Learn to mixin any DAW
Guided one-to-one mixing sessions on your own music. We work through your track side by side, getting real work done while you gain insight into the tools and the perceptual experience at hand.
- Any DAW
- Mixing and mastering
- Coburg North or online
90 minutes · $120 in person, $110 online
Mixing is alistening skill
An EQ, a compressor or sidechaining does the same job in every DAW. What makes a mix work is knowing what to listen for, and why you are reaching for a tool at all.
So these sessions work in the perceptual realm as well as the tools realm. We’ll constantly discuss the mix from a ground up ‘why’ standpoint, so you’ll come away understanding the reasoning behind the techniques, plus what to listen for, whatever you mix in.
Hear it
Muddy low end, parts fighting for space, a mix that only works in headphones. First we learn to hear what is actually going on.
Understand why
The reasoning behind each move, from the ground up, so you can make the same call on your next track without help.
Do it with your tools
The same ideas in the DAW and plugins you already have. No need to switch software to learn to mix.
The coreof mixing
Every session is shaped around your track, so we go where your mix needs it. These are the skills we keep coming back to.
Balance
Levels, gain staging and panning.
EQ and space
Making room for each part, especially in the low end.
Compression
Compression you can hear and explain.
Sidechaining
Letting one part make room for another, like a bass that ducks under the kick.
Effects and depth
Reverb and delay that add depth and space to a mix.
Automation
Automating a mix to keep it alive.
Listening and references
Referencing, checking your mix on other systems, and comparing to tracks you love.
Mastering
Leaving room to master, then the overall tone, dynamics and loudness, so your track sits well next to other music.
With mixing, it helps to perceive your music through the multi-dimensional lens of the frequency spectrum: Every part broken out into its own band; considering parts individually, as well as the collective whole of the overall mix.
More wecan cover
Sessions can go well beyond the core of mixing, from vocals and editing through to mastering and delivery.
Vocals and editing
- Vocal editing and tuning, as subtly or as obviously as you want
- Comping: building one best take from several
- Breath, click and noise removal
- Timing edits that tighten drums and bass to the groove
Mastering and delivery
- Getting a mix ready for mastering: about 3-6 dB of headroom and no limiter on the main output
- Loudness and delivery for streaming, YouTube, social media and broadcast
- Mastering an EP or album so the songs sound like they belong together
- Mastering from stems: drums, bass, music and vocals
- Checking a mix on studio monitors, headphones and small speakers
- Alternative versions: instrumental, a cappella and cut-downs
Beyond the song
- Exporting stems for collaborators, mix engineers and live playback (how to export stems)
- Mixing a live band from a gig multitrack
- Cleanup and restoration: noise, hum, clicks and room sound
- Sound for video and podcasts: dialogue cleanup, voiceover, and loudness for where it will be shown
- Sit in while John mixes or masters, and learn as it happens
What peoplebring in
“My kick and subs are weak, and my highs are flat.”
The low end
- Muddy low end
- Kick and bass fighting each other
- Low end that feels weak or unpredictable
Translation
- Great in headphones only
- Good on my speakers, not in the car or on a phone
- Too quiet next to references
Space
- Vocals, drums, synths or guitars fighting for space
- Everything is loud, nothing stands out
- Effects that wash the mix out
Good for
- Producers whose tracks sound good in the session but not yet finished
- Songwriters and bands with recorded parts that need to sit together
- Live band recordings from a gig
- EPs and albums that need every song to sit together
- Podcasters and video makers who want clear, consistent sound
Bring the DAWyou already use
Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Pro Tools, Cubase, Reaper, Bitwig Studio, Studio One or GarageBand. The ideas are the same in all of them.
Online
Online with screen sharing, from anywhere. We work in your project, in your DAW.
In the studio
One-to-one at The Snedlab in Coburg North. Bring your laptop and your project.
Your stems
Prefer to bring audio files? Bring your stems and a rough mix and we can work from those.
Mixing lessonsonline
Remote and online lessons work just as well as being in the room. We use Audiomovers to stream high quality audio both ways, so we both hear your mix in full detail while we work on it.
High quality audio
Audiomovers streams the audio back and forth at high quality, so you can hear every change properly.
Your screen, your DAW
Share your screen and we work in your own project, in whatever DAW you use.
Anywhere
Across Australia or overseas. 90 minutes, $110 in Australian dollars, or a 4-pack for $400.
Three ways toa better mix
Mixing lessons
Learn to mix your own music, one to one with John. 90 minutes: $120 in person, $110 online.
This page FeedbackMix feedback
Written or recorded notes on your own mix, so you can fix it yourself. $65 an hour.
See mixing and mastering Done for youJohn mixes it
Mixdown of a song or track from $220. Mastering $60 a song.
See mixing and masteringWant to learn Ableton Live, songwriting or finishing tracks as well? See the one-to-one music production lessons.
Why learnwith John
John is a multi-genre multi-instrumentalist and producer, playing electric bass, upright bass and guitar, with a Bachelor of Music in jazz performance. He has performed as a live musician and electronic producer across a great diversity of genres, with loads of audio engineering and production experience along the way.
He has taught music production & mixing in Ableton Live for many years - and designed & hosted Australia’s first Ableton Live-centric Cert IV in Music Industry at Oxygen College in Geelong.
The experience on all sides of the mix - as performer, producer, and engineer - allows great insight on all aspects of the process.
You don’t need to arrive with everything figured out.
Tell John what you’re after
What you want to understand, solve or finish.
Your track
Your project, your stems or a rough mix, and a reference track you love.
Work through your mix
Focused and practical, at your pace.
Clear next steps
Changes to make, things to practise, and what to bring next time.
In the studio,or online
The Snedlab
One-to-one in Coburg North.
Remote sessions
Online with screen sharing, from anywhere.
90 minutes
Each session runs 90 minutes.
Single or 4-pack
One session: $120 in person, $110 online. 4-pack (4 sessions in 4 weeks): $440 in person, $400 online.
Before yourfirst session
Do I need to use Ableton Live?
No. Mixing lessons work in any DAW. The ideas behind balance, EQ, compression and sidechaining are the same in all of them.
Do you teach mastering too?
Yes. Mastering can be part of any session: the overall tone, dynamics and loudness of a finished mix, so it sits well next to other music and suits where it is going.
Is this DJ mixing?
No. This is mixing in the audio engineering sense: balancing and shaping the recorded tracks of a song into one finished mix.
Do I need mixing experience?
No! Beginners are totally welcome, and experienced producers can bring specific mixes or problems.
Can I bring my own track?
Yes! Working on your own music is encouraged and is a super useful way to learn.
Will we finish my mix in one session?
Probably not! But we will definitely get a lot done. You will leave with decisions made, progress in the mix and plans for the rest.
Can I learn to mix, or will you mix it for me?
Both are on offer. Mixing lessons on this page teach you to mix your own music. If you would rather John mixed it for you, see Mixing, Mastering, and Audio Engineering.
Can I do this online?
Yes. Online sessions use screen sharing and Audiomovers for high quality audio, from anywhere in Australia or overseas, and are $110 for 90 minutes.
One-to-one mixing lessons in Coburg North or online, in any DAW. 90 minutes: $120 in person, $110 online.
