakshmehta3015]

This helped a lot. Thanks man 👍🏻

[@SeanDivine]

glad to hear it Daksh!

[@N-it-4]

good shit bro.....

[@SeanDivine]

thanks bro

[@chimdummez2747]

This video is about to be a game changer for me...appreciate you bro! Quick question? What are your thoughts on mixing with headphones?

[@KAUTIOUZBEATZ4]

Thank you 4 this video i got a better under standing on the tool usage

[@SeanDivine]

:)

[@Coskunmusic]

Hi Sean, just a quick question, I can makes beats and also mix and master but the problem I have is when I am in the process of making a fresh beat from scratch, I dont know if I should have my monitors at a low volume or medium. if I have it low then I cant hear which sounds I am picking for the track, if its too high then my ears think it sounds good so mixing becomes a problem... how can I resolve this issue?

[@koret7]

great video

[@epic1beatz634]

You should release that Camel Crusher 808 preset 🙏🏼 really good tutorial, invaluable advice.

[@SeanDivine]

7:50 shouldn't take but a minute to dial in the same setting :)

[@soulchorea]

new subscribah heah - thoroughly enjoyed this

[@TIZARD]

Sean I notice that the order of plugins affects the way they react, is that right? Or is it just me? THANK YOU keep uploading videos they are really helpful.

[@SeanDivine]

yes, audio passes through the plugins in the order that you have setup in your insert chain

[@YounusMogul]

Thanks great tutorial!

[@nolifey]

So refreshing to find solid tutorials for mixing beats rather than half brained YT producers racking up view revenue

[@SeanDivine]

glad they're helpful for you Ruben! 🙏

[@rataplamtdb]

thank you brother have you helped me enough

[@Welsed]

I've said this before, I thoroughly enjoy your videos, since you provide such awesome content. One question tho, I've been taking your advice on focusing on RMS levels rather than just peak, and I personally use the WLM plug in from Waves. Can you do a separate tutorial (for those out there that haven't already started making the switch over) on LUFS and how to level using that as well? The built in Logic meter seems to be a couple of db off from the WLM meter I use, so I think it would benefit those who really consider their metering when mixing towards a quality near or at mastering level. Thank you!!!

[@SamHigo]

Anyone who's heard the Wretch 32 / Avelino Song 'Gift to You' ? Pretty sure they use that piano sample too..

[@produktionzn22]

Good Spot!!!

[@adgersont]

Dope

[@SquakeC]

damn, that was easy, great tips!

[@SeanDivine]

😎🙌

[@brunoody]

hey! nice stuff! maybe the piano's low cut could've been a bit at a higher frequency with a slowest slope. at least hearing with headphones and from youtube (which can have a lot worse sound result than you heard though) btw... love this kind of 'complete' mix videos

[@imbrandonbates]

What's up Sean, I continue to learn new things from your videos. Keep pushing out this great content. I notice your mixes are pretty loud and come in pretty hot, Do you turn them down before you do any processing on the master bus or leave it clipping and hitting at around -10? Thanks again for the help in advance!

[@SeanDivine]

Thanks Brandon, glad to hear it! It depends on how hard I'm pushing the stereo bus. If I plan to master in a different session, I try to leave a few dB of headroom to work with. Otherwise, I'll just mix into a limiter or maximizer, being careful that I'm not pushing it to the point that it's affecting my transients and dynamics in a negative way.

[@imbrandonbates]

Thanks! Do you ever just use the Maximizer on the stereo bus for songs not just beats that you plan to put out on Apple Music and Spotify? Just curious.

[@SeanDivine]

absolutely! if it's a commercial release, I will master it seperately and keep things from going above 0

[@AARONKAYE]

excellent video but it's always hard to hear you

[@DeeAceBeats]

Great video and good beat! Defenitely some nice tips, subbed! I have a question though, let's say you are going to mix a hip hop song that as a bass guitar as its main bass instead of an 808 bass, would you still use sidechain compression on the kick and bassguitar?

[@SeanDivine]

Thanks! it depends on where the bass line is sitting in terms of frequency. If I can EQ the kick and bass accordingly, then I wouldn't necessarily need to side chain them, especially not this much. I'm usually doing sidechaining this way when dealing with a heavy kick / 808 bass.

[@DeeAceBeats]

That makes sense, thanks for the quick reply. Just submitted a mix/mastering request on your website!

[@michal.ochedowski]

Sean, thanks for sharing your mixing session with us. I've been wondering, why you don't utilize send channels for reverb and delay effects? Wouldn't it be more convenient regarding minor fx adjustments after printing all tracks? I've been reading that creating send tracks is more future-proof. In case old session wouldn't open or some fx were missing after a while.

[@SeanDivine]

I do extensively, check my other vids / templates. Just not in this one since it’s a pretty straight forward beat mix :)

[@michal.ochedowski]

@@SeanDivine Thanks for clarifying. I'm steadily catching up on this goldmine, every day since I found your channel :)

[@denizdix]

I know this is not your domain, but can you teach us about rock guitar mixing? I like the way you explain things ...

[@SeanDivine]

Hey Deniz, thanks for the suggestion. I actually do quite a bit of guitar mixing :) will see if I can get something up for you soon!

[@ajaysm4087]

Hello Sean it was amazing really loved your video. It's an motivate to us really thanks brother One question all mixers says mix in mono but what you done is stereo please suggest me what to do?

[@SeanDivine]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jWaQZoCtqrOMadk

[@redtoaster123]

Nice tutorial. Why dont you implement the hall Plugins als send effects?

[@XLmega]

Top

[@mainetsmurf]

Great video. Do you have any songs on your SoundCloud page (or anywhere else) where you mixed primarily on headphones? If so, can you tell me the titles and the headphones you used? Thanks.

[@SeanDivine]

My client mixes are done with studio monitors with headphones as a reference throughout the process. The best example for primarily mixing in headphones would be all the videos on my channel :) I'm using the DT770

[@6Litz_]

#Respect

[@tezzytmusic9031]

It would be cool to see you mix a record that I produced. 🤔

[@NIHLOBeats]

Just watched this tutorial again and realised how much I've learned from you since then :D But I'm wondering why you use different reverbs on every drum track. I usually just use one drum reverb as an aux channel and change the send amount of every drum track. Not just to save CPU power, but more to make it sound consistent and ensure that it feels like one space and a belonging drumset. That's what you and I also do with belonging vocals. Do you think it's better do vary the reverb and make the settings fit perfectly for every single sound? Reverb has always been and still is kind of my problem area :D There seem to be so many workflows and rules that everybody breaks with all the time :D

[@SeanDivine]

I sometimes will use the same reverb for the drums also, it just depends on the the vibe and what the track is calling for. With electronic drums, I'm less concerned about it being the same acoustic space for every drum - that would be more of a focus for rock / more natural drum tones. I might have a clap that only comes in every 4 bars or so and want a large decay on it, say 4+ secs. In that case, I don't want a 4 sec reverb on every drum :) it's up to you though!

[@NIHLOBeats]

Thank you very much! Helped me out a lot. Different decay time definetly mak sense in some cases and I will consider this in future mixes. :)

[@vibrantog8102]

Hi Sean, thanks for your videos man you really saving a lot of us out here. Please my question is when preparing to master my beats and vocals do I mix them out separately then bring the level down so it doesn’t clip in the stereo output before mastering? I’ll appreciate your reply. Thanks

[@SeanDivine]

Plenty of videos on the channel about this 🙌

[@vibrantog8102]

Okay thanks a lot Sean!! 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@Jnashbeats_]

Great tutorial, watched the entire thing without getting bored at all. I have ONE question for you Sean. Since you put that Maximizer on the Master channel, doesn't this limit the space for rappers/vocalists to get on the beat? I heard I wasn't supposed to Master my beats when Im sending them to artists for this reason. Thanks and keep em coming!

[@SeanDivine]

Hey J, it depends on how much you're pushing the limiter. I wouldn't recommend doing any heavy lifting with it as that will make things tougher for an artist to mix their vocals in. I usually use a limiter that's simply preventing clipping on the two track. Then I'll export stems without any limiting and headroom for the artist when needed.

[@grannypotproduction]

Hey can you show some more tips on other instruments were to look for bad frequency

[@SeanDivine]

there are other beat videos on my channel that go into more depth with EQing instruments :)

[@grannypotproduction]

Sean Divine any one that i should look for

[@SeanDivine]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJPOoHSudr1rr8k

[@bigwo6881]

could i send you some of my work and you tell me what im missing ...? been teaching my self since 03 , started with cool edit...lol but if you could that would be great , i just subscribed

[@jordanbeckfilms]

This is so cool. So when you send it to be mastered do you just take off the limiter on the master bus because I thought that for mastering you want the levels lower? Can you just turn it all down but keep them equal or will that cause an issue

[@jordanbeckfilms]

Equal isn’t the right word lol turn them all down but keep them to how they are together if that makes any sense at all lmao

[@SeanDivine]

yes, I would take off any limiting and also turn down the master to give about 3-4 db of headroom

[@djblend6035]

Hi sean I've been a subscriber for a while. Wanted to ask your opinion on Fluid audio c5 for mixing. I'm on a low budget. Thanks

[@SeanDivine]

Hi Aay, I don't have experience with this monitor. I would recommend looking for a used Event active monitor like the ALP 5 or TR5

[@CrassPunk99]

Sean, let's say that I was mixing using the ultramaximizer with the threshold left at 0.0. Instead of increasing the volume of the beat to -9 RMS with the lowering of the threshold in the ultramaximizer at the end, can't I just increase the fader volume of all the tracks until the RMS naturally hits -9 RMS? Then, in the mastering stage, can I increase the volume of the final mix with the same ultramaximizer, but this time lowering the threshold until I get a competitive RMS level? Or should I follow the example you showed in this video and just bring up the overall level of the mix with the lowering of the ultramaximizer during the mixing stage? And if so, do I lower the threshold of the ultramaximizer again in the mastering stage to increase the RMS level a bit more if I wanted to? Thanks!

[@SeanDivine]

Hi Crass, the key is you don't want to limit more than once - so if you're limiting in the mixing stage and you plan to master with vocals in a different session, you want to remove the limiter and achieve the levels in mastering only.

[@slendidab]

Is it possible that you make a new Hiphop master Tutorial?

[@SeanDivine]

yes, coming very soon :)

[@slendidab]

Sean Divine thanks a lot

[@rdubbs01]

Sean Great tutorial I watch all of your work bit this mix cought my attention because of the piano sample i made a beat with years ago and i still have it I was just wondering how he got it thanks man

[@SeanDivine]

Hi Raleigh, Stefan used all stock sounds for the beat so I assume it is included with Logic Pro X

[@ronaldmkiza]

Bro thank you so much for your videos!! I used to ask you for your opinion on my mixes and now I just finished my first mixtape. Your tutorials were a huge help! Come check my channel and see what you helped create.

[@allanondatrack9431]

Due to the steps and techniques, along with the Plug Ins you've used for each actual instrument, can these same steps and techniques along with Plug Ins be used in any type of Trap beat? Please and thank you

[@SeanDivine]

you will need to use your ears and make adjustments according to the specific instruments / track balance, but yes the concepts should be mostly the same :)

[@allanondatrack9431]

Sean Divine, So all the Plug Ins used within this video are also stock Plug Ins?

[@allanondatrack9431]

Can someone please tell me if all the sounds used within this tutorial are Logic Pro X Stock Plugins? I'm planning on buying this Logic Pro X Bundle I believe that's what it's called, but I want to make sure that all these Plugins once again are Stock Plugins. Thanks to anyone who can answer this question for me.

[@AvocadoRecords]

Hey man how did you get camelcrusher to work on logic? i downloaded a version and installed but never comes up on logic... Watched this vid all the way through, thank you for your knowledge!

[@SeanDivine]

no problem Diego! I downloaded the updated 64 bit version a long time ago from Camel Audio. Unfortunately, the free download links are hard to find now as I believe when Apple acquired Camel Audio, they also now own the rights to their plugins.. hence why it dissapeared. The good news is I would imagine they will implement Camel plugins into LPX (hopefully) soon

[@bernardrichmond2]

lol the way you pronounced tremolo had me thrown off a bit lol but do you ever use transient shapers to push and pull things like drums front and back in the mix? and how much do you saturate if ever?

[@SeanDivine]

lol how do you pronounce tremolo? :) I do use transient shapers quite often - this video uses that and saturation kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJKcnp-emMl7q6s

[@francissreckofabian01]

The way you pronounce Tremolo is the same way I've heard it pronounced (in Australia) for over 40 years. I didn't know there was another pronunciation.

[@bernardrichmond2]

Sean Divine lol i say trem-o-lo

[@SeanDivine]

Bernard Richmond oh ok, close enough :)

[@AyoBriMusic]

I know you do all of your mixing and mastering but would you typically remove the level meter and maximizer before "sending" the instrumental to be mastered?

[@SeanDivine]

yes, the level meter won't change anything but definitely would take off any bus compressor or dynamics processing if it's going to be mastered after the fact