Mix like a PRO Step 1: The Static Mix (Logic Mixing Tutorial)

[@TheBandGuide]

‼ Download the free 6-Step PRO MIX Checklist here: www.thebandguide.com/logicpromix ‼ 🎶 Download the MULTITRACKS: www.thebandguide.com/thethickofitmultitracks 🎤ALL the Gear I Recommend: sweetwater.sjv.io/eK2VZX

[@trushack]

I am a VERY amateur home studio rat working on Logic Pro, and I've watched a ton of tutorials...many of them excellent! But there is something about your approach and the way you show/describe what you are doing and how/why you are doing it that immediately clicks with me. I haven't even gone into Logic Pro and applied any of these techniques or concepts yet and I already feel like my (relatively meager) skills have taken a massive leap! Thank you!!!

[@spennythespoo]

I’m also producing my own music and I feel the same way. These tutorials are so clear, straight to the point, and thoughtful to people who want to make their songs shine in the best light possible. So grateful for this channel

[@TeeTV22]

Because most of the videos you’ve seen are fools regurgitating info they themselves have seen on KZbin instead of actually knowing the info….

[@Texturas75]

Apply them and find out how good they are.

[@UlfKronman]

Thanks again! I also use this method with the Level Meter at the Stereo Out track when I do the first static mix. I usually aim at -9 dB (though I usually end up at -7 or -8 dB ;-) to have headroom to go up to -5-6 dB when doing the final dynamic mix (automation) later. I noticed that you didn't use the possibility to set the horizontal line in the level meter to your desired target level. You can do this by dragging the > sign to the left of the level bars (to the right of the dB scale) to your target level. If you do that, you get a clear visual clue in the level bars when they pass this point and also the numbers at the top turn red (orange? [Sorry: red-green color blind.]) when this level is passed.

[@Itsjustronniex]

Just started learning and have spent a lot of time looking for good videos and teachers and this guy is the best damn teacher especially for beginners! Thanks for the video man.

[@earwerm]

Hi from NZ Colin, your tutorials are really helping to improve my mixes & avoid all the mistakes I've made previously. Have watched many Logic KZbinrs over the years but have found yours without doubt the most beneficial. Cheers

[@11thBlockParty]

This is the Bible of mixing, a lot of people refer to shorter tutorials, but the longer ones help ensure what you're looking for.

[@Bittamin]

Getting this right would 100% make it possible for you to outsource the mixing process if you desire to as well; never want to send out a turd to be polished, so definitely very vital info!

[@TheBandGuide]

100% agree!

[@DanielKarlMorgan]

Excellent video Colin. As a novice who has been dabbling in Garageband for years and now has access to Logic for the first time, I am definitely glad I watched this before diving too deep into any of my projects. Such an important step in the mixing process - I feel like I just graduated Week 1 of your mixing guide. Thank you.

[@DanMia-cd1bm]

Hands Down...No Doubt...You've Arrived at the Best Stop on KZbin or Elsewhere..Colin is 100% On the Money...have I used enough cliche's for one comment..? Simply put, He's the Best Out There...

[@ronereing]

Yeah I agree with everyone. Your Tutorial is so helpful. Thanks man.

[@LA610]

I enjoyed hearing all the layers especially the vocal ones.....good tune

[@elharrop]

"I know it's scary but we did it together". Wow, I feel so seen as this is pretty intimidating. Thank you!

[@chucksaeger7500]

This was absolutely fabulous! I learned as more here than many, many videos I’ve perused. I’ll watch this over and over until it all sinks in and it becomes second nature! Thanks Colin!

[@raimolaine]

Thanks again. It's good to repeat all these things. And a new thing was that you do not take away the pans you are sure about.

[@TheBandGuide]

Glad it was helpful, Raimo! That's actually something I've switched to recently. I realized if I KNOW where I wanted to be when I recorded, why I was undoing it and redoing? Always tweaking and perfecting the process!

[@TheRealJayguar]

That trick at the end @17:45 is exactly what I was looking for. I didnt want to bring everything down so I’ll try adding the gain plugin. TY!

[@SKSAM2002]

Thank you so much for the time you spent on the whole process of mixing a song. Although the song isn’t my genre, these video sections are so helpful and easy to follow.

[@bigeddie1669]

I never did this for over a year and would just use a mastering platform straight after recording since I didn’t know how to do that either! THIS VIDEO HAD ME LOST TILL NOW😭😭😭😭

[@rugzbeats]

Hey Colin, thanks a bunch for the new Logic series. I was following your GarageBand guidelines but using Logic instead plus 3rd party EQs and compressors. It's awesome that you've made it native to Logic now. I mainly mix my outputs from MPC, so I don't have a huge number of tracks, but I still find it super helpful.

[@el_ambient_dude7424]

Great Video series. Very straight forward and to the point.

[@gbigbo_zjebeezjeboo]

Indeed very straightforward and to the point !

[@bffshmangles3047]

Thank you for these videos. I feel like I should be paying for this

[@retailhutch9108]

I think this is a really good series. One of the challenges as a solo performer/producer is wanting to achieve that "final" sound from the start; recording is difficult for me if I don't always have that in mind. Stripping everything back down to the raw components for the final mix is something I haven't explored enough.

[@TheBandGuide]

Excited to hear how it helps!

[@thejameslealartco.7625]

Same! I think with ANY art form like painting, sculpting or music we have train our brains to “settle down” don’t get ahead of ourselves. All work must go thru the “ugly” process. Just like in painting the first layers or under drawings look like trash but as you add layers of color you end up with a beautiful work. I’m starting understanding that. Keep it up!

[@abhijeetmasram2801]

Thanks!! for the og lessons.

[@RanchoSolyMar]

Best Mixing Lesson I've seen. Thank you! I have a question slightly off the subject of mixing. Briefly, how did you achieve the vocal doubling? Harmonizer pedal or effects Filter? Individually recorded tracks?

[@guitarwalljams]

Dude I just binged 2 videos but I need to go to bed. Your content is awesome. So much value. Keep it up man!

[@eulersinus9658]

You are absolutely amazing!

[@TheBandGuide]

You are!

[@chorizo108]

Great. I think it's basic, so I can bring this into studio one👍🏼 thanks

[@DonnieLoud-hb1xy]

@17:57 good to know i can add a gain plug-in!!

[@gparkerarkerdoo]

So glad I found your channel! Wishing I would have used/found your methods prior to my first song production here in Logic 11 but I will use this approach going forward. I wanted to ask a question about this series and the pre recorded tracks you've brought into your Static Mix. What kind of processing was done? The waveforms look and sound like they have light compression. I personally use an old ART pre amp to color and lightly compress the vocals going in. What are you generally using?

[@purecountry70]

These videos are awesome I got so much out of. Your videos. Is there a link where I can get all 6 steps I will be watching your videos every day.

[@craighughes-shug6694]

Im About to start mixing my bands 10 track album on logic pro, this is how im going to be starting the mix, any videos on editing and fixing any issues before we get to the mixing stage cheers

[@rlbink2498]

Hi, I have watching this series closely and it is very well put together because you reference it to a real world song! I have a question tho: I often hear it said that when first starting out to remove all the effects and plugins. I’m sure I’m not the only home based musician to use Logic’s built in patches for synths, vox and midi instruments that come preloaded with tonnes of effects, buses and reverbs. In fact, many of my songs these days are written and performed purely using these sorts of effect driven instruments. My question therefore is : do I turn these off when setting levels, volume balancing etc ? Cos they sound like ughhhh without the fx/plugin/reverbs etc. That’s sort of how these midi and virtual instruments sound out of the box before any mixing , if that makes sense. Have you any advice for this sort of situation? Should I still turn off the buses and whatnot?

[@rehobothassemblycalgary]

great teaching

[@davidc0812]

i got so much from this.

[@OCaiomenck]

BRO, amazing! Wich microfone do you use do record this video? And where is it? ahahahaah because i'ts amazing!!! cheers from Brazil!

[@stacygarden914]

cant wait for the rest just got logic

[@francismontocchio9910]

Great video!! Thank you! Do you ever use the pink noise reference method for initial balancing?

[@demetriuspatterson9396]

Great video, 👍

[@johnnysanders2478]

Thanks

[@md_river]

Hi, I love your tutorials, so thank you for what you are doing. Question: Why didn't you use Stereo Pan instead of Balance for the Synth Drive Left and Rhoades Right? I understand that stereo instruments lose one side if Balance is used during panning. Please help.

[@gbigbo_zjebeezjeboo]

Excellent !

[@TheBandGuide]

Glad you like it!

[@sethtouchet511]

Thank you!

[@shazmirshahi]

Awesome

[@optpr1119]

Hey Colin. I’ve followed your mixing and mastering tutorials and my song sounds not good when uploading to soundcloud and listening back on my phone. I did it over an instrumental beat which may or may not be the problem. Please help.

[@micklawrence4329]

Great stuff

[@Fanyakazitv]

What about gain stagging? Isn't it necessary on this static mixing stage?🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@Themehjient]

Hey, big fan of your work, thank you for all your videos. My Garageband crashes now when running the mv meter, would it be best to uninstall and run again or switch plug ins?

[@akitadakid6326]

what to look for when mixing / eqing vocals.

[@11thBlockParty]

Okay y'all, I watched this video fifteen times because I KNOW this is expert advice. But to help others out this is what I've found. A lot of this video is him mixing the song, so once you get the green light to understand how to make revisions just go ahead and do it and skip some of the video, it saves confusion. The only thing is I don't know which part to tell you to skip, that would be up to you. But the point is, don't get lost in the madness, you've got this. KEEP MAKING MUSIC.

[@SkittlesAT]

I’ve heard that it’s better to send signals to the buses (VOX, BAND, EFFECTS) so there’s no that so much of summing signal to stereo output. Is that right?

[@srivatsachikkanarayana4774]

Really useful, thank you so much.

[@maxpayne0006]

Good tutorial 🆒

[@audirs5897]

Hi, Is it normal for my vocals to like be quiet when I am applying this? I find myself in a safe range but then I just feel like it it too quiet

[@TemporalLobeMusic]

Hey Colin! Thanks for this series. As a rule of thumb, at what level do you like to start mixing your drums? Thanks!

[@TheBandGuide]

Generally I'm looking for the peak on the stereo output to be around -6db when all my drums and lead vocal are in

[@damienbenford7860]

yo imma re do all my songs thank you they sounded trash they sound way better now

[@jay31415]

Great video. This is *such* a beginner concept that it seems like many pros *suck* at teaching it: using lingo and leaving out important details they take for granted. For example, something I don't think you mentioned here that's really throwing my noob ass in a loop: what volume should my headphones be at when I do this? In other words how can I ensure that I have a "reference" volume coming out of stereo-out/master?

[@jay31415]

Another question: at 10:16 you said "look at it visually". Well, some of my regions sound QUIET but visually the waveform is so loud looking that it's visually clipping. What causes this?

[@TheBandGuide]

This is a great question that you'll have to experiment a little bit with your exact setup to find. My current setup I keep at roughly 1/3 up, but my last setup I had to have up about 1/2 way. You want to find the spot where it's comfortable but not quite loud when your mix is all the way up.

[@TheBandGuide]

When I say "look at it visually" here I'm referring to the peak meter to see how loud it is there and if it's leaning left or right. It sounds like in your case your headphone/speaker volume is low if a source that was recorded loud sounds quiet

[@wazzyali3420]

Great video! I have a beginners question. Where in the 6 step process would you add stereo width? Is that considered part of step 1 (panning)? For example, I have a synth in a single stereo file that I want to widen in the mix but not actually pan to either side .

[@TheBandGuide]

Great question! Personally, I typically do any stereo widening or modulation during the mix prep stage, before I even start mixing- but after that I would say around the static mix works too. That said, I often notice more stereo width develop after EQ because of the space it creates in the mix, so maybe waiting until after EQ... basically, there's not "right" answer here!

[@wazzyali3420]

@@TheBandGuide Thank you Colin! That makes complete sense.

[@SebPidgeon]

Why do I find it so exciting when you put your headphones on lol

[@pappapaavo5689]

I'm so used to Logic that when I try to skip something in a video on KZbin I press ",,, ........" xD

[@DNV-i2w]

what volume should i keep my mac volume b4 all of this?

[@nixonvonnixon]

wait, where is the part that we get to use the gain plugin to put everything at the right volume?

[@tonoccusmcclain]

Am I mistaken or did you never really address panning?

[@neilgrainey]

Sooo helpful. Thank you so much!